Friday, March 21, 2014

Baja Mexico Vacation!!

Hi friends! I can't remember the last time Del and I had a vacation together! Yes, we had little getaways for the weekend but a whole week….so excited! The trip started with a 350 mile drive by car to Los Angeles. 

This is highway 5 it looks the same all the way to LA. In LA we meet up with our friends Mark and Louanna. Now I'm not gonna lie, I was a little freaked out about going to Mexico for many reasons. The border, the checkpoints, riding a motorcycle, the federalies, the water, just to name a few. Nonetheless I was excited to get away! Our final destination is San Ignacio, Baja to see the whales. 

First stop Ensenada, Baja. Here we are at dinner! Yum... 

Here's one of the checkpoints. No big deal…they pretty much waved us through most of the time. Nothing to be scared about!! That's me in the back. 

And no trip is complete unless you stay in a hot pink hotel, a little different then the Double Tree. The little towns in Baja don't have power from a power company they run on generators. So we only had power from about 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm. 

After a few days of riding we make it to San Ignacio. BEAUTIFUL!! SUNNY!! WARM!! Feeling so very blessed. 

We check into our "yurt", our canvas sided room. It was huge inside. Very fun!

Now for a little dip in the laguna to cool off after the days ride. 

The little town of San Ignacio has this beautiful church. 

The detail was amazing! 

Loved this doorway looking through the church to the outside gardens. 

Now off to see the whales. A van picks us up in the morning for a 60 minute ride, mostly dirt, to the coast. Then 6 of us pile into a little boat to see the whales. 

Off in the near distance we see our first whale.

Here is a baby coming out of the water. 

It's simple amazing that these enormous animals will come right up to the boat! Louanna was able to touch the mother here. Then the mother dove under the boat but did bump us before her dive. 

And here I am touching the baby. What makes them come so close? Unbelievable! This area in San Ignacio is a protected reserve for the grey whales. They have their babies here and the way the currents are the food source is plentiful for them. This time of year the males have already started their migration north and the mothers and babies stay for a while longer. 

This is the boat. Not so big!! 

The driver of the boat has been a fishermen here for over 25 years and has lived in this village his whole life. 

Relaxing under the palm trees! 

Packing up for our journey home! 

Next stop Bay of Los Angeles on the Sea of Cortez. The water is a beautiful deep blue! Breathtaking! 

Love the cactus against the blue sky.

This is a gas stop, not a station…they have 1 gallon and 5 gallon jugs of gas for sale. 

A quick stop in La Bufadora. 

Of corse we had to see the Blowhole. 

The coast at La Bufadora. 


An AMAZING journey! We rode 200-250 miles each day for a total of 1650 mile on that little seat! Yes my bum was soar for a few days. The trip was well worth it!!

Thanks for stopping by! 
Richele