My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

In the afternoon of our second day in Mulege, we had been walking along the river and came up on a cobblestone type street that ascended a hill. Once again we stumbled onto another small gem. It was another large stone church.....Mision Santa Rosalia de Mulege, constructed in 1705. It sits atop a hill east of town overlooking the river and the lush forests......









The dogs waited at the door while I checked out the interior.....



It was pretty remarkable. I'd estimate the walls to be 4' thick.....





I went back alone that evening to watch the sunset from the cliffs above the Rio Mulege. The sky was filled with large birds soaring overhead. Once again, very magical. With perfect weather, how could you ask for more.....





I've met quite a few friendly Mexicans but I rarely take their pictures. This group of teenagers shared the views with me last night. I tried speaking with them but I swear they spoke so fast and giggled so much that not much was conveyed between us. But it was all good.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Yesterday was just a day to relax in Mulege.....a walk in the mountains.....walks along the river.....so many beautiful little homes with brightly colored gardens line the riverfront.....very tranquilo.....



I met the woman that lives here, 75 year old Dutch lady with her Golden Retriever (XP won't let me post my great pictures of that experience.....it happens way too much these days).....



Lunch in town was fantastic.....$5 for chips and salsa, bottle of coke, and a huge mushroom and onion sandwich with fries.....





Jeeps parked outside in tandem.....



Last night we were back at the rock cliffs above the Rio Mulege to watch the sunset. This night it was with 2 Gringos about my age. Lots of conversation of our Mexican travels, and probably too much about our ex wives.....which we all had in common.....



I have so many nice sunset and sunrise pictures that I'd love to share / post, but XP won't let me post most of them. This is such a drag.....

 

[bigskypylot]

Yesterday was just a day to relax in Mulege.....a walk in the mountains.....walks along the river.....so many beautiful little homes with brightly colored gardens line the riverfront.....very tranquilo.....

View attachment 389365

I met the woman that lives here, 75 year old Dutch lady with her Golden Retriever (XP won't let me post my great pictures of that experience.....it happens way too much these days).....

Lunch in town was fantastic.....$5 for chips and salsa, bottle of coke, and a huge mushroom and onion sandwich with fries.....

View attachment 389366

View attachment 389367

Jeeps parked outside in tandem.....

View attachment 389368

Last night we were back at the rock cliffs above the Rio Mulege to watch the sunset. This night it was with 2 Gringos about my age. Lots of conversation of our Mexican travels, and probably too much about our ex wives.....which we all had in common.....

View attachment 389369

I have so many nice sunset and sunrise pictures that I'd love to share / post, but XP won't let me post most of them. This is such a drag.....

Nice pair of jeeps.

 

[zimflux]

Yesterday was just a day to relax in Mulege.....a walk in the mountains.....walks along the river.....so many beautiful little homes with brightly colored gardens line the riverfront.....very tranquilo.....

View attachment 389365

I met the woman that lives here, 75 year old Dutch lady with her Golden Retriever (XP won't let me post my great pictures of that experience.....it happens way too much these days).....

Lunch in town was fantastic.....$5 for chips and salsa, bottle of coke, and a huge mushroom and onion sandwich with fries.....

View attachment 389366

View attachment 389367

Jeeps parked outside in tandem.....

View attachment 389368

Last night we were back at the rock cliffs above the Rio Mulege to watch the sunset. This night it was with 2 Gringos about my age. Lots of conversation of our Mexican travels, and probably too much about our ex wives.....which we all had in common.....

View attachment 389369

I have so many nice sunset and sunrise pictures that I'd love to share / post, but XP won't let me post most of them. This is such a drag.....

Great photos.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Thanks guys.....I just wish some of the better ones would post.....

After Mulege we were back on Mex 1 driving south with Loreto in our sights. It's a pretty magnificent drive to say the least.....





The first half of the day's drive hugs the coastline and I swear it's so beautiful it's difficult not to stop in the road for longer looks. I think I've spotted a few beaches we may try on the return trip. Once the road turns inland, it's nice, but not near so nice as the coastline.....





I spotted what appeared to be an abandoned house so I decided to make a quick pit stop. As I was walking back from the bushes I saw these little guys peeking through the iron bars and looking at the rig which was parked out front. I grabbed them suckers and some hard candy and walked over to the house. With the mother's permission, I gave them the candy and their eyes lit up. As I was leaving it looked as though their hands were attached to springs as they vigorously waved good bye.....





We reached Loreto by lunch and immediately began the search for the campground which I knew about from the Church's camping guide book. Of course we got lost and this is the beginning of a story within a story.....



Bribe / Tip #1.....so if you look at the picture above, you'll notice a line of well manicured trees along the street. As I was passing through, the camper grazed one of the trees. Just like that a policeman that was nearby walking, jumped in front of the truck, and he said "stop, problema grande" (serious). He said that I broke a branch (which I hadn't) and that he needed my license for a ticket. So I argued, refused my license, and finally I said show me the broken branch. Well, it wasn't broken so then he said it was illegal to graze the trees and then he also added, no big trucks allowed here (a second offense), and again demanded my license. I kept saying nope. It's gets even funnier as he says it's the president's trees and road (I think because it was in front of a government building ?). I just wasn't going to give in and finally he says OK, just give me a tip. I gave him 50 pesos and that was the end of that story.....well, not actually.....I guess that I should confess that I never got a tourist permit when I entered Mexico so that's really why I wouldn't cooperate. That's actually a real offense which apparently can get you in some trouble.....

It really was a beautiful street.....



This guy was in the line of cars behind me (we blocked traffic for at least 10 minutes) and he offered to show me the way to the campground, so I followed him through town. These guys drive around town all day advertising stuff over those loud speakers.....



And then we finally pulled into our campsite which was packed full, was the most expensive, was very loud, and, well.....you get the point.....



I'm not liking this town a whole lot at this point.....

 

[unkamonkey]

Nice write up Jerry. The only bribe I ever had to pay in Mexico was in a cigar shop. I threw a $1 on the floor and walked out. I was bigger than the 2 of them put together at that time.
How is Mex doing?

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

I just received these pictures. But no update.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

So if you're curious why I didn't get the Tourist Permit, it was due to the office being closed as it was early Sunday morning and I wasn't able to cross at the main crossing in Mexicali because of the size of my vehicle. I was told that I could get it later at any Mexican Immigration Office. Well, today I'm in La Paz and the well informed lady at the campsite front desk has told me that they no longer do that. It can only be purchased at the border or when flying in. So I am screwed since I'm told that the check points headed north are much more aggressive since they realize you're leaving. I've just read of one guy that was fined $400 and kicked out of the country. Therefore, new plans.....I'll drive down to Cabo on Thursday since it's so close, and then head north out of Mexico hoping for the best. I've also been told that my Mexican insurance is void without the permit. I think everyday I stay here just ups my chances of being caught. Yep, this sucks and it's a bit stressful.....

Anyhow, while in Loreto of course I did a tour of the city. Loreto is nothing like any Mexican town we've encountered so far. Apparently the Mexican government has really improved this place and it's a bit of a tourist hotspot. Once again, more I didn't like about Loreto.....



The following morning I was up early and back on Mex 1 southbound.....



Pretty amazing drive south of Loreto.....





The drive into the mountains was steep and long. I watched the transmission gauge way too much. Near the top, I finally pulled over and gave it the rest it needed.....



From that point on it was pretty much a straight shot as we crossed Baja yet one more time. Late afternoon found us in Ciudad Constitucion.....



.....where we landed the perfect campsite.....





I really liked this town. Not touristy one bit and few Gringos to be seen here (Loreto was swarming with Gringos). For me, it's all about the local culture. I spent the remainder of the day walking around town.....



At one point I stopped for a cup of coffee and was standing on the curb when a drunk drove by and smashed into 4 cars. Now that was rather odd.....



Which reminds, earlier in the day a guy passing me clipped my side mirror. His broke (Ford).....mine (Chevy) did not.....

Geez.....maybe I do need to head north.....

 

[unkamonkey]

Thanks for the pictures Jerry. She seems to be a feisty pup. There is something about an older dogs ear, collar or lip a puppy likes. WTH, my neighbors dog tried to drag me from under his pickup by my hair. She wasn't a puppy anymore either.

 

[Jim Oaks]

View attachment 389726

Looks like Jake & Elwood are alive and well in Mexico.


Glad to see the dog is doing well

 

[bigskypylot]

Looks like Jake & Elwood are alive and well in Mexico.


Glad to see the dog is doing well

Now I'm in the mood for an Orange Whip

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Jim.....other cultures are so interesting. I can't imagine this type of advertising lasting long in the states.....



Yesterday we continued south on Mex 1, as we have for days now. Soon it will be Mex 1 north as I'm ready to return now. The trip down was uneventful. We passed one more check point, this one manned by the Federal Policia. They didn't even bother to stop me, just a quick wave as I passed through. We made a pit stop in the desert.....it turned out to be the valley of death. The desert floor was literally covered in bones and skulls. A little eerie....a little not.....



We found us a spot in a campground on the east side of La Paz, one that had been recommended by some travelers headed north. The further south you drive, the more developed it is, the more it resembles America. This is (was) by far the nicest place we've slept at. Once again, late afternoon we took a drive into La Paz. Wow, this a huge city, and I might add, one that many travelers say stay away from.....







I'm told that La Paz is one of the few cities in Baja where the drug cartel operates. People say drive past it and move south. While sitting at a red light a policeman ahead of me flips on his lights. I'm thinking, oh no, what now. It's now that I'm realizing that this whole Tourst Permit issue is really stressing me out. I decide to head back to the camper directly, I've seen enough of La Paz.....



And yet another story within a story. If you read my thread much, you'll know I'm a huge walker these days. If I don't get in 11 miles per day, I feel like a bum. So last night I'm out walking around the campground and the road adjacent to it. I notice a car nearby on the adjacent road acting oddly.....seems to be following me. I return to the campground compound, the guy follows me into the fenced area, jumps out of the car with a club in his right hand. He begins to scream at me (and I mean like really scream). It totally freaked me out. Then the wonderful lady that runs the place walks out of the office and wants to know what I'm doing. I say walking and she goes on about crime, security, cameras, blah, blah, blah. It seems that I barely hear a word out of her mouth. I was stunned to say the least. All I really wanted was an apology, which I didn't get. Last night in a conversation with my neighbors (Canadians that have been here for 6 weeks), they told me that on the opposite side of the adjacent street is an insane asylum.....

This morning looking out my camper door, maybe 100' away.....

 

[bigskypylot]

Mexico and a lot of its people can be nice but it is still a third world country for the most part. I used to do a lot of flying down there back in the late 90s/early 2000s. It was nice having dinner and beers down there and walk around in some areas. I have no desire to go down there whatsoever nowadays. Last time I was there was back in Feb of 2016 when we dropped off a certain Superbowl winning Quarterback and his family in Cabo. Was a nice and quick overnight

Safe travels and good luck getting back home without any issues!

 

[Jim Oaks]

Now I'm in the mood for an Orange Whip

Jim.....other cultures are so interesting. I can't imagine this type of advertising lasting long in the states.....

My daughter is in training to be a flight attendant. They have classes about different cultures as part of their training. Her and I were just having a discussion about other cultures, and how they view us. For instance, some cultures don't understand getting coffee in the drive through to go, or our rushed lunch breaks. I really need to get a passport so I can travel outside the U.S.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

That's right Bigskypylot, it's a third world country and you're on your own once you cross the border. And I was reminded of that yesterday when I called the U.S. Embassy to ask for assistance with obtaining the Tourist Permit. I was told that's between me and Mexico and there was nothing they could do......

Yesterday was probably the earliest I've left a camp spot since I can remember. I couldn't get out of La Paz fast enough. We were headed south to a place that I was certain would be much kinder and safer.....



Our next stop would be Los Barriles, a small sea side village on the Sea of Cortez. As I pulled into town I strained to find a Latino person (slight exaggeration) as this place is swarming with Gringos. My first impression was, I see why they're here, it's amazing. The first campground was full but they pointed me to a place just south of town, a perfect place I think.....



Yesterday we explored the village and relaxed quite a bit. Even with all the Gringos, I think we will stay a bit. I need some more sunrises.....











I've found (I think) a solution to my Tourist Permit issue. It's a bit complicated but it seems as though I'm not the first to have arrived here without. So I'll do as the other unfortunate travelers have done. More about that later.....