27 April ‘07

Friday

I think we did a good job of visiting the Grand Canyon.  Although we were at the South Rim for 3 days, we were on the go.  Now it’s time to journey on.  We only drove down to Kingman for our next stop.  The weather has really started to heat up.  Yesterday it hit 92 and today it is supposed to have been about the same.  We thought we wanted to go back into the campground in Bullhead City which we visited last November.  When Louise made her call for reservations, she was told that the whole area was full, because 70,000 “Laughlin Runners” were coming into town.  Well as we were traveling toward Kingman we were amazed at how many motorcycles were on the highway.  As we were checking in at our campsite, Louise asked “is Oatman was close by”.  “It is, but with the Laughlin Motorcycle Run going on this weekend, it may not be the best time to go”.  Now we know about “The Run”…  Hell could there possibly be 70,000 motorcycles in Laughlin?  We decided to take on Oakman with or without the motorcycles.  The thing we had heard about Oatman was that there were quite a few western movies made there, and Oatman had some how adopted a few donkeys.  These donkeys have the rule of the town…  Well, we’ve got to see this… Oatman is located on old Highway 66, and let me tell you, it is narrow, absolutely no shoulders (by for worse than those in Mexico), and full of very tight turns and twists.  All this while climbing steep hills that have tons of gold mines on both sides of the road.  Some of these mines are still in operation and others are just holes in the ground.  One of the mines had posted signs that said “Private property, keep off” over the next 12 miles… now that’s a mine.  As we pulled over the hill and into Oatman we found this little “Old Western Town” of Oatman, and lining both sides of the street were motorcycles.  About 3 to 4 hundred of them and most were Harleys.  We had to park beside the road about ¼ miles up the road and walk in.  At first we saw nothing but crowds of bikers up and down the street.  Every once in a while, someone would fire up their bike and drive out of town, turn, and then drive back.  We had no sooner made it half way through town and we saw our first donkey calmly walking right down the middle of the road while motorcycles were going bye on each side.  You know what a Harley sounds like, well those donkeys just didn’t seem to care.  Oatman was just as advertised… Quaint little western town that is high in the mountains with tons of gold mines within a short distance, and home to wild donkeys that love to come into town for carrots, kettle corn, or just about anything edible.

25 April ‘07

Wednesday

Today is going to be a busy one.  We were at the South Kaibab trailhead by 9:30 with our backpacks filled.  Snack foods, lots of water, and extra jackets for the possible cold.  Yesterday as we were looking over the rim, we noticed a mule train winding its way up from the floor below.  It was coming up South Kaibab trail.  Today Louise and I are heading down that same trail.  As we leave the rim, we are on a narrow, steep path that will traverse back and forth until we are over 700 feet below were we started.  Trekking the 3 ½ hours of Kaibab was a real treat.  The views and fresh air, the hike in its self really made it a great day.  After the decent and then the long hike to the top, we knew we had just finished a great morning of much needed exercise.  Then it was back to the coach for lunch and when finished, back out to see the rest of the “South Rim”.  There is a great free bus system here at Grand Canyon.  Today we caught the blue bus from the campground and took it to the red bus line.  From there we took in the west end of the South Rim.  Our first stop was to the Maricopa Point.  From there, we hiked the rim to the next 3 view points.  Now it wasn’t that we couldn’t see the “view points” all along the trail, because we could, but the “view points” are locations that have printed material that tells you what you are, or can see below.  For instance we could watch those camping at different locations below, or floating the Colorado River.  After our morning hike, then adding this one, we are sure we will be sleeping good tonight. 

24 April ‘07

Tuesday

With an agenda in mind, we head out.  We’ve decided to take this “South Rim” of the Grand Canyon from one end to the other.  The Grand Canyon is over 270 miles long and most of it is only accessible by floating the Colorado River.  The average distance from one rim to the other is 10 miles.  Well first off we are headed to the furthest east end to find the Watchtower at Desert View.  The Watchtower was built in 1932 by the Fred Harvey Company and the Santa Fe Railroad.  It was used as an observation station and convenient rest stop for Grand Canyon visitors who were coming by train and car.  The architect was Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter and she wanted to design it so it would fit into the natural beauty of the Grand Canyon, as well as keep in harmony with the legendary lore of the land.  As you enter into the watchtower, you find a large circular viewing room with a staircase that takes you up 3 stories.  Painted on the walls are replicas of Hopi sacred art and language.  We really enjoyed our time at the Watchtower and happy we didn’t pass it up.  Next, we were off to see the “Points of Interest” that follow along the crest of the canyon.  All of these are incredible views that take your breath away.  One thing that we noticed, is that there are very few railings that keep you away from the edge…if you want to jump, well don’t, nobody wants to see that…  Being able to walk out onto a protruding rock 3000 feet above the canyon floor is part of the experience in visiting the Grand Canyon and that I wouldn’t want it change.  

By 6:30 we were back home, had dinner and were racing for the bus.  Our destination was Hopi Point and a grand sunset over the Grand Canyon.

23 April ‘07

Monday

Snow….can you believe it???  When we pulled out of Sedona, we knew that we would be getting into some light rain, but snow wasn’t mentioned.  About 10 miles south of Flagstaff, we got into our first snow since we left the Netherlands in February ’05.  This weather pattern followed us all the way to our campground at the Grand Canyon. Thank God it was only a “frosting” of snow.  After checking in, setting up the coach with electricity and water, we jumped into the Toad and headed off to see the Grand Canyon in the snow.  We didn’t have any real itinerary set, but we thought we would take this opportunity to look over the canyon and watch the snow cover the trees, brush, and peaks.  We were also treated to some dramatic wind and cloud patterns.  Some of the clouds were just sitting right on top of the tallest peaks and others were flying out of the bottom of the canyon, sliding up beside the panicles like they were shot out of a gun.  Trying to photograph the clouds turned out to be a tough job and I flunked.  To sit there at the edge of the Grand Canyon watching this show was like watching a Broadway show put on by the best of producers, “Mother Nature”.

22 April '07

Our last stop for the day, and probably our last here in Sedona this trip, was at Slide Rock State Park.  In an area where summer highs can get into the 100's, a good ole swimming spot is a great spot to have.  Slide Rock is a portion of Oak Creek where the creekbed is a sloping chute of slippery rock, and making it a natural waterslide.  The large slabs of red rock would made great picnic and sunbathing spots as well as giving the water a beautiful clearness.  This whole area used to be the Pendley Homestead, one of Sedona's major orchards through the first half of the 20th century.  The main house and the apple packing building are still there along with dozens of apple trees.  This must have been a stunning orchard in it's day.  The slides in the river are in constant use, although today was one exception...it was too damn cold !!!

21 April '07

It's amazing as to how many sites there are around the Verde Valley and the Red Rock Valley that offer so many Indian cliff dewellings and pictographs.  Today we found another...The Honanki site.  Again they inhabited this area from 600AD to 1425.  The last of the Sinagua disapperred from the archaeological record around 1450, and then the area became the home of the Yavapai people followed later by the Apache, whose descendents can be found here today. 

20 April ‘07

Friday

We’ve been hearing about a huge petroglyph site here in the area.  It is at V-V Ranch and it is the largest petroglyph site in the Verde Valley and one of the best preserved.  They sit in a tree shaded area alongside Beaver Creek and were made by the Sinagua Indians who entered this area about AD 650.  The rock art consists of 1,032 petroglyphs on 13 rock panels.  The figures on these rock panels are animals, birds, and snakes, along with those that represent “man”.  The guide was telling us that the female figures can be recognized by the knobs on each side of their heads that are reminiscent of the historical hairstyle of unmarried Hopi women. 

This whole area of the petroglyphs were kept a secret by the people that owned the V-V Ranch until late 1950’s, because they didn’t want anyone who might steal or destroy any part of the walls.  When it came time to leave ranching, they called the Forest Service…the rest is now “history”.

19 April ‘07

Thursday

We drove to the Sedona tourist information office and received some great suggestions as to what to do and see in Sedona.  The Chapel of the Holy Cross was one of them.  It seems that people flock to Sedona to watch the sun rise and set off of the red rocks of Sedona and especially at the Chapel.  It has been built directly into the butte and offers a spectacular view of the valley 200 feet below, no wonder they have over a hundred weddings there every year.  I was taking photo after photo of the chapel and then all of a sudden I noticed that I didn’t have the digital photo card installed.   I left it at the coach…not a smart thing to do.  Oh well, I’ve made a promise to go back as this is one of those pictures I want in the gallery.  Then we did something else that I was going to want my camera for.  We were told of Schnebly Hill Road.  This is a 4 wheel drive road that takes you from 3,000 to over 7,000 feet in 11 miles of dirt and rock.  We wind up the hill side from the middle of Sedona and make our way around and through the red rocks that give this area its mystique.  The views back into Sedona and the red rock pinnacles below were unbelievable.  Our ride over 11 miles took us over 2 ½ hours, but it was worth the ride. 

18 April ‘07

Wednesday

It’s been a lot of years since we’ve seen Ron “Pete” Petersen, and now we get a chance to meet his lovely wife Penny.  Even with all the years that have passed, getting together with them was like we were neighbors that had just moved away a short while ago.  We had lots of memories to talk and laugh about, and then on the other hand, we had so much to learn about each other.  Ron is still entertaining, and Penny, she is writing plays.  Fact is, one of her plays will soon be preformed in Vermont, and they will be traveling there for the opening.  Congratulations Penny…”We know a Playwright”…

18 April ‘07

Wednesday

Ron (Pete) Petersen and I have known each other since the 9^th grade at Jane Addams Jr Hi.  During the summer of 1955 I was asked by Ron and Chuck Schoning to join them in an R&R band called “The Four Frantics”.  Going into high school and being a member of one of the most recognized R&R bands in the Seattle area was great.  We played at most of the school dances for Lincoln High and for all of the other 7 high schools one time or another as well.  I remember playing at the Seattle Coliseum in 1955 and having the Musicians Union Representative stop the “gig” because we weren’t members yet.  Well it was either sign the application and pay the fees or pack up and head home.  Hell, with a huge group of teenagers from 8 high schools on the dance floor, we signed and paid…  I had a great time playing with these guys.  Then there was the time when we tried out for The Ted Mac Amateur Hour program.  We had to drive to Spokane and preform for the auditions...we came in 2nd.  Oh well, it was the opportunity that mattered (at least that's what they said).  We drove to Spokane in my dad's new 1955 Pontiac convertable, 4 of us with all of the instruments.  Top down and off we go...We were fortunate in having the opportunity to make some “45’s” under the “Dalton” label, and we even made it to into the national charts with an instrumental in 1959.  Louise and I just happened to be in London, England  in June of 2005, listening to BBC 2, when we heard this DJ telling his listening audience that he had brought in his personal collection of records from the 50’s to the 70’s, that he personally enjoyed listening too.  Yep, he played one of our songs, “Straight Flush”.  His comments were;  “This is a group from Seattle, called the “Frantics”.  That Ron (Guitar), Chuck (Organ), Bob (Alto Sax), Dean (Bass), and Jim (Bass) and myself on (Drums) that at one time either made up the “Four Frantics” or the “Frantics”. 

17 April ‘07

Tuesday

Yesterday was spent at “home” for most of the day.  I did run into Cottonwood to talk with a man at “Custom Muffler”.  I wanted to find out what they could do for the missing muffler on our coach.  Well, I liked the way they talked, the look of the shop, and the price that they quoted me to get what I wanted done, so today it was taken care of.  While they worked on the tail-pipe Louise and I drove to Sedona and then took the drive through the Oak Creek Canyon.  Prior to heading up into the canyon, we stopped in and had a cup of coffee at Starbucks.  I think the main reason for wanting to stop was to take in the stunning atmosphere of Sedona.  We have had the chance to visit a lot of beautiful towns and cities, but this one takes the “Most Beautiful” trophy.  We have all seen the “Red Rock” formations of Arizona in the magazines and movies, but when you see Sedona in person…everything we’ve seen before just doesn’t do the real thing (Sedona) justice.  First, you are up at 4400 feet, with the air so clear and crisp that you could cut it with a knife.  Second, once you are in town the “Red Rocks” are standing guard so close, you would think that the homes and stores were carved directly into them.  The giant striped monoliths take on shades from bright red to pale sand, and then seem to change with each passing cloud or ray of sunshine.  Now remember, we were just passing through…we will be coming back in a few days and then I can really get excited.

17 April ‘07

Tuesday

We wanted to visit a place called Walnut Canyon, so we finished our coffee, drove through Oak Creek Canyon and Flagstaff and at last found Walnut Canyon National Monument.  This canyon was occupied in the 1100’s by the same tribes that we have found across the many planes of Arizona.  This group has been dubbed with the title “The People Without Water”.  There were as many as 300 homes (cliff dwellings) dug into  this canyon.  Far below there was a river that would flow for a short while each year and then just disappear.  They were found to be farmers, or as some would put it, “seed planters”, and they would find a small or somewhat larger spot on the side of this canyon and plant their seeds.  We walked down just under 300 steps to get to a land bridge that would take us to “The Island”.  This island, being elongated, allowed us a chance in walking the perimeter, to visit some of the “homes”, easily see across to the canyon walls, and as we got lower, study the dry river bottom.    

15 April ‘07

Sunday

This morning we decided to run up the highway 75 miles to Flagstaff and then go and see a couple more Arizona wonders.  The wind was still blowing, but if we were to travel only on the days that were perfect, we would still be sitting in Seattle.  Apparently Flagstaff got its name from a large Pine tree that was devoid of its branches and used as a flag pole.  As the settlers that were heading for California were to come into this area they could easily find a safe place to stay by locating this huge flag pole…the name stuck.  Flagstaff is about the same size as Coeur d’Alene but without a lake and sitting at 6,905 feet above sea level.  I have to tell you, at that altitude I found it surprising how the altitude affected my breathing.  We did go to the Sunset Crater Volcano and take a 3/4 mile hike up its side to follow some of the lava flow.  After a couple more stops along the way, we finally ended our drive east by coming to the famous Wupatki Pueblo Trail.  From roughly 400 to 1700, a culture of farming and pottery, in the southwest, was started by large migrations of Sinagua, Cohonina, and Kayenta Indians.  This became a densely populated landscape supporting a complex society of people, goods, and ideas.  As people gathered here during the 1100’s, the housing grew into a 100 room pueblo with a tower, community room, and ceremonial ball court.  This wasn’t what you would think was a perfect spot to stop and develop farming…summers are hot, dry and windy, and the water supply was and still is almost non-existence.  By 1190, as many as 2,000 people lived within a day’s walk and today I would guess that you could possibly find as many as 6 people that live within a days walk, quite a difference.  Another thing that we found very interesting was the "Blow Hole".  At the bottom of the hill and next to the Ball Court, was this 12"x12" hole that was capped with local rock.  If you were standing within 10 feet of the hole, you could hear what sounded like running water, but what it was, was wind that was pushing (with a lot of force) out of the hole.  They say that the wind that was blowing, the more force coming out of the hole.  It was another of those moments that tell us how lucky we are to be on our journey. 

14 April ‘07

Saturday

After leaving Fort Verde, we headed east to Payson and a couple of stops before to see some local sites.  We soon came to a tiny valley surrounded by a forest of pine trees that run clear across Arizona to California and onto the Pacific Ocean.  In 1877 a prospector named David Gowan stumbled across a huge natural bridge while he was being chased by Apaches.  He hid there in one of the many caves for 2 nights and 3 days before coming out.  Once out, he saw that he had stumbled into something quite unique.  As it turned out, he had stumbled into what we now know as Tonto Natural Bridge. It is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world.  The bridge is 183 feet high over 400 feet long and at its widest point, 160 feet.  It is huge.  The walk down the cliff is not the easiest hike, but it was well worth it.  Once there, we were pelted with water coming from over the top while trying successfully to traverse the interior.  There was a small river flowing through the tunnel, but we could cross it by jumping from rock to rock.  Now it was time to hike back up to the top…

Now we were off to see Payson.  Payson is a small and very charming town of 35000.  If we were looking for a place to settle down, Payson would most likely be our first choice as we see it now, BUT WE’RE NOT LOOKING !!! 

14 April ‘07

Saturday

Yesterday morning Louise and I took the self-guided walking tour of Fort Verde State Historic Park.  In doing so, we were told of a special happening starting this morning…”History Of The Soldier 2007”.  They were already setting up for the next morning by setting up tents and displays.  Well this morning as we arrived, the parking lots and all the streets were covered with cars and the fort grounds, covered with people.  As we walked past the gates we were met by soldiers playing brass instruments and wearing period clothing from the late 1800 or early 1900’s.  Then to our right were some of the tents that were being set up yesterday.  These were manned by soldiers from WWI to the Army of today.  All were there to introduce us to who they were and are today, what they do or did, and answer any and all questions that we might have had about their job or position in the services. 

13 April ‘07

Friday

Now that we are in Camp Verde and the Verde Valley, we are going to be very busy visiting some wonderful locations and sites. 

Montezuma Castle is one of them.  It stands in a cliff recess about 100 feet above the valley floor.  It is thought to have been built by the “Southern Sinagua” farmers in the 12^th century.  A lot of the earlier settlers thought the structures were built by the Aztec and that is how the name “Montezuma” came about.  The largest of the dwellings is about 45 rooms, but is badly deteriorating.  Most of the other dwellings are but one room, but again, built right into the sides of the cliff.  The creek below was a source of water for personal use and a reason for the land to be so fertile for farming.  Game was abundant during this period, so everything that was needed for survival was here. 

13 April ‘07

Friday

Montezuma Well was our second stop and is about 5 miles north of the “Castle”.  This “well” was formed by the collapse of an immense underground cavern.  The springs that ran through the cavern now feed the well, and flow continuously up into the well and then exit through a series of man made ditches.  This is how they could channel the water to their crops.  All along the top and in the cliff sides you can find dwellings like those found at the larger cliffs of Montezuma Castle.  Some of the large pueblos found here range from 50 rooms to one.  It is estimated that anywhere from 150 to 200 Southern Sinagua people lived here in the periods between 1100 and 1400 AD. 

13 April ‘07

Friday

We leave Montezuma Castle and Montezuma Well and travel west about 30 miles and come to Tuzigoot.  Tuzigoot is Apache for “crooked water” and is the remnant of a Southern Sinagua village that sits high on a hill and was built about the same time as the others were.  It sits about 120 feet above the Verde Valley and has a river that winds all around the fields that they cultivated.  The original pueblo was 2 stories high and had 77 ground floor rooms.  Unlike homes of today, most of the entrances were through the roofs.  They used a ladder to get to the top of the roof and then another ladder to get down into the rooms.  They always had a security person located at the top of their dwellings to watch for the “enemy”, whether it was here at Tuzigoot or either of the Montezuma locations.  Somewhere in the 1700’s the Southern Sinagua Indians started to disappear.  It’s not known whether they just walked away because of the decline of game, or what, but they do know that they just didn’t die there. 

Then there was one more stop for the day…as we were driving to Tuzigoot, we saw this small town located high on the side of a hill.  It reminded both of us of the hill towns of Italy, France or Spain.  Well we just had to find the road that would take us up there.  It turned out to be the town of Jerome.  It initially was a mining town that got its name from the guy that owned the mine and just about everything else in the town itself.  All the buildings were hanging off the side of the hill and the streets were either going up or going down, not a single flat piece of land or road available.  The shops were still set up in the original buildings from the early 1900’s, with the squeaky floors, high ceilings, large storefront windows that not only looked into the store and all it’s displays, but on through to the large windows at the back that looked out over the Verde Valley below and the red rock plateaus heading toward Sedona.  We (  I  ) found a wonderful bakery in the basement of one of the buildings that was started by this young lady and her husband.  She is the granddaughter of “Giselle” (also the name of the bakery) who developed all the recipes in France while she (Giselle) was dreaming of starting her own business in the US back in the 20’s.    

11 April ‘07

Wednesday

After a “terrible” nights sleep in the parking lot of Applebee’s, we were up and on the road by 7am.  We can’t blame the noise on the loss of our sleep, because it was a relatively quiet night.  I don’t know, maybe it was just that we were in a parking lot and not a standard “campground”.  Our destination this morning was Phoenix, which was about 150 miles away.  We have been hearing about this wind storm that was to arrive this afternoon and it was one thing that we didn’t want to be a part of, so that was another reason to get the early start.  The scenery hasn’t changed a lot, except as we got closer to Phoenix we got to see more and more cacti.  The cactus here are large, fact is, VERY large…it must be the water…  Tonight we had to make a trip to COSTCO, we were in the need for our jar of mixed nuts.  Tomorrow…North…

10 April ‘07

Tuesday

We asked Mark and Susan to join us at Squaw Lake, which is just behind Imperial Dam and is a part of the backwaters of the Colorado River system.  It has been three weeks since we have had the kayak out, and this would be a perfect place to enjoy it.  This was the second time for us to visit this lake.  Last November we were there for a week and had a great time.  This morning we drove the coach down to the mall to meet them, and because of the large parking lots available, a place to leave the cars for the day.  What a great day for kayaking…85 degrees, hardly anyone on the water, and having our choice of parking locations at waters edge.  Mark and Susan took the first turn on the water while Louise and I got the barbeque all set up for the wiener roast.  There is this one route that will wind you through the tall reeds and tall rock cliffs, and then empty you into another lake.  From there you will find another trail through the reeds that will take you out to the Colorado River. During this time of year, the river is running high with a lot of current, so when you make it to the river you receive a free ride back “home” at a real good pace.  When Mark and Susan returned, Louise and I donned the life jackets and took our turn on the water.  We didn’t see any long horned sheep this time, but we did see a lot of very large bass jumping…they must have known that I didn’t have my fishing pole…  After getting back we immediately got the barbeque fired up, the brocks cooked and ate, and then had the rest of the afternoon to just set back with a couple of cold beers and have a great visit with family (and friends).  Well it was time to head out.  We all climbed into the coach, went back to the mall, and then off to dinner and a nights stay (in the parking lot) at Applebee’s. 

3 / 9 April ‘07

Tuesday / Monday

OK Les (Leslee, one of our daughters), I know I’ve been a little lax on writing the journal, and I promise I’ll do better. 

We met with Mark and Susan (Louise’s brother and sister-n-law) at their winter home here in Yuma last night (Wednesday).  They bought this beautiful “garden home” in the Foothills area of Yuma about 2 years ago.  Both Louise and I could easily see ourselves living here for the winters.  They have a large covered patio in the back, an unbelievable garage, two bedrooms, two full baths, living room, dining, and a great kitchen, so when you are in the area, call them for they will always have room for you to stay (don’t tell them I sent you…).  During the rest of the days that we’ve been here we have been to the mall at least 3 times.  The first time we found a great fan that we have been using in the motor home to push the air around during the hottest part of the days.  I also found a wireless speaker system that I can use outside under the canopy.  I’ve been turning the radio up to hear the music out there, so this will help a lot.  On Thursday we found a place to help us with our taxes.  Fortunately we were able to walk away with our shirts still on our backs.  Easter Sunday we joined a large group here at the campground and had a very nice brunch and then settled back and enjoyed a little pool time.  The weather has really been good.  The day temp is running anywhere from 85 to 95 and the nights are getting down to the mid 50’s.  We also had our windshield fixed on Sunday.  Just before getting across the border last week, we were struck by a small rock and it gave us a nice little “spider” just above the bottom of the passenger windshield.  This morning (Monday) we were entertained by “Air Force 1” coming into Yuma.  It seems that President Bush was coming to town to see just how the new border fencing, and all the other changes at the border, are working out.  We on the other hand, were going across the border once again.  We were off to Algodones for a dental appointment and a re-supply of tequila. 

1 / 2 April ‘07

Sunday / Monday

We are camped in the one of the same campgrounds we were in last of November, last year.  Sunday gave all of us a chance to make phone calls to our families in Canada and the US and do a little bit of catching up.  Louise and I called one of our daughters (Mikleane and family), and found out that “We Are Expecting”… After a couple of strange “I’ve got to let Ric talk to you”, or “I’ve got to call you back”…we found out we had been “APRIL FOOLED”… Now let me tell you…WE WILL GET EVEN !!! 

31 March ‘07

Saturday

We all knew that the day was coming and today was it…the day we pass back into the states and leave the Baja behind.  The campground director in San Felipe told us that it would be best to leave early in the morning on Saturday or stay for another whole week.  Well ready or not, we didn’t want to stay for another whole week because of the week long HUGE 24/7 celebration that was about ready to start.  It was a holy celebration that the Mexicans really get into, and it does run day and night.  They expected the beaches to be covered entirely with tents and the campground would be sold out as well.  That was enough for us, we were out of there.  Our drive to Mexicali would take us along the top of the Sea of Cortez and skirt the mountains on our left.  The road was really pretty good, and the views all along the drive were wonderful.  They even had one of the many cross country road races going on and the course took them pretty close the highway we were on.  We only saw one car that was going full-out, but that was exciting as it was.  Our directions that we received from those that had experienced crossing the border at Mexicali were pretty straight forward.  Fact is, we were to follow the same highway (which as we arrived in Mexicali turned into a major street) all the way to the “border fence” and then turn left and follow that fence to the border crossing.  This is too much of a good dream.  The road took us directly to the “border fence” and as I turned right toward the border crossing, I found myself facing head-on with a car that was “in my lane”.  The look on his face was something to behold…Us in a very large motor home, and another behind me, looking down onto the hood of this little car.  Something had to change!  We had turned onto a four lane road that had two yellow lines dividing those 4 lanes, and there were NO arrows indicating that we were going onto an ONEWAY street, but behold the truths of MEXICO…  Quickly a few words through the windshield of our motor home to the little car below, “OK, I NOW “SEE” THAT WE ARE GOING THE WRONG WAY, BUT YOU HAD BETTER BACK-UP SO THAT I CAN GET US BOTH OUT OF HERE !!!”   As I crept forward, he backed up and finally I was able to swing into a parking lot on the corner and swing wide enough to make a full “U-Turn” and back onto the road going the right way.  The only problem was, Phil and Kathy, being directly behind us, tried doing the same “U-Turn” DIDN’T MAKE IT !!!  Oh my God, it happened again.  I quickly found a spot that I could pull into and ran back to see if I could help.  I was wearing my “flip flops”, which I soon found out are not the right kind of shoe to wear while running, when I heard that sound that I know nobody wanted to hear…a siren.  Sure as heck, there he was, a motorcycle cop with his lights blinking and standing there with this big smile on his face.  Kathy and Phil were as fast as Louise and I were when we were handed the same “U-Turn” fate, in getting their car unhooked and backed out.  The cop was great, because not only did he have a sense of humor, he even directed traffic around Phil’s motor home until it and the car were free and parked in front of were we were parked.  Of course the cop followed him over and with his lights still flashing he listened to our explanation in regards to “NO ONE WAY SIGN, AND THOSE DOUBLE “YELLOW LINES”…   His reply was “No Problema” and he gave us in Spanish and sign language, to follow him…WE WERE TO GET A POLICE ESCORT to the border…”WE LOVE MEXICO !!!!”   

29/30 March ‘07

Thursday & Friday

I was thrilled to finally get to San Felipe after traveling that “road” (Hwy 3) from Ensenada.  It was one of the worst roads I have traveled here in the Baja and damned happy it was over.  The directions to the campground were right on, no trouble there.  It was located right on the beach and within 2 short blocks from town.  Today’s San Felipe is a far cry from that of 1746 when it received it’s name from the Jesuit Padre Consag, although it’s tidal range is still in one of the largest in the world.  The whole town follows a boardwalk for 4 blocks and contains as many bars and restaurants as those that sell all the Mexican souvenirs.  Other than that, I think we saw 2 grocery stores mixed in with them.  The “Spring Break” crowd was here and the town was ready.  As you walk the streets in town it was like walking inside of the largest speaker systems you have ever seen.  The problem was that each bar was BLASTING a different song.  Phil, Kathy, Louise, and I walked by one of the bars with the doors open and found that the only thing happening inside was the music…nobody had shown up yet.  Then as we passed by about an hour later, they were just posting a note on the door that demanded a $5 cover charge and the Spring Break gang was standing in line to get in.  From that time on it was party, party, party.  The campground we chose was ok, but the location that we were given to park was right in front of a large covered patio in which the next night was going to be the location for a large party that would last for a week, day and night. We both stayed the one night and then moved to a campsite next door.  It was much tighter to get into and set up, but other than that, it was still on the beach.  I did find out that the site that I was parked in didn’t have a good electrical hook-up so we decided to use our solar system instead of moving again.  The Spring Breakers have been up and down the beach and the streets, but overall, they just haven’t been an item to us.  Yes, they do party hardy and the music is load, but we haven’t lost any sleep during our time there.  We’ve all been eating together each night since we started and we have been eating well.  There is no doubt, there will come the day when we will have to get back onto the Atkins program once again.  We enjoyed our time in San Felipe and we thought the town was OK, but as we drove out of town and started to look at what was coming, it was almost too bad to see the huge developments that are on their way.  Well after 3 days, we were going to be on our way and heading back to the states after 3 1/2 months.

Wednesday March 28, 2007

Hello, my name is Phil Lublin. Joel has asked me to be a guest author and write a journal for today.

We arose to a wonderfull sunny day, like so many in the Baja. I think after having spent a week in much cooler weather with lots of wind we were all ready to move on to San Felipe.

All seemed normal until I checked my tire pressure. Wow! down to 35 pounds. What a shock. That seemed to hit us all. Now what. Parked on a beach with no way of getting air. Joel and I walked down the beach and asked the fellow from another motorhome if he could help us out. Sure enough he had an air line and was able to fill the tire. We decided that another tire shop visit was in order. On to Costco in Ensenada. Lots of room to park. Joel and I then began the search for a tire shop. We got the coach there and it was another Mexican experience.We left to grab lunch and returned to find them spashing soapy water on the tire. But it was still on the coach. After some discussion, the tire was removed and taken of the rim. No problem on the inside or out. A new valve was in order. Some pesos changed hands and we were back to hook up and get on the delayed trip to San Felipe.

After we got out if the city the road seemed better than most. We wound our way through a mountainous section. Then into a beautiful valley. It wasn't long before we had to play " dodge the potholes". The road was terrible. The coaches were all over the road. Thank goodness for very little traffic. After three hours we pulled of the road for a brake. Joel said it felt like we had driven six hours, he was beat. My lower back was sore and I wasn't sure if I had any fillings left in my teeth. After a quick break we moved on. It was soon going to be dark. The balance of the ride was better.

In town there is a series of traffic circles. Joel was a bit ahead and we missed which way he went. Once around the circle and we found him. Lucky for us. Louise did a wonderfull job of directing us to a campground.

Drink in hand, Joel and I wondered off to check out the beach. All of a sudden, we see this pick-up truck drive down the beach. It was dark already. It seemed like he was driving right into the wter. There must have been a sand bar there. He drove right to a boat that was sitting there.  We heard a roar from the truck engine and he was coming up the beach. The tires were spinning and we could not believe our eyes. He was dragging the boat through the sand. The boat appeared to be at least 30 feet long. Crazy Mexican.

The next stop was a nearly empty campground right next door. We saw a very expensive four seat, Corvettte powered off road machine. Being guys we had to go look at it up close. We met three interesting Mexican people from San Diego, California. They had a small campfire going and great tunes playing. After joking with them for a while. We decided to go back. Our drinks were gone and the ladies had no idea where we were.

Soon supper was on the table and we enjoyed another wonderfull meal prepared by our brides.

Great food, laughter and good friends. Soon we were all tired and ready for bed. We said our goodnites and went off to bed thinking of the next days experiences.

Well, as you all can see, I can be long winded. This writing was at Joel's insistance. After seeing this he may never ask me to do it again. It has been fun writing this.

To all that read this. May someday you have the oppourtunity to follow your dreams and enjoy what the world has waiting for you.

Good health and safe travel.

Phil Lublin    

27 March ‘07

Tuesday

Suzie came up to the coach for a cup of coffee while Ricardo got the Suburban and his boat ready to head to the border.  We all said our goodbyes and they were off.  I wanted to go to the same tire shop that Phil had used yesterday so that I could add air to my tires, so it wasn’t but a couple of minutes and we were on our way as well.  As soon as we pulled out of town, the hills were in front of us again.  As yesterday, the ride along the ridge of the hills, the winding and twisting were tough on trying to get better gas mileage. We had about a 3 ½ hour drive ahead of us today and we were going to end up at La Bufadora, which is about 45 minutes south of Ensenada.  Unfortunately for the gas mileage, we encountered heavy side winds that blew sand and dirt horizontally across the roads.  All I could think of was “just how much dust can the air cleaner on the engine take?”  The coach and the toad became a mess in just a few minutes and unfortunately is still that way now.  A coach and car wash is going to have to wait until we get to Yuma, and I sure hope that I can do it then.  After finding our campground just out side of Bufadora, we all jumped into Phil and Kathy’s car and drove out to see the “Blow Hole” in Bufadora.  This Blow Hole is like the one that you see in Hawaii, with certain wave action, it pushes this large mass of water into this crevice and with that it blows a heavy spray up into the air…they say it will blow up to 75 feet, but today…maybe 15.  Enough of the blow hole, we are off to Wal-Mart in Ensenada to do a little shopping.  

26 March ‘07

Monday

Good morning…this morning we woke to a beautiful windless sunny day, the water was absolutely flat, and dolphins playing right out in front of our coach.  The unfortunate thing about this morning was that it was a travel day.  We had to see if we could either catch up with Ricardo and Suzie or stop somewhere out there and have them catch up to us.  This morning’s start was to take us back to Hwy 1, which is about 40 miles, and then onto San Quintin, which give us a total of just under 250 miles…a hell of a long day.  Just like before, when we were coming into Bahia de los Angles, the view back towards the bay was breath taking but the rest of the 40 miles was through some of the same desert mountainous areas we have traveled for many a mile.  Just before Catavina, and the Desierto Central, we came into the “Catavina Boulder Fields”.  This vast area of car-sized boulders that run as far as you can see and top the hills so that it will make you strain to see the top, are accented with the Cardon Cacti, elephant trees, and so many other plant species that it would take a year to count.  Then no sooner are you in with the boulders and you are out again.  Now we are climbing to the top of these hills.  The road will follow the very top of the ridge for well over an hour.  With a cliff on each side of the road making it a white knuckle drive by itself, we are also given the challenge of switch back corning.  First going up, and then coming down, one time you meet a truck coming at you and the next nothing…I can’t say that I am getting used to the narrow, no shoulder roads, but I can relax a little more than when we went down.  We pulled into El Rosario for gas and lunch and while Phil was getting his tank filled, he noticed that his left front tire was really low on pressure.  He was lucky that he found it when he did, because after lunch we were headed right back into the same type of roads.  Luckily coming into El Rosario, we had noticed this large tire shop, so we thought it would be just the right break we needed to have lunch at this famous restaurant here in town, and have the tire fixed at the same time.  Just having pulled Phil and Kathy’s motor home up the tire shop, I picked up my Mexican cell phone to see if I could reach Ricardo and Suzie.  Wouldn’t you know it, they were just pulling into El Rosario and were but a quarter of a mile away.  All 6 of us now could have lunch together and as it turned out, we all stayed over night as well.  It was a needed stop for all of us and it was also a great time to see each other once more before we start to spread out across the country again. 

25 March ‘07

Sunday

Coming into Bahia de los Angles yesterday was like coming into any small town in Alaska, except for the surrounding desert and sea.  This town is made up of older small buildings that sit on the side of dirt roads (except the main road through the town which is under construction for repaving).  One thing that is definitely missing is the raised board sidewalks that are recognizable in a lot of Alaskan paintings.  The first thing we did was to drive though the main street looking for a place that we could pull into for the night.  Rounding the corner at the end of the town, we came to the end of the road.  Now when you are pulling a car (Toad) behind a motor home, you will find it impossible to back up, and like in this situation, the street wasn’t wide enough for us to make a “U” turn either.  Boy did we look like amateurs, two motor homes with toads behind and now finding themselves at the end of the road… I think I saw someone from the local newspaper out there taking pictures.  Well we got the cars unhooked from the coach and got all of them turned around.  Back down the hill we found a place to park both motor homes and Phil’s car.  We decided that it was best if we took one of the cars out and did a through search of the area for a campsite.  It didn’t take too long before we found the right campground so back to the parked motor homes.  15 minutes later we were both all set-up and enjoying a beautiful view out to the Sea of Cortez.  There was anywhere from 8 to a dozen islands out in front of us as well.  The water was so flat that it looked like you could just walk across it to the islands, that was until about 5, then the wind started to blow.  Like so many of the places that we have been at lately, the late afternoon winds start to come up and then as they increase in strength it drives you inside.  We did have a great morning going when we got up.  Again the sea was absolutely flat, and because of the distance from the roads and the town, it was supper quiet.  As I stood by the motor home I heard this “sweesh” sound.  It turned out to be a whale.  As I stood there waiting for the next blow I was treated by 3 others in 3 different locations.  At one time we had as many as 6 spouting, and then just about as fast as they came, they disappeared. 

24 March ‘07

Saturday

After an early breakfast in the coach, we were on our way towards Bahia de los Angles.  About 2 miles outside of Guerrero Negro we were stopped by the people manning the “Immigracion Office”.  As far as I know, this is the only place all throughout the Baja that the government will stop you to check your immigration papers.  On the way down this last December, we were stopped at this same place but it was for a check on any produce that we may have.  At that time the young lady came on board and confiscated quite a lot of fruit and vegetables that we had in the refrigerator.  On this drive up, we thought we would be confronted with the same, so we put all of the produce into a separate container and hid it.  Much to our surprise, they didn’t even ask us about produce, they just wanted to check our papers…  Earlier in our drive up from Cabo, we had been stopped at 2 different locations along the road by the military.  They are looking for drugs and guns.  On both occasions we were just waved through without an inspection, although later today we were stopped about halfway to our turnoff to Bahia de los Angles.  This time they decided to board our coach and Phil and Kathy’s coach as well.  It is interesting to go through their “search”.  Two young men in uniform ask if we would allow them to board.  Of coarse it was the thing to do (I didn’t want to find out what they would do if I said “No”).  One young man went right back to the bedroom area and tried to open a couple of drawers and a closet door.  Because the slides were in, they were completely blocked and couldn’t be opened.  That was OK, as he decided to shine his flashlight around and leave anyway.  The second found my computer/phone headphone set.  Apparently he had never seen anything like that before so he had a lot of questions about it…”what is it?, how much did it cost?, will you SELL it to me?...  Obviously I say no, and that was OK too.  They both thanked us and wished us a good journey.  Up Highway 1 another 20 miles, we came to our corner to head to Bahia de los Angles.  This turn and the rest of the drive is new territory to Louise and me and also for Phil and Kathy.  The road is fairly new in getting paved, as it hasn’t been too long ago, that it was paved for the first time.  This route takes us 45 miles southeast in just about the same direction that we had been coming from.  Most of the time it seemed like we were going slightly downhill, though a mountain desert area just as we had been traveling in for the last 9 days.  About 3 miles outside of town we were coming over the last hill and let me tell you, what we saw was one of the most beautiful sea and island areas I have ever seen…it was Beautiful, with a capital “B”.