Winter in Baja Day 81: Fingers crossed for fuel

Bahia de los Angeles -> San Felipe //

We went to bed undecided as to whether or not we’d leave today but come morning, the increasing number of bees swarming the truck and camper make the decision to leave an easy one.  However, we take our time packing up as we have no clue when the diesel delivery is arriving at the gas station and we’re not going anywhere until we can get a few gallons of fuel in our tank.  

At noon we pull into the station with our fingers crossed to see that the diesel pump still has a padlock on it.  We both let out an audible sigh and I imagine the dusty parking lot is where we’re about to spend an undetermined amount of time.  However, when we go inside to inquire about the wait time, the clerk hands us a key to the padlock.  Hallelujah, fuel was delivered!  It’s the most expensive diesel we’ve bought in all of Baja, at $6.25 a gallon, but it hardly matters.

Now that we’re back on the road we have decisions to make.  For the last few days we’ve been in a constant state of wavering over whether or not we’re ready for this trip to come to an end.  Two hours to the south is an area on the Pacific coast we have yet to explore.  Did we want to stay an extra week and go check it out?  Or did we want to continue making our way towards the border but stop at a few favorite spots and spend a few nights along the way?  When we reach the junction for Highway 1 we pull over, do some research, and talk it over.  Between the wind and the bees and a handful of other things that keep adding up, we come to the conclusion that it’s time to rip the bandaid and bring this year’s Baja adventure to a close.

After lunch at our favorite middle-of-nowhere truck stop, we leave all the traffic behind on Highway 1 and veer onto Highway 5.  For three hours we weave along the Sea of Cortez coastline while taking in some of the most colorful desert we’ve ever seen.  Purple, red, yellow, and white flowers stretch on for as far as the eye can see.  It’s breathtaking and also an indication as to why the bees have all of a sudden dominated the landscape.

At sunset, we arrive at a beach north of San Felipe.  We grab cameras and make our way out to the exposed sandbar to enjoy the last few minutes of sunlight and savor our last night in Baja.   I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for everything we’ve seen, done, and shared over the last 80 days.  There are indeed things I can get excited about returning to in the States but it doesn’t make me any less sad to be leaving the warm embrace of Mexico and its people.  

We conclude our evening with a little research into wait times at our various options for border crossings.  Los Algodones once again being our crossing of choice.  For the first time in months we set an alarm and for the last time let the sound of the sea lull us to sleep.