{"id":7969,"date":"2024-01-31T04:26:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-31T11:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/twohappycampers.com\/?p=7969"},"modified":"2024-04-22T17:31:46","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T23:31:46","slug":"winter-in-baja-day-31-wake-pack-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/twohappycampers.com\/winter-in-baja-day-31-wake-pack-go\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter in Baja Day 31: wake, pack, go"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cactus Sanctuary -> Somewhere north of El Cardonal \/\/<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This morning, as soon as I step outside, I catch Mark & Josh agreeing that they\u2019d like to pack up and get on the road sooner than later.\u00a0 I\u2019m barely awake and assume we can pack up at a leisurely pace.\u00a0 The problem is, we\u2019re camped in the parking lot of a cactus sanctuary and in the very next moment vehicles begin arriving and parking all around us.\u00a0 Lupe had said that Saturday was a busy day with visitors coming from all the surrounding areas but we certainly didn\u2019t expect arrivals to begin as early as 7:30am.\u00a0 The parking lot is small and we could easily get blocked in\u2026it\u2019s time to go.\u00a0 We pack up in record time, my OCD-self cringing at the way I ball up our bedding and toss it on the couch, I leave a thank you note for Lupe on his table, and we make our exit. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few miles down the road, in the town of El Triunfo, we stop for breakfast and the chance to wake up.  Cafes aren\u2019t even open yet so we slowly stroll around town taking in all the beautiful architecture and hand-laid stone streets.  At El Triunfo Cafe we pay the most we\u2019ve ever paid for any meal in Baja ($50 US) and for a moment feel like we\u2019re back in the States.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally awake and feeling more ready for the day, we set off in search of a place to camp north of Los Barilles.\u00a0 We drive through the small villages of El Cardonal and Boca del Alamo after which the dirt road becomes rough and narrow.\u00a0 Rough 4×4 dirt tracks seem to be the first indication that we\u2019re headed somewhere good.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t have to be on this particular track for long before finding a beautiful and secluded beach all to ourselves. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Immediately after getting set up I take a nap, having realized yesterday that I\u2019m craving some down time.  Last year I had a similar feeling around the same time (about 30ish days in to our trip) and I thought I\u2019d hit a wall and wanted to go home.  This year I\u2019m more in tune with the ways in which this style of travel effects me.  I haven\u2019t hit a wall, I\u2019ve reached a saturation point.  The daily dose of new experiences have begun to feel overwhelming rather than exciting.  And it\u2019s because new experiences are occurring faster than I can process or fully appreciate the last one.  With that, I\u2019m looking forward to a few slow, quiet days at this beautiful little spot.  In other words, we\u2019ll be here until we run out of food.<\/p>\n\n\n