Baja: Farewell
June 2005
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Last we spoke, we were heading north from the Todos Santos area to San Juanico. After fully stocking the van with all sorts of goodies and supplies, we drove all day to arrive in the town of San Juanico where we were welcomed by some perfect, knee high waves. The camping in San Juanico was more plush than what we had grown accustomed to in the previous few months. For example, there were cold showers, pit toilets, fresh water (non-potable) available and several other campers and surfers. We knew that this place would be special; however we never could have imagined the good people, good times and amazing surf we would enjoy over the next month and a half. The general plan was to stay through Eric’s birthday on May 11th until the 21st when we would pick up Barbara and Glenn for their visit over Sarah’s birthday.
In the weeks leading up to Eric’s birthday we surfed pretty much every day whether the waves were large or small. The best part about the perfect waves at San Juanico was that even the smallest waves were rideable, making it possible to surf pretty much everyday. When the swell gets big, the wave is so perfect that you can often ride a single wave about a half a mile or more. Our little cliff-side campsite was right on the beach and allowed us to watch the surf at second point and play with Bruce all day long. Once we were both acclimatized to surfing the perfect right-hand point break, we realized how truly special this place really was. So we stayed. And stayed. And stayed.
Reunions and new friends: Let me start by saying that Baja is really not that big of a place when you consider just the surf destinations and the handful of people that bog off the beaten path to camp in the dirt for surf. We ran into our friend Jay, who we had previously met at Punta Conejo, on our second day in San Juanico. It was really cool to spend a couple more days hanging out again, even if the surf was a little small. After Jay left we got to know several other people camping and surfing at the spot including Tom Rowe, Joe Kenney and pretty much everyone else out in the water each day. One couple we met, Scott and Sara, were from Flagstaff Arizona where Eric went to college. Scott is one of the guys behind the Pay’n Take which is a must see destination for those that find themselves in downtown Flagstaff. On Eric’s birthday Joe offered to take us out on his sailboat for a sail around the bay. The stiff wind lurking outside the bay made for a realistic experience as we cruised around. The combination of fun surfing, new friends, sailing and all of the nice little things done by Sarah made for a truly memorable birthday. We wrapped the day up with a visit into town for pizza and tequila with a whole gang of people.
For the next few days we continued to surf the point everyday and enjoy our surroundings. We got word that Eric’s parents, Glenn and Barbara, were working on flying down to Mexico to meet us. We got our plans together and figured out that we could meet up with them in the town of Loreto, only a half day’s drive from San Juanico. We decided to stay put until Glenn and Barb’s arrival at the end of the month. During the next few weeks we enjoyed the company of several fellow campers, including a group of 12 or so retired guys from California. They camped next to us for several weeks and we couldn’t have asked for better neighbors. One afternoon Eric was inside the van doing something and Sarah was outside rinsing off under the solar shower. Suddenly, Sarah could be heard talking and laughing with someone. Lo and behold, it was our friend Manual from San Clemente. Manual was there with his friend Mark for a little summertime surf vacation. We were so happy to see them and had a blast surfing the swell that seemed to arrive just as they did.
After about 20 days or so, it was time to head to Loreto to meet up with Glenn and Barbara. We decided to take a slightly more adventurous route to Loreto by going through the mountains via La Purisima and then heading due east. The route proved to be hot and pretty rough so we decided we would take a mellower route with the parentals on the way back. We arrived in Loreto with enough time to secure a camping spot at a little campground called Rivera Del Mar. We were fixing a broken drawer handle when we met a guy named Martin. Martin hailed from Davis, California and was an extremely kind and generous guy. Eric ended up going for an early morning scuba diving mission with Brad and Martin. Brad was a friend of Martin’s who was doing marine research in the area for Scripps Institute. We saw all sorts of beautiful marine life in the area including eels, sergeant majors, and endless coral. The fun was short lived as my tank didn’t have much air in it, so I snorkeled while Martin and Brad collected Scallops. We went snorkeling for chocolate clams and ended up preparing the freshest, free, seafood lunch we had ever had. We learned the secret to cooking fresh scallops too!
Despite the fun of diving, the highlight of the day was definitely when we went to the Loreto international airport and watched Glenn and Barb’s plane land. It was so wonderful to see them, especially since they arrived ready for adventure and had come to meet us. We had already made plans to head back to San Juanico with them the next morning so we went out for some dinner in Loreto before spending the night in the van at the RV park. It was the first time we slept 4 adults in the van with Glenn and Barb on the bottom while we slept up in the upper bunk. The next morning we got supplies and headed south/west toward Ciudad Insurgentes en route to San Juanico with the van in the lead and Glenn and Barb in their rented Jeep Liberty. We had such a blast over the next week celebrating Sarah’s birthday, complete with a surprise birthday cake and birthday surf session. We made great food in the palapa, ate breakfast at the restaurant, walked the beaches, and most of all just hung out and visited. It was a great vacation for us because we got to connect with family after feeling so far away from our friends and family. Glenn and Barb treated us to a night in a hotel with a swimming pool in Loreto for their final night in Baja. We went for an amazing dinner and slept the night away in our cozy beds. The next morning, we sadly parted with Glenn and Barb before heading back to San Juanico.
For the final few weeks of our time in Baja we enjoyed the company of our friends from Boston, Sharon and Conner. We had first met them earlier in the winter at Alejandro’s and then bumped into them again in San Juanico. Sharon and Sarah had a blast surfing together, watching each other progress each day and encouraging one another. Eric and Conner also got to surf together and hang out watching and video-taping the girls do their thing. Good times for sure, we miss you guys!! The big final surprise was the arrival of Sarah’s brother, Noah, and his buddy from Australia, Matt. Meeting up with family in such a cool place is the best feeling in the world. The first full day that Noah and Matt were there, Sarah and Eric shared their first wave together, it was truly memorable. Later that session, Sarah shared a wave with Noah, too. Sarah definitely stole the show. She had spent the last month practicing and developing her surf skills and we were all so proud to watch her share it with Noah. She got to where she could catch just about any wave she wanted and would find her way on to the glassy face of the wave, setting up for some really long rides. It was so fun to watch her everyday.