2021 Back to Baja

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Finally after a year of a Covid delay, we are able to meet in San Diego to begin our 2021 Back to Baja Journey. 6 old timer Bajaneers and one new member ready to get started. 

April 10, 2021 Saturday – Well we finally made it to San Diego start our Back to Baja journey. After two 2020 delays from Covid we are now provisioning our supplies at the local Walmart. Pablo, Juan, Ty, Steve arrived today and are spiting up the duties for the Baja Trip and the donation supplies for Sonshine Hacienda Children’s Home in San Felipe. Brandon will fly in from Alaska tomorrow morning and Sam and Mike will meet us in San Felipe on Tuesday, once Mike wakes up from his nap. And we stayed in our favorite luxury hotel to start things off right at the Howard Johnson Hotel Circle. 

Culinary Delights: Ty’s room for snacks and drinks.

Accommodations: Howard Johnson Hotel Circle San Diego

April 11, 2021 Sunday – Broke camp early, we headed to the airport to pick up Brandon, then drove to the Tecate boarder crossing. No wait time, normal slow process to get stamped then on to San Felipe via the 2 and 5. We stopped for a few minutes to let the CJ cool down, met 2 of the locals finest who were kind enough to let us go for $100 cash. Arrived at Pete’s Campground and placed ourselves with the bar. Great facility and beach. Brandon and Pablo took the water cooler, diapers, and a few clothes we donated over to the Children’s home and had a nice visit with the manager and met/hugged many little ones.

Culinary delights: Pete’s  

Accommodations: Pete’s Campground, San Felipe

April 12, 2021 Monday – Juan off to meet Ramon, our new best friend mechanic. Changed out the fuel pump, seemed to be working. Went for a test run in the desert, failed again. Back to the shop, Ramon found the problem and placed a jump wire from the computer to the ignition switch.  That seems to have fixed it for the rest of the trip………

Culinary Delights: Ty and Steve cooked up a nice steak dinner on the beach.

Accommodations: Pete’s Campground, San Felipe

April 13, 2021 Tuesday – Sam and Mike, showed up early that morning, we all packed up and hit the trail toward the Pole Line Road. Made a nice windy campout near the start of the PLR in the morning after a little bit of driving – but don’t worry… Paul is sure the wind will stop in 11 minutes.

Culinary Delights: Fine steak dinner of Ribeye’s, finger potatoes and vegetables. Very nice wine, Lewelling Cabernet 2008 supplied by Sam.

Accommodations: Pete’s Campground, San Felipe

April 14, 2021 Wednesday – Continued towards the PLR when the CJ’s high pressure power steering hose formed a leak. Rerouted for easiest route back to highway, and then back to Pete’s Camp. Brandon got in touch with Ramon and made an appointment for that afternoon. Hose repaired at local auto parts store, and Ramon got the hose replaced that afternoon. We waited for the am to head out on the Matomi. Rest of crew hung at the beach/bar/restaurant!

Culinary delights: Lunch in town, Ceviche everything.

Accommodations: Pete’s Campground, San Felipe

April 15, 2021 Thursday – Left Pete’s place, did a bit of provisioning and headed out to the Matomi Wash. Long fun ride through the desert with a new northerly approach to the end of the wash, with many varied terrains. There was still a fairly good spring bloom going on with the cacti. Ran over a rattle snake on one Vado, poor guy was now someone’s lunch. Visited the gate and driveway to Matomi Ranch. Did not make it all the way up to the buildings. No mechanical issues other than a rattle on Sam’s front spring damper, easy fix and Mike went back to sleep. Set up a nice camp for the evening and enjoyed the dark sky.

Culinary delights: Shish ka bobs, Esteban and Juan, magnifique.

Accommodations: Matomi Wash 

April 16, 2021 Friday – Left the wash and headed to Gonzaga Bay, had lunch and snacks at Alfonsinos, but they were full and the camp next door too. Visited 5 campgrounds south of town, no space. (Damn new highway) Decided to try out Brandon’s winch, just to be sure it was working, so we pulled Sam out of some deep powdery sand. Ended up at Papa Fernandez camp, just north of town. Camped up on a nice bluff looking at the bay. Some fishing was attempted by Mike and Brandon. 

Culinary delights: Dinner at the restaurant on site, fresh Mexican food, beers.

Accommodations: Papa Fernandez Campground 

April 17, 2021 Saturday – After Mike’s rocking chair was wrangled from the beach, we headed out for BoLA, via Coco’s new corner and a visit to Mision Calamajue.  Coco was there to serve up some cold Pacifico’s. Michelle and Brandon found us our own “resort” 10 minutes north of town, Bahia Villas, an oldish fishing hotel, but great for us. We all had our own rooms for two nights and the place all to ourselves. Set the bar and kitchen up outside Sam’s room, central to us all. Had dinner in town that night.

Culinary delights: In town

Accommodations: Bahia Villas, BoLA

April 18, 2021 Sunday - The Bajaneer Pescadores: Ty, Mike and Brandon headed off early to secure some fish for tonight’s feast. It was a very windy day, but they persisted and brought home bounty enough for 2 sumptuous meals. That night we prepared and enjoyed the progressive menu beginning with a grilled lobster appetizer, second course was grilled oysters with butter, and the final was steamed clams with pasta and bread. And we still have 7 pounds of red rockfish fillets in the cooler!!!

Culinary delights: Progressive Pescado dinner

Accommodations: Bahia Villas, BoLA

April 19, 2021 Monday – We left our private resort in BoLA heading for Guerrero Negro tonight. We were first going to visit our old favorite beach, Bahia de San Fransiquito where we made Trash Tacos with bacon wrapped dogs, Argentine Chorizo sausage, and a couple beers. Still the most beautiful bay but the resort is still in extremely poor shape, the result of a hurricane in 2014, and the caretakers did not want us around. We also took a slight detour to visit a distant beach that landed us on to of a huge beach rock levy. Juan found some treasures for Susi on the beach. Then onto GN. We were using a track on GAIA we had created in 2014, but many things have changed. New fences impeded our travel, resulting in an extended journey to reach the Halfway Inn, and of course Manuel!  We were hungry, tired and thirsty and feared the amenities at Halfway Inn would be closed.  Luckily, Manual was still waiting for us, and was able to get the kitchen to whip up beef tip and shrimp fajita pronto. They brought it to us on a cart in the bar to the envy of several other patrons.

Culinary delights: Fajita’s ala Manual 

Accommodations: Halfway Inn, Guerrero Negro

April 20, 2021 Tuesday – Clean up day off. Laundry, money, and a donation to the local police parking meter maids. Brandon, Pablo, Steve, and Juan went to Mision St. Ignacio for a veeerrryyy long lunch.

Culinary delights: Manual and made up a large bowl of ceviche from the red rock fish for us in the bar, again envy by others, which we shared. Then we have a nice fried/sautéed fish dinner to end the night. Juan gave him a framed picture of us all from 2017 and took a new one for 2021.

Culinary delights: Dinner ala Manual 

Accommodations: Halfway Inn, Guerrero Negro

April 21, 2021 Wednesday – Provisioned for 2 days out at Mision Santa Maria and we headed to the wash we camped at last time. There was now a charge by the ranch to access the MSM, 100 peso per car, and we met a guy who lives nearby and loves to talk. He said next time we can just enter from the wash which goes by his house too. Overnight was rather windy and a bit cold, not everyone slept well.

Culinary delights: Steve prepared a nice grilled chicken and pasta dinner.

Accommodations: MSM Wash Campground

Carnage: a rock jumped out and bit Ty’s right front tire. Good news he had a spare the right size and within a short time it was changed and back on the trail.

April 22, 2021 Thursday – Brandon, Ty, Juan and Pablo ran the trail up to the Mision, trail was in good shape and clear, not any water in the creek but Pablo jumped down out of the CJ and twisted his ankle (broke). So, we did not hike up to the oasis and pools, again. Some day we will make it all the way. Back to camp in a couple hours, all packed up and we went to the Hotel Mision Catavina for the night. 

Culinary delights: Dinner on site

Accommodations: Hotel Mision Catavina

April 23, 2021 Friday – All day drive to Estero Beach Hotel and Resort for a final night send off. 

Culinary delights: Dinner and cocktails on site

Accommodations: Estero Beach, Ensenada – Thanks Sam!

April 24, 2021 Saturday – Run for the border. All assembled at 4:30 and followed Brandon up to the Otay Mesa border crossing, which only had a 20 minute wait.

Said farewells on the radios and all went there merry ways, and looking forward to next time, September 2022. 

Epilogue: Another great trip with the new sites and favorite old sites, some follies, and some new friends from the local law enforcement.