Wasting Away in Margaritaville (actually, Loreto)

Same old gorgeous views

Finally, no 7 AM start. This has been one downside of traveling in a caravan. You have to go when they do. No deciding to walk the beach and get a later start, or to spend an extra day or two in a spot you like. We had a brief 9 AM meeting to discuss parking procedures at our next stop then we proceeded on the short ride to Loreto, a small town on the Sea of Cortez. The ride is typical Baja; mountains in the distance, desert scenery dominated by cacti, and rough roads. Loreto is a fair sized town. There are lots of topes (speed bumps) throughout the main street. All 20 RV’s in our caravan moved slowly through the center of town, easing ourselves over the speed bumps, and causing quite a stir with the locals. We lined up on the road outside our campground, and waited for Bill to park us, one at a time. The campground is nice but small; we are tightly packed in, requiring a lot of maneuvering for everyone to fit. Campgrounds in Mexico do not provide spacious sites, or perhaps the rigs have just gotten to a size where they have outgrown them.

Tight quarters at Loreto Shores RV park

We are on the end of a row, looking across the road at a compound of small, cinder block buildings. The people who live there have lots of roosters and they are all crowing. These buildings, like many we have seen on our drive South, are unfinished. I was told that no property taxes are paid until a home is completely built, so many make their home livable, but not quite done. On our other side, there is a small row of nice looking residences between us and a small rocky, dark sand, beach. The views are pretty, the Isla de Carmen in the distance.

Not quite luxury accommodations

Loreto shores

We checked the oil in the rig and it looked very dark, perhaps it overheated when we made the descent down Devil’s Grade, so we arranged for an oil change. The manager said it would be done later in the day or tomorrow, our one free day to see Loreto. They didn’t show up by the time we all taxied to town for a group dinner at El Nido. A plus side of caravan travel is that they know the local restaurants and include frequent dinners as part of the package. Margaritas, mariachis and a good steak dinner capped off the night.

Wrapping up for the day

We spend our free day waiting for an oil change. We listened to a talk by a tour guide about the history of the mission in town and Loreto in general. We decided to take the trip up into the mountains to Mission Javier when we pass back through Loreto on our way back. We did laundry, had lunch, worked on the computer, watched some fisherman on the beach, but, still no mechanic. The manager kept saying they would be there. When it was time for him to go off duty he told us to hang tight, went into town, and by five-thirty he had two mechanics there with oil and a filter. We were relieved that the problem was fixed, but we never got into town. Fortunately, we will be returning this way again, so we’ll see Loreto on the return trip.

Men at work