Laguna Ojo de Liebre //
It’s 6am and I’m standing directly beneath our smoke alarm when I open the door to go outside. It’s so humid out that the moisture that pours in sets the smoke alarm off. Not ten minutes later, the same thing happens inside Josh & Darci’s camper. We’re all awake now whether we wanted to be or not.
There’s a slight breeze come mid-morning and Mark decides to take a look at the current wind map around Baja. Just a few hours north of us gusts are raging up to 72mph. The map shows that we successfully found ourselves a hole to hide from the angry wind that surrounds us 270 degrees around. By mid-day I can see a thick wall of dirt being carried across the landscape just across the lagoon.
Mark and I go for a walk and scope out all the educational signs outside the visitor’s center. It’s closed as whale season won’t begin for at least another month but we learn a few interesting facts nonetheless. The most fascinating is the hand-written 2024 “whale census” which hangs inside one of the windows. From late January to late February a count of the whales that occupied Laguna Ojo de Liebre was taken every couple of weeks. The number peaked late February at 758 whales. That is an astonishing number of whales in a lagoon that I can see to the other side of. Grey whales makes the 12,000 mile journey from Alaska to Baja California’s lagoons to mate every year. They return exactly 12 months later to birth their calves in the same lagoon.
A few other campers roll in around sunset and it feels noticeably different to not be all alone. For the two weeks we’ve been in Baja so far, we’ve been in remote areas far from other people and even passers-by. We meet Phillip, the guy who pulls in and occupies the palapa next to ours, and learn just how treacherous it was to be on the road today. During his drive down Highway 1 where the wind was at its worst, he came up on an overturned semi-truck that he was just barely able to get around. The driver of the semi asked Phillip for a ride. He needed to get to the nearest town to call for help, there wasn’t a lick of cell service where they were. After hearing that story we assume the highway was shut down for the many hours it must have taken to get a recovery vehicle out to retrieve the fallen truck.
Wind has always dictated where we camp in Baja but more for comfort concerns, I hadn’t thought that hard about it in regards to safety on the road. I’m glad we keep a close eye on the forecast and am really grateful for the decision- making that went into choosing to camp where we are. This lifestyle keeps us closely connected to the elements; something we love when nature is at its best but something that makes us vulnerable when nature displays an act of force.
Having successfully hidden from the day’s wind, we’re excited to return to the road tomorrow and continue our journey south.
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Great-looking camp!
That’s a great thing you weren’t on the road today. I hope tomorrow will be a better day for traveling! It’s so nice to see you all together!
I rode out a three day wind storm in Death Valley last February. Not fun. Glad you found a calm place to hole up and get off the road. Generally I avoid moving in all bad weather be it rain, snow or wind. It’s just safer. Best wishes and safe travels to you all.