We were run out of San Juanico by Miss Henriette. Oh well. All of the NOAA images showed a direct hit. As we contemplated our options, it was clear that the smart thing to do was to leave. Peter was willing to chance it and he would have battened down the hatches if he were alone. But, since his blushing bride was rapidly losing her shit, he quickly began the packing frenzy. ;As it turns out, the storm lost steam and went west. San Juanico probably got some of the rain but that's about it. If we'd stayed, I'm sure the storm would have razed the town. So, I'm glad that we left but I'm still dreaming of nice, easy, magical longboard waves that I missed. Until next summer...
We drove away from the point at a high rate of speed under gorgeous blue skies littered with big, puffy clouds. It was hard to imagine that a storm was approaching. That's probably what everyone says right before they get smacked by a hurricane, "But it was such a beautiful day and then all of a sudden I was drowning in my favorite easy chair!" Not to minimize the heartache that is caused by such horrible things, of course.
We drove from San Juanico to Guerrero Negro (600 km) in one day. When we arrived, we managed to be late enough to avoid the security checkpoint. This is a bonus because all they do is ask you for fifty bucks and send you on your way. We went into town in search of some food and a hotel - we were tired. After learning that the first place we stopped at was full, we carried along on the main drag. Shortly after rejoining the traffic, the lights in the entire town went out. This caused an all out retreat on our parts. We remembered a swanky hotel near the roundabout between N/S Baja. I couldn't see much in the lobby to tell me it was fancy, but, the sign in the lobby said it was $85 per night. That was fancy. We were paying $9 to camp at the point. The gentleman at the concierge desk told us we'd earn a 20 percent discount because there was no electricity. I was sold. I could feel my body responding to the fanciness. I wanted a soft bed, running water, maybe a warmish shower. I didn't care there wasn't any electricity. Alas, we opted for another night in Hotel (or maybe Motel?) Blanca. We learned there was an RV park right around back. As soon as we fired up the car to find our camp spot, the lights came back on. Now, I could really see the swank I was missing.
When we entered the "office" for the completely empty RV park, the nice folks who were running it seemed startled. It was as if they'd forgotten that the large lot behind their home was advertised from the road as a campground. They told us not to bother paying for our spot until morning because they didn't have any water. I missed the connection, but, whatever. I was tired. Thankfully, for 20 pesos Peter & I got beer and went off to park the van. It looked as if it was the off season for the RV park - the WAY off season. It looked as if the high season was about 20 years ago. Regardless, Peter & I cracked our beers, let the dogs run a bit and ruminated about the stars. They were gorgeous from our tiny cement slab by the van. the Milky Way was so bright. We finished our beers and packed it in. I made peace with our destination and thanked the higher order for keeping us safe.
The peace offering was immediately eradicated by a few things. First, we were bone tired. We just wanted to bound off into lala land and recharge for tomorrow. But, the mosquito family - extended family - had other ideas for our night. The only way I could keep from being eaten alive was to huddle under the blanket and leave only my nose sticking out to breathe. This made me hot and uncomfortable, but, at least I wouldn't have any bug bites. Soon after I'd figured out how to avoid bites, the yippiest dog in the nation started his nightly program. His voice should have quit after a few minutes. I didn't know dogs could bark that much. He kept on keeping on. Sometimes, when the stars were aligned, the sound of buzzing mingled with the barking. It WAS NOT music to our ears. At some point - I'm assuming close to morning - the dog took a break and a bugle was sounding. No kidding. I think I might have slept for about 5 minutes altogether. How restful.
Needless to say, we left at first light to get the hell out of hell. As we pulled out, Peter agreed that we should have paid Senor Los Pinos $85 PLUS 20 percent!!
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