Smith Adventures

Our time in the Baja was one of many contrasts and contradictions. Some of the scenery is spectacular, in particular the 104 kms from Tecate , our border crossing to Ensenada .  When we were driving back up to Tecate, quite high in the mountains you get spectacular vistas that are reminiscent of Wyoming (Yellowstone). As a day ride on a motorcycle definitely worth crossing just for the day down and back. Tecate is set amongst a boulder field environment, so interesting, and yet the valley setting has tenement dirt floor shacks that most of the people live in. The raw beauty and the abject poverty are seen in one vista. The road south from Ensenada to El Rosario is mostly unappealing since it is a continual set of small towns straddling the highway for much of the 280 kms. You are forced to stay slow in these villages as the 'Topes', or miserable speed bumps of the worst type will rip your camper from your vehicle, or worse. fortunately it didn't happen to us. Add to...

Moonset over the back of Playa Norte Then sunrise over the Sea of Cortes Kite Sailing, Wild winds one day! As we continued south we headed for Los Barriles on the Sea of Cortez side of the peninsula about 40 kms north of the Tropic of Cancer. Los Barriles is known for its wind and kite sailing community and it was definitely impressive. Several of the days we spent there were calm and then there were a couple of windy days, temperatures hovering close to 80F. Finally we have found the heat! One calm morning I got up just as the full moon was setting and the sun was about to rise. These are the shots ( above ) I got. Absolutely gorgeous day that turned out to be. There were many different skill levels of kite surfers but the ones pictured here were very skilled and would do flips frequently, just never when I was ready to capture them. Where's the water coming from? CJ and Kathy, folks we met via email when arranging to come down here have a 40’ Class A...