Date:         Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:14:53 -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 2
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After a fine morning with the whales, the boats sped back to camp. The
tide was up so we stepped from the boat onto dry land while earlier we
had needed to wade some distance out into the bay to reach the boat.
Lunch at the cafe was scheduled in an hour so we all went to our vans to
change and get ready. We entered the cafe a little early and found our
table. More people streamed in and took their tables, all arranged for
the size of party as needed, by prior reservation. Everyone was talking
about their whale experiences but this was happening in several
different languages with people from around the world coming for this
special event. At various times there I thought I heard German, Italian,
French, Spanish, and English though I am no linguist. Marilyn worked the
room and reported back that our good fortune in getting to touch whales
was not shared by everyone that day.

After a long siesta I was feeling a little better and hopeful that my
cold would not get too serious. I had a slight urge to pack up and drive
the 2 hour dirt road back to the main road rather than wait for the
morning. I spoke to others in our group about it but the pleasant
afternoon made no one very interested in leaving so we were spending a
second night at the lagoon. The solar showers were nice and hot so
everyone took one. The water for the place is brought in by truck so
conservation is a must. The eco-resort has a water saving strategy for
the showers and each dry stall is equipped with a bucket and a cup. You
are meant to fill the bucket outside, mixing hot and cold to taste, then
take it into a stall and use the cup to portion the water over yourself.
The stalls also have a simple pulley up high for those who have a shower
bag so I filled my sunshower and hung it rather than use the bucket.

The sunset was shaping up to be beautiful again and people were milling
about with cameras. Sitting in my van fresh and clean I watched the
whale spouts all around the lagoon. The low angle of the afternoon sun
highlights them so you can see them better and I tried to count them as
they happened. Sitting on the bed looking out the windshield I timed a
minute and counted about 10 spouts, mostly a large and small spout
together, mother and calf. A little later I did it again and saw 8. It
was surreal. I stepped outside to enjoy the remains of the day with the
others. After dinner I asked everyone to settle up their camp tabs so we
could make a quick early start in the morning. There was only slight
grumbling.

In the morning, the wind was up and the sky was cloudy. Definitely felt
like time to go and everyone was ready. There was a slight gap in the
clouds at the horizon and we got a few brief minutes of sunrise before
the sun was again hidden. I let a little air out of my tires to reduce
the sting of the coming washboard. We set off, with members of the group
now comfortable enough to travel at their own pace without fears of
abandonment in hostile territory. As a leader of many Baja excursions I
always notice this progression of attitude. The first day or two people
tend to crowd together on each other bumpers, as though we might have to
quickly circle the wagons and ward off an attack, silly as that sounds.
At some point way past the border area chaos this changes to everyone
relaxed and spread out, with vans even stopping alone for photos or
whatever without any panicked radio calls.

The constantly changing sky makes the 2 hour dirt road interesting
enough for several photo stops. The early start means we should have
plenty of time to just enjoy. Finally back near the main road, we stop
again in the town square where we turned off two days before. One of our
party visits the resort office there to pay their tab. Out at the remote
lagoon they can only take cash and to pay by card you simply stop in
town on your way out, on the honor system. Strolling a little to stretch
my legs I wander by the open door of the office and am surprised to see
it packed with people. Yep, Baja whale tourism is growing. To my relief
our party gets their business handled quickly. As we pull out, I see a
couple other VW vans parked on the other end of the busy square. A woman
from a Vanagon Westy steps out into the street as I approach. She wants
to discuss something about my tandem kayak on the roof but a traffic cop
on the corner waves me to get moving so I have to cut her short. I did
learn that she was staying nearby for an extended visit, at one of the
many bucolic campgrounds in the palm tree oasis town of San Ignacio.

Back on the main highway, we head for the beautiful Sea of Cortez. Our
plan is to stop at a large Mexican port town for some fresh baked goods
before resuming southbound to the popular tourist area of Bahia
Conception. Dropping down the steep mountain pass road to the shore, we
stop at the edge of town for gas at a brand new station. One of our
party gets shorted on a poor dollar exchange rate and now wants to get
pesos asap for future gas purchases. I tell some of the group that the
port town will be jammed and probably no way we can park together or
even within sight of each other. Being in the lead I luck out and get a
spot near the bakery while the others creep past me on the narrow one
way main street. Several blocks ahead they eventually get spots and we
all meet up at the bakery except for Rich who decides a visit to the
busy bank for pesos is a good idea. It never is a good idea to visit a
Mexican bank but it is too late to tell him so. As I suspect he waits in
line only to be refused at the window because he left his passport in
the van. He fetches his passport and gets back in the now longer line.
The rest of us munch on delicious baked goodies and some decide to buy
more. After way too much wait time we head to our respective vans,
planning to meet up at the produce market on the far edge of the town
center. Parking again proves difficult and more time slips away, to my
slight frustration. While waiting at the produce stand for our
stragglers we are pestered by a persistent panhandler until one of the
stand operators runs him off. When we are finally all together and ready
to leave two of us are blocked in by a delivery truck and must wait some
more. It is a thriving town, built long long ago and the narrow streets
simply can't handle the load of prosperity.

Making our escape from the urbanized frenzy, we are soon cruising along
down the coast with fewer and fewer signs of civilization. The 'desert'
is lush from rains and a pleasant mood returns. We pass the turnoff to
one of my most cherished camping/fishing/kayaking/snorkeling spots but I
resist the temptation. With 10 miles of washboard to get to it I'm sure
mutiny would result and the current status of the campground is in doubt
anyway so I won't chance it this time. This whole area was ripped apart
by hurricanes in the last few years and along with the washed out roads
and bridges many businesses were damaged. The main road has been fixed
and many new bridges are in evidence but some camping areas are still
defunct and may be gone forever unless tourism picks way up again.

We reach the quaint tourist town of Mulege, in time I hope for a late
lunch at a great taco stand built into the front patio of a house deep
in the town. It has been a must stop for us for 20 plus years since my
wife and I first ate there after going on a snorkeling trip with a dive
shop that used to be across the street. The name of the small stand has
changed a couple of times but the same guy and his wife have been
running it all along. We reach it and my heart falls slightly when I see
the crowd of people inside and out. We drive past and park, hoping for
the best. It turns out that some people are just leaving and we get that
table and share another with a party that isn't using all of theirs. The
food is great, the sound of happy customers surrounds us, and we order
seconds. I see the store across the street closing for siesta so I rush
off to try to buy a phone card so I can call my wife from a payphone.
Too late, all the shops are closed for a 2 hour break, except for one
where the guy speaks good English. He tells me that almost everyone now
uses cell phones and only one closed store still carries the payphone
cards while they all sell the cellphone cards. The memories invoked by
the familiar town has made me miss my wife but I have no way to reach
her at the moment. We press on.

Mulege is at the top end of a very long bay that stretches south. We
drive south along the western shore that is lined with beaches, coves,
small islands, and many camping spots. The water has beautiful hues of
blues and greens, with sailboats and kayaks plying her waters. In spring
and fall it is an absolute paradise and we are already feeling her
hypnotic pull with the warm tropical air. Our plan is to cruise the
shore of the bay to take a good look for promising camp spots, then turn
back north and pull into one for a night or two. At the bottom of the
bay we all pull over into a scenic view turnout to discuss the options
we just passed. Everyone liked the looks of a place where a long curved
sand spit connects the main shore to a small island. There are shade
palapas built from palm fronds and it looked like some of them were
empty. We head back and look for the turnoff. The short road is a little
rough but not a real problem and even some RVs managed it to park on the
spit below. We take the two empty palapas at one end of the camp
farthest from the RVs. The place is a well known landmark, called El
Requeson, with the scenic sand spit appearing in many travel photos of Baja.

The proprietor showed himself to collect $7 per van and he delivered an
old washing machine tub for us to use if we planned a camp fire. One of
the other groups of campers showed Kyong where to dig for clams so she
gathered a bunch for her first try at cooking some for dinner. Rich set
up his white xmas lights on the Palapa for nice mood lighting. Then he
brought out his hot shower contraption, heated either while driving via
the heater hoses or when put on a camp stove. I took off for town to
make another try at a phone call home and Ernie came with me. This time
I found the store selling phone cards open and made my call from the
payphone nearby. The phones do not take coins, only smart cards that you
insert into the card reader. Back at camp we started a small fire in the
tub and sat up for a while talking. We toasted marshmallows, courtesy of
Kyong, who even brought enough sticks for us all.

After tossing a bit during the night I slept fitfully until first light.
As I rolled over I saw a fabulous early morning sky coming to life
through the front window. It was of such astounding beauty that I could
not ignore it, though more sleep was needed. I forced myself to get
dressed and go outside with my camera. The wispy clouds and colorful sky
were reflecting off the glass-like waters of the calm bay. It was
breathtaking. In spite of the very early hour I went around to each van,
softly rapping on the sides to alert those inside to what was happening.
It took several tries at each van to get any response. Everyone was
sound asleep but I persisted until someone stirred. Once they looked out
they needed no further explanation for my disturbing them. Everyone had
a sudden urgent need to find their cameras.

https://picasaweb.google.com/chimivee/BajaMarch2012#5721782918059682354

The awesome morning sky went on and on, colors ever changing but still
quite pretty long after the sun rose. We all got another big helping of
the Baja magic. Stay tuned for part 3.

Mark