La Chela, La Ticla

This is going to be a quick update. We just spent two wonderful weeks at La Ticla where it went from being peaceful to crazy and back to peaceful. We met some great people from Guadalajara, got to surf (at least go out in the water) and live in a great palapa. We are in an internet cafe in Lazaro Cardenas that doesn´t have a hook up for pictures so we´ll have to update the site later. From here we are going about 60 km south to a place that isn´t on the map called The Ranch, and then to Playa La Saladita. These are both supposed to be longboard waves which will be a perfect spot for Brooke to surf on her birthday (March 30th).

This is the section of the beach where all the beginners learn to surf.

This is our view from the top deck of the ferry from Baja over to mainland. Our van is on the far right between the railing and the Bimbo semi.

Mainland

This is one of the first waves that I successfully caught and rode all the way into the beach.

It was a crazy sprint from Mazatlan to Sayulita. The guy who was loading the ferry told us that he would tell us when it was our turn to go. After about an hour and what looked to be the rising of the ramp to the ferry I got a little worried and went and asked him what was going on. He then explained that by loading last we would be the first to leave in Mazatlan. This worked out well for us. The ferry was a boat full of bread and beer trucks and us. You can see where they tucked on the far right corner of the ferry picture. We expected to be searched or at least stopped and asked for our papers, but somehow we just drove off the ferry and headed south.
We arrived in Sayulita exhausted and confused due to the maze of one way dirt roads in different stages of construction. At first we were a little overwhelmed with the hustle and bustle of the little town, but after visiting Puerto Vallarta one afternoon I was convinced we were in the right place. I haven't felt so relieved to return to a tent for quite some time. The swell is pretty big right now, big enough that not too many people are surfing, and those who are beginning are getting frustrated. We got word of a mellow longboard wave about 30 minutes to the south at Punta Mita where we have both enjoyed success the last two days. On our way home yesterday we pulled into a little restaurante and tried ceviche and the their fish tacos. We liked it. We are still unsure of our plans for Semana Santa, holy week, but we will be moving on to someplace a little more out of the way.

Brooke cooking while the sun is setting.

La Ventana: kiteboarding/windsurfing capital of the world.

We got up close and personal with a few donkeys. I think they were after our chips.

To Mainland We Go

With this avalanche of photos comes our last post from Baja. We made our way to the Cabos where we settled down at the lovely Brisa Del Mar RV park. What this consisted of was the only beachfront area in the Cabos that we were able to afford. As luck would have it, a south swell coincided with our stay so we were able to surf the first swell of the season on relatively uncrowded waves. Zippers, the break that is featured in the foto below is supposedly one of the most popular breaks in all of Mexico. Our traveling buddies, Dave and Sue followed us there and even fed us an amazing dinner one night. After a couple nights we decided to head up the east cape and explore. After finding the dirt road we meandered along the coast and even met two donkeys that wanted some chips. Unfortunately for them, we didn´t have anything to offer. We stayed our first night at nine palms, a popular surf spot that probably isn´t on too many maps. After a little surfing, we went to sleep in an arroyo which is a dry riverbed. In Baja these are free camping spots. The good thing is that it´s inexpensive to stay, the bad thing is that if it rains we get swept into the ocean. No need to worry, we were ready to leave in minutes if needed. The next night we camped in another arroyo north of Los Barrilles. From there we went to the little town of La Ventana which was kite-boarding/windsurfing mecca. It´s amazing the the average age of these kite-boarders doing double backflips was in the 60s. Something to think about in the future Dad. It was a great place to spend two nights and watch in awe, and twiddling our thumbs planning our entrance into the kite-boarding world. Right now we are in La Paz getting supplies, our oil changed, maybe mosquito netting, if we are really lucky extra mantles for our lantern, and onto the ferry for Mazatlan. We are planning on jetting down to Sayulita right away and hunkering down for Semana Santa where we have heard all of Mexico descends on the beach and parties. Our goal is to have a place before this happens. Mexico or bust!!

Jay getting cut off by another longboarder. We found out later that he is an instructor...doesn´t seem very good.

Jay and the C-boaters

dave and sue