The Adventures of Familia Bajaboy

 We have been pretty consistent with our daily workouts.  Most days we hike, run, or mountain bike.  And now, most afternoons we boogie board and get in some swimming, too.  Today we drove out to the mostly abandoned fishing village of San Roque for our hike.  The loop starts with a climb of about a mile before the trail heads west to a small house used by the vigilancia.  Our town has two fishing cooperatives.   Each one has people who patrol the coast looking for potential poachers and to keep an eye on their fishing grounds.   There are fishing cooperatives up and down the coast of Baja and Baja Sur.   It’s reassuring knowing someone is around especially when in the middle of nowhere.   If you come across one of the vigilancia, I recommend saying hola and maybe offering up something cold to drink.   I have been rewarded more than once over the years with a bit of kindness. Once at the house, the trail loops back to the villag...

 Someone recently asked me this question and here is my response. My grandfather used to take my dad down to Baja. I fondly recall my dad telling me stories of them camping in Ensenada as a kid. Then my dad eventually started exploring Baja as a young man. He drove to Cabo San Lucas before the road was completed. He spent a month or so there before returning. As far as I know, my first time in Baja I was only months old. We camped all over Baja as a kid. I can remember many birthday parties sitting around campfires. My grandparents bought a place next to the old Fox Studios. I used to collect mussels at low tide and fish the rocky areas around there. My first drink was at the Rosarito Hotel...I think I was about 14. I always thought I would inherit my grandparents' place. Sadly my grandfather died of a massive stroke when I was 17 or 18. I went on my pilgrimage to Baja when I was 27 or so. My buddy and I drove my 1993 Tacoma down to Cabo and back fishing, camping, and living the li...

 I love exploring YouTube videos.  Today I came across this great video of some of the beaches south of our village.  One of the great things about Bahia Asuncion is the variety of beaches.  To the north, the beaches remind me of the coast south of Monterey, California.  In town and to the south, the beaches are very similar to Southern California beaches with wide open sandy beaches.  I hope you enjoy the video!

My amigo Daniel Powell had a great piece about Bahia Asuncion published in the San Diego Reader a few years ago.  It's a great read.   Link to the story

Gabriel Goes To Asuncion 10/25/2008 The truck was packed, we loaded up the cats, Tracy fed Gabriel, and off to Baja we went. It was about 5:15am when we finally left the house. My mom decided to follow us down as this would be her maiden voyage. We stopped at the border to pick up our FMT permits and were on the road by 6:08. Our plan was to drive all the way as we had done in the past but if we needed to we’d stay the night in Guerrero Negro. We left the door open as we weren’t certain as to how well Gabriel, Jack, or Cleo would travel. As it turned out, they all did fabulously. Gabriel was a dream and the cats were great, too. That is, after Jack peed all over himself and we let him out of his cage, he was fine. We arrived here about 7:30pm or so taking our time on the drive. It was great to be back. I unpacked the truck while Tracy introduced Gabriel to our neighbors (Angela, Luis). It didn’t take us long to settle in but the cats were full of...

I left San Diego on Monday, June 30 about 4:30 am. I have a pretty solid routine now getting up at 4:00 am, showering, making coffee, and on the road by 4:30 or so. If I have my FMT (tourist permit), I might sleep in a bit more. Anyways, I drove to TJ and got the green light from Immigration. I had received the red light my last couple of trips so I was a bit apprehensive. I’m always bringing things down…nothing major…but I hate putting myself in a compromising position. Well, no worries this time. I park the truck and walk to the Immigration office for my FMT. Low and behold, I walk in and find two young ladies working the office. Usually, I have to wake up a grumpy old man and hope he’s in a good mood. Well, the young ladies had me on my way in record time. After making a detour through TJ as there is road construction, I was at Playas about 5:20. A big sigh of relief came out of me. Once I’m on the toll road, I feel comfortable. I head down the road alone….there is no tr...

Bahia Asuncion, Baja California Sur, Mexico Well it finally happened....we own a home and land in Baja . We bought a lot with a small two bedroom house in Bahia Asuncion, Baja California Sur , Mexico. I've dreamed of one day having property in Baja for most of my life. My grandparents used to have a place in Rosarito Beach and I always envisioned that I would spend many years there. Unfortunately after my grandfather passed, the place was sold. So journey after journey to Baja , I would dream about if and when I might have a place and where it would be. Well the dream is now reality. Bahia Asuncion is located 70 miles south of Highway 1 and Vizcaino . The turn-off is about 50 miles from the Baja Norte / Sur border and Guerrero Negro. The town has a population of about 4,000 although it "feels" more like 2,000. Many of the residents live in the nearby fishing camps and thus could explain the disparity. The primary source of income is from the ocean. The...

Overview My wife, Tracy, and I decided to make the most of our summer and head to Baja for 16 days. We had a very flexible agenda and schedule with only a few areas that we needed to visit. First, we were going to visit our friends Juan and Shari in Bahia Asuncion. Second, we planned on visiting our friends Mark and Lidia Rockwell at Elias Calles, just south of Todos Santos. After that, it didn't really matter. Being that our trip was in the middle of July, though, with the heat and humidity setting in along the Sea of Cortez, most of our trip would likely occur on the Pacific. The week prior to our trip, I had completed Ironman Coeur d'Alene so I was in the mood to relax a bit. I envisioned camping along empty beaches, doing some reading and napping, and then enjoying an afternoon dip in the ocean. If I got some energy I might pick up my fishing pole and practice some casts. Otherwise, the goal was to recover, relax, and enjoy time with my wife. The Journey Begins: Da...