La Ventana ~ a conflicting mix of emotions will forever come into play when we hear that name. For La Ventana is perhaps both the best and worst of our time in Baja. It is fair to say that the town itself was not our favorite, yet our two weeks there were two of our best in the company of wonderful family and friends. And while the day to day took on a comfortable pattern, La Ventana is also where we said our final goodnight to Porter. La Ventana will always be bittersweet.
We were in Los Barriles. Still. We ended spending more time there than anywhere in Baja, for several reasons. But right then, as much as we were enjoying the town, we were searching for solitude.
We stood sobbing on the sidewalk in the blazing heat. Hugging each other tightly, Aspen pressed against my leg. We had gone in as four….and now there were three.
We have spent little time on the West Side of Baja. The reasons vary but it seems like the pounding waves of the Pacific Ocean, making for often unswimmable beaches, is just a bit too familiar. Too much like our much loved beaches of the Pacific Northwest.
I am now fully certain I am not a desert person. Although I can appreciate the stark beauty and dramatic contrast, a more lush foliage speaks to me and is where i feel at home. Driving down these many miles of dusty roads, with only cactus for company, I have begun to long for the tropical heat of the mainland. Imagine, in the middle of all of this desert the thought of finding beauty in unexpected places.
BEER. We had been dreaming of beer. Now, don’t get me wrong. Obviously Mexico has plenty of beer. But we hail from the land of the brewpub, from a city with more brewpubs per capita than any other. We were dreaming of craft beer and we were not to be denied! Luckily for us, we found beer and Loreto!
We’ve now been on the road with Aspen & Porter for almost two months. By now, we know in traveling with dogs there is the good, the bad, and the ugly!
I’m not entirely sure what I expected of Baja. I did know I was looking for that Special Place. That salty piece of land where I felt totally in my element. While the search may still be continuing on some levels, El Coyote Beach surely came close.
I was trying to focus on “long breathing” while holding my yoga pose, thoughts of aging on my mind. Unfortunately, my posture was made more challenging as Porter poked his nose under my arm and decided to squirm in and settle between my hands on the mat. Lulu’s voice kept reverberating in my head “if you’re feeling irritated, it means you’re doing it right”.
We spent little time in the USA at the beginning of our road trip down the PanAm. Have camped extensively in Oregon, and traveled quite often to California, we didn’t want the expense of stateside living to destroy our budget going forward. And, hey, the sunny beaches of Baja were beckoning!
Tillicum State Park – Waldport, Oregon
Our first night on the road, we opted for a short drive to a familiar spot. We have camped at Tillicum several times, always appreciating the miles of endless beach and some ocean view campsites, a rarity in Oregon. $27/ night with picnic tables, flushing toilets and water/electric but little else in way of amenities.
