This is my favorite spot yet. I say this every time we reach a new beach camp, but this time I really mean it. We're tucked behind head high bushes that block the wind and give us a fair amount of privacy. The people before us, or before them, built a fire pit using an old car wheel rim. There's a makeshift alter; neatly stacked rocks topped with a candle and covered with smaller rocks and shells added by the camp's various inhabitants over the years. Someone's tamed the, probably once menacing, thorny bushes to create walkways around the campsite. One leads to what could very loosely be called a patio that overlooks the beach, which is covered in millions of earth toned pebbles; many perfectly rounded by the lapping waters of the Sea of Cortez.
We've come to this spot on the East Cape of Baja to celebrate another holiday with our new friends. We catch up over dinner, this time at our place. There are so many stories to tell even though we just saw them a few days ago. Sharing a fire on the beach, we ring in the New Year; everyone audibly relieved when 2016 arrives because 9 pm is our usual bedtime.
Jeff and Julie have been here for a while so they only stay for a couple more days. We say our goodbyes for the second time, hoping we'll see them again.
After they're gone we keep to ourselves and our homey little niche, only socializing with the horses that graze near our camp.
Occasionally we make the 5 minute walk into town to have dinner or grab a carton of milk from the 5 shelves that are considered the town tienda.
We leave twice, driving north to restock and then south down the bumpy, washboard road to Los Arbolitos, a pristine beach known for its snorkeling right off the shore. Each time we put up our tent, hoping it will deter another camper from parking in our spot; still I worry over it the whole time we're gone.
Nine days after our arrival, the camper is packed and we are prepared to go. I have to be goaded into this decision by Pete, who tells me we'll find a better place or one that at least rivals this. He seems convinced, but I'm not so sure.