My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Hopeless Diamond.....I don't recall seeing that.....

Clay.....I was also curious so I read the link.....still curious.....

furbucket.....thank you & yea I kinda really liked that one too.....

And so it was my last sunrise in Los Barriles and I thought it to be a fine one.....



But now it was time to hit the road. We were undecided.....stop in Cabo San Lucas and hang out, or just pass through. We figured we'd make a last minute decision when we arrived.....



Probably 15 miles before town we began to see massive resorts and golf courses. The more I saw, the less I wanted to see. It really wasn't what I came to see in Mexico. Then we laid eyes on a massive cruise ship in the harbor and I knew then what I really wanted.....that was to bypass Cabo San Lucas, take the bypass and turn north, now we would drive along the Pacific Ocean.....





So our goal for the day was a town by the name of Todos Santos. We'd heard a lot of great things about it, an article on the internet said it was possibly the prettiest town in all of Mexico. As usual whenever we enter a town that we plan to stay in, we first look for a camping spot. Now contrary to what I'd said in the past, we chose a spot on a secluded beach, about 4 miles north of town. We were told that there was only one campground here, and that it sucked and was overpriced. Those I don't feel compelled to support. So this would be our first wild camping in Mexico.....



When we pulled in there was only a lone Frenchman camped here in a diesel Land Rover that I would kill for.....



.....and a few surfers in the ocean.....



What an amazing difference there is between the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean. The Sea of Cortez was quiet and calm, tranquilo.....the Pacific Ocean is loud, thoundurous and the waves crash against the shore. The astounding change was welcomed to be honest. Not that I like one over the other, but change is a good thing.....



And now we'd also traded our morning sunrises for the evening sunsets. I love them all the same.....

 

[Hopeless Diamond]

Knew I had a picture of it somewhere


Really enjoy following along with you, thanks for sharing all the great places and adventures you're having.

JR

 

[Foy]

That truck in Los Barriles!

That truck beside the dual-sport moto in Los Barriles looks like a 1930s or 1940s vintage GMC rig with a Napco or Marmon-Herrington 4WD setup. You can faintly see the front differential pumpkin under the bumper and what looks like a locking hub extending out from the right front wheel. Do you have any other pictures of that truck?

I am very much enjoying your posts. Incredible journey!

Foy

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Thanks JR.....I never noticed that place but had I, I'm sure I'd have taken that pic.....

Hey Foy.....I don't have any more pics of the truck. It's actually located in El Triunfo so possibly you could search "truck El Triunfo" or something ? And thank you.....

So a typical night for me is to grab the smartphone, hit the sack, and check out CNN and Fox News.....mostly I like to stay informed as to what's up in the world. I do wish I could stop that. Anyhow, here I was, my first night wild camping in Mexico and Fox News has this new article on Mexico. The article specifically calls out Baja Sur (our location)....



Now I've mentioned that I've traveled plenty in third world countries so I'm fairly accustomed to travel, but there's so much out there about the dangers of Mexico, that it can't help but keep me alert. The timing of the article was odd, but that being said, I've seen nothing even remotely close to a crime (other than me coming here without a permit, clipping a tree, and driving a big truck on a forbidden street). But seriously, nearly everybody here has been amazing..... that's the truth. So I survived my first night and was ready to walk the beaches and explore Todos Santos.....



The Frenchman moved his rig so I drooled a bit more on my way to the beach.....



The dogs and I took an early morning walk along the ocean. The beach is mostly deserted to the north, so that was our route. We walked nearly 5 miles round trip.....it felt good.....

The guy that owns this little beachfront shack has the right idea.....notice the couch on top of the porch. It never seems to rain here.....



We made 2 trips into the village since it's such a short trip, although the road into town is brutal. Thank goodness for the Jeep. Todos Santos is everything that we heard.....you can't help but love it I think.....





I'm taking so many pictures of the Mexican buildings and houses. I just love the architecture and the vibrant colors.....





Last night of course was spent walking the beach waiting for the sunset. A whale accompanied us it was traveling northbound not far from the shore. The sunset was magnificent.....





My thoughts when I arrived here were to stay a few days. I'm kinda curious how this will play out.....I'm really loving this town so far.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The following day was spent either in the village or at the camp / the beach. The road in is a mix of sand or broken asphalt and concrete. The sand portion is welcomed, the remainder of the road really sucks as the old Jeep rattles the entire length of our trip in.....



We ate breakfast in the Gringo section of town (there's 2 very distinct sections here). Eleven dollars for an espresso, eggs, refried beans, and tortilla bread.....too much food for too much money but the place itself was super cool.....





Lots of shops and street type vendors selling stuff like this to the tourists.....



It'd be difficult to tire of walking around this village. Between the gardens and the beautiful buildings, I'm pretty much in awe the entire time.....







Dinner was had for much less as I elected to eat outside the Gringo section. 17 Pesos for a tamale from a street vendor.....so dinner was less than $3 last night.....



And then the almost mandatory walk along the beach to watch the sunset once again.....

 

[bigskypylot]

The following day was spent either in the village or at the camp / the beach. The road in is a mix of sand or broken asphalt and concrete. The sand portion is welcomed, the remainder of the road really sucks as the old Jeep rattles the entire length of our trip in.....

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We ate breakfast in the Gringo section of town (there's 2 very distinct sections here). Eleven dollars for an espresso, eggs, refried beans, and tortilla bread.....too much food for too much money but the place itself was super cool.....

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Lots of shops and street type vendors selling stuff like this to the tourists.....

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It'd be difficult to tire of walking around this village. Between the gardens and the beautiful buildings, I'm pretty much in awe the entire time.....

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View attachment 391740

View attachment 391741

Dinner was had for much less as I elected to eat outside the Gringo section. 17 Pesos for a tamale from a street vendor.....so dinner was less than $3 last night.....

View attachment 391742

And then the almost mandatory walk along the beach to watch the sunset once again.....

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Wonderful photos, Jerry. The town and it's people seem very friendly. I know Mexico gets a bad rap and by some standards, deservedly so, but I know there are a lot of honest, hard-working, good-natured people there that want the same things as most of us do. I'm glad you could bring some of that out with your photos and stories. Thanks

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Thanks Bigskypylot.....maybe subconsciously I'm trying to balance all the negative news.....I really wasn't aware of it. If you have a chance, check this travel blog: www.clubmonkey.com. It's written by a guy traveling with his wife & 3 kids in Mexico and Central America in a pop up truck camper and tent trailer. I believe he's a graduate of Stanford, very insightful, excellent writer, and he writes about the fears of traveling here. I think you'd enjoy it. Also, been meaning to mention to you, no need to repost my pics. I'm sure everyone would agree that once is plenty.....

Friday morning and I'm thinking this will be our last day here. After I'm done with my mandatory 2 mugs of coffee, the dogs and I walk north along the beach. Everyday is a small adventure.....this morning a hawk attacks a sea gull directly overhead, so close I felt I could reach up and grab them.....

Often different varieties of fish are lying on the beach during the morning walks.....





The dogs are either chasing birds or when they get lucky one of the hermit crabs. It's incredible the way these guys blend into the sand.....



I cut our walk short.....it's our last day in Todos Santos and there's a few things I'd still like to do. We drive into town, grab an espresso and a bagel, and then off to see my favorite artist. His name is Rueben Gutierrez and he owns a shop called Manos Mexicanas (612-145-0538). I think he's an amazing artist and I'm a huge fan of the vibrant colors he uses in his pieces. Before leaving town, I decided that I'd invest in some of his work.....I have a few people remaining in my life that I'd like to share them with.....





It was difficult to pick one over the other but I assure you that my granddaughter will have one fine looking piggy bank.....







Since arriving in Todos Santos, I kept looking to the south wondering what the mountain that fell into the ocean looked like. I was curious about the access, could I hike it, were there massive cliffs, could I kayak around it, and so answering all those questions was next on the agenda.....I wasn't leaving until I explored it.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

So we poked around town trying to obtain information about the small mountain by the ocean. I met a woman who was a wealth of information. As I recall, she said that area is known as Punto Locos, that there was a fish camp at its base, a development nearby known as Tres Santos. She became visibly upset when she spoke about Tres Santos and then she said I can't even talk more about it. And so we were off to explore.....

We had no idea where the trails were but then Nacho (he had a collar with a tag) appears from nowhere, and I kid you not, he led us to the trail as we wandered up the mountain and through the cactus fields.....



The views from above and below were as good as it gets.....







We noticed the fishing boats returning to their camp so we descended to check things out.....



There's an abundance of Pelicans and Sea Gulls looking for a free lunch.....



The fishermen brought in tons of fish.....it's amazing to think that this is happening everyday around the world.....you can't help but wonder how long the ocean can sustain it. It made me sick to my stomach to see the shark that had been beheaded with it's tail and fins removed as well.....



We returned to camp for the sunset.....



We'd collected wood earlier so we decided that we needed to have a fire for our final night.....



As I sat by the warm fire, sitting on the now cool sand, listening to the waves crash on the beach, and looking at all the stars that were beginning to pop out, I began to wonder if I'm really ready to leave Todos Santos.....

 

[bigskypylot]

Thanks Bigskypylot.....maybe subconsciously I'm trying to balance all the negative news.....I really wasn't aware of it. If you have a chance, check this travel blog: www.clubmonkey.com. It's written by a guy traveling with his wife & 3 kids in Mexico and Central America in a pop up truck camper and tent trailer. I believe he's a graduate of Stanford, very insightful, excellent writer, and he writes about the fears of traveling here. I think you'd enjoy it. Also, been meaning to mention to you, no need to repost my pics. I'm sure everyone would agree that once is plenty.....

HaHa... Yeah, I always hit reply with quote and forget to remove the pics!

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

So I guess I wasn't quite prepared to leave Todos Santos and we've stayed yet another night. South of Todas Santos is a small farming village named El Pescadero. I'd been told that it was also a big surf destination, as is Todos Santos, but with a more "spiritual" twist to it. We decided to have a look for ourselves and after a stop at the Pemex for gas, we headed south in the Jeep.....

The first thing you notice here is that this place is completely different, with it being much more a traditional Mexican village. They've turned the desert into organic vegetable fields, literally hundreds of acres of it. Mex 19, the road from Cabo San Lucas to La Paz disects the fields from the town. We decided to do some grocery shopping here.....



We walked through town and came across a bakery so we loaded up on freshly baked bread and a few too many treats.....



We met this pretty woman working at the car wash.....



We loaded up on fresh, organic vegetables from this family. The prices were dirt cheap.....last night we made some amazing salsa.....



Later in the day we accidentally ended up back at the fish camp. I was curious about the shark I saw the previous day, was it a fluke catch I wondered ? Since the boats were in, I strolled over and to my dismay I saw 5 sharks, all in the same condition as the the previous one. I wished I hadn't stopped.....





In Todos Santos I passed this broom salesman. He's one of those guys with the loud speakers so you can't miss him as he passes.....



We finished our day with a Pacific Ocean sunset.....

 

[bigskypylot]

Great photos and commentary. Thanks!

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Thank you.....



It had now been 6 days without a shower, a shave, and we were really feeling miserable. Although I can't say that the allure of Todos Santos had yet worn off, the desire and need to wash ourselves of the week's perspiration, sand and salt water, finally pushed us to leave town. We were up early and had a final walk along the ocean.....



So we headed north on Mex 19 for a return to La Paz. We weren't sure exactly what our plans would be for the night, but we knew we wanted to explore La Paz. It's funny how many negative stories I'd heard about La Paz from the north, but from people south of La Paz, it seemed, for me anyhow that I heard the opposite. Still not being crazy about the big cities, I wanted to see me more.....



La Paz has a beautiful harbor on the north side of town. And that's where we landed, walking along the beach, checking out a few yachts and sail boats along the way.....







We strolled the side streets.....we saw some wall paintings that are worthy of posting for sure.....



I loved the way the first mural reflected on the window into the second mural. I thought that was a lucky pic.....



These buses are typical of the local city buses. These bring back memories of travel from decades ago when I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador.....



But now it was late afternoon and we needed to make a decision.....stay in La Paz for the night or go north. We decided to go north, it was 3:00 p.m., and we had just enough time to make it to Ciudad Constitucion before nightfall.....



Just north of La Paz is the first highway checkpoint that we'd pass through. This one is monitored by the Federal Police, so I assumed it'd be a thorough one as we were driving north. They were only checking southbound traffic.....no need for a Tourist Permit here.....

And so last night we pulled into the campground where I'd stayed a few weeks ago. As I retrace my steps, I would imagine that will happen plenty now. The shower was amazing.....

 

[bigskypylot]

shower? Who needs a shower when you have the ocean and baby wipes lol A Hot shower will do wonders to restore morale.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

When my head hit the pillow Monday night, I was fairly certain that I'd spend a second night in Ciudad Constitucion, and indeed that's exactly what we did. The days and nights spent camping in the damp, salty air of the Pacific Ocean had taken its toll on me, and I relished the dry, warm air here. As usual the dogs and I were up early and out for our morning walk. I spotted a hawk looking for a morning meal.....



We spent the remainder of the day walking around town or hanging out at the campsite. We ate lunch at a Mexican Wafflehouse.....since this isn't a tourist town, we paid about $2.50 U.S. for our meal. It's actually a nice change to be in a town like this.....as I mentioned previously, Gringos don't hang out here.....



This time I was able to walk some of the side streets. I came across this beautiful church.....







I'm guessing that Ciudad Constitucion is a farming community but it's only a guess surmised from some of the shops I saw. This store was unusually appealing with it's scents and colors.....







And then it was a quiet evening at the campground.....we were the only ones staying here.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Two nights in Ciudad Constitucion was plenty.....and we are once again retracing our path as we drive northeast towards Loreto. But this time I decided to make a stop in Ciudad Insurgentes, since I blew through it my last time. I assumed it would be similar to Ciudad Constitucion but it was not, it was much smaller and didn't have near the character. Our stay was short.....just a brief walk through town.....



Then it was back on Mex 1 and a few hours later (it always takes me longer than google Maps says it will) we are nearing Loreto. I made a stop at a viewing point for the Sea of Cortez along the roadside.....



As I looked out across the sea I could see something breaking the surface of the water. I grabbed the binoculars and could see a school of porpoises (I think anyhow). They were fairly large and there were plenty of them (whatever they were). We were probably 100' above the water and as I looked down I could see a school of silvery fish along the shoreline. With the help of the binoculars I could clearly see a school of small sharks, not one being over 18" long I'd guess. It was truly amazing.....



Now it was time to return to Loreto. My last stay here was brief and filled with drama. I remember writing that I didn't care for Loreto. With the help of iOverlander I found a different campground, this also located downtown but at less than half the cost ($7 U.S. per night). It's quiet, and we are the only ones camped here.....the last one was packed and noisy. My thoughts on Loreto are changing.....



The day was filled with walks around town and along the beach, Mexican food at a nice restaurant, and then more walking around the town square once the sun set. Now I'm finding myself liking Loreto quite a bit.....







As a frequent traveler I should have known better than to have formed such hasty opinions about a place as large as this that I visited so briefly. I was here less than 24 hours on my last visit.....I'm not doing that again. I'll be paying for a second night at the campground and I'll be visiting with an open mind.....