“Now I feel like we are in Mexico” said John as we drove into the small town of Guerro Negro just north of the Baja Norte/Sur border. Dusty streets, fading signs for “Llantas, Tecate, Abarrotes”, and beat up cars with loud speakers blaring the weekends upcoming fiestas. The search for “agua pura” and more tequila comes after an incredible first two weeks back in Mexico.
Driving 8 hours straight into Baja California Norte our first stop was Punto San Carlos a place renowned for its wave sailing (windsurfing in BIG waves) and surfing. After a 30 mile dirt road in we were so ready for some surf. For three days we started the morning with a surfing session and when the wind picked up the Helleburgs (John and Marcie) got out with the pros to test out the waves. John Hartley hiked up to the top of the Grand Mesa with Lobo while Marcie and Julie took a few more “party waves” in the surf. One of the best surprises about Punto San Carlos is that some regulars to the Solosport campground have maintained and mapped some outstanding mountain bike trails through the rugged Baja terrain. The result is some first class mountain biking through volcanic rocks, packed desert sand, and “the badlands”. Riding your bike on a trail called “Top of the World” was just a great way to watch the sunset after a day in the water and wind.
After three days the wind was definitely getting to us. There had been some Santa Anna winds come through earlier this summer that blew windows out of campers, and we couldn’t even believe that the wind we were experiencing was “mild”. We headed out the road and re-supplied for a long drive to our next famed surf break: Alejandros. After a night of boon docking in some of the famous northern Baja rock and cactus formations we finally made it to the tranquil cove where we would spend the next four nights. Two nights waiting for surf, and three excellent days of a long right wave that gave us 100yrd rides. A few times we had the beach and the waves to ourselves, but as the swell grew, so did the crowd, all the way to three extra surfers! We made friends with Sandra and George who have built a nice house just up from the campground and a short walk to to the break. George wowed us on the first day with some 360s on his longboard, and his friendliness and funny antics on the water. Dutch Sandra gave us some tips for eating the Bismark clams we dug up from the beach, and the langosta we bought from Jorge, the local fisherman, “jefe” and bobcat driver. He is apparently flattening more land for all the tents that show up for the big northern swells this winter. John Helleburg also caught a fish and cooked up some wonderful meals with our abundance of fresh seafood! His idea of heaven was an early morning wake up, a cup of coffee, surf session, a little relaxing, a little fishing, more surfing and then firing up some great pasta and clams for dinner. We had no problem living his dream and helping him finish those plates!
With limited storage for water and food supplies at some point all good things come to an end so we had to move on. Now we are on a short stop in Loreto in Baja Sur for a laundry, internet, car wash, and stock up mission. The next stop will be the famous Scorpion Bay. We are so grateful to John Helleberg for keeping up with the surf forecasts, lending me his longboards, and his enthusiasm for getting us to the surf! Marcie has been a great surf buddy and we can’t wait to play more Frisbee “hot box” to get us in shape! It seems a shame to pass up the beautiful beaches and water of Bahia Conception and the Sea of Cortez, but we are already dreaming of future trips with kayaks and fishing poles.
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