Background to El Rancho Nido Trip- November 26 & 27. 2007

Background to
El Rancho Nido Trip
November 26 and 27, 2007

This adventure began when Michelle was surfing the nets and the tubes hunting for property in Mexico. I had been working on the BruceHalstead.blogspot.com site and one of the post is about projects needing funding. One of those project was identified as a marine station for World Life Research Institute at a turtle preserve down at the tip of Baja on the Sea of Cortez.

The Sea of Cortez property was discovered by my brother David and his wife Helen while they were traveling down there in conjunction with some property they recently bought in Los Barillas. They have a serious case of Baja Fever after they bought a lot down in San Felipe almost a decade ago. They go to San Felipe whenever they can get away and work on their place there.

David and Helen Halstead

David and Helen's RV at their Lot at San Felipe (2001)

David and Helen's Lot at San Felipe 2001

I have been going to Mexico all of my life and have made it to most of the main locations that have been on my list: La Paz, Puerto Vallarta, Matzanlan, Cancun, Cozumel, and the pyramids at Tulume, Coba, and Chitzanitza (sp).

Back in the 70's when we were all driving VW Buses, we used to have a bunch of regulars who would all go camping in the dunes along the beaches just South of Ensenada on the way to Punta Bunda (blow hole).

The VW Buses all nestled in the Dunes, The Front White Bus is
Doug Mathews, the Green Bus is David's, the Redish Orange
Bus is Mine and furthest the Bus in the background is
the Bus that belonged to my Cousin Barry

Camping out at the dunes of Estero Beach back in the early 70's

Camping out at the dunes of Estero Beach back in the early 70's
That's Cody Mathews and Aron Riechel looking quite young
The non-VW Bus on Right belonged to Gary Dickinson

I learned to Scuba Dive close to Punta Bunda when I was only 8 or 9 on a family vacation (circa 1960).


I have tons of memories over my lifetime that has made the greater Ensenada area dear to my heart and a region that I will always feel connected.

Introducing Michelle to Mexico

Michelle, having spent her life in the Chicago area, came to California in December of 1999. She had never been to Mexico and so her opportunity came when we went to San Felipe to celebrate David's 50th birthday, March 16, 2001.






This trip was to be a lot of different first for Michelle. The first time in Mexico, it was also her first ever introduction to camping. Turns out she loved it!

Everything!

Mexico itself, the food, the lifestyle, the beer, the sun, the chimineyas, and even the camping, were all new found loves for her. There were other first for her down there but for her sake I will exclude those tidbits here.

Camping with Dodge Van at David and Helen's Lot at San Felipe

David and Mom Celebrating 50 years later

Sistas (inlaw) in San Felipe, looking like twins

The Bay at San Felipe

A year and a half later, on my 50th birthday, Michelle and I went down to Ensenada to celebrate in November of 2002. It was the only time we have been able to sneak away without the kids.

Turning 50 in Style - Salud

We stayed at a resort hotel, Estero Beach Hotel, on the way out to Punta Bunda. It is a great beach front get away. Rooms were quite nice and the grounds were fun to roam in the down time.

Michelle in front of Estero Beach Hotel

The Estero Beach Hotel grounds

Sea Side at the Estero Beach Resort Hotel

It was quite fun for me to show Michelle all around and introduce her to all of my old stomping ground. I had a great b-day and we both had a much needed and fantastic vacation.

Punta Bunda or the Blow Hole South of Ensenada

We had a blast and it was no doubt the final inoculation with the Baja fever for Michelle. I needed no additional help with my Baja fever as I having been telling people forever that "Mexico es mi Amor."

Not long after we returned from that vacation, Michelle started searching the nets and tubes for property for sale in Mexico. She soon found a wonderful ranch for sale just East of Ensenada called El Tigre.

Rancho El Tigre East of Ensenada

But that was when we were dealing with lots of issues which included moving, job changes for Michelle, and the loss of my father. So we were never able to act on that fantasy before the property was sold.

But with new talk about changes, new projects, and a new focus on Mexico, Michelle went pack to the nets and the tubes a searchin'. This time she found the El Rancho Nido.
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Next thing I know I am talking on the phone with some guy named Mark Morgan. Sounds real Spanish eh? Wrong! He's from South Carolina.

After the first call with Mark, I started checking it all out on the internet and before long I had a list of additional questions for him. When we talked the second time, I started bombarding him with questions when it soon became evident that it would be necessary for me to see the property first hand. Mark was pushing this as well since he knew how important for anyone to visit and see how remote the property is at El Nido.

This was right before Thanksgiving Day and Michelle and I spent the holiday weekend talking about it, watching the videos, and getting all pumped up over the whole idea. By Saturday, I called Mark and arranged to come down on Monday.

From the time I first saw the videos, until I went down there, my mind was going crazy with possible uses and I was even preparing a project prospectus which broke them all down. But once you actually get down there, it becomes abundantly clear how remote you are and how most of those idea just wouldn't work there. However, as a refuge retreat that you can get away and enjoy living off the grid and with the beauty of it all, it is still a great location and I still want to aquire land there, just not with the same intentions.

So on Monday, November 26, unable to convince anyone to go along and unable to bring the whole family, I hit the road for what would prove to be a most excellent, three day, 631 mile adventure into what was for me, unchartered territories.

This was the first time that I had ever gone to Mexico alone. It was the first time that I was there on business. It was the first time I had ever gone to Ensenada without going to Punta Bunda. And it was the first time that I had been out traveling by myself since the late 70's when I was traveling around the Great NorthWest in my VW Bus after graduating from UC Davis in 1976.

I left with the intentions of spending the night at El Nido and returning the next day. But after spending the night there and talking to Mark, it became abundantly clear that I really needed to go see Bahia Soledad and spend the night there as well. Mark drew me a map and off I went on Tuesday to discover yet another adventure.

end