Huatabampito

Cali’s jangling around woke me up early this morning, so I got up and finished breaking down camp. Enrique stopped by to wish me well and sent me off with a little cross he made out of black coral. He polishes it up until it’s smooth and shiny then makes things out of it. He showed me a piece of polished deer horn he had just gotten shiny and it reminded me that I have a piece of horn from Washington, so I gave him that to make something out of. I had thought I might create art with it but I’ve been hauling it around for months, so it found a better home with Enrique.

Traffic wasn’t too bad getting through Guaymas and I was soon on the outskirts where the fishing boats come in. Seemed like most of the pangas were still parked at the docks providing the pelicans with a place to roost. The road was lined with seafood shacks and people were already sitting down for a bite to eat. Squid, breakfast of champions.

I pulled a stretch of a toll road that got me down Obregon, then took some country roads to bypass the city and find the winding lanes to bring me out to Huatabampito. Green farm country with lots of cows and goats keeping the roadside greenery cropped and cut short. The GPS tried to turn me down a dirt road through some farmer’s field but I was smart enough not to take the bait. I asked a couple of guys in an old sedan and they said “follow us that’s the way we’re going” so I jumped in their draft and let them clear the goats out of the way until they turned off close to my destination.

My lead out man

I thanked them and drove the final half hour through Huatabampito down to the beach. It’s a native word. There are a number of places in the region with names like Mochibampo, Topolombampo, Bacobampo, etc. I think the translation of Huatabampo is land of the deep potholes. Or it could be land of the giant speed bumps. Either way, I was soon passing through sand dunes and arriving at El Mirador where I booked a slot right up on the beach.

Cali and I took a long walk on the beach while face timing PJ back in Rhode Island. An endless expanse of sandy shore. There are very few people around. There are 5 or 6 rigs in the RV area and the hotel area looks pretty empty. Nice. Room to move around. I leveled things up then went for a paddle towards the north going into a brisk wind. I didn’t go too far before letting the wind swing me around and drive me back to camp.

The restaurant was sorely in need of a customer, so I decided that I’d make the sacrifice. I ordered up a fish filet a mojo de ajo and sat overlooking the sea while enjoying my meal. To be honest, the food wasn’t the best but the view was awesome and after the three hour drive it was nice to just kick back. I went for a short afternoon nap and didn’t wake up until seven. Guess I needed the sleep. Super mellow night. Took Cali out a few times but that was it. Windy and overcast all day but tomorrow’s listed as 78 degrees and sunny.

The locals are real night owls