Memorial Day was Baja time, once again. Pandro drove down from LA and we loaded up. Bruce had called us previously on Chris' cell phone and warned us that Hielo Estrella, the icehouse where we normally ice-up, was iceless. Thanks to Katherine at The Net in San Felipe for confirming the persisting icelessness. Given that information, I filled the coolers with US block ice. US block ice isn't as good as the stuff we get at Hielo Estrella, but it's a lot better than cubes! We hit the road and got to San Felipe in about 4.5 hours. We went to Hielo Estrella to see if they had ice, as Eddie ad Donna were coming down the next day. Lo and behold, there was still no block ice in town.
We stocked up on essentials and headed to the Telcel outlet. On one hand, being incommunicado has its advantages, but having emergency communications does too. Cathy wanted a phone, so I offered to install it. Several of our camp mates wanted to chip in for the initial cost, so that was a help. The Mexican government is trying to promote communications in rural areas with populations less than 500. I guess we qualify. The population of Campo La Benedicion (Loncho's Camp) is usually somewhere between 1 and 15. The population of our entire stretch of coast from Juan Pablo's to Punta Bufeo is certainly less than 500. We procured a 3-watt cell phone with a 13-element yagi antenna. The deal with Telcel includes no monthly charge. You simply use Amigo cards to recharge your account. Outgoing calls are costly: 87¢ a minute, but incoming ones are only 17¢ a minute. Local calls are free.
With our chores done, we headed on down the road. I won't even go into the road. You can read about it in one of the previous trips, as it hasn't changed much. One small improvement is worthy of note. The Gonzaga road has been graded for 7 miles south of Puertecitos. The teaser ended abruptly a couple miles south of Campo La Costilla, when the road reverted to its regular bad self. The drive down was the usual bone-rattling ride south of Huerfanito Grade. Pandro's new truck got initiated. Two front shocks, one shredded tire and one trashed rim later, we got into camp. Moral of the story #1, don't forget to air down to about 60 - 75% of normal. Moral of the story #2, replace crappy GM OEM shocks before going anywhere other than the grocery store. The ones on Pandro's truck had a total of 22 offroad miles, 4000 miles total, on them when they blew!
The next day, getting the phone
installed was a priority. We couldn't launch anyway, because the
quarter tides were so wimpy. Bruce had benchmarked the antenna
at Punta Estrella on his way down, so aiming it using the GPS
was a cinch. Surprisingly, you had to aim at Isla Cholludo (Encantada)
to hit the tower in San Felipe. Our signal was strong and we were
online soon. If anyone wants our number, drop us an e-mail. After
the antenna was up, we settled in for the afternoon. For further
information, see the 
website. The phones in use down there are Audiovox FC9200A, a
3-watt cell phone that use a yagi. We had a hard time figuring
our how to use it, as it didn't come with a manual. I finally
found one on line through the redesigned Audiovox website. If
you had the same problem, or need one in English and not Spanish,
go here: 
The manual for the PRT9100 is the same
as for the 9200. I never have figured out what the difference
between the two models is.
The weather was nice the first couple days there. The relative humidity was high in the day, up around 50 - 70%. A nice onshore wind blew though, moderating the temperature at around 84°. At dusk, the temperature dropped into the 70s and one night reached the trip low of 65°. We watched satellites and stargazed in the moonless sky. We had dinner around dusk every day after the temperature became more comfortable. Bruce and Chris joined us and brought some grilled pork to add to our pasta.
The strong onshore produced a choppy sea for fishing. We fished close to shore the first few days and had little success, even for bass. On Saturday, a front blew through and the offshore wind blew all day, making it unpleasant to go out, so we stayed ashore. Eventually, on Sunday, it calmed down and we made it to the Cabrilla spot. We got some small Leopard Grouper and some keeper bass. Pandro and Ed had a couple Brown Boobies keeping them company, with Isla Lobos as a backdrop.
Pandro and Ed fished.
As did Bruce and Christine.
Bruce got a decent load for fish tacos. Click on the fish for a closeup of the bass haul.
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The gulls kept a watch over the beach for the spoils.
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