Happycampers on Tour

[Happycamper]

On the road again.

Today we jump on the on the flying kangaroo and get back to Nevada to get the truck out of the storage shed.

I expect flat tyres, batteries and maybe gellid diesel fuel since we put it to bed in the summer and now it is close to freezing in Carson City.

Needs new tyres too and there will be a solar panel to install plus some new suspension for the truck.

Hopefully we will be mobile in a day or two and the adventure will continue.

Ross

 

[Happycamper]

It has started

We got the Dodge out of storage and, surprise, surprise, after re connecting the batteries we had a start. 4.5 months and still strong, unexpected and a super result. Tyres also had held their pressure. (This was after a tip from a friend to leave then on blocks of wood, not concrete.)

Spent the next day not leaving, but getting a set of BFG A/Ts on the truck and doing a little restocking.

Sunday woke to fresh snow on the ground, and still falling but it was time for action. So in the driving snow I screwed a solar panel to the roof of the FWC and fitted a bench in the back of the truck where the rear seat used to be. This houses the Dometic (Waeco in Australia) 80l fridge.Then we left Reno (Virginia City Highlands), after the false start Saturday, on Sunday morning for a big drive to Truckee. Thanks again Colin and Hope.

Had a great visit with Christian P and fiancée, Persephone, lots of travel tips, fun and laughter, and then on to Sacramento. New window in the camper to allow access to the cab of truck where the non-Engel resides. Very good result. Happiness in the camp.

Monday night was in silicon valley with Jerry and Sally extremely gracious hosts and tonight we stealth cooked at a best western in Porterville and slept in the motel!!.

Plan is to head towards Phoenix for Suspension mods and the enter Mexico via Nogales in about a week.

 

[05lr3guy]

Subscribed!

 

[bansil]

Good luck and safe travels

 

[Happycamper]

Another day and another plan. Parts will not be ready in Phoenix for a week or so. So we are off to Baja on Friday morning.

We spent today in San Diego getting last minute bits and pieces for the truck along with insurance, tourist cards and a book of the best campsites in Mexico.

Are we ready? Almost as underprepared as I have ever been before an expedition, well not really but we sure could use some more Spanish experience, a bit more of an itinerary, slightly better vehicle preps and greater knowledge of the country we are about to enter.

Onwards

 

[Happycamper]

On 2 Feb. we crossed at Tijuana with no issues and our trepidation evaporated with the miles as we got south. First night at San Quentin and then in to the desert of the Baja peninsular, which is absolutely spectacular. The weather is warmer down here and spring is coming with some flowers on the various cacti.


Desert scape

Thicket of plants in the desert

Interesting form of cactus

Lunch stop

 

[Happycamper]

San Ignatio next night after a close call with inappropriate speed on a road not suited for that. Big fright, lesson learned. Then on the Sea of Cortez with a couple of stops for churches and fish tacos for lunch at Loreto. These things are really good, a couple of small pieces of fish deep fried in batter on a soft taco shell with all the bits and pieces as well. 2 for about $2.50 makes a great lunch!



Eifel designed church


Colourful fruit stand

Alfresco seating in a pickup

Sea of Cortez

That is the life

Typical desert




Loreto street

The perfect drink to go with fish taco

 

[Happycamper]

Spent two nights at San Jose del Cabo and did the tourist thing of the boat trip to the very bottom of Baja, where the Pacific ocean meets the Sea of Cortez.


La Paz dining

La Paz waterfront

Sea lion jumps on the cavitation plate of the fishing boats waiting for a morsel or two.

Arch with the Pacific ocean on the far side.


Sea lion with a lofty bed.

 

[Happycamper]

Once you are at the bottom of Baja California the only way is up and so we set off towards the north and Phoenix where the truck will have a birthday present of new suspension fitted next week. First two days were biggies with a stop at Loreto and a great little RV park in the middle of town and then on to Guerro Negro and a cheap camp on the Oro del Libre for some whale watching the next day.


Sunrise at a resort

Sea of Cortez, great camping, fishing etc.

Sea of Cortez


Could you stay here?

Classic cactus

Whale watching camp

 

[Happycamper]

Whale watching tour was enjoyable and successful, there are hundreds in the lagoon. Our boat had just Jenny and me with the captain/guide who got us amongst some mums and calves. We also had one whale which wanted to be near us and Jenny was able to pat it many times over during the next 45 mins.


Grey whale skeleton. They can weigh 70 tons.

Two storey toilet, with a view to the whale lagoon.







Salt pans

Military checkpoint, we saw a few of these.

More desert, amazing plants.

 

[Ray Hyland]

Sounds like you guys are still having a fantastic time. When you are in Phoenix will you be able to swing 2 hours north and visit us at the HQ of ExPo/Overland Journal? We'd love to say hi, give you some decals for the truck, and some copies of the Journal to give out on your travels.

Cheers

Ray

 

[Happycamper]

Left whale watching venue at 1200. Unable to get out of the desert by dark so we elected to stay near El Marmol at Sonora gift shop and RV park. This was at the low end of the scale with just a pit toilet but we were happy to get there and pay the $1.60. This proved to be our last night in Baja although we did not know that at the time.

Had a good start next day and got to Ensenada for fish tacos at lunch time. There was a parade and fair happening making parking difficult. We then stopped at a winery on the way to our proposed camp place. This was at a school for deaf students that has a camp area associated with it. Unfortunately they had no water and we were really keen for a shower after the last couple of days without. So we looked around, asked people but struck out as far as finding an RV park goes. Plan B was enacted, drive to Tecate and cross to the USA. This meant that we would get there about 20 minutes after last light. All the hints say do not drive after dark and do not stay near the border and here we were doing both. There were a few stressful moments getting through Tecate in the dark with minimal maps and the signs to the border are tiny. We got through OK and found a place to sleep within another hour north of the fence.

Now we are in Phoenix and get the truck back in the morning so the journey can continue. Mexico again Thursday.








This is what you get for $1.60 camp fees.



Fish market Ensenada

Parade/carnivale

Rock art!

 

[Happycamper]

Ray,

We had the truck out of our hands for nearly three days and then just wanted to get on the road south again when we got it at 1500 yesterday. So now we are in Hermosillo heading back to the Sea of Cortez tomorrow.

We will back through Phoenix and possibly Flagstaff in about 5 weeks and would love to drop in then.

We will PM when on the way back to get exact location.

Thanks for the offer.

Ross and Jenny.

 

[Happycamper]

The two Craigs at Strapt performance in Phoenix took a couple of days to undo all the suspension bolts and install the Dodge Off Road 3 inch lift with rear shackle flip. Performance is a noticeable improvement in comfort and the steering brace has tightened up the guidance system somewhat – new tyres helped here too.

Next day we were off to Mexico again after a few last minute tasks, like top up the Propane tank.

The crossing at Nogales was a no worry affair, with just an hour spent and very helpful staff on hand to deal with the ignorant gringos.

Hermosillo was reached just before dark and we enjoyed a restful night, just us and the trucks and few feet away. Headed off to Las Glorias for a night by the sea and had an absolutely beautiful sunset and a very peaceful night with the waves lulling us to sleep.

Tepic was at the end of Saturday's run, 700 km ish away. Took 10 hours and once again arrived close to the sunset. We were the only campers at a great site in the heart of a shopping strip.

One of the toll collectors dropped the boom gate as we were moving through it and it just hit the bonnet of the car and windscreen before the ever alert driver halted the vehicle. Got out and had a quick look at things but people behind started tooting so we did not notice that the radio aerial had been sheared off. Had a few days of silence until a bit of wire could be inserted into a drilled hole for a makeshift repair.

We reached El Rosario but the RV park we were heading for proved “unfindable” or closed so we settled down in the car park of the butterfly walk. Our first free night! The toilets were opened at 0800 and we were off to find where the monarch butterflies were spending their winter.

We climbed higher than we thought we would have to go and Jenny started getting a bit of altitude sickness at 11500 ft, so down we came. By this time it was 1100 and the sun was penetrating the trees to the clearings and there were butterflies everywhere. We loved seeing all these but realize that a sleep in and shorter walk would have been better. Ah hindsight.

Left the parking lot and headed down the hill only to find that what had been a deserted street the night before was now a marketplace, with every kind of stall imaginable. What was not so clear was that the stalls had tarpaulins attached to both sides of the road and we were driving under, or almost, the guy ropes. There was much shouting to alert us that we had snagged one of the ropes with the top of the camper and the rope had in fact passed between the camper and car roof, bending the CB radio aerial in the process. Two days and two aerials gone! We put things to rights and were carefully shepherded down the next two hundred and fifty metres of crisscrossing guy ropes with stall holders raising them up with sticks so we could clear them. Very harrowing.

There is a system of sharing the road in Mexico state and city so that each vehicle has one day when they cannot enter based on the registration number. So we found out that our number excluded us on Monday! We did a little backtracking to Morelia and in lieu of an RV park found a hotel close to the city centre, with a lockup garage where we spent Monday night. This is a lively city with outdoor art show happening, cars and motorcycle displays, street theatre, people everywhere and one of the nicest cathedrals to be seen.

Pics in a day or so.

 

[Happycamper]

Departure from the garage gave us another slight hiccup in the otherwise smooth sailing so far when the camper took a lurch to the left at the critical moment and caught the winder for the rear leg between the door and the door jamb of the exit door. We were stuck fast, transfer of weight to the other side of the car would not open enough of a gap, we could have jacked up a wheel but the simplest solution was to remove the leg for a minute. Which we did and had it replaced just as quickly and we were away.


Skinny door

Oops.

We got ourselves on to the outer ring road around Mexico city at about 70 km radius and had a good run to Cholula. This is a newish toll road and we went for 270 km without seeing a fuel stop so we had to exit to fuel up. No biggie really but where there have been Pemex stations elsewhere at regular, short, intervals this was different. They are building some stations but I guess these are a few months away yet.

Cholula was another almost empty RV park except for one other camp. We met Croft and Norma of http://croftsmexico.blogspot.mx/2013_02_01_archive.html and decided to accept their invitation of a drink and chat rather than rush off to see the sights. We spent a couple of hours tapping in to the local knowledge of these experts and had a pleasant break from the rushing around.

Villahermosa was the destination for Wednesday, some 600 km away. This took us 8.5 hours, a good run really. Highlights were descending from the 8000 ft plateau near Orizaba and then there were about 50 km of corrugated asphalt which were very uncomfortable to drive on, just could not get the speed right. The camp was at a swimming pool but it was cool for us so we kept out of that, making do with a cold shower instead! We are now at 18 degrees north and it is warm and steamy. Had a visit from the state police, but they were just curious about the rig and were able to give us some Spanish lessons and travel advice too! Once again we were the lone campers.

We had our sights set on the Mayan ruins at Uxmal for the next day and managed to get there and set up camp in the carpark in good time. For our 131 peso ($11.00 AUD) fee you get nothing but a very peaceful campsite to yourself. But the advantage is that you are right there and have easy access to the ruins. We enjoyed the light show in the evening and were first through the gate next morning for a good tour around this sight. There is great access and information about how the Mayan people lived between 500 – 1200 AD and we are becoming experts.