Marcum Memories

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...

March 18: Guerrero Negro: The alarm was set for 5:30 am and we slowly forced ourselves to get out of bed. We got ready for the 7:15 am departure for the boats. I was able to get a nice picture of the sunrise sky. We made sure the dogs were fed and walked and then we got the official word - the harbor master said it was too windy so the whale watching for today was canceled. Instead we were taken to a sanctuary for pronghorn antelope. We are staying at the blue dot. We had a free afternoon and took a walk to find a grocery store to replenish a few items. We ate dinner made with rice, vegetables, Rotel tomatoes, salsa and topped with cheese, and baked. it was delicious and will probably never be made exactly the same again. We lost power during the evening and it was off all night.

March 17: Happy St. Patrick's Day!! And before you ask, yes, we brought our tacky St. Paddy's day shirts with us. We survived our first boondocking night quite well and traveled from Rancho Santa Ynez RV and Camping to our final destination of Guerrero Negro Baja California Sur. 8 am travel meeting then we hit the road and were on some of the worst road conditions we have seen yet. 145 miles and 5 hours. We drove through several agricultural areas growing different products. There are numerous areas that grow organic produce of many kinds and they are grown under cover as you can see from the bottom image.  Driving was stressful because of the narrow roads but we all made it. It took nearly 2 hours to park our rigs once we arrived because the park is very small and we mostly have large rigs and we have filled the campground. We had a catered dinner at the campground. This is the whale watching destination. Very high winds may cancel the activity tomorrow.

March 16: We left Posada Don Diego RV Park at about 9 am after our 8 am travel meeting. Our mileage today was 128 miles and estimated travel time was 5 hours - the reason - rough and curvy roads. We traveled though the Villages of San Quintin, El Rosario and San Agustin. and then the most amazing rock gardens. The rocks went on for miles and miles and when we stopped for the night, we were still surrounded by these rocks, One thing that is common in Mexico, military checkpoints. and today was no exception. After we landed at the first (of three) boondocking nights, we were served a delicious meal of ribs, potato salad, coleslaw and backed beans and dessert. We are most definitely spoiled on this caravan. The Ambassadors had obtained some wood to have a campfire. We didn't hang out around the fire mostly because I was exhausted from the long drive and I don't do well with the smoke coming from the fire.  

March 15: We spent a second night at the beach. It was an adequate campground with some greenery between the sites, but otherwise it was a concrete RV park. All travelers gathered at 8 am for our travel meeting - which is held to go over the day's itinerary and travel plans. We only traveled 129 miles but it took over 4 hours because the 2-lane roads are narrow and mostly with no shoulder. Once we were out of Ensenada and away from the ocean, we were in the hills and mountains. We traveled through several small towns/villages on the way - from Ensenada through the villages of Santo Tomas, San Vicente, Colonet to our destination today, Vicente Guerrero and the Posado Don Diego RV Park. We all stopped a couple of times to regroup because we are traveling as a caravan and going through these small villages, we can get caught at traffic lights or stop signs. One was a fueling stop and lunch for some. The RV park we are at tonight is very basic - dirt lots and cracking concrete patios. ...