Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:54:00 -0700
Reply-To: mark drillock <mdrillock@COX.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: mark drillock <mdrillock@COX.NET>
Subject: Trip Report, Baja Whales 2012,part 1, long, boring
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
We just returned from our 3rd annual whale watching trip, down to the
Baja calving lagoons where the migrating California Grey Whales go to
give birth and mate. The lagoons are protected during this special time
and only a few licensed operators are allowed to run small guide boats
out in the lagoons to viewing areas where they put-put slowly or stop
the motor entirely to put the whales at ease and hopefully entice them
to approach. This is only permitted in a certain area of deep water
where the whales that prefer to avoid the boats can easily do so and
those who wish to get close to the boats have plenty of room to maneuver.
This year we had 4 VW vans who managed to put it all together and make
the trip. 2 were Syncro Campers, 1 was a mildly camperized 2wd passenger
van, and the 4th was a Eurovan Westfalia. All were Vanagon list members
except for the Eurovan, owned by a retired Canadian couple I met the
week before and talked into joining us for their first Baja trip. They
loved it and I hope they will return next year for a longer visit.
We met up near the San Diego border early on a Sunday morning, to allow
us a quiet passage through what can often be a hectic and confusing
bustle. We stopped on the Mexican side of the border gates to get
Tourist Visas and off we went to Ensenada, an hour down the toll road. I
like to get everyone out of the vans and mixing with the Mexican people
early in the trip and this is perfect for that, interesting and tasty.
We made our usual stop at the large fish market to buy fresh shrimp etc
to make for dinner. With all the seafood prompting hunger pangs, we
settle at a table for a late breakfast at one of adjacent fish tacos
stands. Next we stopped at a parking lot for a group of stores that
included a money changing business and a bank with ATM so people could
get pesos by one method or the other. Dollars spend fine most places but
you can save a little money by exchanging bulk dollars for pesos and
using pesos to avoid the varying exchange rates offered by individual
businesses. The farther south you go from the border the less favorable
the exchange rate tends to be so pesos are preferred. After that, our
first gas stop, just under $3 per gallon for Pemex regular. The price is
fixed and the same at nearly all stations no matter how remote.
Working our way along the main highway as it passes through the greater
Ensenada metropolitan area we passed lots of familiar business.
HomeDepot, SamsClub, Costco, SmartnFinal, AppleBees, McDonalds........
Yep, many urban Mexicans have money and like to spend it, just like us.
After about an hour of slightly hectic city the road breaks out into the
foothills and into the suddenly pretty countryside. Due to recent rains
things are green and spring flowers are blooming. The real Baja begins.
The road winds through the pretty hills for a while and then comes back
to the flatter coast, where it straightens and passes through a series
of busy small farming towns that are growing year by year till some are
touching and others soon will be. After a couple hours we are past the
last main areas of civilization and we pull into a sleepy beach
campground to make a light lunch and take a break from the confusion of
the towns. Of course I'm the only one who knows that this is now the
start of something different and everyone is still talking about the
traffic, farms and people in what they thought was mostly a barren empty
land. That is coming soon enough.
Leaving the beach camp after lunch, we meet the proprietress driving
towards us on the access road. She recognizes me and asks why we are
leaving. I tell her we were just taking a break and we planned to camp
there on our way back north at the end of the week. With hot showers and
flush toilets it is a welcome place to clean up after a week away from
such luxuries. Positioned about a long half day from the border it makes
for a shorter last day on the run home.
Heading back south, the road rises sharply into the hills and we come to
our first major army checkpoint. Southbound traffic usually gets little
scrutiny and this time is no exception. The road then drops down to a
town for the last gas stop for nearly 200 miles. This is the only
stretch of this size without a gas station so filling up is required and
the station tends to be pretty busy. Gas is sold at 2 places in that
empty stretch, by men with drums in the back of their pickups. I have
used these suppliers many times but only when I was turning off the main
highway for a side trip. We were passing straight through so we could
make the next official station easily, or one of the ones not far after it.
With the sun getting lower in the sky, we head into the wilds, up and
down small mountains, across changing deserts, heading for a quiet
camping area at Rancho Santa Inez near Catavina. The last half hour is
through an area of large boulders that is very scenic and best enjoyed
in late afternoon light, so that is how we timed it. The magic was with us.
After some photo stops we turned off into the Rancho and found ourselves
a spot with 5 or 6 other campers scattered around us. Most were large
rigs from cold northern states and provinces but there were some bicycle
campers that I assumed were Germans. We passed a quiet night other than
for the little camp dog who moved from van to van looking for scraps and
barking at coyotes real and imagined. In the morn Rich reported a low
temp during the night of 38 degrees and I had shivered enough to believe
it. A few hours later I felt the signs of impending illness and wished I
had dressed more warmly that night. My wife had a bad cold for a few
days before I left and she spent two nights in our spare room so I
wouldn't catch it before the Baja trip. Alas, to no avail it now seemed.
Back on the road bright and early, we enjoyed the fresh morning light
and air, crossing varying terrain for a few hours until we reached
another army checkpoint before the next gas stop. Then to the state line
that separates Northern Baja from Southern Baja, where the state ag
inspector confiscates many fruits and vegetables and where the vehicle
undercarriage gets sprayed for pests. There was also a spot check for
tourist visas by an immigration official at the same stop. We were all
good to go and his imperious face fell slightly when I handed over the
proper papers and informed him we all had them. Bureaucrats.
With the beginning of my illness at hand, I felt the need to rush a
little to get us to the whale watching camp before I was unable to drive
safely. We passed by the next large town without stopping for supplies
as I usually would have. The area 30 miles on either side of this town
is about the most godforsaken part of the trip, with blowing sand and
little plant life other than some cactus with bits of trash stuck to
them. We pressed on to a nicer smaller town that has a bakery inside a
small market and arrived just after many fresh baked goods were put into
the display cases. Since it was lunch time, they had fresh hot sliced
pizzas too, and I had some slices while I informed the group of my
deteriorating condition.
From there it was an hour to yet another army checkpoint, this one
famously slow. With the van doors open it was plain that we had reached
the influence of the Sea of Cortez, much warmer air with a different
feel and we were going to need shorts. After a long wait for everyone to
get checked, especially the van with the pretty girl, we arrived into
the pretty palm tree oasis town of San Ignacio, where we were to turn
off and head for the whale lagoon of the same name. We pulled into the
quaint town square, across from the nearly 300 year old church, one of
the original missions. A little strolling around and then I headed over
to the town office of the eco-tourism resort that was our eventual
destination. I let them know that we wished to go out on a whale boat
the next morning and she penciled in our booking after checking
availability. I told her we also needed camping space for 4 vans and she
wrote out a booking slip for me to present at the camp. Then back to the
group to let them know we had a booking and could make the long dusty
ride out to the lagoon with confidence.
The lagoon road out of town starts off so rough and decrepit that you
think there must be some mistake. Is this really the road, if it is can
we make it through 50 miles of THIS??? But no, suddenly the perfect new
pavement begins and we relax for an easy drive until 20 miles later when
the perfect pavement ends as suddenly as it began. We took our time over
the washboard and through the deep sand drifts that wind had pushed into
the road track in a few spots. In some places the road was just a narrow
raised track across salt flats that flood on both sides with high tides
and storm surges. After about 90 minutes of dirt road we arrived at the
eco-tourism resort and checked in. We spread out into camp spots along
the lagoon front and signed up for dinner in the cafe. Then we relaxed
and watched the sunset, spreading color and shape through the wispy
clouds, in a small show of Baja magic.
I woke in the night feeling chilled and feverish at times. With the
sounds of wind and waves outside telling me conditions might not be
great in the morning, I resolved that I would not go out on the whale
boat with the group and would be sensible instead. As the group gathered
and prepared for the whale trip orientation meeting I informed them of
my decision. A little while later I had an abrupt change of heart and
rushed to dress and join them for the boat ride. The wind was up and the
whitecaps were evident but the proprietor had said it would be fine
anyway. Am I ever glad I decided to go. As the boat sped west to the
spot designated for whale interaction the wind lessened and waters
calmed. Whales were spouting everywhere, mostly in pairs with a large
spout and a small spout side by side. It was obvious that most whales
were female and calf. As the boat slowed and whales came close we had
the encounters of a lifetime. In the prior 2 year I had seen a few other
boats that had been able to touch whales but never my boat. This time it
happened over and over. Some of the mothers nuzzled our boat and let us
touch them but mostly it was the young ones who did. All of us
repeatedly touched baby whales and the whales seemed to like it as much
as we did.
Here again is a video of our close encounters this year. The baby whale
near the end was just a delight.
http://youtu.be/rIZ1Zwv4VuM
Mark