July 1: Saturday - The Magdalena Plain, Sand and the Creeping Devil

Camp 13. Lovely sand for children to play in and far enough from ocean so we don't need to watch Dougie so much. Everyone sleeps in except Curtis, Eric, and I, and we go birding about 6:00 AM. Great Blue Heron, Willet, Plover, Black Tailed (and cap) Gnatcatcher. Mexican Blue Jay. Pelicans, Osprey. Breakfast over 9:30 AM. Gene putting his car together. Carl fixing Myra's U-joint⁴². We are finally ready about 11:45 so it will be another hour before the others are ready. See White-Winged Doves and three Caracaras and stop to look at the Creeping Devil⁴³ cactus, and then lunch at Las Alondras in Villa Constitucion. Shopped there getting Dad [Grandpa] letter opener, Kathy earrings, me hat, dish for Florence. Then we wait for Genes while they eat and leave 5:10 PM. Arrive at La Paz at 9:00 PM. Most cars down here are Fords and Chevys. Find place to camp south of La Paz. Finally in bed after midnight. At Camp 14, [Balandra beach].

July 2: Sunday - La Paz & Lobster

Camp 14. Snorkeling and playing. Organized camp and cars. Many pelicans. Also Frigates and Brown Booby. Oyster Catchers? I keep all the children while Larry, Spouse and Carl go snorkeling. Larry cut his foot on a piece of glass. We all pile in Larry's [vehicle] (Carl, boys and I) and go into La Paz for lobster, but it's out of season. Carl and I have Rock Bass. Very good. Home late to find wind had really blown things around. We ate at La Perla’s.

July 3: Monday - Beer Cans & Buggy Engines

Still at Camp 14. Up about 7:30. Bacon and eggs for breakfast. Packed and into town [for ferry tickets]. Myra has battery trouble. Larry and Spouse help and come in after 1:00 PM. Meanwhile we get visas checked and [vehicle] permit for [Beast] ticket to Guaymas. Ticket office closed until Tuesday 9:00 AM. Eat lunch at La Perla’s at 1:10 PM. We do some shopping. Curtis and Todd buy souvenirs. Then we find Camp 15, about three miles out of La Paz. Genes more car trouble. Sand buggy this time⁴⁴. There were a few interesting shells here on the beach. Boys pick up and bury beer and pop cans at one cent each. Carl goes about broke trying to pay for the cans. Ha!

July 4: Tuesday - A Hell of a Line

We completely miss out on the Fourth of July in the U. S. Seems rather odd. We make it to the ticket office about 10:00 AM. Carl reports there is a "hell of a line" and we'll probably be here two hours. So Todd, Curtis and I wait in the truck parked on a pebbled street. Beautiful street. Beautiful trees. Some orange-red blooms and some yellow. The orange-red is like a Locust. The other I don't know, but it also has string bean type seedpods. Finally got reservations for the truck, but no tickets. Tomorrow at 9:00 AM. Larrys came in and we all decided to look into the Topolobampo cruise and it looks like we will make it on this one⁴⁵. We pick up tickets at 3:00 PM. and take off to camp a couple of days 75 miles south of La Paz and to Camp 16.

July 5: Wednesday - La Ribera & The End Of The World

Nice! We wake up to a lovely campsite found in the dark. I don't know how they do it. Palm trees, pond of fresh water, ocean, sandy beach. Birding very good. Spouse and I go looking for a while. Saw Cardinal. Many Hooded Orioles, Mourning Doves, Turkey Vultures, cranes?, Willets, two Wood Ibises, Killdeer, gulls, Brown Pelicans, Gnatcatchers. Wild Rose Moss here and other interesting things. A watermelon vine with a melon on it. No, it wasn't ripe. [Larrys head out on a last ditch effort to reach the end of the peninsula.⁴⁶]

July 6: Thursday - The Salvatierra

Camp 16, two nights. I got a terrible sunburn. We leave about 1:00 PM. Eric and Lyle were stung by Man-Of-War jellyfish yesterday⁴⁷. We also found puffer fish here and took pictures of everything. We made the boat after getting the Beast greased and filled with gas. Larrys came. Car stopped. Luckily we were close by and used our 24-volt and jump cables. Larry [the Scout] is first on board the Salvatierra⁴⁸, us [the Beast] second.

⁴²Once again, the replacement part was acquired from the Scout spare parts box, a windfall in that it fit at all.

⁴³The Creeping Devil cactus, found exclusively on the Magdalena Plain in southwestern Baja del Sur, consists of 4" diameter trunks and arms, and grows in a prone position. Always reaching slightly upward at the tip but never able to achieve a vertical position, it relaxes under its own weight, permanently lying on ground. Branches occur every one to four feet. The cactus is named for the hazard that it presented to early travelers, who crossed the area on foot and horseback. In the sandy, wind-swept Magdalena Plain, it is not uncommon to find a 300 foot diameter area, a Creeping Devil forest, covered with blowing sand to the point that the unwary have substantial difficulty in avoiding stumbling over and falling onto the sharp spines, which penetrate shoes as easily as skin.

⁴⁴It is the clutch cable. The engine must be removed in order to repair the broken cable. On a Volkswagen of the era, this means only four bolts, the accelerator cable and the spark coil wire since the engine is air-cooled. Due to the hour, the engine is left out overnight, standing on four supports. During the night one of the members of the group gets up in the dark to relieve himself, stumbles against the engine, and tips it over in the deep sand. No real harm done; two individuals can lift it back into place.

⁴⁵Although Topolobampo is several hundred miles further south on the mainland than Guaymas, which will require an extra day to get home.

⁴⁶Although the rest of the party elect to stay put for this last day on the peninsula, Larry's party is compelled, partly because of missing the opportunity in 1967, to reach Cabo San Lucas and the end of the peninsula. Leaving their trailer at camp, they strike out in their vehicle, which seems no longer capable of starting under its own power due apparently to an improper fuel mix. Along the 100+ miles to the tip they observe changes in foleage and climate beyond all expectation, tour the historical jungle town of Santiago, and drive the southern coast plummeted by massive breakers from the open Pacific. At Cabo San Lucas, they observe and photograph the great rock arch that forms the southernmost tip of Baja, a fitting end to their three week odyssey. And somehow managing to keep their vehicle running during the entire trip, they return to La Ribera by dusk.

⁴⁷It is the first of three Portuguese Man-Of-War stings for Eric over the next few years, and the pain is shortly controlled in both children by use of Sting-Kill^® swabs. However, it should be noted that due to the nature of Man-Of-War poison, each successive sting increases sensitivity, and controlling pain can become a significant problem.

⁴⁸The Salvatierra is a four-deck ferry which will carry approx. 117 passenger vehicles in its hold. On this voyage it carries a full load, some 38 commercial semi trucks plus our five passenger vehicles. A large door opens at the rear of the ship; vehicles are driven aboard and chained in place; upon arrival, the front of the ship hinges upward to allow the vehicles to be driven off without backing. Passenger amenities include several snack bars and eating rooms, two restaurants, a cocktail lounge, a nightclub, some private rooms and suites of various classes, and a large coach class seating area with reclining seats somewhat suitable for sleeping, similar to those on a commercial bus. The voyage takes approximately 7 hours, overnight.
 

 
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L. Elva Fox & Larry K. Fox

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