Our Beach Home

Sun has just set at San Pedrito Beach and the western horizon is a deep coral. We are here, at what we’ve come to consider our “home” beach - the ideal combination of beach, proximity to amenities, and a cool surfer-vibe atmosphere. 

Every year during the rainy season a flood of water rushes down this area to create a seasonal river, bringing with it tons of wood and debris from the mountains to the ocean. During dry season, starting about now, it becomes a mini-village of campers who slowly pick the beach clean to stoke their fires. It’s free boondocking - totally off-grid - and some residents set up very elaborate winter homes complete with wooden shelters adjacent to their RVs and solar panels for collecting energy to power outdoor lights at night. 

This is only the second year we’ve actually camped here, and by far the earliest we’ve ever gotten here. We were worried the prime spots might already been taken and were surprised to find only a few camps set up. We were also surprised to see signs saying “Private Property” and “Register for camping” as these seasonal riverbeds (arroyos) have always been public lands. Apparently the owner of the land south of the arroyo has decided to exercise more control over campers in proximity to his property. We got the low-down from Ben, a young surfer who works summers as a firefighter and has wintered here for 9 years, who we met last year. 

After some surveying of the area, we decided to set up near where were last year. But in less than 10 months, the landscape has completely changed. In February of 2017, this part of the arroyo was completely covered in rocks between the sand and the shoreline. Now it’s just sand to the beach and all the boulders have moved south. To think what power it took for the ocean to move thousands of huge rocks in only a few months is amazing! 

So we’re in the free section and will have to use some serious time to clear the area properly for our winter here. It’s very sloped with rocks and debris scattered about. But it will be fun to to craft it into our little oasis. It actually feels like a huge relief to finally be here...being on the road constantly wears on you after a few months! Now we can set up our outdoor kitchen, do a proper thorough clean of the trailer and its contents, and get into a routine. Routine may sound boring, but when you haven’t had one for a while - trust me ;-)

On the way, we made our customary stop at the Walmart in La Paz. It’s wild to see how many other RVers are there just like us, stocking up before heading to their favourite beaches. Of course we favour the local mom & pop shops for regular supplies, but there are a few things that are harder to come by in small towns - like peanut butter, shampoo/conditioner, oatmeal, marmalade and such. 

While there, we also decided to invest in real actual glass glasses! You must appreciate how in RV living, anything easily breakable will inevitably break and is a recipe for disaster. But since we plan to be hunkered down for about 2-3 months, we thought we’d tempt fate. It is infinitely much nicer to drink out of glass than plastic or steel! We’ll see how long it lasts ;-)