March 28 - We are heading north now towards Quartzite after five nights at Imperial Dam BLM. It was a nice place...one we could see ourselves spending more time at in future years of skipping winter. We enjoyed another afternoon at a deserted beach on Senator Wash Reservoir, did some more hikes and discovered a cool slot canyon carved in the sandy wash about 4 feet wide and 20 feet high at its zenith.
On Sunday, we went into Yuma to check out its historic downtown district and were surprised to find it virtually empty. But that meant we were able to enjoy lunch at the locally-famous Lutes Casino diner before it filled up...by the time we left there was a line to get in reaching around the block!
Camping culture is huge here - it seems about half of the vehicles on the road are RVs. However, the thing we found most strange about being on the BLM lands was that people were nowhere to be seen. There were hundreds of large RVs, many with elaborate long-term set-ups with covered patios, lights, fire pits with huge stocks of wood, but we rarely saw a person at them. We met no one on our hikes and only two other people at the beaches. What does everyone do all day? Just sit inside their rigs watching TV? We can only guess. It's like an RV ghost town. Perhaps it's late in the season.
On the 26th, we took Coco's sutures out from her spay surgery...the vet assured us it would be quite easy to do ourselves with some tweezers and sharp snips. We just expected some whimpering and wriggling, so Andrew held Coco's legs firmly while I tugged at the stitches. She didn't struggle or cry out at all - just calmly lay there for 10 minutes while I poked and prodded at her belly! What an absolute gem this little girl is! She is now about twice the size of when we got her weight-wise, but her proportions and look has pretty much remained the same. So she still looks very puppy-ish and I hope this trend continues.
Will have to wait to show photos in person...they are too slow to upload on McD's wifi!
Wednesday 29 March 2017
Sunday 26 March 2017
Desert camping in AZ
March 25 - We've been at the Imperial Dam campground north of Yuma for the past three days and might end up spending the entire week before the Rod Stewart concert on April 1 here. It's an awesome place!
Okay, I'll back up a bit...first thing when we arrived in the US was a stop at the Costco in El Centro just north of the Mexicali border crossing. One cannot bring any produce or meat into the US from Mexico so our stocks were absolutely depleted. Picked up some salad kits that we'd been craving (it's impossible to find decent lettuce in MX) and wine (another thing that's hard to come by and expensive in MX). Good old Costco - delicious California chardonnay, $6.99 for a 1.5 litre! And 1.75 litres of Canadian whiskey for $9.99! It's almost criminal.
Our next stop was the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) office in Yuma to get maps and info on free and low-fee camping in the area. We opted to get a 14-day pass for $40 that would allow us to stay at any of 4 developed campgrounds in the southern Colorado River region. There are lots of completely free camping areas - we even saw many campers in the scrub off the highway - but we thought it would be worth it to be in a nicer spot with some water for kayaking/swimming and access to basic amenities (they have potable water stations, showers, flush toilets and dump stations here).
The Imperial Dam Recreation Area is a huge tract in the desert on the west side of the Colorado River, so technically is in California. It features two decent sized lakes created by the damming of the river, creating an oasis with palm trees, bull rushes, and many birds. It is the end of the RV season, but there are still hundreds of campers here, many in large units that have probably spent the entire winter here - it's $180 for a full year pass. There are no specific camping "spots" - you just park wherever you like.
We've found a beautiful secluded spot in the middle of several hills and ridges, so no one can see our campsite. There are endless hiking and running trails going off in all directions from where we are sitting. We can take the truck to several beach areas during the day - Coco had her first experience swimming in fresh water yesterday!
The best thing about the privacy is that we don't have to worry about the leash rules. Dogs here are supposed to be on-leash at all times. It seems a bit silly in the middle of the desert, but also I guess I can understand the rule...some dogs tend to bolt off (as Zephyr used to do), or forage at other campsites, or rush up on other pets. They have to make the rules consistent for everyone. But Coco is so good...she never strays far from us and wouldn't dare approach strange people or dogs without us there. So it's much nicer for all of us to be in a place we don't have to worry about rule-sticklers preaching at us or tattling to camp hosts.
On that note, our plans for Utah in April have altered since we have Coco. Dogs aren't allowed on the hiking trails in any of the national parks - all the famous ones like Arches, Zion, and Bryce Canyon. It doesn't seem right to go to a place where we would to have to keep her penned up in the trailer all day while we hike, especially with her being a puppy and needing exercise and attention. Maybe when she's older and likes to sleep all day long...that's a different story. So we've investigated state parks and BLM lands that allow dogs everywhere (on leash, of course) that we'll check out. Our experience here so far is that there are so few people on the trails that we can let her off the leash while we hike. She can go close to an hour now with us on fairly challenging paths. And in some ways it will be nicer to visit places that are less crowded and more under-the-radar.
Okay, I'll back up a bit...first thing when we arrived in the US was a stop at the Costco in El Centro just north of the Mexicali border crossing. One cannot bring any produce or meat into the US from Mexico so our stocks were absolutely depleted. Picked up some salad kits that we'd been craving (it's impossible to find decent lettuce in MX) and wine (another thing that's hard to come by and expensive in MX). Good old Costco - delicious California chardonnay, $6.99 for a 1.5 litre! And 1.75 litres of Canadian whiskey for $9.99! It's almost criminal.
Our next stop was the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) office in Yuma to get maps and info on free and low-fee camping in the area. We opted to get a 14-day pass for $40 that would allow us to stay at any of 4 developed campgrounds in the southern Colorado River region. There are lots of completely free camping areas - we even saw many campers in the scrub off the highway - but we thought it would be worth it to be in a nicer spot with some water for kayaking/swimming and access to basic amenities (they have potable water stations, showers, flush toilets and dump stations here).
The Imperial Dam Recreation Area is a huge tract in the desert on the west side of the Colorado River, so technically is in California. It features two decent sized lakes created by the damming of the river, creating an oasis with palm trees, bull rushes, and many birds. It is the end of the RV season, but there are still hundreds of campers here, many in large units that have probably spent the entire winter here - it's $180 for a full year pass. There are no specific camping "spots" - you just park wherever you like.
We've found a beautiful secluded spot in the middle of several hills and ridges, so no one can see our campsite. There are endless hiking and running trails going off in all directions from where we are sitting. We can take the truck to several beach areas during the day - Coco had her first experience swimming in fresh water yesterday!
The best thing about the privacy is that we don't have to worry about the leash rules. Dogs here are supposed to be on-leash at all times. It seems a bit silly in the middle of the desert, but also I guess I can understand the rule...some dogs tend to bolt off (as Zephyr used to do), or forage at other campsites, or rush up on other pets. They have to make the rules consistent for everyone. But Coco is so good...she never strays far from us and wouldn't dare approach strange people or dogs without us there. So it's much nicer for all of us to be in a place we don't have to worry about rule-sticklers preaching at us or tattling to camp hosts.
On that note, our plans for Utah in April have altered since we have Coco. Dogs aren't allowed on the hiking trails in any of the national parks - all the famous ones like Arches, Zion, and Bryce Canyon. It doesn't seem right to go to a place where we would to have to keep her penned up in the trailer all day while we hike, especially with her being a puppy and needing exercise and attention. Maybe when she's older and likes to sleep all day long...that's a different story. So we've investigated state parks and BLM lands that allow dogs everywhere (on leash, of course) that we'll check out. Our experience here so far is that there are so few people on the trails that we can let her off the leash while we hike. She can go close to an hour now with us on fairly challenging paths. And in some ways it will be nicer to visit places that are less crowded and more under-the-radar.
North to the USA
March 22 - A drastic change of colour as we headed north.
We had a night at Fidel's RV Park, where we'd stayed on our way down, about 16 km south of San Quintin. Fidel's fronts a wide and long strand of beach made of yellow and black intermixed sand with shiny gold flecks. When we arrived in the late afternoon, we were greeted with howling winds. We tried to enjoy a beer on the beach, but the blowing sand filled our cups. By morning, the wind was gone and we went on a long walk/run on the beach and through the dunes with Coco. It is a beautiful spot in full thanks to Mother Nature's artistry.
Leaving Fidel's north towards Ensenada, we slowly passed through many villages and then winded through green hills. We kept saying "Is this the same way we came down?" It looked completely different with spring flowers and greenery vs the barren desert-scape it was in December. We could have been driving through the fields between Armstrong and Enderby!
Then is started raining fairly heavily just before Ensenada (our third experience with rain during the entire winter!) and the city was flooded with mud pits and roadside rivers. As someone told us, "Ensenada has such a drainage problem, it floods if anyone spits!".
We reached Sordo Mundo RV park about 30 km northeast of the city late in the afternoon and prepped for the next morning's border crossing. We'd been warned that Tecate's border gets busy and to head there early, so we packed, prepared and set our alarms for 6 AM.
It was still dark when the alarm went off so we napped a bit longer, made coffee and hit the road at 6:45, reaching Tecate in just under an hour. We were shocked to find a line for the border stretching about 1.5 km! The US side of the Tecate border is complete wilderness for miles but nonetheless there still seems to be numerous Mexicans that want to cross early in the day; we were the only RVers in the line. We pondered why Trump says he wants to build a fence...there is a 12' high corrugated steel fence all along the border that we saw for miles even after we crossed.
We got through at 9:15 AM after a very brief "interview" - they didn't even inspect the trailer and the only question about Coco was "Does it have a rabies shot?". Yes, but no request to see proof. Even so, we are glad we did everything properly and to the letter of the law as you never know when there may be a more thorough inspection, and we wouldn't want to jeopardize our status as trusted travellers.
Driving through Southern California between San Diego and Yuma was a revelation. No one ever talks about that area of land...there are no parks or tourism but it is immensely stunning. The road curved through canyons of immense rose boulders dotted with greenery. In the early morning, the temperature gauge stayed in the 8-9 degree range. Then we reached an area of the highway with steep 6% grades downwards. A sign at the top of the slope said 3000 ft elevation and to expect strong winds. No kidding! Within 20 minutes, we had reached sea level flat desert, passed massive wind and solar farms, and watched the temperature rise to 25 degrees!
We had a night at Fidel's RV Park, where we'd stayed on our way down, about 16 km south of San Quintin. Fidel's fronts a wide and long strand of beach made of yellow and black intermixed sand with shiny gold flecks. When we arrived in the late afternoon, we were greeted with howling winds. We tried to enjoy a beer on the beach, but the blowing sand filled our cups. By morning, the wind was gone and we went on a long walk/run on the beach and through the dunes with Coco. It is a beautiful spot in full thanks to Mother Nature's artistry.
Leaving Fidel's north towards Ensenada, we slowly passed through many villages and then winded through green hills. We kept saying "Is this the same way we came down?" It looked completely different with spring flowers and greenery vs the barren desert-scape it was in December. We could have been driving through the fields between Armstrong and Enderby!
Then is started raining fairly heavily just before Ensenada (our third experience with rain during the entire winter!) and the city was flooded with mud pits and roadside rivers. As someone told us, "Ensenada has such a drainage problem, it floods if anyone spits!".
We reached Sordo Mundo RV park about 30 km northeast of the city late in the afternoon and prepped for the next morning's border crossing. We'd been warned that Tecate's border gets busy and to head there early, so we packed, prepared and set our alarms for 6 AM.
It was still dark when the alarm went off so we napped a bit longer, made coffee and hit the road at 6:45, reaching Tecate in just under an hour. We were shocked to find a line for the border stretching about 1.5 km! The US side of the Tecate border is complete wilderness for miles but nonetheless there still seems to be numerous Mexicans that want to cross early in the day; we were the only RVers in the line. We pondered why Trump says he wants to build a fence...there is a 12' high corrugated steel fence all along the border that we saw for miles even after we crossed.
We got through at 9:15 AM after a very brief "interview" - they didn't even inspect the trailer and the only question about Coco was "Does it have a rabies shot?". Yes, but no request to see proof. Even so, we are glad we did everything properly and to the letter of the law as you never know when there may be a more thorough inspection, and we wouldn't want to jeopardize our status as trusted travellers.
Driving through Southern California between San Diego and Yuma was a revelation. No one ever talks about that area of land...there are no parks or tourism but it is immensely stunning. The road curved through canyons of immense rose boulders dotted with greenery. In the early morning, the temperature gauge stayed in the 8-9 degree range. Then we reached an area of the highway with steep 6% grades downwards. A sign at the top of the slope said 3000 ft elevation and to expect strong winds. No kidding! Within 20 minutes, we had reached sea level flat desert, passed massive wind and solar farms, and watched the temperature rise to 25 degrees!
Tuesday 21 March 2017
A Fortune in Geoduck
March 21 - We stayed two nights at Playa Armenta and then moved north 20 km to one of the largest of the Bahia Concepcion beaches, Santispac for another two nights. It was so hot! Days spent taking short walks and sitting in the shade, and one afternoon with our beach chairs plunked right in the shore. Fortunately, the trailer stayed blissfully cool and we sometimes just stayed inside watching our DVDs (luckily our friend Pete was able to fix our laptop before they left to return home).
Yesterday morning we left and it was 33 degrees before 10 AM on the highway! But that changed dramatically as we headed north and back to the Pacific side of the peninsula. It was very beautiful in the interior highlands with alpine-like flowers carpeting the land and was only 19 degrees at 3 PM as we left MX 1 for Playa Esmeralda for the night. We reached the remote fishing camp after 5 km of treacherous pitted dirt road. Thank heaven for Andrew's driving skills and a 4X4 truck!
With a bunch of pangas and ramshackle fisherman cabins, it wasn't the most picturesque beach but Coco and I certainly appreciated the cooler temperature. And the landscape did feature some unusual rock formations, interesting plants, and a long hard-packed black sand beach. The hillsides shone red in the sun covered with bright magenta low-lying succulents and clumps of fiery orange lichen.
In the morning we shared coffee with Bill, a veteran fisherman from Vancouver Island who has lived and worked in Baja for the past 15 years. He has a business harvesting the geoduck offshore and selling them to Hong Kong. The are caught from the ocean floor by divers at depths up to 120 feet! Apparently they are big business and even Mexican cartels are involved in the industry! The things you learn...!
Now we are continuing north and should reach the upper third of Baja around San Quintin by tonight. We are currently driving through the "Valley of the Cirrios"- a type of cactus also known as the boojum tree that looks like super-skinny tall Christmas trees. The landscape also features Joshua trees, large cardon cacti, and the famous boulder fields of Catavina, all amid the spring flowers - quite a magical drive! Sadly, the road here is very narrow and in poor condition so Andrew has to concentrate and has less opportunity to enjoy the view.
Coco is a great passenger, calmly sitting and napping on her bed on the console between us.
Orange "floss" and red hills:
Yesterday morning we left and it was 33 degrees before 10 AM on the highway! But that changed dramatically as we headed north and back to the Pacific side of the peninsula. It was very beautiful in the interior highlands with alpine-like flowers carpeting the land and was only 19 degrees at 3 PM as we left MX 1 for Playa Esmeralda for the night. We reached the remote fishing camp after 5 km of treacherous pitted dirt road. Thank heaven for Andrew's driving skills and a 4X4 truck!
With a bunch of pangas and ramshackle fisherman cabins, it wasn't the most picturesque beach but Coco and I certainly appreciated the cooler temperature. And the landscape did feature some unusual rock formations, interesting plants, and a long hard-packed black sand beach. The hillsides shone red in the sun covered with bright magenta low-lying succulents and clumps of fiery orange lichen.
In the morning we shared coffee with Bill, a veteran fisherman from Vancouver Island who has lived and worked in Baja for the past 15 years. He has a business harvesting the geoduck offshore and selling them to Hong Kong. The are caught from the ocean floor by divers at depths up to 120 feet! Apparently they are big business and even Mexican cartels are involved in the industry! The things you learn...!
Now we are continuing north and should reach the upper third of Baja around San Quintin by tonight. We are currently driving through the "Valley of the Cirrios"- a type of cactus also known as the boojum tree that looks like super-skinny tall Christmas trees. The landscape also features Joshua trees, large cardon cacti, and the famous boulder fields of Catavina, all amid the spring flowers - quite a magical drive! Sadly, the road here is very narrow and in poor condition so Andrew has to concentrate and has less opportunity to enjoy the view.
Coco is a great passenger, calmly sitting and napping on her bed on the console between us.
Orange "floss" and red hills:
Heading North...
March 17 - Coco came through her spay surgery like a champ. When we first brought her home, she vomited a few times and was trembly but quickly recovered. The next day we took advantage of her lower-energy state to drive a long pull from Todos Santos back up to Bahia Concepcion about 1/3 the way back up the peninsula.
It took about 7 hours driving plus a few rest stops to reach Playa Armenta, the furthest south of the Concepcion beaches. It is a small 300-metre mini-bay with white sand full of shells and blue water. Though we are farther north now, there seems to a weather inversion on the Sea of Cortez side where we are in the highest temperatures we've experienced thus far...it was 32 degrees yesterday!
We are the only ones here - other than "Ben" who monitors the beach and collects the fee. All of the Bahia Concepcion camping sites charge a small fee, the equivalent of $7 Cdn for overnight stays, with the funds covering simple pit toilets and garbage disposal.
This morning Ben came to join us for coffee. Between my very basic Spanish, his simple English, and a dictionary, we managed to have an interesting conversation. He lives here at the beach in absolutely rustic accommodations and his wife, not interested in such arrangements, lives in Mulege about 40 km north. So he is often alone and dying to have anyone to talk to. He explained how this beach is busiest in December and January mostly with European tourists, and how the temperature gets "muy caliente" (very hot) from June - August.
Coco was her lively self today and even showed eagerness to get into the ocean. Perhaps she shouldn't be swimming with the stitches, but then again the ocean water seems to be a healthy disinfectant itself plus we have iodine and antibiotics to give her over the next week. With this hot weather, even the dog realizes how nice it is to cool down in the ocean!
Pufferfish "family" on the beach:
Sunrise over Bahia Concepcion:
It took about 7 hours driving plus a few rest stops to reach Playa Armenta, the furthest south of the Concepcion beaches. It is a small 300-metre mini-bay with white sand full of shells and blue water. Though we are farther north now, there seems to a weather inversion on the Sea of Cortez side where we are in the highest temperatures we've experienced thus far...it was 32 degrees yesterday!
We are the only ones here - other than "Ben" who monitors the beach and collects the fee. All of the Bahia Concepcion camping sites charge a small fee, the equivalent of $7 Cdn for overnight stays, with the funds covering simple pit toilets and garbage disposal.
This morning Ben came to join us for coffee. Between my very basic Spanish, his simple English, and a dictionary, we managed to have an interesting conversation. He lives here at the beach in absolutely rustic accommodations and his wife, not interested in such arrangements, lives in Mulege about 40 km north. So he is often alone and dying to have anyone to talk to. He explained how this beach is busiest in December and January mostly with European tourists, and how the temperature gets "muy caliente" (very hot) from June - August.
Coco was her lively self today and even showed eagerness to get into the ocean. Perhaps she shouldn't be swimming with the stitches, but then again the ocean water seems to be a healthy disinfectant itself plus we have iodine and antibiotics to give her over the next week. With this hot weather, even the dog realizes how nice it is to cool down in the ocean!
Pufferfish "family" on the beach:
Monday 13 March 2017
Relishing the last few beach days
Enjoying slow, lazy days for our last two weeks in Pescadero before heading north. Camp life differs dramatically from home life and we relish its pace. Certain routines that are so time-consuming at home are non-existent here, while other tasks taken for granted at home thanks to automation and machines take up a large portion of the day.
Here, daily personal hygiene involves getting the dirt out of one's fingernails. No make-up, no coiffing of hair, no daily shower and shave. But when it is time to wash hair, especially mine, it is a big production. We've devised a system where I lay back in our beach chairs so Andrew can pour enough water over my head to get it soaked through. Andrew has found a good routine washing in the ocean, but I find the saltwater leaves my hair too tangley.
Despite walking barefoot on the sand all day (or maybe as a protective measure), our feet are covered with layers of built-up dead skin. I couldn't take it any longer and booked a pedicure...the poor tech was scrubbing and scrubbing, going through 3 foot buffers to get my feet smooth. I left a big tip ;-) Our friend Pablo recommends sandpaper!
Cooking, cleaning the trailer, and washing dishes take up a good chunk of the day. I love planning out our meals, especially as supplies dwindle and I have to get creative with whatever's on hand. The cleaning is less fun but a necessity - sleeping on a sandy mattress is asking for insomnia.
Still, there is lots of time to just chill. Who knew one could spend so many hours just watching the waves? It's absolute living-in-the-moment. Here, I actually take naps. And have read so many books thanks to our haul from the Friends of the Library book sale.
Coco got her last shots today and is scheduled to be spayed next week. It's great we can get it all taken care of here as vet bills are pennies here compared to Canada. Her rabies shot was $7 (necessary to cross the border) and her spay surgery will be $60! Overall, we have probably saved well over $1000 rescuing a Meximutt vs getting a puppy in Canada. Not that it matters - she is priceless! - but it's certainly a nice bonus ;-)
In that same vein, since we don't have dental coverage we investigated dentists in Todos Santos and are going in for cleanings next week with the top one. Again, $60 vs $300 in Kelowna. If all goes well, seeing the dentist will become part of our regular winter getaway.
As for other prices, most food and beverage seems around half of what we pay in BC, including at restaurants. Good wine is more expensive and hard to come by (woe is me!) but one would imagine beer and tequila are CHEAP - an 8-pack of Pacifico is $5 and a litre of mid-grade nice reposada is $18. Gas is slightly cheaper than home even after the new year's price hike from 13 pesos per litre to 16 (which caused riots and road blockades all over Baja) - just over $1 Cdn. Getting our 5 gallon water container refilled with potable aqua is 70 cents. Considering we've been free camping the majority of our time here, I think we've actually saved money vs staying at home to endure the harsh winter! Sorry!
Here, daily personal hygiene involves getting the dirt out of one's fingernails. No make-up, no coiffing of hair, no daily shower and shave. But when it is time to wash hair, especially mine, it is a big production. We've devised a system where I lay back in our beach chairs so Andrew can pour enough water over my head to get it soaked through. Andrew has found a good routine washing in the ocean, but I find the saltwater leaves my hair too tangley.
Despite walking barefoot on the sand all day (or maybe as a protective measure), our feet are covered with layers of built-up dead skin. I couldn't take it any longer and booked a pedicure...the poor tech was scrubbing and scrubbing, going through 3 foot buffers to get my feet smooth. I left a big tip ;-) Our friend Pablo recommends sandpaper!
Cooking, cleaning the trailer, and washing dishes take up a good chunk of the day. I love planning out our meals, especially as supplies dwindle and I have to get creative with whatever's on hand. The cleaning is less fun but a necessity - sleeping on a sandy mattress is asking for insomnia.
Still, there is lots of time to just chill. Who knew one could spend so many hours just watching the waves? It's absolute living-in-the-moment. Here, I actually take naps. And have read so many books thanks to our haul from the Friends of the Library book sale.
Coco got her last shots today and is scheduled to be spayed next week. It's great we can get it all taken care of here as vet bills are pennies here compared to Canada. Her rabies shot was $7 (necessary to cross the border) and her spay surgery will be $60! Overall, we have probably saved well over $1000 rescuing a Meximutt vs getting a puppy in Canada. Not that it matters - she is priceless! - but it's certainly a nice bonus ;-)
In that same vein, since we don't have dental coverage we investigated dentists in Todos Santos and are going in for cleanings next week with the top one. Again, $60 vs $300 in Kelowna. If all goes well, seeing the dentist will become part of our regular winter getaway.
As for other prices, most food and beverage seems around half of what we pay in BC, including at restaurants. Good wine is more expensive and hard to come by (woe is me!) but one would imagine beer and tequila are CHEAP - an 8-pack of Pacifico is $5 and a litre of mid-grade nice reposada is $18. Gas is slightly cheaper than home even after the new year's price hike from 13 pesos per litre to 16 (which caused riots and road blockades all over Baja) - just over $1 Cdn. Getting our 5 gallon water container refilled with potable aqua is 70 cents. Considering we've been free camping the majority of our time here, I think we've actually saved money vs staying at home to endure the harsh winter! Sorry!
Saturday 4 March 2017
A week at Tecolote
March 3 - We left Pescadero on Feb 24 to spend a week at Tecolote Beach about 30 minutes north of La Paz. La Paz is the capital of Baja California Sur and hosts one of the largest pre-Lent celebrations - Carnaval - so we made the move at the same time as friends Pete & Lael so we'd all be able to join up for the party.
Sadly, the first night we were at Tecolote, Pete & Lael's eldest dog, Jasper, went missing. Jasper was a large-ish long black-haired sweetie, and had been with Pete since he was a pup 16 years ago. Pete was beside himself with frustration and grief for 3 days until they found him. It was quite a mystery what happened...Jasper was very arthritic and no one thought he could have wandered far. The entire area was thoroughly searched multiple times and all other RVers were on the look-out. With his painful joint hobbling, it was hard to imagine that anyone would steal him...the only thing that sickly made sense was that someone might snatch him because he had a very unique haircut and markings.
But, while out peppering the area with missing posters, someone flagged them down and said they had found Jasper. He was dead in a little gulley about 2 km from our camp. It's hard to believe that Jasper could have walked that far, but he must have...there was no evidence of him being hit or fighting with another dog. We can only guess he knew his time was up and that he wandered away to be alone in death.
Pete had been mentally preparing for Jasper's imminent demise, and everyone is grateful at least that his body was found so they could say a proper "good-bye" and not be left with questions about his disappearance.
Tecolote is much as we remembered it from 2 years ago - a large swatch of fine white sand backed by clumps of sagebrush-ish bushes and mountains. The sand is so fine it sticks to everything, making it impossible to keep grit out of the trailer. There are many RVers set up along the beach camping for free, and there are a few restaurants and bars for us and the daytrippers. There is a large contingent of Europeans here in huge, built-for-Armageddon rigs that they ship over. Apparently, many ship from Belgium to Halifax as there are less rules landing in Canada than in the US.
Tecolote and its surrounding bays are perfect for swimming and kayaking, when the wind is not too strong. One day we kayaked to a private bay just west of the main beach with Coco sitting bravely in the back of Andrew's kayak all the way, though she kept whimpering. We realized why as soon as we landed back at the beach and she promptly ran to do a #2! We also took a private picnic there one afternoon - heaven!
Coco has been getting braver with entering the water as it's so calm here, splashing and frolicking in the shallow surf of Balandra Bay, and she continues to be an attention magnet for everyone that sees her. Now over 11 pounds, her strength and endurance is growing daily and we're able to take her on walks and hikes over 30 minutes.
Tecolote Beach:
Sadly, the first night we were at Tecolote, Pete & Lael's eldest dog, Jasper, went missing. Jasper was a large-ish long black-haired sweetie, and had been with Pete since he was a pup 16 years ago. Pete was beside himself with frustration and grief for 3 days until they found him. It was quite a mystery what happened...Jasper was very arthritic and no one thought he could have wandered far. The entire area was thoroughly searched multiple times and all other RVers were on the look-out. With his painful joint hobbling, it was hard to imagine that anyone would steal him...the only thing that sickly made sense was that someone might snatch him because he had a very unique haircut and markings.
But, while out peppering the area with missing posters, someone flagged them down and said they had found Jasper. He was dead in a little gulley about 2 km from our camp. It's hard to believe that Jasper could have walked that far, but he must have...there was no evidence of him being hit or fighting with another dog. We can only guess he knew his time was up and that he wandered away to be alone in death.
Pete had been mentally preparing for Jasper's imminent demise, and everyone is grateful at least that his body was found so they could say a proper "good-bye" and not be left with questions about his disappearance.
Tecolote is much as we remembered it from 2 years ago - a large swatch of fine white sand backed by clumps of sagebrush-ish bushes and mountains. The sand is so fine it sticks to everything, making it impossible to keep grit out of the trailer. There are many RVers set up along the beach camping for free, and there are a few restaurants and bars for us and the daytrippers. There is a large contingent of Europeans here in huge, built-for-Armageddon rigs that they ship over. Apparently, many ship from Belgium to Halifax as there are less rules landing in Canada than in the US.
Tecolote and its surrounding bays are perfect for swimming and kayaking, when the wind is not too strong. One day we kayaked to a private bay just west of the main beach with Coco sitting bravely in the back of Andrew's kayak all the way, though she kept whimpering. We realized why as soon as we landed back at the beach and she promptly ran to do a #2! We also took a private picnic there one afternoon - heaven!
Coco has been getting braver with entering the water as it's so calm here, splashing and frolicking in the shallow surf of Balandra Bay, and she continues to be an attention magnet for everyone that sees her. Now over 11 pounds, her strength and endurance is growing daily and we're able to take her on walks and hikes over 30 minutes.
Tecolote Beach:
Our private bay:
An example of the crazy Eurovans:
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