San Diego to Erendira

Our first morning waking up in the tent was magical. We listened to the sounds of the thundering waves all night. The surf was still pounding from the pacific storm that has just barreled through, but during the night it calmed slightly. Our rooftop tent felt like a treehouse as I looked down on the beach below. Loraine came to visit us bright and early with some coffee, a brisk walk on the beach, and then we were off for the border.
We wound our way down the coast, past Ensenada. Last time I was down here was 1972, and, yes, it has changed a lot. But the road was good. Too bad the Malecon was blocked off for Carnival, so we skipped stopping in town. We took a small road out to the coast to a little town called Erendira, and are camping at a little hostel called Coyote Cal's. Although the wind is blowing hard, we walked down onto the rocky shore below us, where we could see the seals stretched out on the big rock catching the sun.

Apart from being located in a beautiful place, the owners are wonderful. This is Ta in her massage studio. Next trip, I will plan for this stopover.

We are looking at miles of coastline in either direction from our little perch, although we've got the window on the windward side of the tent closed. Down below is the one little cove where the seals and the cormorants could swim.

We drove back to the little town for dinner at Gloria's family restaurant. We sat watching a Mexican soap while they cooked us some wonderful food in the back. This is what mole is supposed to taste like. Back at Coyote Cal's, we sat by the fire, and had a few beers with a group of motorcycle guys from California and a young surfer from Peru named Peter. He is on a year's journey from the US back to Peru in a truck, searching out the best waves. 

I wish I could take a photo of the stars tonight. No mist, no moon, and the wind has cleared the sky completely. There are even more stars than I see in the mountains of Colorado. Stars in between the stars, and then more stars. The moon is just a sliver, looking like a saucer under a cup, as it sets early this evening. And the seals are still out on their rock, singing us to sleep.