I'm pretty sure these local grass-cutting contractors were not even getting minimum wage, but they were willing to work for food.




The wind came up fast. And very strong. I had been setting up the satellite dish to see if I could set a new record for southern reception just before happy hour.
Harley had sought shelter behind the trucks back tire, but was getting covered in the sand that had started to blow. Whitecaps had formed in the bay in almost no time, and I was glad I wasn't out there in a small boat. It was likely a coincidence, but the cruise ship anchored offshore at Loreto pulled up anchor and headed for perhaps more protected waters.
Everything loose was tied down or thrown in the cab and all the open windows were closed to keep out the dust and sand. The day-use beachgoers were gone quicker than you could blink.
So we hung out in the camper for a while, watching the waves come in - and making a big dent in the fresh strawberries we had picked up the day before when going through Loreto.
We had spent three days at Santispac Beach, south of Mulege, and it was time to have a change of scenery. Said so-long to the Cranbrook camper who was my nearest neighbor at that time - 200 yards down the beach, noted the first Saskatchewan licence plate and camper I had seen this year, (in Mexico) and headed south.
Road maintenance workers were cutting roadside scrub and grass with - machetes!
The nice little town of Loreto was on the way, so we pulled in to re-stock supplies. Bought some groceries, and averted a crisis by buying the only bag of cat litter in the store.
Went to the 'water store' and had my drinking water jugs filled with purified water and once again brought the hose out across the sidewalk and filled the camper's tank as well.
They asked me how much water they had put in my tank. I guessed 10 gallons, and the total price was 300 pesos, about $2.70. Then to the pemex station to keep the gas tank full, and to fill a couple of extra water containers for the shower and for general cleaning.
Then it was out to the waterfront to have some lunch while watching the fishing boats come and go.
Checked the e-mail and the home weather while in town, and got the gas meter reading from my place at home (thanks Andrea!), sent it to the gas company, and asked them to e-mail me the amount of the bill so I can pay it online.
We pulled in to the intended beach destination with just enough light to set up - and recognize some of the longer term folks (and their dogs) we had met here last year.
And of course, we always meet new folks to exchange stories, itineraries, advice, and admire each others travel rigs.
The next day dawned typically sunny and warm.
It was time for Harley's cat nap, so I went for a hike down the shore and over the ridge to the next bay which is Puerto Escondido.
This is a very large and developed protected harour, and I noted quite a few Canadian boats anchored there, as well as some fairly extravagant craft.
Sometime in the past they have dredged out massive channels all around here and put in concrete walls, presumably with nautical type real estate in mind, but there is not a single building on these channels, even though they are overgrown and starting to fall apart.
There are also whole sudivisions laid out with divided roads with medians, sidewalks, and streetlights - but once again it is all overgrown and not a single house.
There are unused bridges to nowhere, underground power and water lines, and roads ending abruptly in chain-link fences.
Natural arch along the shoreline.
And a view of Juncalito beach from down the shore
It was not exactly happy hour when I got back to camp shortly after lunch, but my new neighbors and friends from Oregon convinced me that they had some beer that had to be used up before they could get new ones - so I did my best to help them out, as any good neighbor would.
After some serious beach chair sitting and starting on those strawberries was when I decided it was time to try out the satellite dish. After the big wind came up, we gave up on the satellite TV for today and made do quite well listening to satellite radio on my newly improved camper sound system, while finally starting on the pile of magazines that I never find time to read at home.
And we might just throw a DVD on the old player if that doesn't take us through to bedtime.

In the rarely seen wildlife category, we spotted the One-legged Grebe, and a fine specimen of the really rare Sand Snake!

Lastly some Mexican harbour fishes.