Driving through the territory and home of the Baja 1000 – a classic grueling off-road race from Ensenada to La Paz was, quite simply, stunning. Recent rainfall turned the desert green for much of the drive (as a friend said when it rains in Baja, it rains green!). The spectacular mountain backdrops being sometimes replaced by equally stunning ocean views, kept us entertained for pretty much all of the four days that it took to drive from San Diego to La Paz. The road is generally excellent and not far south of Ensenada the traffic becomes the odd car or truck heading in the opposite direction from time to time. There were a few long stretchs with no fuel but it was very clear when these were going to start so keeping the tank full was reasonably easy. The military check points were not problematic and there were only two stretches of highway construction that were roughly 2KM long each and reasonably easy to pass through. I can imagine that in the event of rain, the dirt road bypasses for the construction areas would be a serious problem without 4-wheel drive and fat tires with deep cleats. Fortunately, the sun shone the entire way!

The photo below was taken in one of the long stretches of nothing. The now abandoned fuel station has not been replaced – instead there are couple of people selling fuel from jerry cans by the road side. They only have a few cans each so it is best to get there early in the day before they run out!

Water seemed to be in similarly short supply. Nonetheless we had a very tasty brunch in a humble but pleasant cantina to fortify us for the next leg of the drive. Up into the mountains and over to the east coast of Baja where we stopped in Loreto.

Loreto is the old, historic capital of “Baja”. It is a beautiful little town, on the ocean with a magnificently situated mountain-dominated island just off shore from the city. A well cared for “Malecon” provides an opportunity to enjoy the sea views not many steps away from the historic “old town”. The number of hotels and restaurants available suggests that Loreto must become very busy during the tourist season. From here to La Paz the road passes alongside the ocean and then climbs back into the mountains. This piece of highway must be one of the most beautiful on the planet!

San Diego to El Rosario

We left San Diego at a reasonable hour and after getting off of the freeway enjoyed a pleasant drive on a 2 lane highway to Tecate. Crossing into Mexico was straight forward, perhaps a bit too straightforward. We ended up in downtown Tecate without actually stopping at the border (we tried to, really) and dealing with any immigration formalities. This outcome seemed likely to be fraught with downstream issues so we then dealt with the next most challenging item which was finding a parking place so that we could walk back to the border. Eventually, after much persistence we found the right office at the border and dealt with a very pleasant official and ultimately ended up with the required visas in our passports. Back to the car and then onward to Ensenada.
Following advice from the GPS resulted in taking highway 2 to Tijuana rather than the allegedly more scenic (but slower) highway 3. Nonetheless we bypassed Tijuana and stopped for lunch in an ocean side eatery in La Salina. Beautiful!

Continuing south through Ensenada and then through a bunch of other small places the road shrank from four lanes to two lanes but was still generally very good. Not much traffic, only one construction site and two military checkpoints. We were only required to stop at the second where we explained we were on vacation and sent on our way.
The road continued to be very good and certainly much better than many roads in New Zealand that are more heavily travelled. We passed through many small places where the highway was the only paved road and it had large speed bumps to tame traffic through the town. We also passed by massive sun screened fields producing the copious Mexican field crops that are so abundant in most North American supermarkets.
We rolled into El Rosario at about 6 PM. Having left San Diego at 9, it turned out to be a long day. Slight disappointment was encountered when the recommended Lobster Burritos were not available at the highly recommended Mama’s, the restaurant next to the motel. This outcome being highly reminiscent of the closed Cozy Dog Drive In encountered in Springfield, Illinois where we had hoped to consume a corn dog in the establishment where they were invented. So in el Rosario we had some delicious tacos instead!

The Grand Canyon is indeed very grand and it is quite challenging to capture its scale in a photo. Nonetheless, here is a quick pic:

We walked about 10KM of the Canyon Rim Trail and we were surprised by how few people we met on the trail. It seems that the vast majority of people take shuttle buses from viewpoint to viewpoint and avoid actually having to walk! Taking the train to the Canyon from Williams also helped create a more bygone era ambiance as we did not have to sit in a traffic jam or circle endlessly looking for a parking spot at the visitor centre. At the latter, the serious throngs of people make it clear the location is a significant geological feature for the planet. Large numbers of very diverse people are everywhere in and about the various new and historic buildings. The train back was in a Pullman car that was complete with Arizona air-conditioning – this means that the windows could be opened.

Williams, the last location on the real Route 66 to be bypassed, was buzzing during the two days of our visit. There was a rodeo, a “train” day, when historic locomotives and cars were on display and a lot of “western” entertainment on the streets. As an important jumping off point for the Grand Canyon it has declined as a population and commerce center less than some of the other previously well visited cities and towns on Route 66. However, empty shops were evident and the enthusiasm of local merchants of all kinds to build a Route 66 and Western vibe is likely driven by fear of extinction.

The photo below of a rarely used stretch of Route 66 accurately captures the plight of other previously well traveled and visited stretches of the road.

Yesterday, we traveled from Williams to La Mesa, stopping in Kingman, Arizona for some new tires and oil for the Green Hornet, our 2002 Subaru Impreza 2.5TS. It was 100F (38C) with a warm wind blowing, when we walked the main drag while waiting for the tires and oil. Kingman was however cool and breezy compared to the 112F (45C) temperatures that we encountered in Barstow, California, while crossing the Mojave Desert from Arizona. Too hot to take pictures!

Understanding the impact of highway relocation on the economic well being of communities is not a simple matter. “Jackrabbit” trading post is an iconic feature of Route 66 but when the highway moved so did the fortunes of the trading post. Following a remnant of Route 66 to Jackrabbit was an adventure given that the road is just about done. The trading post continues to do business but it certainly isn’t what it used to be.

On the other hand, the Monterey Motel, fully of Route 66 fans appears to be doing well given its location in Albuquerque but the clientele are largely “fans” and seek this establishment because of what it is, not because of where it is. It is no longer anywhere near a highway and seems to thrive because of nostalgia. Being close to the “old town” of Albuquerque probably doesn’t hurt.

Starting in Chicago at the beginning of historic Route 66, Jackson Ave and Lakeshore, we are travelling to La Paz by a slow, expensive but very interesting route. We passed the mid-point of Route 66 earlier today when we zipped by Vega, Texas after staying the night in Shamrock Texas. The small towns that once fed and hosted many thousands of Route 66 travellers are shrinking if they have been by-passed by the new interstates. Shamrock was once at the intersection of the two highways that traversed America – Route 66 going east-west and 83 going north-south. It is now pretty easy to stand in the middle of that intersection and take photos without worrying about traffic.

These small towns are charming none-the-less – warm, welcoming and very friendly people who are genuinely happy that you are visiting. Enormous work and energy going into renovations, refurbishments and recording of history to be sure that the remarkable political, social and engineering achievements associated with the creation and operation of Route 66 from its inception in the early 1900’s are well documented and preserved.

We are trying whenever possible to stay in the small places and in the motels that served so many people over the years. Many of these places have been beautifully refurbished and we are surrounded by other people who are keenly interested in tracing Route 66. The proprietors in general are keen to build their business on the people who are seeking to know more about the history of this famous road and are happy to provide very good value for a room given that the premises are dated. Though dated, the places that we have used have been very comfortable and we have been very well looked after. These are classic motels without the frills but as a nod to modernity they have free WiFi.

Much of the original highway is gone, paved over or chopped up into short sections. We were able to drive on the real thing in Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and for a short stretch in New Mexico. The big interstate highways are just much easier to use and despite the enormous number of cars and trucks on them, they are easy to navigate and comfortable to drive on. The old road is often running alongside the new road and portions of it are still in use.

We are using a variety of guides to help us find the real thing whenever possible and to help us locate points of particular interest, including the above noted historical places to stay and eat. The “Road Scholars” who are compiling this information are driven by a sense of practical preservation of a significant phenomenon that will be lost if they do not continue their work. Route 66 “societies” exist in all of the states that the road traversed and they take great provide in raising the funds necessary to preserve, rebuild and document important elements of the highway and the facilities that are essential for a long distance traveler.

It is all very impressive – the beauty of the varied landscapes, the history of the road and its travelers and the grand road trip that is that much grander because of what it was and how it is being kept alive.

CADILLAC FARM – AMARILLO, TEXAS

At this point, Absolutely Nothing!!  On May 1 we will leave Waterloo and drive to La Paz via Route 66 (or at least what is left of it).  All going well by this time in March of next year we will have re-established residency in BC and completed a number of boat jobs including but not limited to, installing a water maker, fixing the mast compression post step, doubling solar generating capacity by adding an arch or solid life lines, move the radar antenna from the mast to a pole or the arch and thus be all set for the next leg of this voyage from Cabo San Lucas or equivalent to the Marquesas!  Woo Hoo!!

No opportunity for relaxation will be declined, as per the following illustration:

Marathon has been out of  the water for just about 48 hours. In addition to installing a new PSS dripless shaft seal we are taking the opportunity to renew the bottom paint and repair some very nasty rust spots on the keel. Someday I will do an analysis of why Beneteau insists on using iron keels when most of the world’s other serious sail boats use lead.

Living  on the hard at the Bercovich Yard is not possible or extremely difficult so we are staying at the Marina Hotel. Nice view from the fifth floor but the boat is better in all ways.  However, the contrast in living accommodation provides an interesting opportunity to examine why people on boats so often get stuck in La Paz.  More on this to follow quite shortly as I organize our thoughts on this important matter.

Generally, one would expect that a five week sailing trip would involve a lot of sailing. Even considering that the boat has been used only a couple of times per year for the past three years and thus needed some serious maintenance (winches, water tanks, and the like which had not received appropriate attention during this time), four or five days should have covered this requirement. So arriving on 18 December with a planned departure for “the islands” of 27 December should have worked well.  Weather is usually an issue when sailing so a weather related delay to 28 December was not a major issue. However, while attending to more long delayed boat chores such as a thorough bilge cleaning, the discovery of large amounts of water was disconcerting. Particularly salt water!  So tracing the source to the classic leaking stuffing box should not have been a huge surprise and if it was a normal stuffing box, a simple adjustment (while standing on one’s head in the very confined space more or less under the fuel tank) would have allowed us to depart as planned on 29 December. But no, someone, perhaps Beneteau chose to install a Volvo Penta dripless stuffing box with a very nicely designed system for flowing water through the cutless bearing into the exhaust system. Sadly, over time the water exhaust fitting had cracked and was the source of the leak. Minor exploration of the hose clamps caused the whole thing to fall off resulting in the previously rapid drip to turn into a full flow.  An hour more of head standing, two hose clamps and some neoprene cut from a sheet, stopped the flow.  Now we wait for a PSS dripless stuffing box to make its way here from Seattle and followed by a couple of days in the boat yard.  Then we should be ready for at least a few days in the islands.

We say good bye to 2012 and a terrific experience in New Zealand from the Marina Palmira in La Paz, Baja California Sur.  We have been here since 18 December and though many boat jobs were completed on time the stuffing box has decided to pack it in and our trip to the islands is delayed by a yet to be determined number of days. Fortunately we love being here and though sailing would be terrific it is a great pleasure just being on the boat in this beautiful place.  So our first trip of 2013, all going well, will be to the islands!