1998/9 Baja, Mexico / California Trip

We left San Ignacio at 6:00 and drove north thru desert for 90 miles before coming to Guerrero Negro. There was thick fog about twenty miles before getting into town. There is also a gravel road that would lead to an inlet along the Pacific Ocean where the whales come for breeding. This is in Scammon's Lagoon and the whales are usually here from January to March and then return to the Bering Sea. We stopped in town to fill up on gas and then continued on. We drove for another 90 miles of desert and turned right toward Bahia de Los Angelas. About half way there I pulled off on a gravel road to get out and walk around the desert. Jacob and I walked along the gravel road and climbed a large and were able to see for many miles after climbing to the top There was debris left over from somebody who had been staying here. There was also a part of a cactus that had been cut out for water which made you wonder what was happening here when that occurred. Jacob pulled up one of the rusty cans and saw a lizard scatter away. We didn't see any snakes but there were many holes in the ground for some type of habitat for small animals. Once again it was very quiet and still in the desert and the day would go by so slow with no type of stimulation.

We got into Bahia de los Angelas arund 10:30. There was not much vegetation here but there was a good view of the water. We decided to eat breakfast here at Los Hamacas. Cindy and I had lobster omelets that were good. The kids had bacon, eggs and toast. I started looking around for gas and found a place that sold 'strained gas'. I needed some and noticed that the boats were also using the gas, they said it was OK and I filled the truck up. We left town and would take an hour to get back to the main highway. We drove north and then turned off on dirt road at kilometer 229 for Bahia San Luis Gonzaga and would eventually go to Puertocitos and San Felipe. This turned out to be the roughest gravel road we would take during the whole trip. We turned left at Coco's Corner and the road didn't seem that bad. I also stopped somebody going the opposite way and he said he had just came from San Felipe. He was in a car so I knew I could make it. The road was bumpy but no rock or ditches to worry about at first. It was actually better to take a side dirt/sand rood that paralleled the main road as it was a much smoother ride. Those roads did not last long though as there were many more hills and valleys to go past. We went into Gonzaga Bay or otherwise known as Bahia San Luis Gonzaga. This was a nice area with many camping sites, and we noticed there was a new Pemex gas station going in. There also seemed to be several new houses going up in the area and this place is about ready to be overflooded with tourists. There weren't that many people here today but it was also during the middle of the week. We walked out to the beaches as it was very sandy and had lots unbroken shells.

It was now 2:30 when we left Gonzaga Bay and continued north. The weather was warm in the mid 70's today. The road went along the coast as we saw several small islands including one that was all white.. We occasionally saw handmade signs for various camp sights along the water. The road had several windy, steep, narrow and rocky sections. It was a slow drive to Puertocitos with spectacular views. As the little village of Puertocitos came into view we were hoping for pavement. I was going to continue to San Felipe for another 50 miles. Just out of town about every 100 yards there were these awful washboards giving us a bouncy ride. The truck started slowing down and the engine light came on. I couldn't get the truck to go any faster than 50 mph. We decided to head back to Puertocitos and stopped at a small store to ask where we could find a mechanic. They told us to go back to Puertocitos at the first gate and ask for Jay. Back in town somebody directed us to Jay's house/shop. We knocked on the door and yelled for Jay. He yelled back 'come on in' without even seeing us. He was a 'Norte Americano" (ie US citizen living in Mexico) who spoke perfect English. What a relief! We told him our troubles and he said right away that it was the catalytic converter and not to worry he could fix it. He told us to bring it in tomorrow morning between 7 and 8. I felt better, it was 5:30 pm and we knew we weren't going anywhere tonight. We asked him if there were any hotels in town. He said there was one, but he didn't think it was open. He gave us directions to the owner/managers?? home just in case. We went straight there and spoke to a woman who knew about as much English as we knew Spanish. She pointed us in the direction down toward the beach where there was a building with maybe 12 rooms and indicated that room number 4 would cost 400 pesos for the might ($40). We walked down and took a look. There was a lock on the door, but it wasn't locked. It was a nice room with a queen and a twin bed, washbasin, bathroom with shower with Mexican decor (ie tiles, wicker furniture....). We went up and paid her for it in cash. We started to get settled in but discovered that the shower and toilet did not have running water. So we went back and told her this. She sent her husband to check it out. He couldn't fix it so moved us to another room. He had to go through the window to unlock the door. This room was equally charming with the same eminates, but looked totally different. It looked like they were remodeling and that only four of the rooms were completed. The rooms didn't have a key to lock the door but there was nobody else around. We ate at the restaurant nearby which was quite large but only had one other table in use. They only served beef tacos and burritos. After dinner we ordered a six-pack of beer to take back to the room with us. The waitress also informed us that the towns generator goes off at 10:00 and gave us a candle and matches. We went to bed around 9:30.

We drove 400 miles today and 3750 total