Camp La Ventana

This is Sweet Potato Jerry lounging at Lil's place. Lil doesn't sail, play volleyball or ride a bicycle. From Sault Ste Marie where it is cold and dreary, she just likes to make her home here for 5 or 6 months and be with her Baja friends. Always something to eat at Lil's gathering place and she has become a good friend of mine as well as many others.

Just a few shots to give you an idea of my life here in La Ventana. First is the MWF 8:30 Team Slime riding group which I always try to join. Anywhere from 6 to 20 riders and 10 miles or so on Monday, more on Wednesday and Friday being the killer of 15 miles. Last week we had 29 riders on a 27 mile ride. We had a sag wagon which also carried our lunches as we didn't get back til 2 in the afternoon. The desert is quite lush here with tall Cardons, the Sahuaro type cactus, Palo Verdes, Organ pipe and cholla cactus and lots of bushes that like to reach out and snag your calf. Most trails are single track that the group has cleared and marked over the years and have been given creative names such as Val's Vista, Rosemary's reef, the DanRon, the Quail trail, etc. Fairly gentle ups and downs, but some of the climbs call for the lowest gear. The desert is really quite beautiful - a different type of forest.

Volleyball is a daily activity with three courts set up. Usually three or four person teams and we play til the wind gets to strong. We usually get in at least two hours. We had a tournament the first of the month and had 12 teams of three people, a big showing. I wasn't my best for that tournament, but still fun. The restaurant across the street hosted us for an awards ceremony afterwards.

Our campground is on the north side of the village of La Ventana (the window). This shot is looking southwest and the wind blows from the north so the sailers will go crosswind out from shore and then back in to make a marvelous turn that wows the on lookers. Broken equipment and newbies get washed up on the far shore and get to walk back to camp. Thats my Explorer in the middle of the shot, next to the fence and my trailer is the two tone beige one across the road from it. I will move to front row center on Tuesday when Lil pulls out. These clouds are not typical but we do get some outrageous sun rises from across the sea. The moon also rises from the sea and the howlers are out for each full moon.

That's all for now. Otto

La Ventana

After visiting with my brother Jerry in Borrego Springs, I had an enjoyable but uneventful drive down to La Ventana. The roads were fair and the weather just right for windows down, XM up driving. Baja California not being in finance, manufacturing or construction seems to be muddling along just fine. Every one was glad to see me, the hotel clerk, the waiter, even the young military men at the check points were just curious as to where I was going. I never even opened a door for them to investigate my stuff. I'm sure it will be different going north.
My trailer was fine except for a flat tire, but the spare was good. The camp seems a little less full this year, but that was expected. It's good to see all of the gang (200 or so) with three volleyball courts and MWF bicycling.

On the road again

I often wish that the story behind Willie's song had more to do with the open road of travel rather than his band going out again. Then it would be more my song.
So its off to La Ventana and the gang there, leaving Prescott on 8 January and stopping by Quartzite for new batteries and a door for my trailer. Spend the evening and night at Jerry's in Borrego Springs, then cross over into Baja at Tecate early Sunday morning and be in La Ventana by Monday afternoon.
I'll return to Prescott on March 15th to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and do my taxes before leaving for Greece on the 23rd. Athens for a week, then April in Crete and finish up on the island of Tinos to do some marble sculpting and getting home on 12 May.
That's the plan for now.