We made an uneventful two night passage from San Felipe to Bahia San Francisquito, bypassing the BLA area altogether. We were here once before on our way up, but this time was much more enjoyable because it wasn’t as hot and there weren’t any mosquitos.
San Felipe to Bahia San Francisquito
Logbook – October 31, 2013 (San Felipe to San Francisquito)
Passage Log Highlights
1515 Depart slip to fuel dock
1608 Depart fuel dock
1653 Engines off. No speedo. Main + genoa.
2005 Main + genoa, wing & wing
Logbook – November 1, 2013 (San Felipe to San Francisquito)
Passage Log Highlights
0638 Main + genoa, wing & wing
1438 Whale shark sighting
Daily Notes
Smile moonrise
Alex & Dad – arduino
Tim ordered an Arduino starter kit and he’s teaching the boys about circuits and computer programming. This picture was taken on passage.They look like they’re having fun, don’t they?Passing Puerto Refugio and Roca Vela
Logbook – November 2, 2013 (San Felipe to San Francisquito)
Passage Log Highlights
0922 Arrive San Franciquito
Daily Notes
Family shore excursion – last time we were here we never went to shore. Limestone formation & cake. Rocky shoreline but beautiful white san beach.
Started B on Z-pack for his cough
Mom to bed early – boys watch a movie
Yummy dorado fish tacos for dinner (2 dorados caught on passage)
Where we anchored at Bahia San Francisquito
Email to family and friends dated November 2, 2013
Subject: Made it
We made it to Bahia San Francisquito earlier this morning. It was a pretty uneventful 2 night passage with steady wind in the 10-15 kt range from mostly behind us. The boys caught 2 Dorado yesterday, so we had a sashimi appetizer last night and will have fish tacos tonight. All is well on board Exodus. -D.
Entering San FrancisquitoA dinghy excursion ashoreMaking sure the dinghy is high enough on the beachExodus all alone in the huge anchorageThe ravine behind the beachWe came upon the remains of a turtle nest. A hole and broken shells, hopefully those little guys hatched and made it safely to the waterAlex and a Zen momentCaves in the distanceOf course, they had to go explore those caves in the distance
Logbook – November 3, 2013 (San Francisquito)
Daily Notes
Mom – run on the beach, awesome!
T/Alex – langosta hunting, came back with 3 scallops
B – too sick to dive.
Scallops, and yes, hot dogs for dinner
A great run on the beach
Logbook – November 4, 2013 (San Francisquito)
Daily Notes
Back to school!
T extended the flag pole (new pole)
D – run on the beach, prep food for passage tomorrow
A little morning yoga on the port bow
Email to family and friends dated November 5, 2013
Subject: On the move again
Hi all, We plan to head south today for another overnight passage. There’s supposed to be a blow from the north of over 20kts, but it should work to our advantage this time because it should be right on our stern. We’ve got intermediate anchorages picked out should we need to “pull over.” It’s been nice at San Francisquito this time. Last time we couldn’t really go ashore because of the bugs but it’s cool enough this time that’s not an issue and I’ve even been able to run on the beach in the afternoon imagine that. Our next stop is likely the southern side of Punt Chivato, which is just north of Concepcion Bay. It’s calm here right now, but in prep for the blow while underway I’m getting all of our passage food prepared now, because the less I have to do, the less likely I will get seasick. We were back to school yesterday, and it went pretty well. The boys didn’t complain too much. Love and miss you all, -D.
We stowed all of our food, gadgets, and boat parts that we had hauled back across the border and bid farewell to San Felipe. We were going through Lady Carolina withdrawals and needed a fix, so our initial plan was to zip down the Baja as quickly as we could to meet up with them again. We planned a two night passage down to Bahia San Fransiquito, and I was more than just a bit concerned about getting sea sick again after being at the dock and on land for so long. Luckily, we all faired pretty well, but this time we decided to stick closer to the coast to avoid the craziness of the middle of the northern sea. The passage itself was uneventful other than landing a couple of dorados, which are always tasty when Tim cooks them on the BBQ. It seemed wierd to bypass the BLA area altogether after making it our home over most of the summer. I strangely found myself wanting to go say good-bye to our laundry lady (who was also named Deanne, by the way). We met her son once, and he’s in grade school, younger than Brenden, and he wants to be an engineer. I was able to tell him in Spanish that I was also an engineer, and his face lit up. So, before we left I had every intention of taking him some of our science related school supplies (magnets, pulleys, thermometers, etc.) but never got around to it. It seems that even the cruising life is conducive to letting all of the mundane everyday tasks get in the way of taking care of the really important things. I need to continue to work on that.
We were the solitary boat at Bahia San Francisquito, which was quite a bit different from the last time we were there. The weather was pleasant, and there were no bugs, so we even enjoyed a shore excursion and walked along a short ridgeline to some caves. The sand on the beach was not too soft, not too packed, and the slope of the shore was not too steep, so I enjoyed a couple of awesome runs on the beach. Once even in the middle of the day! Summer was clearly over. After that, a wonderful overnight passage brought us to Puta Chivato. There were following seas and strong winds such that we kept 2 reefs in the main pretty much the whole way there. On our way up the Baja Peninsula we stayed the night on the northern side of Punta Chivato to take refuge from SW winds, and this time we stayed on the south side to escape a northern blow. We hunkered down for a couple of days here and waited for the norther to blow through without even venturing ashore.
Exploring ashore at Bahia San Francisquito
The next stop was Punta Pulpito, and after we left Chivato the winds died down completely and we ended up motoring. We almost aborted the passage by waiting out the calm up at Bahia Santo Domingo, but Tim and I both really wanted to keep heading south and we really wanted to stay at Punta Pulpito. So, we sucked it up and burned the diesel and pressed on. It is a matter of pride among some in the cruising community to use the engines as absolutely little as possible, but Tim and I balance that with other factors and we don’t let a stubborn need to conserve every ounce of fuel or to impress others constrain our behavior. We don’t use our engines much, but we will if we want to. Punta Pulpito is where our race down the Baja came to a screeching halt. As soon as we got there we were awed by the striking point (called “the pulpit” for a reason) with a vein of obsidian running through it. The other quite noticeable aspect was how green the surrounding landscape was. Clearly, this area had received some rain over the summer and was showing signs of life that hadn’t been there before.
Punta Pulpito
Initially, we were the only boat in the anchorage, but we were eventually joined by a power boat called Amiga with a really nice couple on board whom we played a game of beach bocce ball with. Here, we heard the “crazy fish” belly flops for the first time in I don’t know how long. It was like coming home to something familiar and comforting, those crazy rays. The water was crystal clear, and although I didn’t snorkel I paddle boarded around the edge of the anchorage and enjoyed the water from above. Tim went out and caught 4 langostas (lobsters) so we enjoyed that on the BBQ like old times, not quite as fun as with Lady Carolina, though. Tim and I left the boys on board for an afternoon and hiked up to the top of the pulpit. It wasn’t a very strenuous hike, and the views were absolutely amazing! On our way up the coast we had stayed on the north side of Punta Pulpito (Bahia San Nicolas) and we could see that entire bay from way up there. We had intended to stay at this anchorage only a night or two and then head down to San Juanico, but we kept hearing on the SSB nets that there were something like 17-23 boats there, so we extended our stay at Pulpito a bit longer. Our last night we were abruptly awakened by another boat making VHF calls at 3am. They had come into the anchorage to avoid some weather, and they were calling their buddy boat to let them know. That’s totally the kind of thing the radio is for, so no hard feelings or anything, but that was our clue that it was time to move on. We were clearly back in cruising civilization again so we might as well embrace it and join the crowd at San Juanico. You see, it was the time of year that everyone who left for the summer starts coming back for the fall and winter cruising seasons. A lot of people keep their boats in San Carlos, so we were getting caught up in the traffic of the people crossing the sea from San Carlos to the Chivato and heading south.
The view from the top of Punta Pulpito. Bahia San Nicolas is visible to the right.
San Juanico was as nice as we remembered, but due to the prevailing northern winds we weren’t able to stay in our favorite little cove on the south side. Instead, we pulled up in the middle of all the traffic and dropped anchor on the north side. Here we did quite a bit more paddle boarding and spear fishing, and one afternoon when I was feeling a particular need to get off the boat, Alex and Brenden humored me by taking me on a dinghy ride to view the sea caves. (The same sea caves I had kayaked to from the opposition direction months before.)
We motor-sailed down to Isla Coronados, and although we could see a couple boats positioned over on the south side of the island, we decided to drop anchor on the north side since the forecast was for a shift of light winds around to the south. We went ashore almost immediately to scout the head of the trail that led up to the peak of the volcano. The next morning we set out for the hike, and it took us about 3 hours to get to the top and about 2 hours to get back down. The trail started along sand and desert shrubbery, and then progressed along reddish rocks. At that point the trail was marked by rock piles, so you had to keep a close eye out in order to stay on the trail. When we reached the base of the final slope up to the peak, it was a much steeper dirt trail again with taller desert shrubbery, tall enough to scratch your arms and your face, if you were not careful. It was a hot day, but not suffocatingly hot, and we carried enough water and snacks to see us through. We paused at the top just long enough to eat our PuBJa’s (PB & J sandwiches) and soak up the views from all directions. Tim and Brenden raced down the steep part of the trail, while Alex and I took our time and meandered a bit. We meandered so much we found ourselves off the trail and Tim had to come back up and call out so we could move towards his voice. So, we failed survival skills 101 (not even 101 more like the pre-requisite) but thanks to the half of our crew with more aptitude for, well, staying on a trail, we all made it down safely. At the bottom we enjoyed a quick soak in the crystal blue water and also noticed how the beach had changed since the last time we were here. Before, it was a steep shore with coarse sand and lots of seaweed and natural debris strewn about. This time it was a much more pristine beach with a more gradual slope and finer sand. It would have been fine for running this time, but I didn’t take advantage of it. We left the anchorage that afternoon and sailed for Nopolo, where we stayed one night and enjoyed a lazy evening and morning soaking up the internet from the resort.
At the top of the volcano at Isla Coronados
We had a gusty sail from Nopolo to Puerto Escondido, and we dropped anchor quickly. We could see Lady Carolina way out on one of the mooring balls but the dinghy was up, and we suspected they still weren’t back yet. We headed to shore to try and catch the tail end of the much publicized yacht club anniversary pizza party, but we ran into some acquaintances who told us we had missed it, but that we really didn’t miss much. As we were chatting our handheld VHF lit up, “Exodus, Exodus, Lady Carolina.” They’re back! We helped them empty their car, and they had to be just as creative at loading their car as I had to be. Unfortunately all this was happening around dusk, and we got thoroughly munched on by the all the mosquitos. Everyone was pretty tired, so we had an early night, but the next day we all ventured up the road away from the harbor, across the highway, and up into what is known as “Steinbeck’s Canyon.” Wow, what a hike. Unlike our previous hikes that had been along trails, this was really more like boulder hopping, with a stream running down the middle. The boys had an absolute blast, and they all showed their mountain goat skills as we got higher and higher and had to be creative about finding routes to keep moving up. On the way back down we stopped at a small pool, and Tim started undressing. I was too far away to hear the conversation between Steve and Tim, but soon Steve started also undressing. In their underwear, they moved over to the edge of the rocks above the pool, still bantering back and forth but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. A countdown commenced, and holy crap, they jumped in. Surely, they each thought the other was bluffing? Well, either way, that broke the ice, and pretty soon all the boys were taking turns jumping in and having a fantastic time. I think that hike goes down as one of the boys’ favorite days of our trip so far.
Steinbeck’s Canyon
Lady Carolina left Puerto Escondido the same day that Tim left to fly back to LA. Tim would be gone for 5 days and the plan was to hook back up with Lady Carolina in La Paz after that. But in the meantime, the boys and I hunkered down for several days by ourselves in Puerto Escondido. I enjoyed some runs along the road in the cooler weather and we all enjoyed hanging out at the Portobello Restaurant losing ourselves in the internet. We rented a car for a day and did some provisioning in Loreto. I ran around to every store and then found we had some extra time, so we relaxed and enjoyed an afternoon in Loreto, one last time.
We left Puerto Escondio within hours of Tim returning, and we had another overnight sail down to Isla San Francisco. We made really good time, too good actually, in that we arrived a couple hourse before sunrise. We had been to this anchorage before, so we ventured in and chose a spot well away from the other boats. However, we were well exposed to the wraparound swell, and had a couple of rocky rolly hours of sleep before the sun came up. After that we moved and tucked in a little better amongst the other boats, and we were much more comfortable. We had a great time exploring ashore, looking for agates again and meeting some kayakers who were camping on the other side of the island. The winds were howling on that side and the sound and smell of the surf reminded me of the very familiar Pacific Ocean.
On Thanksgiving we sailed down to Isla Partida, to pretty much the only anchorage we hadn’t been to before, Ensenada Cardonal. This is a mile deep anchorage with a beach that shallows very gradually. We had the anchorage to ourselves and enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner of BBQ chicken, mashed potatoes, some sort of veggie, I’m sure, and apple crumble for dessert. We hiked across the island the next day. It was a very easy, short hike, and we found the strong NE winds on the other side of the island again. We spent a couple cold and gray days at the anchorage, and when the boys were bored they decided to put a treasure in a jar and leave it in a cave up on a hill on the north side of the anchorage. Then they made a treasure map with clues and put in in a bottle and down the road when we were underway they threw the bottle in the sea. No word on whether anyone has found the treasure, yet.
Hiding a treasure in a cave at Ensenada Cardonal
When it seemed like the right time, we made the short sail into La Paz and dropped anchor right next to Lady Carolina. As we were making our way down the long channel into La Paz, we came across s/v Sara M and her skipper, Alan, who we had gotten to know up in the sea during the summer. Sara M is a large schooner without an engine. However, Alan is creative, and to make his way down the channel he was using his dinghy to “push” Sara M along. It was quite a sight.
We enjoyed a few days in La Paz, including a celebration for Tim’s birthday. I enjoyed a last couple runs along the malecon before it was time to push on and cross the Sea of Cortez on to new adventures. We were a caravan of boats leaving La Paz: Exodus, Lady Carolina, True Blue V, and Dazzler. We stayed the night at Playa Bonanza on Isla Espiritu Santo before leaving for the crossing to the mainland on Friday, 6 December. The boys rode on Lady Carolina for the passage between La Paz and Playa Bonanza, and as far as I know all went well. They commented on the different motion of a monohull versus a catamaran, and Brenden is pretty sure he will get a catamaran when he grows up.
As we left San Felipe we intended to zip down the Baja Peninsula as quick as we could in order to meet up with Lady Carolina in Puerto Escondido and then La Paz and then cross the Sea over to the Mexican mainland. But what we found on our way down caused us to slow down and enjoy some new anchorages and rediscover some familiar ones. A trip home to the States for Tim meant that the boys and I would also get to know Puerto Escondido quite well. Our time in the Sea of Cortez was coming to a close, and we decided to savor every minute of it.
There is nothing in the log book for the days we spent in San Felipe after the boys and I returned back from our trip to The States and when we departed to head back south. But there are a few photos, so I’ll share them here.
Exodus in the marina facing the harbor entranceThe huge tide swings in San FelipeMost of the boats in the harbor with us were fishing vesselsWhile we were in San Felipe we met some scientists from San Diego who are studying and tracking the Vaquita population. The Vaquita is a small porpoise that lives only in the far north of the Sea of Cortez. They are severely endangered due to human fishing activity. Brenden is concerned for their plight, so he made this drawing to help spread the word. For more info, visit http://www.vivavaquita.org/This series of photos was taken on our last morning in San Felipe when I went for a run out on the breakwater wall. They pretty well capture the San Felipe Harbor.
Email to family and friends dated October 31, 2013
Subject: Leaving San Felipe Today
We plan to leave San Felipe today, so we only have internet for a few more hours 😦 We aren’t sure how far we will go on this first passage. We are going to hug the coast and most likely skip Puerto Refugio, but it will depend on weather and how we feel. I had a great time up in the states, but it’s nice to be back on Exodus with Tim. Alex and I took the rental car back to Mexicali yesterday and then rode the bus back. He didn’t want to go with me, but then I told him it was for safety in that he’s big enough now that I would be safer if he went with me than if I went alone (just due to safety in numbers). He puffed his chest out a little and said, OK. He always did like being “grown up.” Love and miss all of you… -Deanne
Facebook post October 31, 2013
Adios San Felipe. You were a nice haven from the weather but we will not miss the pelican poo
When we came back from the States we came loaded down with Halloween candy from my mom. She even sent bags for Kyle and Joel, who are so much a part of our family she couldn’t send candy without thinking of them too. As always, with Halloween candy, it was dominated by the smaller versions of familiar candy bars, you know, the mini treats called, “Fun Size?” I’m not sure how it started, maybe they were doing dishes and Brenden couldn’t reach the dish drainer, or maybe they were putting stuff away and Brenden couldn’t quite reach the cupboard, but regardless how it started, Alex has taken to calling Brenden “Fun Size.” And if you know Brenden, you know that “Fun Size” just fits him on so many levels!
This is our new motto. Whenever there’s too much to do or something new breaks or stops working, we just say, “I just want to relax on the boat.” The origin goes back to San Felipe when the boys and I returned with the rental car and since we would have the car until the next morning we (mostly me) wanted to go out to dinner and then hit the grocery store for provisioning. They boys, happy to be home, groaned and complained, and Alex uttered the words that we will repeat over and over again for the rest of our journey, “I just want to relax on the boat!”
If you’ve spent time looking at our photos, you know the boys spend a fair amount of time fishing and swimming. They have both become quite the divers and spear fishermen, and they are able to hold their breath far longer than I can. I started to count on them bringing at least one sashimi fish home each day when they started dinghy fishing almost every afternoon. And “swimming” doesn’t mean just swimming. They also like playing “king of the surfboard” and “how long can I hang on the anchor chain.” One of the things life on a boat is teaching them is how to be creative with their time. It’s a small space, and sometimes there aren’t a lot of options. Of course, the familiar items are utilized a lot: iPads, books, games, legos. Every once in awhile they have “minecraft night” with Kyle and Joel. They don’t need internet, just a local LAN, to be able to play together in the same minecraft world. Now, some of you might be sneering a bit about letting the kids play “video games,” but my take on it is everything in moderation. And you just have to see what they do and build in minecraft! It’s not just a video game. It’s like electronic legos; they have to build, problem solve, work together, and well, be creative. It’s fun to see the mansions they build, how they figure out how to grow food and get recources the most efficient way, and all the other creative things they do, like taking care of pets and hiding treasures. So, all you video game haters out there, don’t judge
The boys read way more than they did at home. They started out reading the same 3 Big Nate books over and over again, so I bought them more when we were back in the states. It didn’t take them long to finish those, so then they just kept reading the same 12 Big Nate boods over and over again. Kids just love those books. When other kids come over, they get hooked on them too. But I thought they should branch out a bit so I told them they had to read something other than Big Nate (or Diary of a Wimpy Kid) for 30 minutes each day. There was some resistance at first, but now I couldn’t stop them from reading if I tried. They’ve both read the Hunger Game series, Alex is tackling The Hobit, and Brenden is blowing through the Darren Shan books (Thanks Andrew!)
They play games in fits and starts. They tend to get obsessed with a game and play it nonstop and then get sick of it and then move on. This includes Uno, Miles Bourse, Monopoly, Chess, Battleship, Tile Rummy, etc., etc. And when we have internet access we like to play Draw Something on our iPads. The boys get unlimited pleasure from making fun of my artistic skills. They also make up games of their own. My favorite is “The Scribble Game.” One person closes his eyes and scribbles on a piece of paper. Then the other one tries to make a drawing out of the scribbles. We have learned the Brenden can see a dinasaur in pretty much any scribble configuration.
Don’t get me wrong, I still occasionally hear, “I’m bored,” but overall they’ve gotten much better at being creative about finding something to do. Having Lady Carolina with us all summer sure made a big difference.
We took a bus from San Felipe to Mexicali, rented a car in Mexicali, and drove to my mom’s house in Brawley. Then we caravanned with Mom and John to Vegas and spent a wonderful weekend there with family for my sister’s wedding. Then we drove to our friends’ house in Redondo Beach and spent a couple days drinking nice wine, shuttling the boys to their friends’ houses, running Alex around for dentist appointments, and eating nice food. Then we spent one night at my dad’s house in San Diego, then back to Brawley for my stepsister’s wedding. It was quite a trip, but poor Tim had to stay in San Felipe to take care of Exodus. He got so many projects done while we were away!
Waiting for the taxi at the marinaAt the bus station in San FelipeOn the busThe rental car – Alex hopped right into the front seat, because he’s 12 now, so he knew I would let him. He and Andrew called shotgun on each other all weekend.Mmmmm…. ice cream at Gramma Nay’s houseSurprising Papa and Nana (They didn’t know Alex and Brenden were coming)Surprising Andrew! (Andrew took a train and two buses from SLO to Vegas. So glad he made it!!)Dinner at Tbirds. So fun seeing Andrew and Dylan together again.Breakfast at the hotelWe went to the strip for a couple hours. Alex and Brenden complained the whole time because all they wanted to do was go back to the hotel and watch TV. Andrew was a good sport, though.Paris?Caesar’s Palace. The die is cast.They were actually standing like this waiting for me to come out of the restroom. I made them reenact for a photo.Surprising Ethan and Cammy (cousins)Brenden showed us his mad hula hoop skillsAt the rehearsal dinner – The Bride and The Mother of the BrideWe got to the wedding a little earlyFamily was supposed to sit in the gazebo, but the kids didn’t want to, so we put them in the front row with Andrew as supervisor.Beautiful couplePapa and Nana with all the grandkidsMama with all her boysDance floor funAndrew was the only one who could get Alex on the dance floorPlayin at the hotel poolBig good-bye hugs for the cousinsWe made it to Redondo Beach – Brenden and Monkey playing tug-tug-tugAlex with his bud ChrisBrenden with his buds, Anthony and JasonRound Table Pizza!Good friends and good wineKale salad. Mmmmm…. not many leafy greens in MexicoA run on the strand in Manhattan BeachBrenden with his bud NelsonAwesome dinner at Flemming’s. I forgot to take the photo BEFORE I started eating.Alex waiting for his dentist appointmentFro Yo!Helping Gramma Nay with dishes at the churchReading their Big Nate booksAll the stuff staged for cramming into the rental carWhile we were away, Tim hung out with Daniel, an employee at the MarinaHe also designed a part that would allow us to operate our anchor windlass manually. This is the man (and his son) who machined the part for us.Functioning A-OK.
Our trip home for Danna’s wedding was nothing short of magical, but it did have a somewhat frustrating start. I had wanted to rent a car in San Felipe and drive all the way there, mostly because I wanted to be able to bring a car full of provisions from the states back to Exodus. The guy at the marina office told me that, unfortunately, there are no rental cars in San Felipe, but I could easily take the bus to Mexicali and rent a car there. It’s quite easy, there’s even a rental car agency at the bus stop. But of course there’s not, and I learned that the hard way. Well, I also learned there are 2 bus stops in Mexicali, so it’s possible he was talking about the other one, but that didn’t help me at all.
The boys and I caught an air conditioned bus and watched movies in Spanish from San Felipe to Mexicali. We had to get off at one of the military check points, but the boys didn’t mind at all, since there was a snack bar there and I bought them some chips. When we arrived in Mexicali, we circled the periphery of the bus stop, which wasn’t very big, but we did not see the rental car agency. Because it wasn’t there. I asked the guy at the door who arranges the taxis for people if there was a rental car agency nearby (in Spanish), and he pulled out a business card and a flyer for National Rental Car and said I needed to call this number. I asked if they were nearby and if I could walk there, and he said no, they would pick me up. I hesitated because I figured there must be some place nearby and he was just sending me to this one because he gets a kickback, and he interpreted my hesitation for lack of understanding, so he went and got another guy who spoke English. That guy told me, no there wasn’t one within walking distance, and I should just call that one. So, I did, and after about a half hour a very large guy picked us up in a Smart Car with a standard transmission and he stalled the car at every stop. At first, I was kind, and I joked how it had been so long since I had driven a stick I’m sure I’d be stalling it too. Then I got a little more intentionally helpful, reminding him to give it a little more gas as he released the clutch. And if it had taken another five minutes to get there I think I would have insisted that he just let me drive. He was nice, and he was embarrased, so I let it go, and tried to make conversation on the longer than it needed to be drive back to the office. Renting the car was easy, and I drove away in my much too expensive compact car with automatic transmission but manual door locks and windows. The boys were so used to our mini-van that not only had automatic locks but automatic doors, that they were not just a little impatient when we would get to the car and I’d have to unlock my door and get in and then lean over to unlock theirs. Of course I reminded them that, “back in my day….”
Waiting four our taxi to the bus station
The drive across the border was slow but not as bad as Tijuana, and pretty soon we were racing down the country highway to Brawley to my mom’s house. We had a fantastic dinner with Mom and John, and the without a doubt highlight of the evening was the ice cream. Well, for the boys anyway. For me it was the CA Chardonnay that John had chilling for me in the fridge.
Ice cream at Gramma Nay’s
We headed to Vegas the next day, and the fun surprises began. You see, the only people who knew the boys were coming with me were Danna and my mom. So, they got to suprise Papa and Nana (my dad and Karen), their cousins Ethan and Cammy, and, of course, Andrew. Ethan and Cammy were the best with all the excited squealing and Ethan repeating over and over how I tricked him. It was so much fun that Alex and Brenden were able to come, and it made the horrible passage up to San Felipe more than worth it (Well, I’m not sure what Tim would say about that.)
Surprising Ethan and Cammy
Andrew took a bus, a train, and another bus to get from San Luis Obispo to Las Vegas. I drove downtown by myself to pick him up, looking forward to some one on one time with my biggest boy. Funny thing about heading downtown is that when I was still with my mom I muttered something about being concerned to be heading down there. She took that to mean I was a little concerned about going there by myself. She confided in my Uncle Mike and Danna about it, and they both reacted similarly, with something like, “what is she talking about being concerned? She lives on a boat in Mexico and she’s worried about going to downtown Vegas???” Well, as I was getting ready to go my mom offered for Uncle Mike to go with me since I was concerned about going alone, and I laughed. I told her I guess I never finished my thought, I was actually concerned about the traffic at the time of day I would be going. She got a good laugh about that and shared with me what Uncle Mike and Danna had said. Too funny.
Another funny thing about heading downtown is that it was another of my old stomping grounds. Vegas, baby! When I was too young to (legally) gamble or drink we would road trip to Vegas and stay downtown at a cheap hotel and eat cheap food and play quarter roulette. I could go for a whole weekend on only $40. The bus station is actually right next to Union Plaza where we would play penny slots. Ah, the good ole days.
So good to see Andrew!
We had a great weekend with Andrew. We all stayed together in a hotel room, and Andrew and I took turns sleeping with Brenden, since he’s still quite a mobile sleeper. Not Alex, on the other hand. He sleeps like a rock. The day before the wedding the four of us went to the Vegas Strip to do some sight seeing, and while Andrew was quite a good sport, Alex and Brenden basically complained all afternoon, because they just wanted to go back to the hotel room to watch TV. I guess they miss TV, after all. When we were walking through the Paris hotel, someone actually asked Andrew and I if we were married. I laughed so hard, and then I laughed even harder when I saw how horrified Andrew was. I told him I was used to being mistaken for his sister, but this was definitely a first. He commented that of course I’m going to have to tell everyone about it, and I thought, well, yeah!
That night was the rehearsal dinner, and when Danna invited us she let me know there would be beer and wine, “but, probably not anything I would like.” I’m pretty sure that was her calling me a beer and wine snob. Since Andrew rode over with Dylan, and Alex and Brenden rode over with Papa and Nana, I decided to stop and get some respectable beverages to bring along. I found a Whole Foods somewhat on the way, and when I walked in it was like clouds parted and angels started singing. I wanted to fall to my knees and weep. It was the epitome of everything I no longer have access to on a boat in Mexico. The piles and piles of colorful fresh fruits and veggies. The bulk bins with nuts and grains I had forgotten even existed. I’m starting to tear up just thinking about it, so I can’t go on. And I didn’t linger in the store too long either for fear I wouldn’t be able to leave. I grabbed a couple six packs and a few bottles of wine and slowly made my way out of the store. I was hoping to find Arrogant Bastard and Raging Bitch beer for the special occasion, figuring it was appropriate for a wedding rehearsal dinner, but unfortunately they were out of both. The rehearsal dinner was a lot of fun. One of Danna’s friends hosted and it was a very relaxed evening. They had a fire pit out back, and as I’m walking up I hear *Andrew* telling the story from earlier. I guess he got over his mortification and realized how very funny it was.
At the rehearsal dinner
The wedding was amazing. Whenever I was telling someone I was going to Vegas for my sister’s wedding I would feel compelled to add, …”she lives there.” So, no, they didn’t get married by Elvis in a chapel on the Strip. It was at a beautiful place North of Vegas with a lush green outdoor area with a stream running through it and a large gazebo. Everyone had such a great time at the reception. It was relaxed and fun being with all of my relatives. Alex and Brenden ran around with Ethan and Cammy, and they all showed their moves on the dance floor. Andrew ran around with Dylan, and it was enjoyable seeing them together again after so long.
Danna and JerryHaving a fun time dancing at the recpetion
After Vegas we drove to L.A. and had a great time visiting friends. We stayed with Colin and Jen, and Heather even flew out to visit. So, being with them meant I had a few days of good food, great wine, and even a run on the beach. The boys were able to see thier buddies as well, and they were very sad to leave (again). We spent a night at Dad and Karen’s house and then headed back to Brawley for my step-sister Kristen’s wedding, another wonderful wedding.
Oh how I miss these ladies
The few weeks before the visit Tim and I had started our Amazon purchases, and the boxes were piled pretty high in my mom’s living room. Tim even joined Amazon prime so he could order stuff right up until the last minuite. I also made a Costco run, a Target run, and a grocery store run, so I had quite the puzzle to solve getting everything to fit in the tiny rental car. Everything had to come out of the packages, and every square inch of usable space in that car was used up.
I took a different approach with customs this time and didn’t bother putting together any sort of spreadsheet. We had also bought a Honda generator, so I figured if asked by customs if I had anything to declare, I would just declare that, pay the duty, and be done with it. However, at the border, I inadvertently totally bypassed customs altogether. I needed to stop at immigration to get new tourist visas, but instead of stopping and parking where I needed to I accidentally got in the customs line. So, when the guy came to talk to me I told him I needed to go to immigration, and asked him what I should do, and so he told me I could just leave the car there, and go in. But we took so long in there, they had to come in and ask me to move the car over to the side, which I did, of course. So, when we were done with immigration and went back to the car, I realized that where I was parked was now past the customs checkpoint. I stood there for a minute or so, kept looking around, and then we just got in the car and took off. Sometimes, being a bit of an idiot can actually pay off. We drove the rental car all the way to San Felipe, and the next day Alex and I took the rental car back to Mexicali and rode the bus back. He didn’t want to go with me, but then I told him it was for safety in that he’s big enough now that I would be safer if he went with me than if I went alone (just due to safety in numbers). He puffed his chest out a little and said, OK. He always did like being “grown up.” We had a great time up in the states, but it was nice to be back on Exodus with Tim, getting ready to get back out on the water.
Gresham Family Exodus 