Back in the USA!

That’s where we are…back in the USA! 

After a rapid 4-day, 1573-mile jaunt to see the whales in Guerrero Negro, we crossed the border at Tecate around 2:30 this afternoon.  What an exciting 4 days!

You can read the last few blog entries to get a feel for all we saw.  To say it was awesome would be an understatement.  After staying at Santa Rosalia’s magnificent Hotel Frances two nights ago, we pointed the Subie north, and Carl, Mary, and yours truly headed home.   We had a very pleasant drive up the Baja peninsula yesterday and our intent was to stay at the Old Mill on Bahia San Quintin last night, but much to my surprise the Old Mill is another recession victim.  It’s a goner.  And that’s a downer, because it was a cool spot.  But hey, no problem, we just stayed at Don Eddie’s, the hotel next door.

You gotta do this trip yourself sometime (put it on your bucket list!) to get an appreciation for our little adventure…we drove for about 4 miles on a dirt road to get to the Old Mill, and when we saw it was closed, we were pretty lucky to find Don Eddie’s still in business.   I’m pretty sure we were the only guests in that hotel last night, too.  You folks who have motorcycled into Baja with me before know the neighborhood (and yes, Dave, that huge Yamaha-gobbling pothole is still there!).  I was a little disappointed in the accomodations at Don Eddie’s, but Carl and Mary are super adventurers, and they took it all in stride.  We had hot water and a heater, and in last night’s weather, that was good enough!

Today was our last day in Baja, and I was up before dawn.   I grabbed the Nikon and my tripod and walked over to the bay, and the hotel guard dog (a large friendly guy named Toby) was waiting for me in the frigid morning air.  Toby kept me company while I grabbed these first two shots at sunrise…

Bahia San Quintin at sunrise...just awesome, isn't it?

My artsy self-portrait at sunrise...I am supposed to look like I am deep in thought...whaddaya think?

After watching ol’ Toby watching me for a while, I drifted back over to the hotel.   I put the camera on the tripod, set the self timer, and an instant before the shutter tripped, Carl stepped out of his room!  What a shot!

Don Eddie's in San Quintin, the Subie, and Carl waving to the camera!

The weather on this entire trip was beyond awesome.  Not a drop of rain (unusual for Baja), clear driving, and absolutely no traffic anywhere.  I’ve never had a more pleasurable Baja run. 

After leaving Bahia San Quintin, we stopped for gas and coffee, and another 50 miles or so down the road we stopped for breakfast at this very nice restaurant in San Vincente.  Valentina and her husband run it (they’re about the same age as Carl, Mary, and me), and the hospitality was awesome….

The Starship Subaru in San Vincente

Chilequiles con pollo...it doesn't get any better than this, boys and girls!

Our waitress was so pretty I had to ask her name, and she told me it was Paula.   She’s 15 years old.  I asked if I could take her picture. Paula just smiled and said, “Si…”

Paula...our waitress. Like I've always said, this is a tough job, but somebody...ah, you know the rest!

While I was photographing Paula, we noticed a young guy in the kitchen getting a huge kick out of all this…his name is Alex, and he’s Paula’s cousin.   They’re both grandkids of the owners.

Maria and Alex, our chefs...and I gotta tell ya, they know how to serve up a fine breakfast!

After a great breakfast it was a buzz to the border…and it was a magnificent drive.  Folks, Baja is beautiful. There’s no other way to describe it. Every curve revealed another picture postcard photo op, and we thoroughly enjoyed taking it all in. We stopped well south of Ensenada in northern Baja’s wine country, and I grabbed this shot of Carl and Mary.  I really like it!

Carlos and Maria, who are now officially Bajaenos!

All told, this has been one of the best Baja trips ever….great company, great conversation, great cuisine, great sightseeing, great whale-watching…just a super 4 days. 

And hey, I just got an email from the Boss (Mr. Steve), and he told me the Sacramento show was great, too!  I’m gonna guess he and TK grabbed a few photos up there, and as soon as I get them, they’ll be here on the blog for you to see!

Back to Baja…the whales will be there through the end of March.   So whaddaya say?  Wanna take the California Scooters on another epic adventure? Check out our last ride…and put yourself in the picture!

Let me know, folks. There’s whales, chilequiles, Tecate, and great riding waiting for us!