Enigmatic Nomadics

Baja~Womens safety in Mexico

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 14:53:00 +0000

Baja~ The girls talk about how they feel in Mexico

Carilyn and Amanda speak on how safe they feel in Mexico!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULTC9Capwq8

Baja~ Getting the van unstuck in San Evaristo

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 14:43:00 +0000

As you know from our last post, we were stuck up to our axles in mud in the small fishing village of San Evaristo.

We had Lupe, one of the locals and restaurant owner, come help us out with his truck after having not very good luck the night before.

We broke a lot of ropes, tow straps and ratchet straps but with Lupe's truck, half of the village and some good thinking, we managed to get ole Joon out of that mud pit!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2A4QJRzmsA

PEACE

Baja~ Leaving La Paz, Heading to San Evaristo

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 14:37:00 +0000

This post is much better summed up in our video that was made of our travels from La Paz to San Evaristo!

We left one of the biggest cities in Baja to visit a small fishing village, that most people only visit by boat, we were lucky enough to do it by land in the van and meet some of the most incredible people!

But of course it wouldn't be an adventure without some kind of problem!!

Quote of the day...."If you're ever going to get stuck down to your axles, make it in the middle of a village instead of the middle of nowhere!"

We hope you enjoy!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVaJC04iDcc

PEACE

*Baja~ Getting ready to move on

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 13 May 2016 15:28:00 +0000

It's March 1st, so we've been on El Mogote for about three and a half weeks now and are ready for some change. We have loved our time here and could definitely stay here the remainder of our trip but there is still so much we haven't seen or experienced that we have to get on with it or before you know it, our time will be up and we'll be back in Arizona (pouting).
The past couple of days I have been prepping the van for take-off since we have been living in soft sand for the last 24 days, there is sand everywhere. And when I say everywhere...I mean EVERYWHERE!!! It will take months to get all of the sand out of this van, actually it'll take longer than that, it just keeps reappearing.
Yesterday, I took everything I could out of the van and vacuumed every little nook & cranny...about 5 times. The van looks so beautiful but I knew it wouldn't last long and today it took Savannah about 3 minutes before that reality took place! Brat!

The entire time we're here, she barely got out of the van but she got mad at me for cutting her nails, so she got wet and then rolled in the sand until she was covered nose to tail...so she got a nice dip in the ocean, then a rinse off under the shower, then patted down until she was as dry as I could get her...then got put in her room so she wouldn't roll again. She's seriously like having a toddler in her terrible two's...for 6 years now!

A good reason why you must cut the plastic on these soda rings...if you're not careful you might just catch another one of those brats!!

I caught one!!

And since I have nothing else for you right now...here are some pictures of a cool Marlin, the seagulls were fighting over this morning.

I was interested to see the spine is a bluish-green.
A beautiful creature.

PEACE

Please watch, like and subscribe to our videos on our Youtube channel. We love new subscribers!!

Enigmatic Nomadics

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_W_E5SFCxwpSOaqMjOOBTg

We are also on Instagram @EnigmaticNomadics or online at

https://www.instagram.com/enigmaticnomadics/

*Baja~ A Day in La Paz Centro

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 09 May 2016 12:50:00 +0000

February 25, 2016

Sitting on the beach for the past couple of weeks has been pretty nice and relaxing. When Jamie goes into town to do errands he usually goes alone due to it being easier for him on the sand; with the weight of groceries, water, propane, etc. he doesn't need another 100+ lbs. to deal with and with me staying back I can watch the van and be with the girls.
Today, though, I needed to get off the beach and be around activity. It was an overcast day not getting higher than about 70-72*, with the nice breeze coming off of the ocean and the clouds, it was a good day to put the girls in their room and go to town. We decided to first go put more data on our TelCel usb devices, then grab a few small things at the store and grab a "real" bite to eat downtown.

The TelCel we went to seemed kind of like a headquarters, it's a pretty big store and reminded me of an Apple store of sorts, more with phones than computers but big and full of technology. This particular TelCel store is so easy to add more data to your device. We walk in, walk to the far left to the ladies behind the glass, ask for 300 pesos worth (which is 1 gig), they ask for your phone number associated with the device, charge it, ask you to sign the paper saying it's right and you're done. We tried doing this in Mulege and it was the most difficult process, it took a lot of time and we don't even think it was processed right. We were thankful to find this store, it's in town (La Paz) right next to a big Burger King and the same parking lot as the City Club & Sears. I believe it's the only Sears in La Paz, but it's pretty big, you can't miss it.

The parking lot

You can't miss it!

From TelCel we went to the strip (that's what I call it) to see what was happening, get some footage and find some local food to munch on. We drove the strip looking at all of the different restaurants and shops, seeing which one looked like the most fun. We took a couple of laps, easy to do on the bike and decided on a place that had the most people at it. We saw some really awesome places that we would have liked to have gone to, but they either looked like they hadn't opened yet or no one was there so we chose the one with the most atmosphere happening at that moment.

We pulled into a parking spot that was curbside to the table we sat at. A waiter motioned for us to sit down and he'd be right there, this place seemed to be slamming, a ton of activity & people (locals & tourists) along with tv's and music blaring, plus a nice breeze and view of the water.

As we were looking over the menus, we figured out that we had picked a Lobster House to eat at. Luckily, they have a Taco menu that is a bit cheaper than the regular menu and since that was what we were coming to town for anyway, it worked out well.

Prices in Pesos

Our waiters name was Oscar and we asked him what he preferred and what he would order if he wanted Tacos. He pointed to a few items on the menu, so that's what we ordered; 6 Tacos~ 2 Pescado (fish), 2 Camaron (Shrimp) 2 Marlin (Marlin) along with a couple of Tecate Lights. Oscar brought us some homemade tortilla chips with a slightly spicy fish salsa, that was to die for and some salt & the juiciest limes...they bring limes with pretty much everything here. The food came out really fast and looked amazing, I think I could get used to this!

The Tacos come with what you ordered (fish, shrimp, etc) and the tortilla, another plate is brought out with fixin's; coleslaw, a light green sauce almost cucumberish to taste, spicy salsa, pico de galo, and juicy limes for you to dress the taco up however you want. We put everything on them, well sans the spicy salsa for this gal but everything else...even the coleslaw (I've never eaten coleslaw in my life, but this was not like "American slaw"). We ate like we had never seen food in our lives, I'm sure it was quite a sight...it was just so good though, everywhere we turned there was food!!

After eating, we sat back and digested our awesome meal a bit, had another beer and looked over the other menu. The prices didn't seem too bad for the upscale feel and it being a Lobster House. The name of the restaurant is Bismark-cito.

The pictures below will show you the different menus and prices along with our bill (in pesos). The food was great with good service from Oscar and an all around pleasant atmosphere, we would definitely come back here!

That is about $15 U.S. Dollars

On our way home, we stopped by the Walmart and grabbed a few things and spent some time walking around. The Walmart here is so interesting. It has things for sale, inside the store, that you just don't see in the States. As we walked in, I saw a salesman showing a full-sized refrigerator to a family! I'm totally in love with their clothing and shoe options too, everything is colorful and beautiful, it's almost like the items are made better, too. I'm so on board with Mexican Walmart! haha

ATV's & Scooters for sale inside Walmart

Come get your motorcycle at Wally World!

One of many aisles of Mexican beer

Oh and the Bakery (Panaderia)....Oh.My.Goodness!! I could spend all day here trying all the different cakes, breads, muffins, rolls, things I've never seen or heard of. I'd probably gain a good 60 lbs. if I lived here due to the Panaderia, everything is made fresh daily and it smells sooooo good. The Bakery works a little differently as well. You walk into the Bakery area and pick up a big circular silver tray and a pair of tongs, go pick out what you want setting it on the tray. When you are done, you bring the tray over to the counter where one of the Baker's takes your tray and puts your items one by one in a brown paper sack, they punch the items into a computer and put a sticker on the bag. I didn't know what everything was so the first time around I got a couple of croissants (yum), a couple of jalapeno cheesy breads and a couple of pieces of bread that look like garlic bread slices (but aren't) with butter and sugar (I learned later) on-top. Everything was delicious, we made sandwiches out of the croissants and cheesy jalapeno bread and I cooked up the sugar, butter bread on the stove later and had them for dessert...mighty tasty!

The Bakery is about 5 of these deep!

On our way back to the van, we saw a couple of guys stuck in the sand, so Jamie dropped me off at the van, strapped the shovel to the bike and went to go help dig them out. Once he got back, about 15 minutes later, the guys drove by honking and giving a thumbs up.

It was nice to get out of camp today and do something different. The Sunset was a beautiful way to end a great day.
Here's to being able to live this way for now. It may end at any moment but at least we have today!

PEACE

Please watch, like and subscribe to our videos on our Youtube channel. We love new subscribers!!

Enigmatic Nomadics

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_W_E5SFCxwpSOaqMjOOBTg

We are also on Instagram @EnigmaticNomadics or online at

https://www.instagram.com/enigmaticnomadics/

*Baja~ All washed up!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 06 May 2016 16:33:00 +0000

*(These posts were supposed to be sent out once a week but it seems something is not working right and they haven't been going out. I apologize for the lull and will try to get the rest of these babies out for y'all.)*

February 22-24, 2016

I'm finding it hard to write out a post because it seems like every day is kind of the same but with different things washing ashore.
This post will be mostly pictures of things I see while on my daily walks with Chili Moon.

Chili and I are getting about 3-5 miles under our belts every day, walking the beach. We see all kinds of crazy things I've never seen before on shore, there's always something new the sea churns up.

Little green worm

These green worms were only on a small part of the beach but in that one area, were everywhere!

I almost stepped on this thing...it was still alive and churning under the water. So beautiful but I'm sure super painful!!

The best and biggest sand dollar I found!

This crab was beautiful....I guess a bird thought so too bc they had him for lunch!

Chili Moon loves chasing the birds, this has become her new thing. I don't think she really likes the birds so in her mind she's telling them to leave. It's really funny to watch her run down the beach at full speed, barking at them as they fly over her. When they fly from the sand into the water, she is actually chasing them into the water...something I thought I would never see during her lifetime.

Chili chasing birds, running thru water by Ayevangabond

She is getting bold and I couldn't be more proud of her for being so brave!! The other night she went in up to her neck and then as she went further and couldn't touch she started popping around like popcorn to get out...it was pretty funny to watch.

At first I was a little nervous and scared because she's so little, I thought the tide might wash her out if she ran in too deep, but she's getting the hang of it and not going in past her comfort level! I love watching her learn what everything is; the waves coming in and going out, the coral, the dead fish, the other dead things. With all of this dead stuff around I'm glad she's not a roller like Savannah, she just smells it and jumps away like, EW!!

All of the shells I've collected

The Vultures waiting their turn at the HUGE dead fish that washed up

Dead Blow Fish WITH eyes still in tact

A little creepy but interesting!

Very small but lethal Man 'o'war

This is why you always have to be looking down...don't want to step on one of these!! Ouch!

There is one bird, a very large Egret, that I have named Marge...because she's large and in charge. She sits in the same place between the shore and a sand bar every day, when we get close I ask Chili, "Do you want to say hello to Marge?" Chili will start walking low and slow next to my legs, like she's hunting. I'll say, Go see Marge and she'll take off like a bullet toward Marge, sometimes she barks, sometimes she just runs to her.

Large Marge

Marge will sit for a while until Chili gets right up on her, then she'll fly further into the water...Chili will chase her as far as she can touch the sand, then she runs out of the water, running back and forth on the sand barking at her. What can I say, it's free entertainment and my Moonie is getting some great exercise out of it!

Luckily, when it was time for the full moon, the skies were so clear and watching the moon rise was pretty close to perfect!!

PEACE

Please watch, like and subscribe to our videos on our Youtube channel. We love new subscribers!!

Enigmatic Nomadics

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_W_E5SFCxwpSOaqMjOOBTg

We are also on Instagram @EnigmaticNomadics or online at

https://www.instagram.com/enigmaticnomadics/

*Baja~ El Mogote has tons of Dolphin activity!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 05 May 2016 12:42:00 +0000

We have been on this beach for about 11 days now and I found out through some Canadian folks, that come down to the condos for 4 months out of the year, that this beach area is called El Mogote (pronounced El Ma-go-tay).
We have yet to see any Whale Sharks in or out of the water, although the boats come in every single day and stop in front of the van.

I think they may be seeing other things in the water like Manta Rays, Dolphins or Sea Turtles for I can't see a 40 foot Whale Shark coming this close in with two sand bars, for I'm sure they wouldn't be able to make it out...but what do I know!

We have, however, seen a ton of Dolphins. I see at least 3-4 different pods a day with anywhere from 5-12 Dolphins in each pod, it's quite awesome to see.

I have seen and swam amongst Dolphins throughout my life and every single time I see them it's almost as if it's my first time ever seeing them, they are so magical and quirky. I especially love watching them fish! I have also been able to get some pretty good shots of them so that always makes me happy!!! I have some great video but they are much harder to upload with our data limitations so I have frozen a few images from those videos to show you what I've been seeing for the past few days!

There isn't much going on here at this beach, it's very secluded, I'm sure due to the road getting in and off of the sand. It's definitely not made for every vehicle and with the condos being a few miles down the beach everyone that stays there takes a water taxi into town. We have had the beach to ourselves for the most part, other than a few early morning walkers and the tour boats, it's just us. We like it to a point, for we have a lot of privacy but at the same time we would like more of a Santispac experience where we were meeting locals and other travelers daily. Maybe along the way we can find a nice balance but for now, it's pretty nice having the privacy.

Our usual daily visitors

When Jamie goes into town to upload videos, run errands or get groceries, I stay back with the van and the girls. This is time I use to center, read, write, do whatever I want or need to do without interruption...these days I've been trying to learn some hoop tricks, reading and spending some time with the dogs! Savannah could definitely care less but my Chili Moon loves every single second of it.

There is one more night before we have a full moon, although the moon the past couple of nights has been anything but dull! It has been cloudy though, so I only get to see small glimpses of the beauty that shines above.

I'll take it. I'll take anything I can get while here in Mexico. Who knows when we'll be back or when things will change. This experience has been nothing but great so far and I'm sure it will just keep getting more exciting with more memories.

PEACE

Please watch, like and subscribe to our videos on our Youtube channel. We love new subscribers!!

Enigmatic Nomadics

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_W_E5SFCxwpSOaqMjOOBTg

We are also on Instagram @EnigmaticNomadics or online at

https://www.instagram.com/enigmaticnomadics/

*Baja~ Connecting with "Lady Luck" & the Locals

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 16:19:00 +0000

Feb. 17, 2016
I have been waking up & getting out of the van exceptionally early these days, which to me is about 6 a.m. I am loving the time to myself, Jamie is still sleeping and the dogs don't want to get out of the warm covers that early so it's just me, the water and the Sunrise...it's awesome. I have always felt that I was meant to live on the water, either by house or by boat. Growing up in Florida, I lived close to the ocean and was there every chance I got, also being a surfer, swimmer & water polo player I was always in some sort of water. It's my happy place!

The early morning provides some grounding and centering time for me and my mind which I've needed for some time now and it's just so peaceful out here, I wish I could bottle this up and have it with me forever. At this time of the morning I will either do Yin Yoga, read or write and I'm always taking in my surroundings; the birds flying in the air or diving for fish in the water, the waves or (today) small ripples coming into shore, the peacefulness of no motors on the sand or in the water, the crabs scurrying across the sand trying not to be eaten by the hunting birds, the butterflies suckling the ice plant leaves....it really just doesn't get any better than this on these early mornings.

It's a little strange, I call it Divine, others would say it's ironic or coincidence...whatever you believe, but lately I've been talking to the Universe a lot more than usual and asking for some kind of change. It's a long story. I know this life, all life, is always ever-changing but right now I need a big change, something so totally new and different. As soon as I even start to think this, on this certain morning I was walking down the beach by myself, talking to myself, in less than 20 minutes I saw 6 Butterflies, 4 of them different than the one before. I know from past experiences and research that seeing Butterflies are a reminder that there is always change in the world and seeing them in 'flocks', many at one time or many different ones in a (small) moment in time means that a big change is upon you. I'm always one for looking at signs...especially when I was just talking to the Universe about it!

Once everyone was up and the bed was made and put up, I was sitting in the van with my legs propped up, just chillin'. I was thinking of what was going on this morning; mind, body, spirit-wise and something caught my eye. What I saw was so small I was surprised that it even caught my eye. I looked at it from my viewpoint, then looked at it outside of the van...it was a Peach Ladybug on the weatherstripping of my door jam. Obviously, Ladybugs are a sign of luck but they are also a sign of change, a sure sign of bringing blessings of abundance, and a symbol of taking action of your dreams.

Even looks like a little heart on it's right wing!!

I take signs seriously and was pretty stoked that I had not only seen one small sign, say one Butterfly or something of the sort, but I had seen 6 Butterflies (most of them different) and now this Ladybug that wasn't even the color of Red and Black, like I'm used to seeing! I know something big and maybe even scary is on the way but when you ask for change, change is what you're going to get!

Moving on....

Every morning around 6:45 I see a man coming to the only trash can on the beach, he spends about 25 minutes here and then leaves. It seems he either works for the condos or lives there and picks up trash on his way to the trash can, then takes whatever trash is in the can and takes it with him back to the condos (I'm guessing). 95% of the time he is on foot, but sometimes I see him on an ATV, that makes me think he may work there.

I did however meet the guard that tends the gate at the soft, sandy road we came in on. A day or so ago, I was sitting outside doing one thing or another and a man rode down the soft sandy road on an ATV, drove over to the van, (he was dressed in a security guard type uniform), so in my thought process I was thinking he might ask us to leave. The man approached the van with a big smile on his face, he asked me if I spoke Spanish, I told him very little. We had a conversation in broken English and broken Spanish, laughing with each other that some words we just couldn't grasp. The man is the security guard at the gate for the condos, his name is Luis and is such a nice guy. Our conversation ended up going like this: After seeing how little or how much Spanish I spoke and providing names, he asked if we were camping here... I said that we were and waited for him to say something. He said he was the security guard for the barrios (neighborhood/condos) down the road and he had no problem with us camping here for as long as we wanted, for, to him, we were more eyes-on & security of the beach and the people in the condos, as well as anything else that seemed suspicious. I thanked him and he took my hand in his, put his other hand over the top of my hand, looked at me and said, "Now, we are friends." I said, "Si, si Amigo!" I can't help but just love it here. Everyone we meet is just like this and see us as help more than a problem...can't beat that!
Now, every day I see Luis on his ATV about 3 times a day, we wave and smile, it's pretty much like being neighbors...it's kind of cool!

I have yet to ask him what this trap type thing is by the trash can. I thought maybe for crabs but it's just so random and odd...if anyone wants to leave a comment on what you think or know it is PLEASE leave a comment...I'm dying to know what it is!

PEACE

Please watch, like and subscribe to our videos on our Youtube channel. We love new subscribers!!

Enigmatic Nomadics

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_W_E5SFCxwpSOaqMjOOBTg

We are also on Instagram @EnigmaticNomadics or online at

https://www.instagram.com/enigmaticnomadics/

*Baja ~ The first few days on the Dune beach

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 14:51:00 +0000

Days 8, 9 & 10
We have been parked on this beach just North of La Paz for a few days now and couldn't be happier with our choice to park here.
The first couple of days we got settled in, relaxed and laid out in the Sun, getting some good base tan. I can take a lot more Sun and element than Jamie can, so I think I was in the Sun most of the day, for 3-4 days straight, before I needed a bit of a break.

The tide comes in and out as usual, but doesn't come anywhere near the van, so that was a great thing to figure out and know after a few days so we wouldn't have to lay awake at night wondering if we were going to get sucked into the water! haha (Yes, I have quite the imagination...but you never know).

I love walking the beach at Sunset with Chili Moon. My littlest one is a very curious gal and is learning about the water, waves, birds and all of the different smells for the first time...it's quite amazing to watch her grow, especially at her age (6 y.o.).

This is a sand dollar. They start as round "balls" that turn flat within time. Sand Dollars are actually Sea Urchins!!!

Mama and the Moon

A little bit at a time...she goes in a little deeper every day!

I am learning that with the tides coming in and out, and probably due to storms, there is a lot that washes up on this shore...mostly dead stuff, everything always fascinating to see. With that, I apologize that most of my pictures may seem morbid but it's what is washing up and what I am seeing daily...the circle of life!

Seal. Curious to know what that perfect circle hole is on the body...??

A lot of coral washes up every day with the tides

A dead Blow Fish has Chili Moon very curious

Shell. Feathers. Big dead fish.

A very brittle skeleton of a Manta Ray....I think!

There are boats coming and going all day long, but mostly between 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Some of the boats have company names on them but most look like locals that are taking visitors out to snorkel. We have seen some really nice boats out here and for some reason, they all seem to motor right in front of where the van is parked....we're going to have to figure out why, I know it's definitely not because of the van, even though we do seem to get oogled at! haha

At the times where I seem to not be able to find anything to do (I know, I know I'm on vacation), I am tanning, wading, wire wrapping, coloring, reading, working out, learning some tricks with my hula-hoop & taking long walks with Chili Moon.

Making jewelry on the beach

About the 3rd day we were here, I put my wet suit on to go for a swim but once I got out & under the water, my goggles started acting up. I didn't think this was a problem since I'm a swimmer & brought 4 other pairs of goggles but out of all 5 pairs, not one pair would work in the water, due to bad rubber, breaking straps, leaking or the lenses being too scratched . I had to go without, which made the experience much less enjoyable and wrote goggles down on the next shopping list.

Ready to go...will the goggles work this time!?

I'll let you know how it goes in the next post!

PEACE

Please watch, like and subscribe to our videos on our Youtube channel. We love new subscribers!!

Enigmatic Nomadics

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_W_E5SFCxwpSOaqMjOOBTg

We are also on Instagram @EnigmaticNomadics

or online at

https://www.instagram.com/enigmaticnomadics/

*Baja~ Valentine's Day a different way

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 16:55:00 +0000

Day 11

Happy Valentine's Day to all you lovers out there!
We don't celebrate Valentine's day but we did go shopping so it kind of seemed like a celebration to us. We got a few things to make a nice big breakfast, so the morning of the 14th I cooked us up a great big fatty brekkie that was to die for!

We had bacon (which was much thinner than what we're used to but very delish), farm fresh eggs, I chopped up a fresh white onion along with some amazingly fresh, thick Chorizo (yum) with half of an Avocado, mix that in with some Dirty Chai on the side (brought from the States) and you have yourself the "Breakfast of Fatties"!!! I don't think I did much for a couple of hours after that one!

A little later on in the day, we decided to go for a swim. To catch you up on the things around camp, first though.... In the mornings right after sunrise, I am usually out reading while I make Chai or coffee. I see the same two guys walking the beach collecting trash that has washed ashore the night before. We started talking due to the trash collecting, because I have been doing the same thing during the days and it became a conversation piece when they saw a huge chunk of the beach didn't have trash on it anymore. I met them (Peter & friend, retired Canadians) and every morning we would meet-up around coffee time and talk about different things. Yesterday I asked Peter if he knew why all of the snorkeling boats come right to the water in front of the van, he said, "They come out here because this is where the Whale Sharks are." You could imagine my excitement as I heard this and now was even more totally stoked to get in the water to see one of these amazing beasts! They grow to about 40 feet long and feed off of Plankton, so they are totally safe to be around since we don't become part of their food chain. With this information, NEW goggles for both of us and a now digested belly, we decided to get in the water and go for a little underwater sight-seeing.

I put my wet suit on but Jamie doesn't have one so he went in with just his board shorts. The water was a little chilly at first, but once you get used to it it's not too bad, plus it was a pretty hot and sunny day so that always helps.

We stayed in the water for about 30 minutes but didn't see anything more than each other and a Blow Fish that I scared the crap out of when I swam over it. We had fun though and got some pretty good exercise in, so that's always a plus!

Something strange was captured on film that day!

As we dried out, it was still pretty early in the day so Jamie decided it was time to switch the tire on the back of the dirt bike. He learned when he went for that ride with Al & Tom in Mulege, that before he rode it again he would need to change the tire to a more suitable tire for the terrain. The old tire was a Shinko Hybrid street tire that he changed to a Sedona, we brought the tire with us so we wouldn't have to try to find it in Mexico or have it shipped if we ended up needing it.

The rest of the day was pretty much laying out, relaxing and watching the boats cruise North and South as well as watching the birds scream at each other and dry out their wings.

There are so many different kinds of birds around here and they are always yelling and screaming at each other, some dive bomb other birds in the air while some run after them on the shore...it's quite entertaining!

As the Sun started to set, Chili Moon and I went for our nightly Sunset stroll and I noticed the water is starting to get really choppy and rough, so there may be a storm coming through.

Grumpy Blow Fish

Not sure what this was, but it was big

That dead Seal from a few days ago

When I got back, I started making dinner and went to take a picture of the lights lighting up around La Paz...but my camera lens wouldn't come out. I tried 3, 4, 8, 12 times, I couldn't get it open at all, it wouldn't even turn on. I knew the battery was full so I started to panic and the evening was starting to turn very sad all of a sudden. I asked Jamie if he could try to get it to work and since he's "The Fonz" and all, of course he got it to work! I have always had problems with electricity and anything that has to do with power, whatever I can't get to work in a hundred tries, he or anyone else will try once and it works like nothing is wrong at all. Jamie says this is due to my 2 near death experiences so I'll just go with that, either way, we seem to always have success in the end....and now that my camera is working again that's what counts right now!

PEACE

Please watch, like and subscribe to our videos on our Youtube channel. We love new subscribers!!

Enigmatic Nomadics

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_W_E5SFCxwpSOaqMjOOBTg

We are also on Instagram @EnigmaticNomadics

or online at https://www.instagram.com/enigmaticnomadics/

Day 7 *Baja~ Tecolote. La Paz. Beach Camping

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 19:11:00 +0000

February 10, 2016

If this life is anything...it's ever-changing!
We woke up this morning and the wind was just as strong if not stronger than when we arrived last night. The sky was nice, clear and the bluest of blues, so we didn't think anything of a storm coming through.

Tecolote

I couldn't even make coffee or breakfast outside due to a few factors, the wind being so strong I couldn't keep a flame burning if I could even get the stove to light at all and sand was being blown everywhere. I would have just made everything inside but after hanging out for about a half an hour, while feeling out the area and discussing options once again & what our goals were, we decided to pack up and scout out a different spot.

Playa Tecolote

We thought maybe the wind was so strong because of the side of the water we were on or maybe there was a storm coming, maybe the wind wouldn't be so bad on the other side of this hill....? There is a hill that is at the end of the peninsula where a house sits, there are a couple of roads that go up and around it.

Last night, I had gotten up due to a bright light shining inside the van at 4 a.m...I thought someone was shining a flashlight into the side window, it was soo bright it startled me awake. I got to the front seat of the van to look out and saw the brightest light and thought to myself, I don't remember a Lighthouse up there...but it was kind of dark and I was driving.

After sitting and looking at it for probably a half an hour, seeing it move around, I figured out that it was a 4x4 truck with Baja lights on it...man those things are BRIGHT!

After telling my story to Jamie about the hill, we pretty much threw everything back in the van that we had to take out last night, and started driving to the other side of this hill, sans breakfast and coffee.

The views from the hill are just spectacular. We probably would have just camped where you see the van parked in the picture below, but there is a little house there that comes right to the road that wraps around the hill, so that wasn't possible.

Once we started driving around the hill, it pretty much just turns into an ATV/off-road trail, but it looked easily passable for any vehicle. There is a small inlet looking area, where you could camp but there was an RV there and certain parts of this area were caution taped off, so we just kept on driving, not knowing if the RV and area closure were related. Driving on down the dirt trail, up ahead we could see some nicely built, big houses. We came to a guarded gate in front of a humongous house (I think it was a house), the guard came out to talk to us and pleasantly told us we would have to turn around to get back to the asphalt, we could not pass through this area....must be some high rollers in there! We turned around and went back down the trail but instead of going around the hill, we drove through the dune trail, until we were back on beach sand.

There seems to be a couple of restaurants and a bar here at Tecolote, none of them looked open but maybe it was the not so great weather and no one was out...but definitely looks like it could be a fun place if the wind had died down just a little bit.

It also seems that they might do Whale Shark, snorkeling, Sea Lion and Island Tours by boat from here as well, as they had signs up promoting this.

From Tecolote we drove back to La Paz, the GPS taking us down a different road than the one we drove down last night. We saw a couple of more spots that we may have been able to camp at or at least make for an overnight spot, for they seemed to be popular spots and not that big of an area, but definitely beautiful.

As we drove, we started coming into big industrial areas and the Baja Ferry sits right in with these areas with a lot of Semi-truck and Federale Traffic, so we decided against coming back to camp around this area.

Back into La Paz we were, although it kind of feels like the U.S. with the Burger Kings, Office Max', Office Depot and Sears!!
We were able to drive down a few streets that were blocked off when we drove in due to Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras), although the fair rides and tents were still up, the roads weren't all closed.

We needed to get online to check some things and update family so we went to where we thought the best, fastest internet would be...Burger King! Plus, we needed to eat since we were running low on blood sugar at the moment. We parked in the parking area for Burger King which is free to patrons but if you want to use the restroom it costs 20 pesos!

The food seemed the same, although I couldn't relate what mustard (mostaza) was at the time (I didn't want it on my Whopper but got it anyway) but the soda was flat and even a little warm, but we didn't get sick, so that's a plus! The play area was the biggest play area I've seen since I lived in Orlando.

After eating, I walked outside to get some pictures of the beach and boardwalk and thought it was funny that the cashier from Burger King was getting food from one of the Festival vendors!

The Burger King internet was pretty good it was definitely better than the hour we paid near Santispac! We decided after checking everything and updating everyone to go find a place to park, not only for the night but probably for at least a week or two. We left La Paz Centro and drove back North, where we came in from Hwy 1, and from there took a paved road that forked more toward the Gulf than inland at a Pemex station, to a really long washboard dirt road (probably 7-8 miles).

Once you get toward the end of the washboard road, there are trails that lead everywhere from the beach to a more marsh-like area to what seemed like a private Ranch but could be a neighborhood. We decided to keep going toward the water and rode up a hill that either leads straight to the water or you can drive another 10+ miles on the graded dirt road to the South.

The first time up this road, we went straight to the water. We could tell there is a lot of traffic through this area by the way the soft sand looks but, and it is very soft sand, so without our tires aired down, we punched through it and got to the sand down by the water which is a bit harder and easier to ride on.

We drove down the beach to the South about 10 miles, turned around and drove back North to the entrance, then another 10 miles or so.

The North end of the beach doesn't seem to get as much traffic due to the "moving dunes" and rockier areas, that at high tide cut the dry sand out of the equation completely.

After not really finding any good places that we felt secure enough to set-up camp, we turned around and went back out where we entered the beach area then drove down the washboard road another 7 miles South (toward La Paz) until we got to a gated area (this area leads to the condos). At this point, we thought we had wasted a whole bunch of time on a beach that we can't camp on, due to the tides coming up too close to the dunes, but when we got out to walk around and stretch our legs we found a really soft sandy road that drove right along the fence line. We figured we didn't have anything to lose to try it so, we turned down the road and drove. This road wasn't graded, nor washboard, it was a super soft, soupy, sandy road...I'm not sure the van had ever been on such soft sand before. Joon did pretty good until we got to a certain point of the road where it got just a little bit hilly and she started to have maneuvering issues.

Airing down Joon's tootsies

We now stopped, aired down the tires to about 15 and went on with the drive...she now drove the road like, "What's the problem?"

We arrived back on the same beach we had just left but the tide didn't look like it was coming up too high for us to park, so just in case, we tucked up into a dry area of the dunes with not too much leveling to do and turned her off for the day.

The dogs were sure happy to be out of the van, to run and play and smell all of the new smells! We were happy too, to be in a place we could (hopefully) park for a little while.

All giddy

I think she likes it!

My happy babies

The place we are camped is great, doesn't seem to get much traffic and is pretty close to La Paz for supplies and our favorite word...FREE!!!!

I'll let you know how it goes.

Until then...

PEACE

Day 6 ~ Baja* Vendors. Driving. Traffic. Tecolote

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 02:55:00 +0000

February 9, 2016

Today, we would be driving... a lot, so I made sure to wake up early to catch Jesus and his awesome Tamales, I actually set an alarm! You can see my sleepy eyes below, haha

As I got out of the van, he was just leaving the rig next to us so I waved him down to get some of his goods. I never would have thought I would eat Tamales for brekkie but now that we've done it for the past 3 days, I could eat these things every single day and be happy as pie! I bought 6 Tamales from him, 2 for brekkie 1 for lunch for each of us, and asked if I could take a picture with him, he was ecstatic that I asked for that!

And wouldn't you know that it was thee most beautiful, sunny day ever, too! Of course, the day we're leaving it's hot and sunny with not a cloud in the sky but that's how it goes!

Great start to a great day

Around 8:30, we had another vendor, Adolfo, come by with blankets, shirts, hats, etc. and since we had talked about getting a colorful rug or blanket to put in the van over the black one, we let him go on with his business. We talked to him for a little bit and told him what we were looking for, he pulled out every single blanket he had, helping us decide what would be right for our space. We finally selected one and bargained with him from about $40 (American) down to $17-18. We love it and all of us were happy!

Almost free today! What color?

Joon got some color

Right as we were making sure the van was buttoned up, a couple had oared into shore and anchored their dingy right next to where the van was parked. We started talking to them about traveling, sailing and everything else and made a couple of good friends, Jim & Jeannine. The couple have been cruising on their boat, Charann,
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/theredboat/

for about 12 years. After about an hour long conversation, we swapped email addresses and were down the road while they set out down the beach looking for Tamales!

Joon in the Bay of Conception (Bahia Concepcion)

Charann (the red boat in the distance) and Joon van taking in her view of Santispac

The entire rest of the day was driving. We wanted to make it to the La Paz area (at least) by Sunset, so we had a lot of miles to get under our belts if we were going to make that happen.

We drove for about an hour and a half before we stopped for a little stretch and to buy a soda. We walked around this little tiny village area for about 10 minutes while we drank a cold soda, then, it was back in the van and back on the road.

The temperature was noticeably different and much hotter than Mulegé. We had the windows down most of the ride but it was still burning pretty hot on the inside of the van. The dogs were trying to get comfortable and out of the Sun that was coming through the front window. Savannah is a little smarter than my Moonie and went to the back where there's no Sun, with a view.

I don't think Chili put it together, although I put her in the back several times, she would just come, get back under her blankets, panting, looking at me like...Why!?

Once we arrived in Ciudad Constitución, we decided to stop to get some drinks for the fridge at the Ley store. Jamie pulled under a nice shady tree and went inside, I stayed out with the girls and took them to go potty. The temperatures are a lot hotter inland, than by the ocean! Even in the shade it was about 100*+...in February!

I'm not sure how these people live here during the Summer, but I guess they make it work or they wouldn't be here.We had about another two hours, from Ciudad Constitución, until we got to La Paz.

Ciudad Constitucion

Ciudad Consitucion, inland Baja

We then would have to figure out where we wanted to camp or at least sleep for the night. I had a place or two written down that I had gotten from www.freecampsites.net, so we would fall back on those if we couldn't find something we liked better first.

We arrived in La Paz around 4:30 or so in the afternoon. I was driving so I don't have any pictures of the town but it's a big one. It reminds me of L.A. almost... a lot of people and a lot of traffic, although the drivers are much nicer! We decided to drive toward the water and go from there.

First look at La Paz

Little did we know that they were on the last day of 5, celebrating Fat Tuesday and we had just driven into downtown traffic for parking to go watch the parade. The road we were trying to get on was the road they had the parade on, so there were blockades everywhere, people everywhere, cars everywhere and lots and lots of police. We thought we would just find parking and go join in the celebration but after an hour of pretty much sitting still or going in circles around the same block and trying to find a good road that wasn't jam-packed, we decided against it and kept on down the road...once we found a road we could drive down!

We finally averted the traffic scene and started driving toward one of the spots I had written down, Playa Tecolote. It was a free camp spot on the water, so we thought we would try it for one night and if we liked it we would stay, if not we'd find another place tomorrow.We drove through winding mountain roads for about 25 minutes, seeing beautiful vistas & inlets here and there that you couldn't drive down into due to the marshy mud or no way to enter, that we could see.

By the time we got to the beach of Tecolote, the sun was setting, this seems to be our new thing! I don't even remember if we ate dinner, but we walked the dogs and sat down on the sand to have a Sunset Brew as well as breathe another sigh of relief that we are sitting still again and out of all that traffic!

We'll have to see how the vibe is when we wake up tomorrow but as I'm writing this, the wind is very strong and could become a problem if we want to stay here for any extended period of time.

Until tomorrow....

PEACE

Day 5~ Santispac and a boat ride

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 31 Mar 2016 00:33:00 +0000

While John and I were having our first conversation, after meeting yesterday, he offered to let us borrow his kayaks or to go on a boat ride in his boat. At the time, we were planning on leaving the next day so I thanked him and told him, if plans changed I would definitely be back! When I walked back to the van, Jamie was talking to two guys on dirt bikes. I walked into a conversation about the two guys, Al & Tom, taking Jamie on a dirt bike ride the next day...I guess they were wondering why the bike was still on the hitch and not in the dirt! Jamie introduced me to the guys and made plans to be picked up by Tom at 9 a.m. for a ride through Baja back-roads. The guys, both American, have lived around Mulege for many years. Tom lives on the next beach over, Posada, and Al lives in the town of Mulege. I then walked back over to John's and asked if he would want to go on a boat ride with me tomorrow, whether it be in the kayaks or in his boat...he was super excited and accepted!

The next morning I woke up and started getting both of us ready for our big days. There are some vendors that come by early in the morning, they aren't supposed to come before 8 a.m. but some do anyway. This morning, I was approached by a guy named Jesus (Hey-suess) and we bargained for his fresh made, piping hot Tamales. The morning before I bought 2 Tamales, that were freezing cold and not that great for 50 pesos. I paid 40 pesos for 4 Tamales with Jesus, and made sure I noticed what vehicle he drove and what he looked like, I would buy from him again! So, we had Tamales for brekkie and we prepared for the day. I made Jamie a lunch and walked the dogs. Tom came by right at 9 and grabbed Jamie for the day and off they rode.

I, then, walked over to John's with coffee and backpack in hand. Once I got to John's, Ava his purty lil' dog, greeted me and he came out to have coffee with me and talk about what we wanted to to do for the day. Since it was a pretty overcast day, we both decided it would be best and more fun if we went on a boat ride (with motor), this way I could see more and we wouldn't have to work so hard!

Beautiful Ava girl

At about 10 a.m. he started prepping the boat. The pelicans really, really love his boat! They use it as a place to sit and hang out in the mornings, leaving nice droppings behind...so some cleaning had to be done before we could get in. I asked how I could help and he wouldn't hear of it, so I sat and watched while talking to Ava (yes, the dog).
John has a sweet little pulley system he rigged up so he doesn't have to enter the water if he doesn't want to due to being too cold or he just doesn't want to get wet...I get it, that water is a bit chilly!

We set out on our adventure. Ava stayed behind to guard the shore, plus she won't get in the boat, John said he got her at too old of an age to change her so she stays home and protects her castle...she's a good girl!

John took me to 6 of the 7 islands in the Bay of Conception. The islands look a lot smaller from where we sit on shore, a few of them are quite large! It really was something else to see everything from the boats' view instead of just standing on land. The water is the most beautiful color of blueish-green I've ever seen and soooo clear! I felt like I was in a movie!

When this is your house, you have to be creative to get down to the water...follow the yellow line, this was his system!

The house matches how beautiful and colorful the water is

John was a boat captain in one of his many "lifetimes" ago, so he knows how to read the water and where to find certain things.

The amazingly lazy Sea Lions!!

Since he's been in Santispac for 4 years, he knows so much about every little island he took me to, as well as the animals, housing, hot springs....pretty much everything.
I was getting my own private tour for nothing but great company and some good laughs.

Just a few Pelicans

Thousands of Blue-footed Boobies

As John would say, "Those are NOT snow capped mountains!"

We stopped off on this one beach, to take a little break and walk around. I shot some pictures of dead birds and fish and some cool shells. I asked him what this one 'thing' was, he told me it used to be a Blow Fish and proceeded to tell me when he sees them he throws them to a place where people won't walk and hurt themselves due to their very sharp thorns, that they use as protection. I'll always remember him telling me when he comes back in the next life, he wants to be a Blow Fish...because they are so beautiful and nothing can eat them!

Washed up Blow Fish

Mangroves with the best fishing in the Summer

Hot Springs that you can walk into and lay in, in low tide

It was such a great time, I loved the company and I'm sure he did too, he has a daughter just a little older than me that he hasn't seen in a while. I felt like I've known John for years, it was a really nice few hours to spend together.


I'm totally not excited, at all! haha

Once we got back toward Santispac, he motored me over towards the van so I could take some pictures of the van from the water and then took me over to the backside of where we are camped. There are a couple of beautiful houses there, a French couple built one and now I can't remember where the other guy is from...but they are nice, beautiful, expensive houses!

Lil' Joon in all her glory

We then tried to go out toward the Sea of Cortez but it was just way too rough, so we turned back and went home.

Getting a little choppy

Once back, John tied up the boat and we sat and talked for about an hour and a half until we both got hungry. I walked home and tended to the girls & had something to eat and he ate lunch and took a nap!

After a couple of hours, Jamie hadn't gotten back yet and I was getting antsy, so I grabbed the girls to go for a walk. I wanted to see what was on the other side of the houses we saw from the boat. It's a nice walk, but it was still a bit chilly so I had to put on my winter coat... kind of funny being in such a tropical place and looking like I'm walking into a snowstorm! I'm glad I had my jacket on though, for when I walked around the other side of this hill, the wind picked up even more and it got downright cold!

This side of Playa Santipac, is the Sea of Cortez side, which was like an actual ocean...big, strong, choppy waves, still beautiful in color but so different than the Bahia Concepcion.

There were some big rocks up the beach and I just had to see them up close, so that's where we went. We walked across these big barnacled rocks, some with algae on them, coming to a rock overhang that was quite cool and blocked the wind so it was fun exploring around there. We sat here for a few minutes, enjoying the scenery, the rocks and no wind!

A close-up of the picture above

The dogs started getting cold and bored, so we started back towards our beach, but of course I was still looking for that perfect shell for my sage cleansings...which I did find at the end of our walk! This side of the Sea has a ton of shells, I'm glad I decided to wear my flops, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to do most of this walk.

As I was walking back, John was just turning around from his walk with Ava, so we walked back to his place together and hung out for a little while.

Jamie came home shortly after we got to John's so he changed his clothes and came over for a Sunset Brew. We talked about our days and enjoyed the most beautiful sunset we've seen since getting to Mexico.

It was such a great day. I had a blast with John and Jamie was able to see some things a lot of people that visit here will never see. We have met some of the nicest people here at Playa Santispac, locals and visitors.
Now, with Mulege under our belts and itchy feet, we will move on tomorrow. We are going South toward La Paz to try to find some free camping maybe near a beach, on a beach or somewhere with good people and maybe some good food. It'll be interesting to see where we end up.

PEACE

Click the video below to see footage of our time in Mulege!

https://youtu.be/-Mhw7yyy-uY

Back in the States

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 31 Mar 2016 00:32:00 +0000

Hello to all of you, my patient readers and friends!

We are back in the States. It feels good but weird and of course already missing the most amazing place of Baja, Mexico!

Little by little I will be pumping out posts of our trip.

Lots of stories.

Lots of pictures.

Hopefully more and more to come in the coming years.

Thank you for being so patient...you're going to have a lot of reading to do in the coming weeks!

Good to be back.

PEACE

Using too much data :(

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 20:33:00 +0000

I got a little carried away with the first four posts, so I have to take another break.

We DO have internet here in Mexico, but at $15 bucks a gig, I can't write the posts I want and upload them. It is just costing us too much.

BUT....I am still writing.

I will have to upload the posts once we get back to the States or if we can find a good wifi spot in town...which have all been pretty slow for uploading pictures and videos.

I hope you will stick around. We have seen some really cool things and are meeting some really nice people.

Thank you for being patient and understanding.

I will see you all soon!!!

PEACE

Day 4~ Playa Santispac

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 18:06:00 +0000

Day 4~ February 7, 2016

In my mind, I thought once we got South of Guerrero Negro that the wind would die down and it would be bikini time from then until the end. I was sadly mistaken...but just for a couple of days!

The view from the van

We were unaware of the storm cell that was passing through Baja the first few days we were here. Now, a storm cell in Baja is not like one up North, it's actually just cloudy, a little windy and a spit of rain...literally like one little tiny dot of rain. But, I was not ready to still be wearing jeans, a long sleeved shirt & shoes (gasp!) 4 days into our trip. I thought I would be in my bikini, with or without my wet suit, in the water swimming, tanning and frolicking about.

Since it was so late when we arrived last night, we took the opportunity of the not-so-great weather and walked the property.

We saw two different restaurants; the bright Yellow building is Ana's restaurant, they offer showers in the building behind the restaurant for 20 pesos.

Ana's Restaurant

Inside Ana's

I wouldn't say they are the cleanest rooms around, just don't touch anything and wear shoes! haha Even though we have our solar shower, it's better than standing outside cold due to the wind and it's better than nothing!

The other building is Armando's, the bar/restaurant that would be showing the Superbowl and would open an hour or so before the start of the game.

We decided to walk back to the van and gather our shower stuff and take turns for showers before the game. Jamie went first and came back with a small report; He told me how to go about asking and paying for the shower and then said, Just know that it's going to be dirty and gross, Use shower 4 because at least it has a chair and hook to set your stuff on and is the least dirty one, the water is not that warm so just be ready for it and there's not a lot of pressure, but it's better than nothing. Report gathered and off I went.

I went into Ana's Restaurant and told the gal behind the counter I would like to take a shower, she looked over to a table where a man stood up and walked through a door behind the counter, he then motioned for me to follow him, although they were both nice, it felt a little Mafia-ish! I was a little confused thinking they were confused as to what I had asked. He opened a door and waved his hand into the room like he was Vanna White. I said, "Gracias" and walked into the room closing the door behind me. I had just walked into what looked like a hotel room. Score!!!

My shower was pretty good. The pressure was a mere trickle but I had the Insta-hot the building has, so even though I was still turning it off between washes like I would with a solar shower, every time I turned it back on there was piping hot water coming out. Maybe it's the swimmer in me...could be the germaphobe... but I definitely wore my shower flops. No matter how old I am, no matter where I am, if I'm in an odd shower where I don't know whose feet (or anything else) has touched that floor, this girl will be wearing shoes...and not letting that shower curtain touch me!
After my shower, I walked out and asked the lady behind the counter, "Cuanto? (How much?) She said, "Vente pesos" (20 pesos). I gave her money and was all of a sudden being pulled into 3 different conversations with the guy that runs the restaurant wanting to know how the water was, an American woman about the internet and the woman handling the money. I left and discovered as I got back to the van I had been shorted 20 pesos from the change but it had already been over an hour so I learned from my lesson of not getting distracted while handling foreign money and went on with my day.

On my way back to the van, I walked past a 5th wheel that was definitely stationary and the mans' dog was barking at me, he was telling her it was okay, so I walked over to introduce myself. The man, John, is retired and has been living here for 4 years and since he's from South Florida we had much to talk about. We talked for about a half an hour and he extended an invitation to come over for the Superbowl if Armando's didn't work out for us.

John's place

The day grew into a nicer day than expected. The Sun tried to shine through the clouds, the dogs laid in the Sun and Chili Moon got her first feel of the Bay.

I'm not sure if she didn't see the water because it is super clear or if she was just curious, but she ran right into the water, splashing and running around, making a big, funny game out of it. She cracks me up!

We played in the water for as long as she would play with me, which surprised me with a whole 20 minutes! After Chili was over the water and went back to sleep, I got in the water. It was a little chilly so I went in feet only and took in the wildlife living in this crystal clear water.

The water is crystal clear

A close-up of picture above

Little "conchs" with crabs inside

That's Greg. He likes dog treats. He's a taker!

I saw some really awesome small beautiful shells. They were so different and I wanted to take some of them home with me but these homes were occupado, so I left them where they were and just filmed them moving around....so cool!

Before we knew it, it was time to go get a seat for the Superbowl. We walked over to Armando's a bit earlier than we planned, thinking it would be packed. We were the first ones there....and the last, haha. The place was empty pretty much the whole game but we got the best seats in the house and great service by Luis! I may have stolen their dog Josie (pronounced Yozee) but she didn't take to me, only my burger!

Josie, half the size of Chili Moon!

We ordered a couple of beers they had on special, Modelo Negros (20 pesos for a mason jar) and at the 2nd quarter ordered the special...Hamburgers and Fries! The food wasn't bad at all, the hamburger was a little salty (to me) but it seemed to sit well for the time being (Later that night would be a different story, but I 'took care of it' before it got too bad). We watched the game at Armando's until half-time, paid our bill, which came to about 300 pesos and went to John's for the rest of the game.

We had a great time at John's. We talked, laughed and rooted for the Bronco's (that's our team) and met another friend of Johns', Gary, as he stopped by to watch the end of the game. Gary and his wife have come to Santispac every year for the past few years and stay here for 4-6 months. At the end of the game, while celebrating the Bronco's big win, John offered us some of his Homemade Key Lime pie. It was delicious and a perfect ending to a great game and a great night, thanks so much John!

We walked the 50 yards home and went to sleep. I'd have to say the first day at Playa Santispac was a pretty good one! Showers, new friends, a Bronco's Superbowl win and some awesome pie.

PEACE

Day 3~ Making it to Mulege

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 19 Feb 2016 22:53:00 +0000

Day three~ February 6, 2016
The spot we stayed in last night was only about 6-8 miles South of Santa Rosalia, it was a good spot, I wouldn't necessarily call it a camp spot but it did us well for one night. We weren't bothered and didn't hear or see anyone else. Our motion light turned on about two hours after parking, so we had a feeling a coyote or a really big mouse set it off, but other than that it was peaceful and uneventful.

Sunrise from my 'bedroom' window

I got up at sunrise and took the girls for a walk. I was curious to see what was around and if there were any trails or maybe even houses down this road. I saw mostly trash, trash and more trash and a couple of trails that were definitely ATV trails...no houses, shacks, nothing of the sort...just a lot of trash. The road in is a little rocky but a car could definitely make it back to where we were, it turned more rough as I kept walking deeper down the trail. I had a feeling that this is where people come to dump their trash and maybe use it as a drinking and make-out spot. The landscape was beautiful though.

Tucked in

This particular trail turned into a dead end so we just parked on the road, that way if someone happened down it, they would be able to see us and stop ahead of time.

Once back on the road, we were only about 35 miles from Mulegé, so we didn't have a full day of driving ahead of us again, thank goodness! We arrived in Mulegé around 10:30 a.m. and had the whole day to decide where we wanted to stay and what we wanted to do.

We drove through the archway and through town...learning, once again about the one-way streets!

The TelCel store is right across from Hotel Mulege

I LOVED this tree. Made me think of my mom!

Once we drove through town, we turned down a side road that led us out to the water. At the end of this road, we both looked at each other and nodded in agreement that something didn't seem right. The road down to the water was a really nice road, there was a waterway to the side that was very calm, not even a ripple from the wind. We had heard about Mulegé and the palapas on the beach but what we were seeing was not connecting with what we had heard.

Once we hit the end of the road, where the sand started, it was an entirely different world. There was water...a whole lot of water and there were palapas but from the choppy waves, the tornado-like wind and the broken down palapas with no people in sight, we decided to turn around and try again.

I was tending the video camera again so this is the only pic I have of this side

We drove back through Mulegé trying to figure out where to go, then went back out to Hwy 1 and followed it South a few more miles. The road turned into a mountain road with many curves and turns, we got to the top of one of the curves and that's when we knew...NOW, we were in the right place! Where we had just been was the Sea of Cortez side, which we thought was the Bay of Concepcion....two totally different worlds!

Bahia Concepcion (Bay of Conception) Now we're talking!

We drove Hwy 1 down to Buenaventura, then decided to turn around. We stopped off at the first beach we had seen on top of that hill coming from Mulegé, on the way back from Buenaventura, the name of this beach is Playa Santispac. We turned off the highway and down to the gated area and were approached by a nice, handsome young man named Umberto. We conversed in bits and pieces of English & Spanish and decided we would go do a few things in Mulegé and come back here to park for the night. Umberto told us it would be 100 Pesos for camping & 50 Pesos for a palapa (I couldn't figure out if it was 50 more pesos a night for a palapa or if it was for the day, but we didn't need one, so it didn't phase us).
We drove the 12 miles back to Mulegé to find internet, whether that be an internet connection at a cafe' or to buy a TelCel device. We parked in front of the arch, grabbed our computers and took a walk. We walked around the town of Mulege and drank a Coca-Cola we bought from the small store the van was parked in front of. There was lively Mexican music pumping through the streets, people were sitting in a small park talking to each other, hanging out on the streets and shopping. Mulegé was a pretty busy little town, maybe it was due to it being Saturday or maybe it's always like this...I don't know but I loved it! After walking around the streets for 15 minutes or so, I decided to ask one of the shop owners where the TelCel shop was (we had seen it when we were here earlier but now couldn't find it). I approached him with a Buenos Tardes and asked, "Con permiso, Donde es el TelCel?" He said, Buenos Tardes...you're looking for TelCel? I was happy that he spoke English...he actually spoke perfect English, not even a bit of a Spanish accent. We had a nice conversation and he told me all about TelCel and where to go then told me, I better hurry up because they close in about 3 minutes! I thanked him and we were off...by the way, the TelCel store was about 75 yards from the van! haha
Once we got to the TelCel store, the girl (about 19 or 20 years old) spoke absolutely no English...this would be an interesting process! Luckily, I can figure things out a little bit in Spanish and had a long but successful transaction. At the end of the transaction, she showed me how much data was on the device, I clapped excitedly, we laughed and high-fived. We bought a TelCel USB device that plugs into your computer to give you internet. It was 498 pesos and comes with One gig of data already on it. Even though the store was supposed to close at 1:00, she stayed an extra 35 minutes and made sure that we were taken care, with not one problem or any attitude, it was a nice feeling!

Back on Hwy 1, we decided to stop at a place we had seen after passing Playa Santispac the first time, that had an internet sign out front. We thought we would get on the internet here, even if we had to pay, then see if our device worked once we were parked. The restaurant/store was called Pollos Bertha's and was just a tiny little place where you could sit outside at a table and have a sandwich, a coke or beer while you got online.....or that's what we had conjured up in our minds!

We went in and bought one hour of internet for 20 pesos. We thought with one code, it would let us on both computers at the same time but we were wrong. We bought another hour for another 20 pesos with a different password. We were there for a little over an hour and sadly got nothing accomplished. At the last minute, I was able to get on my email by using the Html basic gmail option and was able to send my mom, sisters & lil' Hoot an update/check-in email. We laughed later that the sign they have out front (picture below) was 100% true...Connect LESS! haha

We drove about two miles back to Playa Santispac to give Umberto 100 pesos for the night. We knew we would stay at least tonight and most likely the next night as well, due to the Superbowl being shown at Armando's restaurant, a short walk from our camp spot. Umberto was gone by the time we got back, so we would catch up with him in the morning.

The Sun was starting to set as we were unpacking the van and having dinner. We sat outside by our little torch, had a beer and with a big 'sigh' of exhaustion and triumph, started enjoying our first night at our destination point.

Stay tuned for more about Playa Santispac!

PEACE

Day 2~ On the move, trying to make it to Mulege

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 21:29:00 +0000

Day Two in Baja~ February 5, 2016

During the Winter, we don't usually rise very early due to the cold temperatures and the Sun not coming up until a little bit later but, when we parked at Sur de Volcan Prieto, I made sure not to put anything in the windows, so we were sure to be woken before or by Sunrise...and it worked!

We got out of the van to a cool breeze coming off of the water and the Sun barely peeking over the big rocks around us. I made coffee & brekkie while Jamie did a video and worked out and then just as soon as we had gotten there the night before, we were down the road again.

We were enjoying the drive on Hwy 5. It was another nice, sunny day with still a lot of wind but we were inside so it didn't bother us that much. About an hour into the drive, we hit a detour (desviacion). The detour took us off of asphalt and put us on a somewhat graded/non-graded road for about 30 miles.

At first we weren't sure if the road was ever going to go back to asphalt and some parts of it were very slow due to curves and washboarding. All along the dirt road we saw many men working on these huge bridges, they are going to make this road really nice!

All of a sudden, in the middle of this spacious windy desert, we came to a place I had heard of from our friend, Ben, called Coco's Corner. I had read a little bit about it online but didn't even know how to get there, so jotted down a few notes and forgot about it.

Now here we were!

Coco's Corner is in Acapulco, Guerrero right in the middle of nowhere! I was very excited that we had stumbled upon it so made sure to get out, take some pictures and see if Coco was around. The wind made it a very miserable adventure but we got out and started taking pictures and video and then a young girl appeared behind the wooden counter. I asked (in Spanish) if Coco was here. She shook her head, No and said, "He's in Ensenada for the day." Bummer. The little bit that I read about Coco's Corner said that he loves to sit and tell you stories about his life over a beer and has a book that you can sign as well as see others that have been here from all over the world...(he has over 8 or 9 full books). I also read that stopping here really isn't about the place at all, although "Coco's Corner is one of the most frequented roadside stops on the entire peninsula." It's truly about Coco. So you can see why I was a little sad that he wasn't there that day.

Guess who's in the little girls room! haha

I don't think I do it the justice it deserves so I am including a link on an article that was written by Christophe Noel that describes it perfectly...and he was able to sit down and chat with Coco! http://expeditionportal.com/destinations-cocos-corner-baja-mexico/

It's a very interesting place and you don't even have to go out of your way to get here if you are driving Hwy 5 to MX Hwy 1...so go and hopefully you will get to meet Coco!!

The landscape is one we are used to, of wide open desert, but this desert is also much different than the ones we see. The flora here is beautiful in its own way, with cute little red flowers that carpet the desert floor among huge Organ Pipe Cactus and Ocotillo mixed in with Joshua Trees, Agaves, Candelabra Cactus and Boojums (my new favorite). As you look across the land, it has a definite Dr. Suess vibe to it!

We were stopped at a Military checkpoint right before entering Guerrero Negro. The military checkpoints are pretty easy; You drive up, stop, greet the young man with Buenos Dia or Buenos Tardes (depending on the time of day), he will ask you where you are coming from, where you are going and why. We were asked a couple of times at different checkpoints if they could look inside the van...of course. They open the side door, look around (not touching anything), close it and say (using their English), "Have a nice vacation!" And you drive on down the road again. We kind of liked the checkpoints because it shows that they care who and what is coming into their towns and since we don't carry anything we aren't supposed to (guns, ammo, drugs), we never have any worries.

Entering Guerrero Negro. Those are the bones of a Grey Whale

When we were at the Military checkpoint just before Guerrero Negro, I asked the gentleman where the whales were. Guerrero Negro is the place where the Gray whales (Ballenas Gris) come to mate every year between December and April. We had a small but nice conversation in Spanish, with me double checking that I was understanding him right (I asked again in English) and we were on our way. We drove through the town of Guerrero Negro which is pretty spread out and we thought we would just follow the directions and boom, be right at the water...haha not so much! First of all, it was very, VERY difficult to find the water. We drove in circles for about 25 minutes, getting caught in school traffic with the Elementary school just letting out. We drove through the same neighborhood 3 times, learning from a resident there are a lot of one-way streets in that neighborhood. We were able to see how these people live and get around; a lot of walkers, bicyclers and of course parents picking up their children in their Lexus' and Cadillac's, which was quite odd compared to the housing in the neighborhood, but I guess you gotta let a playa play!

A neighborhood woman talking to her neighbor a few doors down

Shrines are a huge part of the Mexican culture, they are everywhere

The neighborhood we got to know so well!

These tanks hold the water for their houses

After many circles and too much time being "wasted" we decided to nix the whales , get fuel and get on down the road. We were trying to make it to Mulege before the end of the day but at this point it didn't look like that was going to happen. We weren't sure where we would end up sleeping for the night and still had quite a lot of driving to do.
*I was told later, by a local, that you now have to pay to get anywhere near the water to see the whales these days and/or you can go by tour boat which is much more expensive.*

A BIG military presence in Guerrero Negro. This guy waved and gave me a peace sign but I missed that picture!

I started driving about two and half hours later, so I didn't get any more pictures of the night. We drove to and through Santa Rosalia, an industrial town that seems to be doing very well with people everywhere and a beautiful new boardwalk that was popping! The sun was starting to set and this time we had no coordinates for a place to camp, so we did what we do best and found a place about a mile off of the highway, tucked behind some big cactus on a dirt road and went to sleep for the night. At first I was a little scared to park there, because you hear so many horror stories but everything ended up being just fine along with being nice and quiet.

Another good day of driving positive miles to our first major destination.

PEACE

We're in Baja!! First day in Mexico!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 21:30:00 +0000

Hola de Mexico!!

We are getting a little bit better internet connection than we thought we would, so I thought I'd take some time (out of the sun) to update all of you on what is going on down here!

February 4, 2016~ We left Plaster City at about 11 or so in the morning. Thinking we were going to be sitting in line at the border to cross over for at least an hour, we wanted to make sure to get there early enough that a couple of hours wouldn't hurt us in any way. When we arrived at the border, we had no wait time and drove right into where Border Patrol stopped us to check the van and our papers. There was a Mexican man and woman that asked if they could see inside of the van and asked for the registration for the dirt bike. In all of my preparation for the trip, the last thing that crossed my mind was registration for the bike! We knew where it was but couldn't find the bag it was in, so we started tearing things out of cabinets, out of the netting, little cubby-holes, etc. After about 20 minutes of the guards seeing everything in the van being pulled out of every hole we have, we think they grew to have pity on us and finally said to Jamie, "It's okay man but next time you cross over, you have to have it." And they waved us through.

America to Mexico...no wait going in.

Once we crossed over, we definitely knew we were in a different country. Every sign is in Spanish, people are everywhere on the street corners, in front of your vehicle trying to sell things like fruit and other food, doing acrobatics, break dancing, singing, yelling, trying to wash your windshield...everything for money. We saw Jesters, jugglers, a guy on crutches with one leg dressed as a clown...it's really something to see and they don't take "No, gracias", very easily...they are very persistent. The houses you see while driving down the road, right across the border, are very small, broken down little shacks. It's amazing that people live in them and live like they do but I guess if that's all you know, then that's how you live.

We decided we would drive through to San Felipe. We knew that it was about 2-2 1/2 hours from the border to San Felipe, so maybe we would stay if we liked it or drive on if we had itchy enough feet!

Open land for days

We arrived in San Felipe around 2 p.m. and drove around looking for the water, which is the Gulf of California (Mar de Cortes). We wanted to walk around, see the town, maybe exchange some money. We drove through town, it's not very big so it was quite easy to find the water. It was a very, very windy day so maybe not the perfect time to walk around town.

Entering San Felipe. You can see how bad the wind was by the sand piling up against the barrier

We parked for a moment so Jamie could use the restroom (our toilet was buried in all the stuff that got pulled out at the border), he ended up paying .50 cents to an attendant to go in and we decided to move on.

The beach was dead that day...probably because of the wind

The stores on the other side of the street

We wanted to exchange some American dollars for Pesos, so we stopped in at an Oxxo (the Mexican version of 7-11), where we had seen a sign that said 17.00 dolar. We thought the sign meant they would exchange the money to Pesos, like a regular exchange, but after trying several attempts to have a conversation with a young girl that spoke no English paired with my poor Spanish, another customer who spoke a little bit of English told us that we would have to buy something to be able to change it over. We needed a Baja map, which they did not have, so we left and drove back into town to an actual exchange place.

We learned another valuable lesson when we did our exchange...we should have probably switched some of our American dollars before crossing into Mexico, due to the exchange rate being 18.50 in America, the day we left, but 16.85 once we were in Mexico...you live and you learn! When we were done with the exchange, I asked the girl if there was a Walmart or Costco in town and as she shook her head NO, she gave us a big giggle ...she must have thought I was crazy! She then told me that there is a Calimex and a Bodega in town, so that was helpful.

Our first exchange of the trip

We wanted to make sure to fuel up before driving any further so we stopped at a Pemex gas station. I think every gas station in Mexico is Pemex and they are U.S. certified so it was good knowing we weren't getting "'crap-gas". At the Pemex you have an attendant that pumps your gas for you and will wash your windshield. We asked before the attendant started pumping if they accepted American dollars, he said, "Yes, but I will give you Pesos for change." Perfect! Even though we may lose a dollar or two here and there, it was good knowing we could exchange this way instead of having to find an exchange place in every town with a different rate. We made sure not to get swindled so we busted out our handy dandy calculator and did the math ourselves. It worked in our favor to have the calculator, because once he saw it, he recounted the money and took more money out of his pocket to not short us (we were about to get shorted 100 pesos).

We drove the rest of the day. The road leaving San Felipe driving South (Hwy 5), was actually a really great road, all paved. I think we both were expecting a much worse road, maybe all gravel, not graded, but it was all paved. The only thing I can say about that road is you have to watch your speed due to a stretch of about 25 miles or so, that if you don't slow down, the big bumps in the road (not speed bumps, more like waves in the asphalt) will bounce you around and scrape front and back bumpers! The first one we hit, doing about 45 or 50 mph, didn't look like much but once we went over it, we bounced up, down, scrape, scrape, bounce, scrape....we learned to look at the roads much closer after that.

I had done a lot of research on camping spots before we left, on www.freecampsites.net, and had written down a spot that was just outside of Puertecitos (which we were just passing through). The Sun was starting to set and since we had heard from everyone and their mothers, brothers and Aunts not to drive at night, we punched in the coordinates to the spot called Sur de Volcan Prieto.

Coordinates: N 30.207416 W -114.664531

We drove through the teeny tiny town of Puertecitos, on a dirt road, which looked like it was deserted but people live there...still learning that people live in these shacks with tarps for walls and roofs. I wish I had more pictures but I was working the video camera and my camera, so I just have the one below. We saw a store at the top of this hill and thought we would stop in to give them business and buy something to drink but once we drove up to it, noticed all of the windows were broken out and the building was empty, so much for that idea!

Small town of Puertecitos

We drove up a hill to a paved road, that happened to be Hwy 5 (again) not sure how we were detoured off of it to drive through Puertecitos on the dirt road, but we were back on the Highway now.
Fortunately, the GPS found the coordinates to Sur de Volcan Prieto...we were wondering if it would due to not having Mexican maps on it! The GPS took us straight down to the exact spot that was on www.freecampsites.net and since I had seen pics on the site, knew we were in the right place.

It is a beautiful spot. It's a private, quiet spot in between two rock outcroppings right on the water. There are volcanic rocks everywhere and other big rocks the dogs were just loving and climbing all over.

Checking it all out

Chili Moon has decided she wants to be a rock climber...down hill though

There was a little bit of trash and some bones from animals that didn't make it but nothing too extreme. The only 'extreme' thing I saw were the carcasses of these fish and the size of their teeth!! I just don't think that's right! haha

Pretty big dead fish...with teeth

What are these fish eating where they need big teeth like this!??

Even with being about a 1/2 mile from the Highway, we couldn't hear any road noise, so that was another great plus.

We enjoyed our sunset or what we could see of it since the sun set behind the hills. We would definitely get one heck of a sunrise though, right over the water.

It was a great first day in Mexico. We learned a lot and I am finally using my Spanish that I learned in high school all those years ago...or what's left of it in my brain!

Stay tuned for more Mexican adventures!

Chili Moon approves!

If you want to see what our day was actually like, you can watch the video below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSzXiGedHiE

We love new subscribers!!

PEACE

Baja Prep: Dog Vac's. Mexican Auto Insurance. Waiting...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 03:31:00 +0000

Prepping for Baja has a lot of little stages and all of them cost money. I'll have to sit down when all is said and done to write up a "Baja Budget", so you can see how we made it work.

Photo: Google

In the last post, you read how we were able to fit everything, we didn't want to take to Mexico, into a storage unit.

We took another trip to drop some last minute items off and feel we may have one more trip for things we are using now, but don't need to take with us.

Messy, but we're getting there!

We spent a couple of days calling banks, insurance companies, Verizon, Veterinarians, mail places, doctors, among other companies I can't think of right now, to get everything squared away for our 2 month vacation. There were some things we didn't want to pay while we were gone, especially since we wouldn't be able to use them in Mexico, like our Verizon and our American auto insurance...so we put these on hold/suspension/vacation. This way we'll actually save money, woo hoo!

We were able to get Mexican Auto Insurance through Lewis and Lewis, http://www.mexicanautoinsurance.com/

they seemed to be the cheapest and our friend goes through them every year, so we felt comfortable with them.

We did our big shopping trip to Walmart to get the major stuff in bulk; TP, Paper towels, medicine as well as the U.S. food that we love and don't want to pay an arm and a leg for down there; granola, Chai, coffee, creamer, etc.

We filled up all of our water jugs, dumped trash, refueled, got some mail and made an appointment for the girls to get shots and a health certificate.

The Vet was able to get us in the very next day of making our appointment, so that was really helpful before the weekend. We went to Valley Veterinarian Hospital, the staff and doctor were all very nice, informative and even got us in 25 minutes early!

The dogs were happy to be able to accompany us into a building....until they smelled the fear within the walls, then they just wanted out!! haha

They both did exceptionally well!

Chili Moon was her usual nervous energy~wiggle worm self, but I was a very proud mommy, for it only took three times and two different people to get her temperature!!

Savannah was awesome! She knew something was going down but she just watched and sat very still for everything and didn't growl one single time! She even nuzzled up with me to get me to pick her up and hold her close....awww, she does love mommy!

We left there $110 less in our pockets but with updated shots and Certifications of Health for both girls.

Check that huge one off the list!

Now....we wait until the week starts again.

We have a couple more packages to pick up and a couple of little things to gather and drop off before we head South.

Our internet will most likely be turned off tonight around midnight, until April. We will be finding internet cafes to check in with friends and family.

So for the rest of tonight, we will wait out this wind and maybe by the time we roll out, it'll be nice and pleasant and perfect!

Have a great rest of your Winter and start to your Spring!

Adiós por ahora

PAZ

Prepping in Plaster City

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 21:54:00 +0000

I didn't think I'd be writing until we got back from Baja, but we have been 'van-ridden' for the past day and it looks like another van day today due to major wind....so I thought I would update you with our happenings thus far.

We left the RTR spot in Quartzsite about a week ago and camped in Ehrenberg for a couple of days...a couple of really windy days...got a few things done over there then headed down to El Centro.

Imperial Sand Dunes on the way to El Centro

We weren't sure what to expect in El Centro due to never traveling down here. We drove into the main part of town, looking for storage units and I have to say at first I didn't want to be here, I was scared! I'm usually pretty good with these feelings....as long as I'm in the van with windows up and doors locked but the neighborhoods we were driving through did not feel very safe.

We stopped at one storage unit and left right away due to the lady obviously not wanting any business. The 2nd place we stopped, I stayed in the van while Jamie went to see about pricing. Right away I noticed a group of 3 men walking their bicycles slowly toward the van, they slowed even more when they saw me sitting in the van and then started hooting and hollering at me. I made sure the doors were locked and grabbed the bear spray! And maybe I watch too many damn movies or Datelines but it was at this point that I noticed every single person in this neighborhood was wearing dark navy blue clothing and here I am sitting in this van, that looks quite delectable with all of our stuff on it, in a bright red shirt! Great!

Jamie came back after what seemed like forever with paperwork...looks like we found our storage unit! He got in the van and said, "The good news is, we have a storage unit, the bad news is, we're going to have to carry the trailer....sideways to get it to fit in the unit!"

My Olive Oyl arms will be put to the test today!

At this point in time, it was about 4:00 p.m. so we had to start tearing everything apart pronto, get the stuff we aren't taking into the unit and get to where we are camping for the night, hopefully before dark!

We were at the storage place a little over an hour and while the unit is packed poorly, we got most of everything we aren't taking inside. Woo hoo! Now to throw everything back in the van to get to a spot for the night.

We arrived in Plaster City, our staging area for the trip, just before dark. Plaster City is a huge OHV area near a Gypsum quarry and factory, it's very desolate out here.

It's a great place to play with all the fun, big, loud toys! Another cool thing about this area is there is a Bombing Range on the other side of the OHV area so there is a lot of military activity in the air, we get to see fighter jets doing air maneuvers every morning, except yesterday and today due to this crazy wind!


My new fave pic! Helicopters and Wind Turbines with the sunset! Yes, please!!!

The next day, I tore everything out of the van sans the bed; rugs, water jugs, boards, cabinets, toilet, food, dog stuff, etc. to do a deep, deep cleaning...God knows it has needed it for quite some time! It took me most of the day wiping everything down and vacuuming every nook and cranny at least 3 times. Going to Mexico was a great 'excuse' to be able to tear everything out and take the time to clean everything as best as I could (which is pretty damn clean)!

By the time the Sun was starting to set Scott had arrived, the van had been scrubbed down, ready for repacking and we narrowed our stuff down to the necessities and a few fun things that we can't live without.

Scott's Rig

That's it! Now it all has to go in there somewhere!

Then it was dinner time!!

Desert Dining at its finest

Happenings at The Big Tent in Quartzsite, AZ

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 24 Jan 2016 23:09:00 +0000

Every year that we are in Quartzsite for the RTR, we take one day to do some things in town...yes, even though we've done it before and even with all of the people here.

It's fun to walk around and see all of the new rigs out for the year, the "older" ones from years past and to see the vendors selling whatever it is they are selling.

The Big Tent is an interesting place and I have to say that this year was the best year for walking around the Big Tent because there was barely anyone there, but I know that doesn't do much for the town of Quartzsite, so it's kind of sad.

We were able to walk...yes, I said walk! through the big tent this year. Usually there are sooo many people inside you pretty much shuffle along at a very very very slow pace, if at all. Last year we walked in and turned right back around to walk out, just way too many people...but not this year, it was nice.

We walked into a couple of rigs but not as many as in years past.

One rig we walked into was a rebuilt, revamped, remodeled, rewired, etc. 1974 Winnebago Indian. It was tight!

I think the main reason the big tent was so empty was because all of the 'smart' folk were at Big Bellies Adult Day Care having a good ole time singing, dancing, laughing and drinking!

We did our annual Progressive visit. Every year they give away a few different items you can win when you play their slot machine. The first year Jamie got a really cool shirt and I got a reflective dog leash. Last year we both got playing cards. This year we both wanted shirts because they are super comfy and they had some really good looking shirts this year, but we both got sunscreen and chapstick instead...whomp whomp. I guess it'll be good for Baja, but still! We also got chased by a bear which I was way too happy about!!
Watch the 12 second video below.

We took the bike into town and even though we were a little overdressed due to that, the weather played well with us throughout the day! It was so nice, we actually got ice cream and what amazing ice cream it was!!

$4.00 for a waffle cone or cup and all scoops are double, you can even get two different flavors!! Jamie got Mocha Fudge Brownie with Chocolate and I dipped into the Sea Salt Caramel with Mint Chocolate Chip.....man, was it good!!!!

I think we walked around for about two hours seeing everything as well as getting a couple of interviews of vendors and guests walking around. We made a little game out of it so people were more willing to talk to us, it turned out great...those videos soon to come.
As we walked away from the sights and sounds of the Big Tent we caught one more sound of a lone guitar player, he had a great voice and tons of soul...his name is Kelli McAllister and you can find him on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/user/kelli112687

I say, "Even if you've been to the Big Tent before, you never know what you might find, see or hear...go again, you may have a totally new and fun experience!"

PEACE

New lights on XR 400: Video of Ride

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 01:02:00 +0000

Jamie is pumped about "midnight rides" and even more stoked he can now use his new lights to light the way.

This video is what it's like when we do "Midnight Rides".
Jamie & Johnny night riding.

PEACE

Please Like & Subscribe to our Youtube channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_W_E5SFCxwpSOaqMjOOBTg/featured

Enigmatic Nomadics are taking a vacay!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 21:12:00 +0000

The RTR is over.

A bittersweet feeling rests upon us, but we are going to make the most of it and take a vacation!

We are heading to Baja, Mexico in the next few days.

We have never been there before and will be traveling with friends that have.

We will not have wifi like we are used to, so I will be sure to take tons of notes so I have lots to write about when we get back.

I have also put my Ety shop on hold until mid-April.

I will be shopping around for some unique, fun and interesting pieces to make while I'm down there.

We are excited and a little nervous (maybe it's just me) but we are putting most of our stuff in storage...which is actually great, but packing the things we need to take is a little overwhelming, since we usually have everything we own on us!

What clothes will I want to wear? Which shoes? Will I want to paint, wire wrap, read...which books, what will the dogs need? I guess it's a high quality problem, but still a little nerve-wracking.

With all of that said. I will check in when I can but don't worry if you don't see us for a little bit. I'm sure to have many stories and pictures in April!

See you soon!

PEACE

RTR ~ Frost. Chili. Haircuts. Sunset Rides.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 20:43:00 +0000

January 9

......

Woke up to pretty cold temperatures (for us), high 30's - l0w 40's, with a little bit of wind.

The Chili Dinner turned out exceptionally well! A couple different kinds of chili as well as cornbread and other yummy sides. I was cutting hair all day but was fortunate enough to have Jamie and Natalie bring me all the fixins'...the cornbread was delicious Greg!!

A good big mess always means great food

Will, Jake, Nico & Ted, all probably making up stuff!

Wolf with Mark & Donna

I finished up the last haircut just as the Sunset Ride was going down.

Don't rush me!!!

We had 9 vehicles and about 14 people with us for the second Sunset Ride.

Ben & Justin enjoying the view

Dill, Tim, Wolf and Stix

Jamie resting up for the bigger hill

You can never have enough Tim from Alaska!!

Still holding it down back here

Stix & Sequoia's 4x4

Dill & Stephen


This is how I roll in the back, just bouncing along

PEACE