We’re Baaaack! 2024 Edition

… not without a little hiccup of course…

the ever-beautiful sunset on Marina Chica, next to our spot in the canals.

Our 24-25 Season return to Mexico was meant to coincide with our friends’ trip down the Baja coast and up the Sea of Cortez on their Nordhavn 68. Daybreak would carry three couples, two of which were friends we had made on the Cubar 15 run, the third being long time friends from high school who had bought a Nordhavn 60 and joined the adventure on the water. Our besties who have travelled alongside us for decades and accompanied us on the Cubar 2015 and 2017 trips would fly down to meet us in Puerto Escondido and we would take Northern Ranger out to hunt down Daybreak and buddy boat up to PE with them, re-enacting trips from the olden days!

Memories from past Cubars!

of course we were part of the Alaska cruising reunion of our Cubar Nordhavns too! (2022, Cordova Alaska)

At least that was the plan. Flights were booked, we arranged to bring down the Great White Beast because she carried extra passengers comfortably, something the Little Red Truck could not be accused of doing. But of course we know that plans, no matter how well thought out, occasionally have a habit of falling apart. And ours did rather spectacularly when, several weeks before our departure, while Lawrence was away for a few days, I developed a sudden and spectacularly painful back spasm that would not respond to any pain medication the ER doctors were originally willing to give me. A second visit to emergency (by now Lawrence had rushed home) and a shot of something miraculous dispensed with the pain but did not identify what went wrong…and with a requisition for a CT scan, we started worrying about our future travels.

Unfortunately getting a scan is not as easy as just asking politely – waiting lists are real and we had a hard date to be on the boat, as our friends’ tickets to come to Loreto were for November 5th. They also have had years of experience with back pain, so I had sound advice and  cheerleading from afar as I lay flat on my back for a few weeks. Eventually they talked me into going private and finding a clinic somewhere who could get me in quickly. When the doctor who first requested the CT scan heard I was going private he suggested an MRI, and  we found a clinic within a few hours of where we live ( middle of nowhere with a very small hospital) that could take me in quickly. So with that we were soon driving down at the break of dawn to Kamloops where I experienced my first ever MRI.

early morning hunt for a Starbucks….

Lots of people tell me it’s a frightening experience, but for me it was reminiscent of lying in my bed on the boat while we are doing a night passage, and I kept nodding off during the scan. Plus the technician was super kind to me as I was still having a fair amount of discomfort…

So then we went home and waited. Our friends hadn’t cancelled their tickets yet.. but I knew they may have to eventually and I constantly worried about it.

The verdict came in quickly, although it was not definitive .. so it required another MRI with a contrast dye this time. They assured me all I would have to pay was the cost of the dye .. whew… because this all isn’t cheap. I saw more Boat Units flying out the door if this kept up! So another trip to Kamloops, and another visit with the friendly technician ( who treated me like an old friend!) and a short few days later the verdict was in… bulging cervical disc which was pressing on the nerve that serves my right arm, which explains the pain and the numbness and the weakness… but we still had no idea what that meant for me. So we managed to book a consult with the neurologist (not quite a boat unit but close) and drove back a third time. We decided to optimistically start packing up the truck and travel to the coast, visiting our kids and grandson along the way, and crossed our fingers we’d get the green light to keep going.

By now our friends had cancelled their flight and not rebooked because we had no idea when we would be able to go down, and we had started envisioning alternative scenarios such as Lawrence driving down alone and I fly… or we could find a friend to go with Lawrence and I stayed home. And as time marched on of course Daybreak had collected their passengers and were heading up the sea…so meeting up with them somewhere would be impossible. Now for me the best case scenario was going to be meeting them in Puerto Escondido when they arrived around November 19, before they all flew home. And happily we got the go-ahead from the doctor to drive south along with a remonstration that I was to avoid bouncing and jouncing and generally doing any heavy lifting. 

So I picked up a lovely squishy supportive neck collar from Marks Work Wear World, and we were on our way. First stop was obviously Richmond to visit the kids… and the beloved grandson… and then it was through the border on a Friday and south to Bend. We spent a few nights with N50 Colibri owner Chris Dent and had a lot of fun, dinner out, waffle breakfast with his grandkids, making home-made lemoncello ( which we promptly and regrettably forgot to bring with us! )

And it’s not a visit with Christopher without a hike!

Unfortunately our ex-Nordie 50 owners weren’t available for our usual visit to Portland and to Incline Village, so we headed straight for San Diego, with an overnight in Elk Grove. Our beloved Poco un Loco was closed… sob… however we found a Pho noodle place that was busy but accommodating to two very hungry Canadians. Good food… only served beer… but cold water and hot noodle soup and some yummy spring rolls made us happy. 

Not my best look but it sure made my ride a lot more comfortable.. the truck, unfortunately, only has “work mode” suspension, not “Driving Miss Daisy” mode.

Not something we have had before but oh it was good ! (Prawn dumpling on a piece of sugar cane)

From there it was another long day for the driver, but we made it to SD and our friends Ken and Christy in time for dinner and good wine. We stayed less than a week this time but we were on a mission and after a lot of fun, a couple of harbour tours on Varnebank and time spent with dear friends and Mexican Families we hit the road and crossed into Baja California. 

Pit stop on the coast of California north of San Diego…. Beautiful sunset welcoming us!

The traffic…. We were thankful it wasn’t quite so bad going south. But driving the big truck had to be difficult… Lawrence is a trooper!

Arrived! Doesn’t get much more beautiful than this!

Aboard Varnebank with Ken and Christy Donnelly and Bob Senter! Always love us some harbour tours in a beautiful boat with great friends!

We got back to the dock in time for sunset/moonrise and to watch the sailing school come back in for the evening! Good thing Varnebank is steel and the little sailors are fibreglass! There were a number of close calls!

We managed to score a green light at the Tecate border but we were driving a big diesel truck with duallies so definitely piqued the interest of the border guards. They did a quick look in the back, checked out some of the bins, and asked for the registration papers…then waved us through. Whew! It took a little longer to get through immigration, the new system is easy (sign in, get a pass, sign out) but unfortunately the immigration guy was probably at lunch so we did have to wait. But once in it was quick, efficient, and pleasant. Yay! 

The first leg was relatively comfortable, the road was good, and of course Hotel Coral was great, with the best first margarita of the trip we could hope for. The meal was also incredible – I haven’t had such a good dinner there ever!

Next morning we were up before the sun and on the road, with breakfast planned for Vicente Guerrero at our usual stop, with the hope we could arrive in Guerrero Negro before dark and without incident. 

Breakfast was perfect but the road… oh the road! We had been warned but nothing prepares you for just how bad it is. I was thankful for my collar, which kept my head from bouncing off my neck! 

Breakfast at a hotel restaurant – timing is everything , ten minutes after I took this the place was absolutely full of families having Sunday brunch together! Fun!

But we made it, after a few stops to enjoy the desert sights and stretch our legs, and a lot of miles at minimal speed as we bounced and bumped through deep holes and fractured asphalt.

At one point we were flagged down by a pair  of entrepreneurs who had orange cones and a red flag with a pickup truck loaded with shovels and a wheelbarrow, claiming they were filling the potholes without being paid and were politely asking for recompense. Knowing a scam when we saw one ( not an ounce of asphalt to be seen) we still handed over some pesos because they were pleasant and we were  happy to see a smiling face.

Of course the other stops were all at military checkpoints, at which we were usually ushered through with a smile and a wave but at one point Lawrence was asked to leave the truck and show the nice  man with the big gun what was under the tonneau.. while I entertained the other one ( not armed) in the front as he sat himself in the driver’s seat and went through the glove compartments, side pockets, and centre console, picking up wallets and cameras and cel phones and putting them back. I just watched and nodded and smiled and eventually he gave up and left the truck. 

We made it to G-N and Malarimo, our bi-annual stopover on the way south before it got dark! There were other guests, mostly motorcycles and off road buggies, which looked like a lot of fun… we had another great meal and a good sleep and left the next morning after breakfast (yay they have breakfast again!) for the last leg of our trip, Guerrero Negro to Puerto Escondido.

One of the many joys of having the boat in the PE marina is it’s one less day on the road. Something I appreciated very much, as the trip was once again a rough one. But the scenery is beautiful, and although it seemed drier and browner than usual it was still stunning.

Heading towards the Tres Virgenes volcanos.. stunning from all angles! And one of the new improved parts of the highway… there is actually a (narrow) shoulder!

It’s also breathtaking when we emerge from inland and come down into Santa Rosalia, and on the somewhat crazy drive along the coast around Bahia Concepcion. I have to remember not to go “Oh wow look at that !” So the driver doesn’t, like, look. No sightseeing for the driver along these roads…

Bahia Concepcion, probably Santispac? Beautiful place for cruiser and land-yacht alike, complete with a pub restaurant.

And so we arrived at the boat, which was as usual sparkly and shiny after some spa time with the cleaners, spotless inside and out. 

We were greeted by our friends on Daybreak! So although we didn’t have a chance to cruise with them, we did the next best thing – spent three days hanging out, with the welcome dinner up at La Brisa and the rest of our meals onboard Daybreak with shared dinners, lots of wine, and stories. Lawrence made margaritas one night which were pretty much the best he’s ever done!

Familiar smiling faces! So good to see our friends back in Mexico! (Karen from Daybreak, Kim from SeaLevel II, and Michelle from Piredmus!

Then they all flew out to their various locations and we were forced to start confronting the big task we had been ignoring..getting the boat ready for cruising!

It was bittersweet as we were supposed to be hosting our good friends and we definitely miss having them around. But maybe … later?

Now we are slowly working our way backwards  through the shut-down list… I can’t do much because of my issues, which means I’m not able to lift or pull or push or carry too much. However I can clean and cook and plan and do laundry and somehow there is always a lot of that happening.

when all else fails – make bread. I have Sophie, some of Karen’s Alaskan sourdough starter… and the marina store had King Arthur Flour so I am in heaven! This batch was definitely an over achiever!

Lawrence’s list is much more complicated as it’s never just a case of turning on a switch and moving on. Not surprisingly we had three days of floods under the master bedroom bed, nothing horribly dramatic but annoying, as Lawrence was always playing hide and seek with the next break in the water line, until he finally had a chance to replace the pump which so far has stopped the madness. The old new pump was more powerful and the theory is the lines and fittings weren’t up to 60 psi. The new old pump is not only holding its own and giving us ( so far) a leak free existence, it’s much quieter, making a mild little whine rather than a boat rattling growl. Much better! 

Nothing dramatic but definitely annoying!

And so we are here. I’ve been able to get out for long walks, exceeding my 10,000 steps easily by going back and forth to the grocery store and wandering along the various side roads looking for my favourite birds. (Vermillion fly catcher! Cardinal! Cactus wren! Grey gnat catcher! and a new one… a bird we saw at Costa Baja when we were there last year – a night jar! )

The weather has been beautiful, the scenery is stunning, I love our little spot on the canals and also our ability to wander down the main docks and talk to people. We have done two shops in town and are worrying a bit about how different it is from La Paz (no Chedrauil, no Soriana, no Walmart). But I am of the mind that instead of going to town with a hard list based on meals I want to cook, I will go in and look for what’s good and available this week and make a menu based on that. I have asked on the Loreto Facebook site about the best cheap taco places so we plan on hitting  those rather than going out for expensive meals. I look forward to getting to know the town better and finding some of the great places I’ve heard about (last year we were taken to an out of the way bakery that sold delicious croissants!)

Unfortunately like everywhere else the price of everything had gone up and I’m sure will continue to do so. Hopefully when the season is right we will be able to add some fresh-caught  fish to our menu! 

We will be flying home for Christmas, staying for three weeks and spending time with friends and family (and grandbaby! Yay!) and dealing with my hopefully-by-then much improved medical situation. Yesterday I added a few carefully curated Christmas decorations, and once December rolls around we will switch from Jimmy Buffet to Christmas music. I have no idea if we will be able to leave the dock, as the list of people we need to have come aboard and do some work grows. But every day is beautiful, and there’s always something to do.