San Pancho

We finally made it to San Pancho on the pacific coast a couple hours north of Puerta Vallarta. It is quite beautiful here and it has been fun hanging out with the family. Last year, we were here for Christmas as well. It is fun to return by way of car; it just doesn't feel as far away when you drive there. The beaches are beautiful and my family has a great place to stay. We are parked on the street next to the house so, we get all of the amenities but still sleep in the truck.

The other night we were sitting out on one of the patios, the living room is outside, and I noticed something slithering along the top of the wall. It was orangish and moving very slowly. Yes, it definitely was a snake. We all jumped up to get a better look. It slithered slowly up the tree that was next to the house. It was quite beautiful but a little disconcerting for those sleeping there. We concluded it to be some kind of boa and it was harmless as we later found out from one of the people who lives in San Pancho. Not to worry.

I also was able to go fishing with my parents with a local fisherman, Pondo. He takes my dad out every year and he is a great fisherman and guide. We had an amazing day out. The sea life we were able to see was incredible. It rivaled a National Geographic episode. The high lights were trolling through the swells amongst a group of about 60 or more dolphins. Colleen and I were on the front of the boat watching as the dolphins gracefully swam a few feet from us. Many times they would swim up and look at us and then dive down again. It was amazing.
Another sighting was of a humpback whale. It sort of snuck up on us as we were fishing. The motor was turned off and we were all looking the other way as we heard the whale surface and blow. As if that was not incredible enough, it surfaced again maybe 60 feet from the boat and dove down showing off its humongous tail. Wow!

The most exciting however was the pod of pilot whales we happened upon. We were right in the midst of them and soon they began to follow us. They are about 20 feet long and look kind of like an over sized dolphin with a similar dorsal fin. There were about a dozen of them maybe 10 feet from the boat and one even went under the boat. The best part was hearing them sing and talk to each other as they swam under us. We were in awe! Collen and I kept whispering, "Oh my God" as they got closer and closer. What a terrific day.

We are preparing for the New Year today and hope all is well back home. It is hard to believe that it is the beginning of 2009 tomorrow. How time passes by so quickly. Ozzie and I are going to head inland next and maybe try to find a nice town to hang out in for a while. We want to find something to do. We will see where we end up.
Best wishes for a Happy New Year!
Lyndi

Here are a few more pictures from the Baja.

Would you like to follow our blog?

Thank you so much for those of you who have been following our blog. I am sorry that I have not been more diligent in my entries. I am definitely going to try to update it more frequently in the future. We are looking for a little help though. The more followers that we have posted on the blog, the better. There might be a possibility that we can get someone that wants to advertise on it, if enough people are looking at it. So, if you want to sign up as a follower, that would be great. All you have to do is click on "follow this blog" which is located by the other pictures of people following. You just follow the steps and enter an email address and password. Thanks so much and Happy New Year to all!

Lyndi

P.S. Send me your e-mail if you would also like me to add you to our e-mailing list. I send out an e-mail when I have updated the blog. My e-mail is lyndimay@yahoo.com and Ozzie's is oscargrove@yahoo.com

Adios to the Baja

Well, the last month or so that we have spent on the Baja has been spectacular. The people we met and the places we stayed really surpassed both of our expectations. From San Ignacio, we ended up at two of our favorite beaches Agua Verde and Los Frailes. Both of these are on the Sea of Cortez side and very remote, requiring some bouncing and winding down very rough roads to get there. Ozzie caught a few fish and I even snorkeled a bit. It is amazing how many fish are even in three to four feet of water. (I am still too chicken to go any deeper). Ozzie saw huge school of puffer fish and he was out in the deeper areas.

We also spent a couple of days in La Paz getting our vehicle permit, ferry ticket, and new health certificate for Bozeman. All took way longer then expected of course and the earliest we could reserve the ferry was not until the 23rd. So while we waited we spent more time on the beach. Not a bad place to wait. However, we had told my parents that we would try and meet them for Christmas in San Pancho and this put us a little behind schedule. Schedule, what’s that again?

The drive to the ferry proved to be exciting. We managed to find our spare tire dangling from the back, the metal ripped of the frame. Luckily, we stopped for a bathroom break and noticed it leaning off the back. Bad for the frame, but amazingly we didn’t lose the tire. Then we passed a guy who popped off his radiator cap and was sprayed with boiling water in the face as we drove by. We quickly turned around to see if he was ok. He was, only minor burns on his cheek. He needed water though, so we filled his car up and off he drove in his pretty blue mustang. Then right before the ferry terminal we drove by a wrecked semi who had seemingly ran into a bull-dozer. Crazy! We made it no worse for the ware and on time despite the drive. Just another day driving on the Baja...

The ferry was a logistical nightmare. People lined up to board three hours before departure and the ferry only had one loading and unloading side, unlike the Washington state ferries. The one hundred or so semi-trucks that loaded onto the ferry had to back on. Most cars ( around 200 or so) also backed into spots. There were four car decks and 3 passenger decks. It was more an ocean going ship than a ferry. Ozzie and Bozeman parked on the lowest deck in the hull. Poor Boze had to stay in the car for around 10 hours in the hull of the ship where it was very hot. Poor guy, he made it though. He is such a good dog. We slept in the ferry parking lot when we arrived at 10:30 at night, which we were told was the safest spot to stay.

Now, after a full day of driving we are in Mazatlan at an RV park right on the beach. It is Christmas day and so beautiful. We are taking a day to relax and recuperate from our two long days of traveling. Tomorrow we head to San Pancho to visit with my family.