The Last of the Hot Showers... or... On The Road Again...

It's time to head back to the land of "no need to turn the hot water heater on", so today will be my last hot shower for awhile.
Cold showers here I come...
Time to head back to "Meerkat"!

We had a low-key 4th of July with a wonderful dock party and tons of excellent food.
Here is a shot looking down G dock from the top of the ramp:Excellent company as usual with lots of talk of cruising Mexico.
Three boats from our dock will be headed our way in the fall, with another one the year after.
Lemmings... with us being the head lemmings.

More packing of The Beverly Hillbilly Truck this afternoon.
Then we will take my Dad's truck back to my Mom.
Dinner with Marvin tonight, then an early, early exit.

Instead of the two day drive from sunup to sundown, we are planning on taking four days or so and stopping at some of our favorite Baja places along the way.
Blast through Tiajuana and Ensenada and get as far South as possible, as quickly as possible.
Maybe a night at The Old Mill Hotel in San Quintin.
With bacon wrapped shrimp at El Jardin Restaurant...
Breakfast at Mama Espinosa's in El Rosario, where we will look in the old guest books and find my brother's signature from 1973.
Drive, drive, drive.
Lots of chivas up in the mountains.
Amazement at the millions and millions of boulders in Catavina.
Watch out for those cows on the road.
Wave to the road heading out to Bahia de Los Angeles.
Drive, drive, drive.
Into the flats around Guerrero Negro and for once probably bypass the excellent scallops at Malarrimo, unless we decide to stay the night there.
Drive, drive, drive.
More cows.
Through the Vizcaino Desert and up into the oasis in San Ignacio.
Down the Cuesta de Infierno MY LEAST FAVORITE PART OF THIS... the grade from hell.
Ask me about the time we were driving up the hill and a semi-truck was coming down out of control in our lane, about to push my only new car I have ever had in my life, my Nissan Xterra, over the edge, over the guardrail, down the 1000 foot dropoff into never never land, no way would we have survived, no way in hell, and Jim squished my only new car I have ever had in my life up against the guardrail, but didn't scratch my paint, but it didn't matter because by this time I already had cactus scratches down both sides of my only new car I have ever had in my life from the four road trips down Baja, and Bob and Nancy in "Big Blue" were right behind us and they thought the semi had slid and scratched down the port side of my only new car I have ever in my life and had taken the side mirror off, but NO, he missed us by a tiny iota of a hair and we didn't die... and then Nancy called me on the radio to see if we were ok, and for once in my life I couldn't talk... NO NEVER MIND ~ don't ask me about the "time" because it is a really, really bad memory ~ the closest time I have ever been to being pushed over a 1000 foot dropoff by a semi and I probably wouldn't want to talk about it...
But it's better going down than coming up I might still close my eyes and then the first view of the Sea of Cortez - one of may favorite parts...
Into Santa Rosalia and to the beautiful Los Casitas Hotel with it's beautifully decorated rooms and incredible views of the Sea!
Hot Dogs Exquisitos... Can't miss them ~ the only hot dogs I eat. Another favorite!
On past the road to Punta Chivato... with one of the most beautiful beaches in the world... and the shelling is incredible...
In to the oasis of Mulege (Marvin's favorite), fuel up at our favorite Pemex station with it's views of osprey nests on the telephone poles.
Drive, drive, drive.
And then down the hill toward Bahia Concepion with the incredible first view of Playa Santispac!
We loved when we were anchored here...
Then along the bay and a stop at Playa San Buenaventura for the night.
Hopefully we can rent that little house there like we did with my mom a couple years ago.
Then drive, drive, drive to Loreto.
Haven't been here for several years, as Playa San Buenaventura was usually our turnaround spot for our annual road trips.
Drive, drive, drive to La Paz.
I don't know the road from Loreto to La Paz like the back of my hand, the way I know the road from the border to Concepcion.
The last time we did that portion of Baja was nine years ago, when we left "Thistle" in Puerto Vallarta and took the ferry from Mazatlan to La Paz and back. Loooong time ago.
Then to the very dirty boat with the ecosystem growing on the bottom of it's hulls.
Home.

What a wonderful, wonderful visit!
Thanks to all of G dock for a place to stay, the lunches, the incredible dinners, the wine, the parties and the friendship.
You guys are the best!
Welcome to the newest member of G dock, Tristan born July 3rd!
Thanks to H dock, F dock, C dock, Island Packers, Ventura West Marina, thanks to my ex co-workers and boss at Coastal States, thanks to Cherryl for the earrings, thanks to the people in need of watermakers, SSB's and hotwater heaters, thanks to the owners of broken boats, thanks to "Thistle" for needing a little care, thanks to my bro-in-law for driving an hour each way just to see us for three hours, thanks to my sister for taking care of our business, thanks to Jennifer M. for you-know-what, thanks to Mom for everything and the use of Dad's truck which still smells like Dad ~ what is that anyway ~ that spilled fertilizer from 10 years ago?, thanks to the F dock boys for allowing my husband to now have coffee with me each morning instead of them, thanks to Stokely, Cindy, Walt and Virginia for you-now-what, thanks to Nancy and Bob for the case of wine, thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks, THANKS to everyone for an awesome visit!

You are all welcome on "Motel Meerkat" ~ come see us!