Baja to Crowsnest
It was time to hit the road again.
After 6 months of cactus and sand I was ready for some new scenery. I was sad to leave my dogs that had adopted me behind but our time at the Baja Sunrise RV Park was over. As Matt hooked up the camper, I pet the dogs and cried; being absolutely no help to my poor husband, but he knew it would happen and was prepared. We hugged our friends that were left in the park goodbye and we were on our way.
We left early; the sun was just coming up as we hooked up. We hit Hwy 5 and began the slow and arduous process of navigating the twists and turns combined with steep grades that is the #5 Hwy to La Paz. It was smooth going as usual with my fearless leader behind the wheel.
We navigated the chaos that is La Paz and once through, enjoyed the serenity of country highway to Playa Santispac. We pulled into Santispac, paid our 2 hundred peso and went and picked our location. It’s a truly magical spot. A quiet bay with warm shallow water and plenty of room for everyone to spread out.
We woke up nice and early and were on our way to see our friends in San Ignacio. Within a couple of hours we reached our destination and than began the navigation of Gronk and Denzel in Don Chon’s RV Park; which is right next to our friends place; Ignacio Springs Bed and Breakfast. Matt of course got us settled in and we went off next store to visit.
Ignacio Springs is an oasis in the Baja. If you threw a dart dead center of Baja you would hit San Ignacio. Ignacio springs has beautifully designed yurts with A/C and full bathrooms as well as the fact that it is right on a fresh water spring. A full bar, good meals and a friendly relaxed environment where you can meet people from all over the world makes Ignacio Springs a special treat for us. The town of San Ignacio is charming as well. The historic town center has gigantic trees surrounding its plaza and is offset by one my favorite missions and museums. Not to mention the colorfully painted restaurants and stores that surround the plaza offering their wares and delicious meals.
After a brief but refreshing visit with our friends we were once again off. On the way down we had stayed at Rancho Grande in Gonzaga Bay but we got there to early this time and decided to carry on to San Felipe. We ended up at a place called Pete’s Camp just north of San Felipe. It was very nice and clean, with cement pads and patio covers for each spot. It was right on the beach as well but when we were there the tide was about a mile out so we didn’t dip our toes in the water.
The next morning we got up bright and early to tackle the border. We missed a turn and went around a round about twice. We got yelled at and whistled to keep going and take the turn behind the guards; which meant driving up the road, doing a u-e and getting in our lane from the east and opposed to from the west; which is the direction we came from. After that gong show we sat in line for 2 hours and then were
pulled for inspection. No biggie; except they took my tomatoes and avocado’s.
With that behind us we headed northeast to one of our favorite places; Lake Martinez Arizona. Behind the Yuma proving grounds is where you will find this perfect little community in the desert. It has a campground for full hook ups a dump station and water hose for 5$, a gas station, grocery store, bait and tackle shop, dispersed camping for 10$ and if you want real peace and quiet you can go out in the desert and camp for free on the BLM land (Bureau of Land Management Land). There is also a bar and a boat dock as well as miles and miles of off road trails. The sunsets are a stunning array of red’s, pink’s and purple’s and at the right time of the year you can watch the starlings do their dance in the sky. And if your into barbecue, just down the 95 going south is one of the best barbecue joints/antique/thrift stores you will ever eat at called Dirty South Barbecue. The area is truly is a little slice of heaven.
Alas our time in Lake Martinez was short as we had to get checked in our campground in Lake Havasu; The Crazy Horse Campground. Crazy Horse is on the island across the famous London Bridge and was by far the biggest campground I had ever stayed at. It was right on the beach and had its own docks for boaters as well as a bar, a grocery store, pool and security. As it was mid-May when we arrived I learned quickly to wake up early and get everything done or suffer the smothering heat. Every morning I would go for my walk down to London Bridge and through the canal and get all my errands done prior to noon. I went and bought Reflectix (shiny bubble wrap to deflect heat) and proceeded to cover all 8 windows I had facing south as I got the sun in the windows all day. My poor air conditioners got a work out but I was impressed at their efforts fighting back the 42 degree weather.
After 2 weeks of cabin fever it was time to hit the road again. We powered through the first night and stayed in a gas station lot I found on I-overlander for the night outside of Heyburn Idaho. The next day we were up early and made it from Heyburn, Idaho to Crowsnest Pass Alberta by 6:30 pm.
I am pretty happy to be back in the green mountains and will enjoy my time in Canada. All in all we drove 3887 kilometers and spent 2337$ on fuel. Keep in mind fuel is at an all time high right now as I publish this article and our trusty Denzel is pulling upwards of 17-18000 pounds. The trip was an uneventful one; which we needed after our trip down in October was more exciting than either of us wanted. That’s the thing about travel; you have to take the lulls with the highs, its all part of the journey. And most importantly; enjoy the ride.