Living In Mexico

Beach life

2013-11-11T13:40:00.002-08:00

Living on the beach in Ensenada for the last 3 months has been a pleasant surprise for me. It is totally different than the Chapala area. Chapala is the real Mexico and Ensenada is more like California, except much cheaper. The pleasant surprise is the weather. It's about the same as the weather of San Diego, which is only 60 miles north. Part of our routine is to walk the dogs on the beach daily. Notice the lack of people along the beach or in the water.

These vultures were drying their wings. These guys were big.

Peso chasing Maya.

Cruise ships arrive several times weekly.

Sometimes they actually listen to me.

La Bufadora in the background.

Which way are we gonna go guys?

We have this beach to ourselves.

Maya has just been for a swim.

They are not fast enough to catch the baby birds wading in the water.

Ensenada is in the background.

Punta Banda

2013-10-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

Well, we moved from Chapala to Ensenada into a community called Puna Banda. Wanted to share some photos of our home and the Punta Banda area, a 45 minute drive south of Ensenada.

Just steps to the beach.

Maya doesn't like me taking a nap by myself.

Martin says this is a Zonkey, a cross between a Zebra and a Donkey. Miguelito the dog rides all around town.

Beware of pit bulls, they might lick you to death.

Gives you an idea of how deserted these beaches are. This is looking south. North would be the same.

Yup, that's me going out to do some body boarding.

Looking out from the dining room.

Fireplace redo.

Notice the painting of Peso on the left wall.

My Grandson, the 3 year old protege.

La Bufadora

2013-09-24T13:41:00.000-07:00

The blowhole is the result of air trapped in a sea cave exploding upwards. Air is forced into the cave by wave action and is released when the water recedes. This interaction not only creates the spout, but a thunderous noise as well. La Bufadora is one of the largest blowholes in North America, often shooting upwards of 100 feet.

La Bufadora, pictured in the mountain behind me is a fifteen minute drive from our house.


Lots of vendors before you get to the blowhole. Not many buyers early in the morning.

Water entering cave.

Water starting to expel. Somebody lost their hat.

Plenty of restaurants.

Community of La Bufadora.

We live on a six mile stretch of beach, used mostly by Mexicans. Water temperature is nice this time of year.

People camp on the beach and never have problems. We have walked the beach many times after dark.

We are starting to paint and fix-up the house.

For some reason, Maya is pooped out.

The Move

2013-09-15T11:35:00.002-07:00

Well, a couple of months ago, Debbi and I were talking about how hot the weather was in the Chapala area. The books we read before we moved down talked about the year round Spring type weather. After 3 years of living here we decided to move. The decision was hard to make because we had met so many wonderful friends. We decided to move to Baja Norte as the weather is similiar to the weather in San Diego. We would also be closer to friends and family. Baja is going to be very different than Chapala.

The beach house in Baja Norte.

Needs different paint on the walls.


This is Blondies' idea of helping us move.

Rent horses on the beach for $8 per hour.

Beautiful Jellyfish arrive with the warm water temperature. Look at the shoe and the shadow to get an idea of how big this guy is.

We hired a 40 foot moving van for the 2,000 mile drive. We drove our car and took the three dogs with us.

Cardboard and bubble wrap just about everything.

This is the path from the house to the water.

Our new home waiting for minor repairs.

Maya is our special needs doggie. She has some neurological problems, but doesn't know it.

Wedding ceremony

2013-07-10T12:50:00.000-07:00

Six weeks ago, my son informed me that he and his fiance were getting married on June 22, 2013. They are both in their 30's and it is the first marriage for both of them. Needless to say, I was excited. My future daughter in law is a great person. I have known her for 8 years and she is a gem. About a month before the wedding my son called me and asked if I would perform the wedding ceremony. I told him it would be an honor for me to officiate the wedding. It was one of the most gratifying things that I have done in my life.

Jeff and Teri

My daughter Kolleen, Troy and their 2 kids, Kayla and Cole

Me, Teri and Jeff

The lovely bride

Troy, Teri, Jeff and Kolleen

My four grandkids

This is a great photo.

Cole is one of my four grandkids.

Mary is my mother in law. I have known her for 50 years and I am lucky to have her in my life. She is battling lung cancer and I believe there is going to be a miracle that will save her life.

Abbeyfield and the Kentucky Derby

2013-05-08T08:20:00.000-07:00

Vickie and I volunteer at an assisted care living facility called Abbeyfield in Ajijic. We have a Friday Matinee where we show the seniors movies using a DVD player and a big screen TV. They really love the movies and are very thankful of the time we spend with them. Here at Lakeside, most of the expats volunteer for organizations that involve kids or animals. We think the seniors here need more volunteers to organize activities for them. Seems like people favor the kids, or the animals, instead of the older folks. The cost of staying here is $1200 US per month. That is for your own casita and meals.

Vickie at the entry.

Paul just moved in. His wife passed in November. He is the only man here.

Ginger has been here several years. She is absolutely charming. Could have been a model in her younger years.

Marge is 91 years old. Isn't she pretty.

The viewing deck is for everyone to enjoy. This is a skate park with Lake Chapala in the background.

The seniors like to walk through the park or on the Ajijic Malecon.

J. C. and Vickie hosted a Kentucky Derby party at their home. Debbi and I picked Orb to win. Oh yeah!

Vickie, Sally, Sharon (with my cigar) and Debbi.

2013-04-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

We met Joe and Sharon when we first moved to the Lakeside area. They are great people with a special zest for life. In this blog, I am featuring the house they are living in to show you what kinds of deals are available for renting homes here. The house is in Chapala. It is for sale for $395,000 and sits on one acre of lush landscape. The real estate market is very slow here and this price narrows the amount of buyers looking at the house. It is a good deal, but high priced for the Chapala area.

So Joe and Sharon are renting a 2 bedroom, 1 bath home, which is part of the property for $500 per month.
They are the only people living on the grounds. The Shriners of Chapala own the estate. They have told Joe and Sharon that when the house sells, they will return half of their rent money that they have paid. In effect, Joe and Sharon are renting their house and the acre of land for $250 per month. What a deal!!!

The property is walled on all four sides.

The house is an authentic Mexican style house.

I love the dinette set.

The patio is a relaxing place to eat.

Joe and Sharon enjoying la vida de Mexico.

Main house is a huge home.

The landscape is really lush.

The rear yard has various fruit and citrus trees.

Small garden behind the main house.

Patzcuaro, Michoacan

2013-03-28T18:57:00.002-07:00

As part of our trip to Morelia, we also visited Patzcuaro. The city is known for its' many celebrations on Day of the Dead. (Dia De Los Muertos.)The population is about 80,000 with a healthy amount of Expats.

The outdoor market is open every day.

This is a parade without floats, just trucks and trailers.

The Library mural

The boat that took us to the statue in the middle of the lake.

The statue is Jose Maria Morelos, a heroic leader of the Mexican War of Independence.

View of Lake Patzcuaro from the statue.

J. C. and I with the flag of Mexico.

Inside the statue are stairs with railings if you would like to walk to the top.

The climb from the lake to the statue is very steep. You need to be in decent shape to make it to the statue.

You can barely see the statue in the background.

Morelia

2013-03-17T11:15:00.001-07:00

Just returned from a trip to Morelia in the state of Michoacan. What a gorgeous city. Reminded me of what Italy might look like. The population is 500,000, but seems larger. There a lot of young people in this city. The average age is around 25. There are many specialized schools such as art, music and engineering. This is a very cosmopolitan city with loads of cultural activities. As you know, Debbi and I have been to about 60 different cities in Mexico. Morelia is in the top five of our favorites.

We stayed at this hotel for $60 U.S. per night.

The streets and the landscape are kept spotless.

J. C. and Vickie enjoying the open air bus tour of the city.

This is the most ornate church we have seen in Mexico.

The architecture throughout the downtown of Morelia is pleasant on the eyes.

Sunset provides stunning silouettes.

J.C. searched Morelia walking tours on his computer. He printed about 5 pages of things to see in Morelia. So we browsed through museums and historical buildings at our own pace. It's a great way to see a city.

Arts and crafts museum on the walking tour.

The Morelia library is converted from a church.

One of Morelias beautiful parks.

Lucky Dog Rescue and Adoption

2013-03-05T17:54:00.002-08:00

Debbi and I are doing more volunteer work. We both retired ten years ago and it seems we are busier now than when we were working full time. Our latest project is an animal shelter that tries to find good homes for stray dogs. Debbi and our friend Sharon work for Lucky Dog Rescue and Adoption. And, I help also. The shelter can accommodate 25 dogs, and we already have a waiting list. There are 20 volunteers.

Okay, so it doesn't look like much from the outside. But the inside is really nice.

Debbi had the idea for the pink signs to identify the dog, and the special needs they have.

The dogs play together in the big yard. They are placed together according to how they get along.

Our good friend Sharon always busy keeping things clean.

Sharon and Bob with two of our well trained dogs. All of the dogs get walked daily.

All of the walls are getting a fresh coat of paint.

The dogs get bathed in the tub and the carriers are where they sleep in their kennel.

This is Rosie, our new addition. We now have 4 dogs.

The puppies are usually easy to adopt. Everybody loves puppies.

Carnival

2013-02-13T11:58:00.000-08:00

Chapala has their Carnival at Cristiania Park the first two weeks of February (mas o menos). The park is one of the prettiest parks in Mexico with Tennis courts, Volleyball courts and a multitude of things for kids to do.

The colorful entry to Cristiania Park.

It cost $4 to enter the park.

These are a group of Mexican bikers having a good time at Carnival.

They had a car show. Here they place more importance on customizing their cars. In the states, more importance is placed on original paint and parts.

Looks like a 1950's Porsche. One of the few stock vehicles there.

Temperatures were in the 80's but, they still had an ice skating rink for the kids.

Love to see the Muchachos and Muchachas dancing to the beat.

Not sure, but this sounded like music of the Andes.

Our friends J. C. and Vickie being interviewed by a reporter from Estrella, a Spanish speaking television network in the U. S.

I had a couple of beers earlier so I knew I was going to fail this DUI prevention booth test. They use these special goggles that blur your vision.

Sierra El Travesano Ravine hike

2013-01-30T19:20:00.001-08:00

Sorry this is so late. Three members of my immediate family passed last year. As we get older, this is going to happen more and more. Somehow, we all need to deal with death in our own way. I guess it just takes time.

I featured this hike in one of my earlier blogs. It is a 5 mile round trip trek that has become one of my favorites. You ascend a ravine with switchbacks. When you arrive to the top of the mountain you are greeted with acres and acres of Oak trees. The reason I am featuring this hike again is that there is much to see and do at the top of the trail.

You even find Cactus at the top. Lake Chapala is in the background.

J. C. enjoying the shade of the Oaks.

Family shrines are big deals on mountaintops throughout Mexico.

They can be very ornate, or like this one, they can be very simple.

The local teens come to the mountaintop to do what teenagers do!!


We saw these holes along the trail. Found out the Mexicans dig these and cut the feeder roots of trees. They take them to maket and sell them as a food supplement.

Would have been easier if we could have taken the Jeep. Instead, we parked at the trailhead. Lake Chapala in the background.

This is the dueno of the property where we park. We usually give him 20 pesos ($1.60). He has lived on this property for 35 years.

I know this has nothing to do with the trail. But, I wanted to show you our doggie family. All four of them are rescue dogs, three of them here in Mexico.

Mexico Pets

2013-01-08T09:42:00.001-08:00

We moved to Mexico almost two years ago with our dog Peso. We now have four. The second dog is Diablo. He had no home and was just roaming around the neighborhood so we kind of adopted him. The third dog is Maya. She was laying in the gutter of the street with only a few days to live. We scooped her up and several months later, she is as healthy as she is going to be.

She has some neurological problems like bumping into things. She also has a constant tic. But, she still runs and plays with the other dogs. We call Maya our special needs doggie. Our latest acquisition is a puppy that someone left on a country road. Our neighbor found him and brought him to us. Mexicans are good people and for the most part they treat their animals well. But, they still have a ways to go to achieve the level of care that we would like to see.

Sorry to say Indie died early Wednesday morning. We only had him for a week and he looked very strong. But, he had some major health issues. We tried our best to save him and find him a good home. Sometimes things just don't work out. We are waiting for our next street dog to appear. And when he does, we will give him the same love and affection that Indie received.

We named him Indie because of our fondness for Independent Films. He stays in his kennel when we are gone for short periods of time.

Just finished eating. His eye was swollen shut when we started caring for him but, it is fine now.

Maya's checking him out to see what he is.

Indie looks healthy. But, he has parasites in him and he also has low red cell counts. He has been to the Vet four times and will need at least four more visits.

He looks healthy but, he doesn't play like a puppy normally does because of his anemic condition. Hopefully that will change in a couple of weeks.

This is about as excitable as we see Indie get.

Debbi is volunteering at the new animal shelter a couple of miles away. Once we nurse Indie back to good health, we plan to put him up for adoption. Yeah, whatever.

Peso still doesn't know what to think about the new arrival.

We have spent the last week tending to his every need. He is one spoiled little dog.

Diablo napping with the little guy.

San Antonio Tlayacapan

2012-12-30T19:17:00.000-08:00

San Antonio is a small town about 10 minutes west of Chapala. For those of you who want to experience the Mexican way of life, this would be a good place to live. And you would still be close to your Gringo friends in Ajijic. You would also be within walking distance of Walmart.

This is one of the main streets in San Antonio. It leads to the Malecon at Lake Chapala.

The Malecon. The mountains show that we are in the dry season.

This is a night club in San Antonio. We meet friends here for dinner and dancing.

And of course the Church.

All towns and cities have Plazas. This is one of the smallest you will see. It still is charming.

If you lived in San Antonio, this is where you would buy your trees, plants and ground cover.

Most Gringos have P.O. boxes. Ours is located in San Antonio.

This small grocery store is where we go to buy American stuff that the Mexican grocery stores don't carry.

I am sharing a couple of Christmas pictures taken while I was in San Diego. Me, Debbi and my father- in- law Chuck.

My grandson Cole. What do you think his favorite present is?

Chapala

2012-12-14T16:29:00.000-08:00

There are many communities in the Lakeside area. Chapala has a population of 50,000 and is 30 miles Southeast of Guadalajara. This is a vibrant town with lots of things to do. The Gringo population is very sparse here. So if you want to be part of the Mexican culture, this is the place you would want to live.

Mexican towns and cities have Plazas where people meet to socialize. Bands play here on special occasions.

The fruit and vegetable market is right next to the Plaza.

Fresh flowers every day.

The white cross at the top of the hill is a shrine. Most hills in the Lakeside area have them. They are places to honor the passing of loved ones.

The Chapala Police cruise the main street.

The Spanish influenced architecture makes for Chapalas' beautiful Catholic church.

The Chapala Malecon with the pier in the background.

The Malecon is peaceful in the morning, but nightime brings out hundreds of people.

There are many nice restaurants on the Malecon. These are a few of them.

Patron Saints

2012-12-05T10:23:00.000-08:00

In Mexico, patron saints are chosen as special protectors or guardians over areas of life. These areas of life can include occupations, illnesses, churches, countries, causes-- anything that is important to us. A patron saint can help us when we follow the example of that saints life. San Nicolas celebrates its patron saint, San Nicolascito de Barri, the week of November 28th to December 6th. There are bands at the Plaza every night for the 7 day event. The fireworks go off periodically from 6:00 a.m. to midnight!

Special decorations for the patron saint of San Nicolas.

Waiting for the patron saint parade to begin.

Staging for the beginning of the parade.

This is San Nicolascito de Barri leading the procession.

There were about 15 Gringos who walked in the parade.

The band loves to play their music very loud.

The Plaza is filled with vendors selling food and beverages.

The Plaza had rides for the kids also.

There are 20 band members here with lots of brass and percussion.

Our little friend Joanna and her brother enjoying the festivities at the Plaza.

Our Dog Family

2012-11-26T17:02:00.001-08:00

We arrived in Mexico with one dog. We found Peso in a Yuma, Arizona Animal Shelter. He is the best dog we have ever had. Several months after we arrived, we rescued a dog from the streets. We named him Diablo because he got into mischief all the time. Most recently we rescued another dog from the streets who has a neurological problem. Her name is Maya and she was days away from dying when we rescued her. We have two other dogs who belong to the neighbors, but they spend most of their time in our yard with our dogs. Their names are Blondie and Sparky.

This is Maya the day we took her off the street. She could barely stand. We didn't think she would survive the night.

Three months later she is making a strong recovery. She still has neurological problems. But, we think she's going to lead a long life. She is our special needs doggie.

This is Diablo. He loves to sit in my easy chair. He is 2 years old. We rescued him from the streets of San Nicolas.

Blondie is a neighbors dog, but he spends a lot of time at our house.

Sparky is another neighbors dog. He loves to tag along on our morning walks.

Peso is 8 years old, but he still keeps up with the younger dogs.

Our morning walk. Maya in front, Diablo and Sparky, then Peso and Blondie bringing up the rear.

My next door neighbors keep Sparky tied up. But, I release him every day so he can walk and hike with us.

All the dogs get along fine. There has never been a problem.

Horses

2012-11-15T09:08:00.003-08:00

One of my friends told me that he thought there were more horses than people in Mexico. I hadn't thought about that. But, it seems half the pictures I take are of horses. So all you horse people should enjoy this blog.

Daniella, a young lady from the village and Debbi going on a trail ride.

These horses roam around for food. You see a lot of them in the country.

These Charros are really proud of their horses.

Debbi with Diego at Lake Chapala.

The barn to the right of the house is adequate, but not as big as its counterpart in the U. S.

Some more of the free grazers. There's a baby on the right.

The Thursday morning ladies ride.

Debbi was asked to ride in the 2011 Independence Day Parade.

She got to ride with the Queen Daniella.

Another Thursday ladies ride.

Dia de Los Muertos

2012-11-03T12:34:00.001-07:00

The Day of the Dead holiday in Mexico focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember the family and friends who have died. November 1st honors children and infants. November 2nd honors adults. The celebrations are joyous and festive. The mood is upbeat and you'll see very few tears.

This is downtown Chapala. Notice all the Marigolds. These are the official flowers of Day of the Dead.

Yours truly getting ready to have some fun with the local kids. In a couple of hours these streets will be packed.

Every year, this street in Chapala is used for constructing altars to honor the dead.

More brightly colored altars

Skeletons are a big deal for this holiday. They are considered to be good, not spooky.

Her family feels strongly that they will see her again. I hope they do.

Our friends Joe and Sharon enjoyed the festivities.

The Chapala Panteon. People go to cemeteries to be with the souls of the departed. They build private altars containing the departed's favorite food and beverage.

The intent is to encourage visits by the souls so the souls will hear prayers that are directed to them.

My first altar. Grandma and Grandpa Robinson upper left. Mom and Dad in the middle. Below them, my niece Kelly. ( I'm getting a larger picture of her for next year.) And my Grandma and Grandpa Gwin on the right.

Mexico dentistry

2012-10-22T17:43:00.003-07:00

We needed some dental work done and the Lakeside area has lots of Dentists. So Debbi picked one that she was impressed with and, I chose one that I was comfortable with. We are about halfway through our appointments. We are both happy with the work so far. I am listing prices from Dental Express, the Dentist office I went to. They are less expensive than the Dentist Debbi went to. Prices are U. S. dollars.

1. Whiten in office and clean teeth. $140
2. Implants. $750 each
3. Extraction. $30
4. Tooth filling with resin. $30
5. Root canal. $120
6. Porcelain crown. $160
7. Dentures. $240
8. X ray. $30 They have a new machine that takes only one xray which covers all your teeth.

The inside is a little austere, but the outside makes up for it.

This is the machine that takes only one picture that covers all of your mouth You set your chin on the black bar above the electrical plug. Very, very simple.

This machine calibrates measurements of crowns.

This machine makes the crowns using the measurements sent from the machine in the photo above. So all of the crowns can be made in the office.

Dr. Salvador and Dra. Errica. They have 5 of these rooms and two other Dentists.

An update on Maya. We have had Maya for a month now and the Vet thinks she is over the hump.

She is a sweet dog and always takes her pills and shots without complaining.

Saving a Mexican dog

2012-10-11T13:43:00.000-07:00

Most of the Mexicans in our village take good care of their animals. When they don't, usually it is because they just don't have the money to feed them properly. So, it's rare to see a malnourished dog roaming the streets. We were taking a walk two weeks ago in the village when we came upon a dog laying in the gutter. She was breathing irregularly and had sores all over. The dog had a tic also. Her front left leg constantly moved. She was days away from starving to death.

Debbi went to get the car while I stayed with the dog. When she returned we started to load her into the car. The owners came out of the house. I thought there might be a problem, but they agreed that they couldn't take care of her any more. She was damaged goods and they didn't want her. So we lifted Maya into our car and headed home. We really thought this dog was not going to see the next day. But, we were determined to make her last day or days as comfortable as possible.

I'm on the phone with the Vet. Poor Maya, you can see the fear in her eyes.

Maya had not had any food in weeks. She was on her last legs.

She is constantly grubbing for any kind of food--even in our back yard!

You can see the sores that were mostly on the rear part of her body.

Maya had open sores on her chest and abdomen.

She really likes laying on our wall and soaking up the sun. You can see her ribs, and all the dark areas are skin sores.

The vet told us the muscle contraction she has is due to her having had Distemper and this created neurological problems. The good thing is when she sleeps, the tic disappears.

Fast forward 2 weeks and look at Maya. You can still see some ribs and some sores. But, she is much better and we think she is going to survive. She is really a sweet tempered little dog and is now a part of the family!

That's Maya in the center. The Vet told us she is only 6 months old. She is starting to play with our other dogs. Her constant muscle contraction doesn't slow her down at all.

Featured home

2012-10-02T17:22:00.000-07:00

Betty is a volunteer at Pasos. She lives in Chapala and six years ago bought a beautiful Mexican style home. She recently completed an extensive remodel. I can't imagine a nicer home in all of Chapala.

The entry to the house. Notice all the potted plants. The exterior color is spectacular.

An outstanding wall feature is this mosaic that represents Lake Chapala.

What a great patio. The fireplace/barbeque is in the background. To the right is the bar with a refrigerator.

The Koi pond is a calming feature of the back yard.

The rear of the house. Again notice the potted plants. Betty has a gardener that takes good care of the landscape.

I'm not much of a cook. But, if I were, this is the kind of kitchen I would want!

The dining room.

The living room would be a great place to relax and enjoy a fire.

The master bathroom has Mexico written all over it. The two water bowls are a nice touch also.

The master bedroom. Betty used to show horses. She claims these Havanese dogs are much easier to show!

The guest bathroom has the flavor of Mexico with the different tiles.

Betty has an upstairs Casita for guests. It has a kitchenette, living room and one bedroom.

Betty has a 1/2 acre lot, which is huge by Mexicos' standards. Everything you see in this picture is her house and her lot. This house is a really good representation of a true Mexican style home.

Horseback riding in Chapala

2012-09-25T18:50:00.001-07:00

Last week we decided to rent some horses. There are two places to rent in the Lakeside area. One is Chapala and the other is Ajijic. We decided on Chapala. We rode for two hours. The cost was 8 dollars U. S. per hour per person. This ride was well worth the money with scenic views of the mountains and the lake.

My buddy Joe, who informed me that this horse was the closest he was going to get to any horse.

Juan owns the horses. These are his kids and grandkids. Juan has rented horses here in Chapala for 35 years.

Debbie could tell one of the grandaughters liked horses, so she invited Alondra to ride with her. Alondra smiled the whole way.

Riding near the Malecon. Just about every town along the lake has a walkway (Malecon) close to the shore.

You can ride along these trails to the lake and never see another person. That is Lake Chapala in the background.

Debbi, J. C., Juan Jr. and Vickie

Ken, Debbi, J. C. and Vicki with Lake Chapala, the largest freshwater lake in Mexico, in the background. Lake Chapala is 55 miles long and 15 miles across.

We rode the horses along one of the backstreets of Chapala on the way home.

These horses are very well fed and they are in excellent shape.

Regata de Globos.

2012-09-15T11:29:00.001-07:00

Every year, The Saturday before Mexican Independence Day, (Sept. 16) there is a balloon festival at the soccer field in Ajijic. The locals spend many hours preparing for this event. Sometimes the Balloons spend hours in the sky, and, sometimes only minutes.

There were approximately 4,000 people who attended this year.

One of the more colorful entries.

If you look close you can see a water bottle that is used for ballast.

Can you tell this team had one of the more successful launches?

Okay, so it's not quite like the Albuquerque Balloon Festival, but one of these years.!!!

Houston, we have a problem!

About 1/3 of the balloons burn and fall to the ground. Nobody got hurt this year.

I think Kermit the Frog was the best in show.

Lots of local balloon teams and lots of locals in attendance.

This was a nice entry also. Some of these teams spent a lot of time making these balloons.

You would think these two were launching balloons all day long!

Hiking the local trails

2012-09-06T08:36:00.001-07:00

We think we have found the Skyline trail. This trail is 18 miles long and goes from Chapala to Jocotepec. I think we have found it, but we need to make several more hikes to know for sure.

Turn north at the street next to Donas Donuts in Ajijic. At the end of the road turn left and go 100 meters to the trailhead.

As usual, we had many shrines to look at on the way up.

Looks like J. C. is lost in the forest. What a beautiful time of year.

The views on this hike were dramatic.

More of the same.

We ran into this friendly guy. His owner wasn't far behind.

Looking south to Ajijic and San Antonio.

The top of the trail opens to a beautiful meadow.

The clouds forming over Lake Chapala occur daily during the rainy season.

Lots of flowers in the meadow at the top.

The Skyline trail at the top of the mountain I'm really looking forward to the many hikes we will have along this 18 mile stretch.