Marcum Memories

March 25: Today we boarded a bus for a morning of tourist shopping and lunch in Ensenada. The tour guide took us on a tour of Ensenada with a stop at the Cultural/Convention Center. ( Built in 1930, it was a hotel and casino until 1935, visited by renowned Hollywood and Mexican artists during the ban in the United States, such as Rita Hayworth, Dolores del Río, Lucille Ball, Bing Crosby, among others. After 40 years of abandonment, once again you can enjoy its Moorish architecture, serving as inspiration to dozens of young people who take classes in painting, drawing, sculpture, dance, ballet, theater and literature. ) At the bar, we learned about the history of the drink "Margarita" or at least one version of its origins. The bar has the photograph of Sra. Margaret King. This report claims that she wanted a cocktail that was different from others. The bartender apparently prepared a drink for her and afterwards named it after her. There is also a plaque on a wall in tile des...

March 27: The alarm clocks were off and it was good to wake up with no specific plans in place except to visit with friends. It was a hot day in Yuma so the ACs were running all day in the RV. We spent a quiet day relaxing with our friends. I had prepared a few meals for the freezer for our trip, and we had one of my ground beef and vegetable "stoups" - not a stew or a soup, but a combination of both - with some delicious warm sourdough bread and garlic butter. Ice cream was for dessert, thanks to our gracious hosts.  

March 26: It was bittersweet to attend our last travel meeting, saying our goodbyes to our fellow travelers and promising to keep in touch. Our travel ambassadors gave each of us a bag of goodies for breakfast and we revved our engines and joined the last convoy. We all left at around 7:30 am and when we arrived at the border, we noticed the agents were carrying large plastic trash bags for when they inspected the RVs crossing the border. The agent checked our passports, asked about pets and asked the other usual questions - do you have anything to declare, are you carrying any firearms, alcohol, tobacco products, fruits, vegetables, etc. We declared our bar stock and 2 bottles of tequila. A couple of agents entered the RV to check the fridge and they walked away empty handed. The whole process took about 5 minutes. Our travel today was from Ensenada, Mexico to Yuma, Arizona via Costco in El Centro. And it was HOT!!! We had become used to the cooler temperatures. We had a reservation f...

March 24:  Today our drive from Vicente Guerrero to Clam Beach near Ensenada was 129 miles. At this point we are backtracking because we started out at the Clam Beach RV Resort. This resort is next to the beach and the sound of waves crashing was soothing. Our drive was basically more of the same narrow, potholed roads and fortunately uneventful. We all arrived safely and got settled in for a 2-night stay. When I walked Sunny, she gravitated towards the sound of the waves. The beach was very messy (naturally) so we didn't go on the sand but she was scanning the horizon intently looking for birds. Anyone who owns dogs may have heard about the Screwworm bug that attacks dogs (and humans) through any open sore or lesion. When returning from Mexico with a dog, it has to be checked by a Mexican vet and given a certificate. It was arranged that a Mexican vet would come to the resort and check all dogs. She was a lovely lady vet. We ate our own leftovers and other folks brought out food f...

March 23: We hit the road again today this was the longest day on the road - 233 miles on 2-lane, narrow, potholed roads from Bahia de los Angeles to Vicente Guerrero. We left before 8:30 am and arrived at our next stop at nearly 6 pm. We did stop for a "bio" breaks and lunch. It was a tough day especially for our solo camper. She had to do everything on her own. We took pictures along the way of wild horses and the beautiful mountainous scenery. When we arrived, we all got ourselves situated and then went to the campground's restaurant, Posada Don Diego, for cocktails (more Margaritas) and dinner which was all part of our tour package. We all had made meal choices before we left the US which we didn't remember, so our chosen meal was a nice surprise. There wasn't much socializing that evening after dinner because we were all very tired.  

March 22: Bahia de los Angeles: I woke earlier than Alan today and felt normal. A trip on the Sea of Cortez in an 8-person boat was an option for today and I decided to get up and go. I am sure glad I did. Only in Mexico -- the boat captain came to the park towing a boat on a trailer, he took his step ladder and helped us step into boat, drove to the boat launch and we were launched while still in the boat. When we arrived at the boat launch, the captain noticed that one of the wheels on the boat trailer was starting to fall off. We were fortunate that the boat could be launched in spite of the trailer issue. We enjoyed a 3 hour cruise around the Sea of Cortez. We were able to see blue whales, dolphins, sea lions and a variety of feathered wildlife. One species was described as Blue-footed Booby. One island was covered with the Booby birds. Dolphins were having a good time teasing us and even the whales came around. No tail swings because the water was too shallow, but they were having...

March 21: Guerrero Negro to Bahia de los Angeles, Sea of Cortez: Alarm was set for 5:30 am so we could be ready by 8 am for our travel meeting and departure from Guerrero Negro. We were packed like sardines in this RV park and we suffered through 2 nights of no electricity due to blown electrical outlets on a very old and fragile system. It was finally restored yesterday. We headed out as soon as we could because we needed to fuel up. After gathering at the predestined spot, we all headed out on the rough narrow roads again. Unfortunately when we stopped for our lunch break, one of our caravaners discovered a bolt in the sidewall of one of his 5th Wheel trail wheels and he had used his spare already. True to caravaning style, everyone got together and made sure this traveler would get back on the road. The roads were narrow and full of potholes also, but I'm glad to say we all arrived at the beach camping spot in tact and without damage. I, on the other hand, didn't fair so wel...

March 20: Guerrero Negro: On our calendar of events, today was a free day. However, because the first whale watching day was a "bust", the trip was offered again. Alan and I chose to stay "home" and enjoy our free day, doing whatever. A few others chose to stay behind also and a fellow lady travelers and I walked to a nearby market (mercado) to check out their goods. It was a fair size supermarket and appeared to sell any and every thing we might need. I was there to get eggs but did come away with a couple extra items. The walk was very pleasant and not too hot. I didn't even take any pictures today.

March 19: Guerrero Negro: Today was an early morning rise again - 5:30 am alarm. We were a go for whale watching. The winds were low. We were taken by bus at 8 am to the harbor where we boarded four boats holding 12 people. Guerrero Negro is famous for its salt mine.   Below is an accurate description of the sale making process at the Guerrero Negro sale making factory. "The salt-making process is fairly simple. Seawater is pumped into a series of collection ponds. About 700 million tons of seawater enters the system each year. As the water in the ponds evaporates, the salt concentration increases. The collection ponds are controlled by dikes and gates. At a critical level of salt concentration, the water is pumped into the next point, and so on. Eventually, more than a year later, the water becomes saturated with salt, and the mineral salt (almost entirely sodium chloride) begins to crystallize out. The pond is then drained and the salt collected. The harvesting of the salt i...