Date:         Sat, 16 Mar 2013 06:04:55 -0700
Reply-To:     mark drillock <mdrillock@COX.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         mark drillock <mdrillock@COX.NET>
Subject:      Re: Baja Whale 2013 trip report, 10 vans, 9 days... part 2,
              BOLA magic
In-Reply-To:  <514341DD.6010201@cox.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

After retiring early for our first Baja night at a Pacific coast beach
camp about 5 hours south of the border we awoke early to the beginnings
of another beautiful day. While we didn't plan to drive all that far to
the next camp I hoped to get everyone used to starting the days early so
we could make the most of the daylight over the whole trip. Driving at
night is a no-no and getting to camp while there is still time to walk
around and explore is a yes-yes.

30 miles down the road we cleared our first Army checkpoint, without
much delay. A few miles later we dropped down to a small town that had a
panaderia (bakery) and a few small stores. The bakery sign said open but
it wasn't, sadly. The markets were open so we grabbed a few things. From
there the highway moved away from the coast and climbed through some
small mountains into the interior desert of Baja. We pressed on, making
the turn at the junction toward Bahia de Los Angeles on the Sea of
Cortez. We stopped for lunch, pulling a little ways down a dirt track
leading into the recently dedicated nature preserve area. The desert was
greener that usual and wild flowers were everywhere. Clearly there had
been some rains. The mood was light and things were good.

On the road again, we hit a  hilly area and were buffeted by some wind,
an ominous sign if it continued. Heading toward the sea, we soon caught
our first glimpse. Anne and I were happy to see that the water looked
calm. We all pulled over at a lookout point and surveyed the view of the
many islands arrayed around the great bay. After a stop in town for gas,
ice, and beer we headed north along the bay with the pavement running
out after several miles and our first taste of Baja washboard beginning.
It was slow rough going but we kept on until we reached the hoped for
camping beach at the end of the road. We had it all to ourselves, and we
set up the vans spread in a long line along the best spot.

The Bay Of LA (BOLA) magic was with us, calm and beautiful. Some people
jumped in the clear water. After a few beers we took the kayaks off the
roofs and started setting them up for a little paddling and fishing. The
hungry bass were biting as usual and I even hooked a small barracuda.
The breeze started to kick up so we had to keep close to shore and then
cut our paddling short.  Some of the fish were cooked for dinner. It was
a beautiful evening, things were going well.

We woke early to a fabulous sunrise beginning to show, many cameras in
evidence. The receding tide was too low for kayaking but we had a lot of
shoreline to walk and explore. Some combed the rocks and sand looking
for clams, gathering enough to have a meal later. I hiked a few of the
small hills, looking longingly at the larger close island to the east
where I have fished many times from my Zodiac. I hope to one day do more
of that but it has been a few years. When I got back to camp some others
were just heading out for walks so I joined them to show where I had
found my best views. When the tide returned we made another go at
kayaking but the threat of offshore wind kept us in pretty tight. A few
fish were caught to go along with the clams collected earlier. We had a
calm evening and ate our dinners outside. We set up a small campfire
with chairs for all 19 of us at one point. I can't really put the joy of
such times into words so I won't try.

Mark






mark drillock wrote:
> As advertised here a few months ago, the 4th annual Vanagon Baja Whale
> trip took place last week. This year there were 10 vans from 6 states.
> Harold and Faye Teer get the long distance award, coming from Virgina.
> Other vans were from Washington, Oklahoma, Oregon, Arizona, and several
> from California. I never dreamed that this many vans would join a trip
> like this but they did and we had a great time.
>
>