Back to Baja

Boy how time flies, I can't believe it has been 2 weeks since my last entry. After leaving Puerto Vallarta we continued on our way north for about 2 hours to Rincon Gyobitos where we had stayed on or way down the Mainland liked it and decided to come back for a few days on our return trip. The weather however in getting cooler as we go north, with fog in the mornings and a cold dampness in the air that has left all our clothes damp in our room. We decided to only spend 3 days at Rincon instead of our original week we had planned. We didn't leave before we were invited to the the owner of the hotel, Raul, birthday party. Again a great time was had by all, consuming too much food and beverages. Raul and his family were very gracious hosts.

From Rincon we are off the Mazatlan, to visit friends who are spending the winter there and to catch the ferry back to the Baja. We met John and Janet on the Baja several years ago but now they are making the journey to Mazatlan instead and we can see why. The stay at a beautiful park right on the water with everything they need and what they don't have now they will have soon as they build their own palapa complete with an outside kitchen. We spent a little time with them and went for a great lunch of Birra(roasted goat) and consomme with all the trimmings then it was off to the ferry for our trip back to Baja.

The great big ferry we took to the Mainland in January is no longer in service so unfortunately we had to take a cargo ferry on the return voyage. However, lucky for us there are 7 cabins and we happened to get the last one! The rest of the passengers had to spent the night sleeping on the deck or on chairs in the cafeteria, some didn't even have blankets and did I mention that it is getting cool as we go north and especially at night. We felt bad for the rest but....

We met the captain and voiced our opinion on the sleeping arrangements but...

we also met the chief chef and he and his staff gave us a tour of the kitchen on board. Later we found it is good to know people in high places as we got extra portions at dinner. After a good night sleep on relatively calm waters, morning found us in La Paz rested and ready to return to our truck, camper and STUFF parked a Gene and Elaine's place in El Centenario.

Unfortunately Gene was not able to visit Baja this year due to health reasons but Elaine and Ralph were home and happy to see us on our return. Life in La Paz never changes too much, Mountain biking Mon, Wed, Fri., visiting, and off course eating too much. Mountain biking being our main attraction, we went out with our usual group of friends and even were able to attend a race they were in, with Katt coming in 3rd and Mike second-great job guys! Eating being another of our main interests along with the fact that Elaine is here and loves to bake...need I say more except banana creme pie, strawberry cheesecake, and strawberry shortcake! Dinner with friends topped the list this stay and one dinner party (for 17 of us) Ralph, myself and Lynn made over 100 perogies and about 60 cabbage rolls, lots of work but worth it. We can't take all this eating for too much longer.

One week in La Paz and it is time to move north to Juncilito beach, before our shorts and bathing suits no longer fit us.

The town of Rincon Gyobitos hosts a show every Friday night featuring some sort of national dance group, singers etc. We were privy to a fantastic folk dance group that impressed us beyond words!
You know how we love tequila, we tasted some tequila made at the ranch of the owner of our hotel in Rincon.

Every year on Feb. 14th Raul celebrates his birthday by throwing a party and inviting all the people who are staying at his hotel. This year we were lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time and got an invite to the party and enjoyed a dinner of carne asada, beans, salads and cake that was out of this world(not to mention some of his families tequila).

Back in Mazatlan we met up with John and Janet Smith(friends from recent trips to the Baja), they showed us around their camp, which was absolutely beautiful, and then took us to lunch before we left on the boat heading back to the Baja.

It's a long and dusty, or should I say sandy, trail into the the Pacific Ocean off the highway just north of La Paz.

The perfect bike to take on those long sandy roads is the KTM 950, Ken didn't have a problem making good time out to the water and back again.

Nothing like a walk along the water to relax and clear the mind! And not a soul in sight!

Not a soul or another footprint in sight.

Back in La Paz Ralph and I got a little cooking lesson on perogies and cabbage rolls. Lynn taught us her little cooking secrets and we helped her eat the food when we finished.