Puerto Penasco it is!

Karin wrote:

The next day (June 18) I headed out with the Toyota to Rocky Point. (we get much grief from other cruisers for not calling it Puerto Penasco, but we're from Arizona and it's Rocky Point...sorry.) I was thrilled to see Sonora doing so well.  Lots of infrastructure being built, new roads, lots of farming, alot more gas stations and Santa Ana was booming with new stores and new buildings. So nice to see after 30 years of driving this road. They are growing grapes,olive trees and carrots down here all over the place! No more mile after mile of barren land. Desalinization has been a great step for Mexico.

Getting in to Rocky Point it was the same ol' place that I have always loved. I went straight to Mary's for a margarita and shrimp ceviche.  I sat next to the kitchen at the same table I have always sat, even though they have expanded to a huge deck upstairs where everyone goes for the view. While sitting there I noticed a woman watching t.v. in the corner. It was the same woman I have seen in there since I started coming here. I asked her if she was Mary. She said yes and we started a conversation, she practicing her english and me practicing my spanish and having fun correcting each other and talking about life in general. I wish I would have taken some photos but the margaritas had taken effect.

Found the marina where we are going to leave the boat and parked the car in their protected lot, and got a hotel room.  The next morning I awoke to cable t.v. and started to watch the Today show.  The announcement was "In our next segment we will be discussing whether or not to wave at other bikers / joggers and the implications!"  T.V. off.....Walter Cronkite must be turning in his grave.  I love our no media/marketing boat life.

Back in Guaymas and ready to get back out to the sea.

Guaymas

Things change. Our plan was o.k., but at the last minute, Karin found out that she didn't need to be on the ferry with the car, they would unload it and we could pick it up! That evening we cast off for Guaymas; just south of San Carlos. We had a beautiful night motoring and the Milky Way was incredible, We also saw some great shooting stars! Our watches were 3 hrs., and they passed without incident; except, at about 2 in the morning. Karin woke me from a very sound sleep, to inform me that our Radar reflector had come off, and was dragging along side the boat. Luckily, it didn't go into the prop, and I recovered it using a boathook. Whew!

Sunrise, and we're a couple of hours from Guaymas. Later in the morning, we saw several whales, and I saw a  7 ft. Sailfish launch itself out of the water three times. Awesome! Then, a Pelican swooped over the cockpit, did a 270, and landed on our dinghy. That was cool, he stayed there, posing and preening, enjoying a break. We had to see what Jack would do, so we approached slowly, and.... they just stared at each other. Jack didn't bark; I think he was too confused.

Getting into the harbor in Guaymas is tricky. There are several small islands on the approach, with shoals and rocks to avoid. This is the 2nd largest port on the west coast of Mexico. Some cargo ships were at the dock as we entered, and made our way to the marina.

Karin got us checked in, and picked up the car from the ferry. Then we packed up the dogs and took a drive to San Carlos. Karin has been going there for years, and we've been there together, so it was familiar.

Close to Marina Real, is the Soggy Peso Bar. We asked the waiter if it was o.k. to bring in the dogs. Fine, no problem. Gypsy walks in, and poohs right there! We always have a bag, so , no problem... we relaxed, had a margarita, and some ceviche, We're always trying to figure out our  "plan"; what we've learned, is that things just work out how they will!

We have a plan!

For now at least.  I (Karin) am going to take the Toyota on the ferry to San Carlos tomorrow night.  Joe is going to singlehand the boat 74 miles to San Carlos and I will then continue on with the car to Rocky Point and find a marina, leave the car and take a bus back to San Carlos. We will set off island exploring until the middle of July and then park the boat in Rocky Point and head back to the house in Scottsdale to put it up for sale. In Sept. we'll. return to the boat and head towards Costa Rica. Whew! 

June 14 2013

Random pics around Santa Rosalia.

Santa Rosalia Update, Analysis Paralysis

We've been here for a week and a half, taking the dogs for walks in the evenings, meeting very friendly people along the way. They're all interested in Gypsy! The rest of the time, we've been retrieving the car from Ensenada, cleaning up the boat, and trying to decide where we're going next!

After analyzing several options, we're heading north for Bahia de Los Angeles. We may be leaving the boat in July, so finding the right spot for hurricane season is a challenge. There are several to choose from, each with their own pros and cons, so we've decided to decide later!

We purchased a small computer here, that only speaks Spanish!,  I'll try to break the language barrier and get some photos on here, a picture is worth a thousand palabras.

Santa Rosalia is a quaint small mining town, with very friendly people, beautiful unique architecture,  really good food and virtually no Americans. We're really enjoying it here.
We took a little trip in the car yesterday to Mulege and then an off road adventure.  Baja is truly beautiful and much of it uninhabited
 Many thanks, to those who take the time to check up on us, we'll keep you posted!  Photos coming when we get wi fi for the English speaking computer.