Re-adjusting to Loreto

Jan 14 to Jan 18 2011
Enjoying my first day back in Loreto. Laid in the 80 degree sun most of the day. And I got my motorcycle put back together and functional. Took a ride for the first time in weeks, out along a deserted dirt road along the coast north of town.

Made a major decision, I went ahead and paid for a full month here in this nice RV park. Really good discount if you do a month at a time. Three hundred dollars for a month, that's almost as cheap as most of the rough-it  beach camp areas, yet full hookups, wifi, laundry and hot showers. It may sound like an easy choice, but it kind of goes against my philosophy of wanting to stay fluid and spontaneous. But what the heck, I like it here. And it avoids driving, gas fill ups have been my major expense. Come mid February, I plan to head to the west coast for whale watching.

Got an invite to go fishing! Had to set an alarm clock (only the second time in 3 months). Wonderful day out fishing, people around us hooking up yellowtail like crazy, but we got skunked. Spent the last half of the day site seeing out on the boat. Really great looking deserted beaches and coves, sea lion colony, clear tropical looking waters, all with an exquisite pastel hued mountain back drop. Gorgeous day. 

fishing on south side of Coronado Island, about 8 miles off Loreto

sea lion colony

north side of Coronado

deserted sandy cove, below an ancient volcano, can hike to top

except for the mountain back drop, this scene could be from the South Pacific

Seattle journey

Jan 5 to Jan 13 2011
Won't go into too many details, but had a good time seeing all the relatives and we gave grandpa a good send off. He was a truly wonderful man. My whole family was there, nice visiting and seeing everyone. Spent the week lending support and helping organize the estate. Did some shopping, bought my motorcycle battery, a special wifi antenna and a small Costco run for specialties. Then back to Loreto via LAX. Left Seattle with two inches of snow, arrived Loreto at 80 degrees...............

Horizon turbo prop into Loreto, Bombardier Q400

I brought back a whole extra suitcase with my new supplies. I checked the suitcase as luggage, hoping the battery would make it thru security (because I knew it wouldn't go thru carry-on). The TSA regulations are a bit iffy regarding such things. Everything arrived in Loreto safely, but Mexican customs confiscated my Oberto pepperoni meat sticks, at least my battery and the other items made it ok.

Reality Strikes

Jan 4 2011
Bad news arrives, ex father-in-law died today up in Seattle. Have to go up there ASAP.
Lucky to be where I am, got the emails quickly, and Loreto has the only airport for 400 miles in either direction. Make arraignments to fly out the next day.

Still chillin' in Loreto

Dec 26 to Jan 4 2011
Having a good time just getting to know this town. My RV park is about 6 blocks from town center, so lots of restaurants and stores to check out. I'm finding some really tasty (and cheap) sidewalk eating. Discovered a gringo watering hole called Augies's, it has satellite TV (thusly American football) and a fine happy hour with free food.

Loreto harbor, on the Malecon near Augie's

Tried to go for a motorcycle ride and the bike wouldn't start. Not enough power getting to the starter system.  Charged up the battery, still no go. Had the whole thing torn apart looking for wiring problems or bad electricals. Finally figured out it was just a weak battery that wasn't accepting a full charge. So much for being an electronics genius. Now the real problem, finding a specialized battery in this town. Found a place that would order one, but they couldn't guarantee it would be correct kind (part numbers didn't translate well). Walked back to the store three days in a row, hadn't come in yet (maybe tomorrow they say, again).

RV park where I've been for most of the past few weeks

Really getting to know this town. No supermarkets, just lots of small family run stores. No central suppliers, so every little food store has different items. Usually have to hit 2 or 3 stores to end up with a choice of good veggies and fruits. But it is fun, kind of feel like a hunter-gatherer thing. Been looking for tarter sauce and good coffee for weeks. Twenty different kinds of hot sauces, but no tarter sauce anywhere (still have lots of frozen yellowtail I need to eat). Finally found both at a "delicatessen" that caters to American tastes. They also had Bob's Bigboy blue cheese dressing, what a find.

favorite local store