Back from a month on the road
After a month in the U.S. and Canada, and an unexpectedly long time at the marina in Santa Rosalia (10 days, due to continued problems with our alternator), we are about to continue our northward push into the Sea of Cortez.
We have greatly enjoyed our stay in Santa Rosalia. This town is filled with extremely hardworking, generous, friendly folks, and we will definitely return here when we sail back down.
We just posted some photos of Santa Rosalia from our pre-Hurricane-Jimena stay. You can click here or click on the photo of Santa Rosalia (above) to view a slideshow of the photos.
Recapping our road trip
Before we discuss our autumn sailing plans we thought we'd share some tales from our drives up and back down the Baja peninsula in August and September. Click here to view a slideshow of photos from those road trips.
We are absolutely charmed by the Baja terrain and vegetation. From Santa Rosalia it's possible to drive to the US border in about 15 - 16 hours. But we opted for a more leisurely pace so that we'd have time to hike and explore the area. We also chose to take a couple of "roads less traveled" on our drives up and down the Baja. So our routes took a little longer. . .
That night we camped on a dirt road outside the town of Catavina. We woke up and took a hike and Dan found us some breakfast - fruit from the cardon cactus. It was ripe and juicy, and the seeds provided a crunchy texture. Yum!
The sec
ond afternoon we ventured off of Mexico Highway 1, and drove on a dirt road toward some mountains so that we'd have a nice, remote place to camp. We weren't disappointed.
We diverged from Hwy 1 at a town called Uruapan. At first we drove through some vineyards and farming land. The road was a bit rough, but we passed a number of cars along this stretch. The route became increasingly challenging, however, as we approached the mountains.
At an abandoned ranch called Rancho La Lagrima, which loosely translates as Ranch of the Woman Who Cries, we stopped to assess the situation. The road, if you could call it that, headed steeply up to the summit. This was our last chance to turn back. There were huge ruts and rocks that made the name of the ranch make a lot more sense. Clearly the woman was crying because she couldn't make it over the mountain! Fortunately we were in our Toyota pickup (great truck!), and a little encouragement from Lisa was all Dan needed to charge on up the mountain.
We were amply rewarded for our perseverance. . . as we descended from the summit we were treated to an amazing view of the gorgeous, verdant valley below.
The next day we drove some more rough roads to get to the main highway. It was then that we saw the signs indicating that this route is used for "off-road" vehicle racing. Sure enough, a little internet research shows that Lagrima is indeed a site referenced on some Baja off-road enthusiast web sites. Who knew?
The drive back down to Mexico a couple of weeks ago was also eventful. We crossed at Mexicali and when the Mexican border agents found out that we were carrying clothes to donate to the Baja communities hit by Hurricane Jimena they told us that we could not enter Mexico with those clothes. So we had to cross back over to the US and find somewhere to get rid of them. With no thrift stores in sight we left the bags of clothing on the doorstep of a church. Then we crossed back into Mexico. (We didn't tell the customs agents about the box of food donations, so those made it in. We gave the food to the workers at the marina in Santa Rosalia.)
From Mexicali we drove the eastern route down the peninsula via San Felipe. Partway down the peninsula (past Puertocitos) the road turned to gravel. Road crews were busy upgrading and paving the southern section, so in a few years this route may be a lot more traveled. As it was, we saw very little traffic, which suited us just fine. It was a very scenic drive, with stunning views of the mountains and the Sea.
We made a brief detour into Bahia de Los Angeles to drop some supplies off to Isis, Limerick and Lilith. Then we returned to Santa Rosalia to find Rumiko in near-perfect condition. Thanks again to Lilith and all of the other cruisers and marina workers who helped keep her safe during Jimena.
The squid left, and we're about to, too
Hurricane Jimena took an economic toll on Santa Rosalia in many ways. The town itself was flooded, and most houses and businesses in the main canyon had mud as deep as a couple of feet inside. While most businesses have reopened, the outdoor food vendors, such as taco stands, are still not allowed to open, as there is concern over dust-borne contaminants. But the entire town seems to have mobilized in the clean-up effort, and the town is looking much better than it did when we arrived here 10 days ago.
When were were in Santa Rosalia at the beginning of August we were captivated by the squid fishing industry. The fishing boats (known as pangas) staged at some docks very close to our marina, so we spent several nights watching fishermen (yes, they were primarily men) prepare for their evening excursions to catch the giant humboldt squid. They apparently lure the squid to the surface by shining lights into the black water. Every night hundreds of pangas would leave the harbor around dusk, and return around midnight to sell their catch to a few major buyers. We could see their lights as we looked out into the sea - it looked like a floating city.
After the hurricane, the squid left the area. We have heard that the squid moved far enough away that it became too expensive for the squid fishermen to buy the gas to get their boats to the squid. We saw very little squid fishing activity when we returned to Santa Rosalia. Fortunately, the city hired many of the fishermen to help with the clean-up effort, so those men and women and their families continued to have a source of income. And just in the past few days we've seen more panga activity at night, so it appears that at least some squid have returned to the area.
But just as the squid appear to be returning, we are planning our departure from the Santa Rosalia area. Tomorrow we will start heading north to join up with Isis and Limerick. The first leg of our journey will be an overnight sail to Sanfrancisquito. Then we will continue north to the Bahia de Los Angeles area where our buddies are hanging out. We hear that internet up there is less than optimal, so we're not sure when we'll be posting our next blog entry. So keep checking back every few weeks.
After a month in the U.S. and Canada, and an unexpectedly long time at the marina in Santa Rosalia (10 days, due to continued problems with our alternator), we are about to continue our northward push into the Sea of Cortez.
We have greatly enjoyed our stay in Santa Rosalia. This town is filled with extremely hardworking, generous, friendly folks, and we will definitely return here when we sail back down.We just posted some photos of Santa Rosalia from our pre-Hurricane-Jimena stay. You can click here or click on the photo of Santa Rosalia (above) to view a slideshow of the photos.
Recapping our road trip
Before we discuss our autumn sailing plans we thought we'd share some tales from our drives up and back down the Baja peninsula in August and September. Click here to view a slideshow of photos from those road trips.
We are absolutely charmed by the Baja terrain and vegetation. From Santa Rosalia it's possible to drive to the US border in about 15 - 16 hours. But we opted for a more leisurely pace so that we'd have time to hike and explore the area. We also chose to take a couple of "roads less traveled" on our drives up and down the Baja. So our routes took a little longer. . .
On our drive north we stopped for a number of hikes. The first one was in a beautiful but slightly malodorous valley. We were attracted to the valley because of the vegetation - boojums, torotes bursting with pink blossoms, and many other types of bloomin' cacti. . . it just so happened that they valley was also home to some sulphur hot springs.
As we continued on our hike the valley opened up to produce a starkly beautiful landscape - in some places there were vibrantly colored, salt-encrusted pools, in other places the rocks had been carved and buffed by eons of water flowing through the valley, giving them a smooth roundness and a glossy patina.
As we continued on our hike the valley opened up to produce a starkly beautiful landscape - in some places there were vibrantly colored, salt-encrusted pools, in other places the rocks had been carved and buffed by eons of water flowing through the valley, giving them a smooth roundness and a glossy patina.
That night we camped on a dirt road outside the town of Catavina. We woke up and took a hike and Dan found us some breakfast - fruit from the cardon cactus. It was ripe and juicy, and the seeds provided a crunchy texture. Yum!
The sec
ond afternoon we ventured off of Mexico Highway 1, and drove on a dirt road toward some mountains so that we'd have a nice, remote place to camp. We weren't disappointed.We diverged from Hwy 1 at a town called Uruapan. At first we drove through some vineyards and farming land. The road was a bit rough, but we passed a number of cars along this stretch. The route became increasingly challenging, however, as we approached the mountains.
At an abandoned ranch called Rancho La Lagrima, which loosely translates as Ranch of the Woman Who Cries, we stopped to assess the situation. The road, if you could call it that, headed steeply up to the summit. This was our last chance to turn back. There were huge ruts and rocks that made the name of the ranch make a lot more sense. Clearly the woman was crying because she couldn't make it over the mountain! Fortunately we were in our Toyota pickup (great truck!), and a little encouragement from Lisa was all Dan needed to charge on up the mountain.
We were amply rewarded for our perseverance. . . as we descended from the summit we were treated to an amazing view of the gorgeous, verdant valley below.
The next day we drove some more rough roads to get to the main highway. It was then that we saw the signs indicating that this route is used for "off-road" vehicle racing. Sure enough, a little internet research shows that Lagrima is indeed a site referenced on some Baja off-road enthusiast web sites. Who knew?
The drive back down to Mexico a couple of weeks ago was also eventful. We crossed at Mexicali and when the Mexican border agents found out that we were carrying clothes to donate to the Baja communities hit by Hurricane Jimena they told us that we could not enter Mexico with those clothes. So we had to cross back over to the US and find somewhere to get rid of them. With no thrift stores in sight we left the bags of clothing on the doorstep of a church. Then we crossed back into Mexico. (We didn't tell the customs agents about the box of food donations, so those made it in. We gave the food to the workers at the marina in Santa Rosalia.)
From Mexicali we drove the eastern route down the peninsula via San Felipe. Partway down the peninsula (past Puertocitos) the road turned to gravel. Road crews were busy upgrading and paving the southern section, so in a few years this route may be a lot more traveled. As it was, we saw very little traffic, which suited us just fine. It was a very scenic drive, with stunning views of the mountains and the Sea.
We made a brief detour into Bahia de Los Angeles to drop some supplies off to Isis, Limerick and Lilith. Then we returned to Santa Rosalia to find Rumiko in near-perfect condition. Thanks again to Lilith and all of the other cruisers and marina workers who helped keep her safe during Jimena.The squid left, and we're about to, too
Hurricane Jimena took an economic toll on Santa Rosalia in many ways. The town itself was flooded, and most houses and businesses in the main canyon had mud as deep as a couple of feet inside. While most businesses have reopened, the outdoor food vendors, such as taco stands, are still not allowed to open, as there is concern over dust-borne contaminants. But the entire town seems to have mobilized in the clean-up effort, and the town is looking much better than it did when we arrived here 10 days ago.
When were were in Santa Rosalia at the beginning of August we were captivated by the squid fishing industry. The fishing boats (known as pangas) staged at some docks very close to our marina, so we spent several nights watching fishermen (yes, they were primarily men) prepare for their evening excursions to catch the giant humboldt squid. They apparently lure the squid to the surface by shining lights into the black water. Every night hundreds of pangas would leave the harbor around dusk, and return around midnight to sell their catch to a few major buyers. We could see their lights as we looked out into the sea - it looked like a floating city.
After the hurricane, the squid left the area. We have heard that the squid moved far enough away that it became too expensive for the squid fishermen to buy the gas to get their boats to the squid. We saw very little squid fishing activity when we returned to Santa Rosalia. Fortunately, the city hired many of the fishermen to help with the clean-up effort, so those men and women and their families continued to have a source of income. And just in the past few days we've seen more panga activity at night, so it appears that at least some squid have returned to the area.But just as the squid appear to be returning, we are planning our departure from the Santa Rosalia area. Tomorrow we will start heading north to join up with Isis and Limerick. The first leg of our journey will be an overnight sail to Sanfrancisquito. Then we will continue north to the Bahia de Los Angeles area where our buddies are hanging out. We hear that internet up there is less than optimal, so we're not sure when we'll be posting our next blog entry. So keep checking back every few weeks.
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