To get to Baja California, Mexico we wanted to have an easy crossing for our first time driving into Mexico, so we picked the small town of Tecate, from a quiet area in California. This was a 500 mile drive from the Grand Canyon, which for us tortoises meant a few days. We split the journey into 3 days. The first day we drove to a small town called Congress. This was just past the Granite Mountain Hotshot Memorial Park, and we had time to do some of the memorial hike, see the plaques to the men and see the area they worked in before the fire killed them. Having seen the film, Only the Brave, it was very moving.

That night we parked up by a Pioneers cemetery, this was interesting, we saw how they made their graves, even though it is now quite rundown. It was full of cacti, and we were pleased to see our first saguaros, the classic shaped cacti!

We then drove on to Yuma, and had an interesting time visiting the old prison, now a museum, and enjoyed the town’s lively main street in the evening. We went into a place called Lutes Casino, on a recommendation. We don’t usually go into casinos, but this wasn’t one, just a friendly locals bar full of American memorabilia! And of course another film connection that Mark wanted to act out:-

The following day we entered our 24^th State, California! Initially we drove into a sandstorm, then the rain came. We noted the landscape changed, it became much more green, with lush green grass and a variety of trees, nice! We enjoyed a quiet night in a state park, Potrero, in the rain, watching the many ground squirrels go about their business. We took time to made sure we had all our documentation ready for the border crossing the next day.

Then Mexico, just a short hop into a new country! In all, the border crossing took about 40 minutes. We had to get our passports checked, sign a short form, and then go to another office to pay for the visa, then take proof of payment back to the original officer, and that was it. We were in Mexico!

First impressions – buildings and shops look much more run down than we are used to seeing, but there are bright colours everywhere, and street dogs! This first part of the countryside was also quite green and there was a lot of agricultural activity. People smile and wave. The roads are in a much poorer condition too, but drivers generally seemed more patient. In the days to come we noticed lots of roadside rubbish and many incomplete buildings.

We drove into Valle de Guadalupe, a wine producing area. It was great to see the well-tended vines, some beautiful boutique type buildings, accommodation and wine tasting areas. They seem to be catering to mainly American tourists, as California is so close. This area is also quite a big olive producing area, which we hadn’t expected. It got us in the mood to do some wine tasting and we had a trip planned to a nearby wine producer. Even better, from Marks point of view, our parking spot for the night was in the car park of a local brewery. Of course we had to show our gratitude for the parking spot, by buying a few beers!!

The main street in Francisco Zarko, where we parked up for our first night in Mexico, was a bit like some of the areas we had cycled through in India. There were lots of makeshift food stands and shops, and street dogs wandering around, but it all seemed nice and friendly. We cycled out to Adobe Guadalupe, a very smart winery, its wine tasting room is a replica of a Spanish Mission. We tasted some nice Mexican wines, and had some tapas style food from the food truck. There were a lot of American tourists coming through.

After an evening of more drinking, Mark feeling he had to support the brewery we were staying at, and chatting with the owner and her friends we left the following day to continue our journey south, over the mountains, to hopefully see the grey whales!

Our next stop was the seaside town of San Felipe. There is a shocking amount of litter along the side of the road. On the mountain road over toward San Felipe we passed a convoy of soldiers all with their bandannas round their faces and machine guns pointing outwards. There must have been at least 20 vehicles, and a hundred soldiers, hopefully they have done a manoeuvre and everything is safe in the direction that we’re going!!  We drove through two military checkpoints on the way over to San Felipe neither of them was interested in checking us, good news! 

The terrain started to become more desert like. It was great to see the Ocotillo’s with their little red flowers out in bloom. And then we could see the Sea of Cortez, such a lovely colour turquoise.

Eventually we got to San Felipe, mmm! It was like a Mexican Rhyl or Porthcawl, lots of Mexican cheap souvenirs, lots of cheap bars and stands selling piña coladas (obviously this isn’t like Rhyl or Porthcawl). It was nice to watch the fishing boats launch and return, from the beach; we could have bought fresh fish from somebody walking along the beach if we had wanted to. Again, lots of rubbish, even on the beach, including broken glass bottles and dead fish. Still, interesting to see and even better to leave. 

The next morning after watching a beautiful sunrise we drove along the Sea of Cortez further south. It was a nice drive along the turquoise sea and lots of inlets, and along this section of the road there wasn’t too much rubbish, I guess because it’s a quiet road. We found a quiet little bay, just us and two other vans camped up, and enjoyed strolling along the beach watching pelicans and Magnificent Frigatebirds cruising around.

After a restful evening, we drove on through the Sonora desert looking at the Cardon Cacti and the Ocotillo’s in the Valle de los Cirios, Valley of the Candles, which has many Cirio trees, known as Boojum trees, the first we had seen; they really do look like figures of imagination. 

The driving here gets a bit tougher. The road is quite narrow, and when other vehicles are approaching Mark has to try and hold a good line, which can be difficult on bumpy, potholed roads. This is made even more challenging as we are in a right hand drive vehicle, so I have to pay good attention and be Marks eyes for the centre of the road! There was one section of road, about 18 miles long, where the road surface had been planed off ready for renewal, we saw three guys working on it – it may take a while and no doubt when we do the return journey will have to endure this section again!. This was a very rough patch, almost as bad as washboard roads we have been driving over. But, without any mishaps, we got to Guerrero Negro in time to have our first fish tacos for lunch, as recommended to us by Dolly’s Diary, thank you! After stocking up on provisions, we drove through the Salt flats and salt production area, across more washboard roads to reach Laguna Ojo de Liebre, one of the areas where the grey whales come to in Baja California. We drove through the long, narrow campground to find a nice camping spot, as recommended to us by fellow British travellers, Jill and Mike, who are a bit ahead of us in their travels. From this spot we could hear the whales blowing/breathing and see them pop out of the water. The first night we could see one whale was not moving, clearly stuck, and had birds perched on its back. We were so worried about this whale, but the next morning it had gone, being able to free itself with the tide, phew!

We got to go out on a whale tour! We had made it in time to go out in the bay, see the Grey Whales and watch as they interacted with the many boats in the laguna. Boat operators have to be licenced to work here, and the season is quite short, about three months. The whales travel down from Alaska, where they have been feeding themselves up. They come to Mexico to give birth and mate. They then return back to Alaska, a 12,000 mile round trip. This migration is one of the longest for mammals, they cover about 75 miles per day and don’t tend to feed on the way, relying on their body fat. These creatures are amazing, very gentle and curious about the boats around them. They do approach the boats, and it is hard to resist reaching out to touch them. I am still not sure that this is the right thing to do, I have subsequently read that diseases can pass between humans and whales. Someone in our boat decided he would try and kiss a whale. He didn’t tell anyone, and subsequently fell in the water, and was quickly dragged out. It was hard not to laugh, and I think he felt very stupid! We later spoke to someone else who said she had been supported to kiss a whale; I am not sure why people feel it is necessary to do this! Still, it was a great privilege to see the whales and have some interaction with them. We have seen different whales in different locations and this is the closest we have been to them.

A very good benefit of this location was the numerous Ospreys. There are quite a few nests here, with residents, and we were lucky enough to see one couple feeding their chicks. Coming from the UK, where there are very few, it is so lovely to see the numerous Ospreys here, sometimes called Fishing Eagles, and we are constantly amazed how visible and close to humans they are. Seeing one sitting by a pelican made us appreciate how big the pelicans are!

Later that day, and for a few subsequent days we were able to sit outside Shaun listening to the Ospreys which have a surprisingly high-pitched call, listening to the whales breathing as they swam up and down the channel we were parked by. We listened to the numerous sandpipers cheep away as they actively look for food, as well as Godwits , and watched their almost murmuration style flying. Our park up spot here was possibly the best location we have stayed in, to date…………

Whilst we were at this spot, we heard there was to be a lunar eclipse with a Blood Moon. I was determined to stay awake for it, and it was great to see. We were lucky too, as that afternoon a storm had blown through and we had been worried about visibility, as you can see that was not a problem!

So, our first goal for Mexico has been achieved, seeing the grey whales. Another purpose of our trip was to allow our US visa to reset, and that has been achieved. We are now doing a bit of gentle exploring of the Baja California peninsula before going back to the USA. Some beach time and sunshine are beckoning! Sounds relaxing??