About Us

The Pack Family Journal is a place where we gather text and images of our lives, adventures and travels. This is a very personal site, written openly and honestly. Enjoy.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Here is Baby Shaddon!

We are going to grandparents!
Here is Baby Shaddon!
Still Growing in his Mommy "Cherise Davis Pack"

Here is what Troy Facebooked us...
He already looks like me and my dad when we were babies. Strong genes. Just hoping he's not a little monster like us though. - Troy

 



Home Again!

John & I are back in San Felipe - Home Base for us & Mexico Living.

We arrived in San Felipe a week before the 2010 International Blues and Arts Fiesta www.bluesandarts.com. We worked to get all the last minute marketing for the event. Then enjoyed the fun filled day listening to blues music, viewed some of the best artist in Baja, and enjoyed food and drink through out the day.

For the first time we are going to stay on our El Dorado Property...sooo cool! We have relocated a few of our cactus and bought a great lava rock that John painted our lot number with white and yellow paint. We will be starting to build a small patio and outdoor kitchen to relax and entertain our close friends and family on during these next few months here in San Felipe. Happy to be Home!
- Rachel

The Gypsy Journal - Ugly Graffiti

The Mexican police were going to throw us in jail and we would rot in the La Paz jail without anyone to bail us out or bring us food. It wasn't so much myself I was worried about, it was Rachel. I'm sure I could handle going to jail, but I would never want Rachel to have to go through it. Yet there we were, just before dawn risking it anyway.
"You stand over there and yell if you see any cops," I told Rachel. About 100 yards away was what looked like some sort of administration building, for what I didn't know. However, I did know it was far away from me and had plenty of shadows to help hide Rachel's presence.

Just a week earlier, we had arrived in La Paz and Christmas was just around the corner. Throughout La Paz, homes and businesses were adorned with festive red, green and white lights; the shared colors of Mexico and the yuletide. It was a time for fiesta. Unfortunately, our first fiesta turned into a loud exchange between myself and another equally loud and equally opinionated man.
No sooner had I sat down with a cold German beer given to me by my generous host, than he generously began insulting San Felipe. "That place is dirty and ugly," he said to me, knowing very well that San Felipe was our home. So, after promptly telling him he was full of it, which he was. I childishly pointed out some of what I didn't like about La Paz, like traffic and graffiti.
I have to admit, I was a little angry at his unprovoked attack, so I barked a little louder than needed; truthfully, my only real problem was traffic. The graffiti was not any worse in La Paz than any big city anywhere. However, the problem I had was graffiti on the La Paz city sculpture of the Whale's Tale/Doves entering the city. We had watched the city workers put up the "Feliz Navidad y Prospero Ano 2010" lights and completely ignore the nasty black graffiti, which, in my opinion, destroyed the holiday spirit. I couldn't imagine why or how someone could be so completely disrespectful.    

So, that night as the pissing match progressed, and we grew louder—clearly not acting our age—I decided if I didn't like the graffiti, I was going to do something about it. Of course, at this point Rachel had no idea what was going on in my head, only that this guy was raising my blood pressure, so she caressed my arm to calm me down, as she does when she thinks I'm getting to excited. With the help of other guests, we changed the subject and finished dinner. When we got home I told her of my plan and she was immediately onboard.

Now there we were . . . as the sun started to come up and we could see the cars of the highway coming towards us, I pulled out the white can of spray paint and started spraying directly over the nasty black graffiti. My heart was pounding out of my chest, I couldn't imagine what would compel the criminal to paint his name on the beautiful sculpture, especially standing out in the open as I was, only with black paint instead of white. 

"I see a cop," Rachel yelled. I thought my chest was going to explode . . . I was spraying as fast as I could . . . I had to finish.
"Maybe he won't see me," I thought as I continued to paint, "just a little more . . ." The paint can was sputtering as I turned to see not one but two cop pickups and a patty wagon. In the early morning light, I could see the bright glow of red as they hit their breaks, one after the other. As they began to slow, I continued to paint. Now all three vehicles were parallel with the Whale's Tail, so I knew they could see me clearly. The lead car released his breaks and the other two followed. 

"They must have seen we were covering the graffiti," I said to Rachel as we reached the car. 

"Either that or they're turning around," Rachel replied. 

With the sun rising brightly, we pulled out onto the highway going the opposite direction of the police and, with our hearts pounding, headed home.         


The Gypsy Journal - Breaking in a New Boat

by John Pack

“What do I do, what do I do!?” Rachel screamed over the roar of the 2-stroke outboard. The boat was racing out to sea at full throttle and dragging me behind. My body was bobbing up and down as I tried desperately to hang on and stay horizontal to the surface. I was just inches from the propeller blades that could effortlessly slice through me.

“Turn it off!” I screamed back to Rachel as my mind was screaming internally "keep your balls out of the blades and don't lose my prized sombrero." The sombrero had been special for me every year, at the Blues Festival and this year with the new boat, I thought "this is the perfect fishing hat." Now, with the sombrero on my head, it was these only two thoughts that just keep repeating themselves in my head as I yelled back again, “Turn it off!” 

Every since we moved to Baja we had wanted a boat. We wanted either an inflatable or something small enough to carry on top of our car. When Rachel’s parents moved to Baja, they brought a small aluminum fishing boat and 7.5-horse, 2-stroke outboard with them, which had belonged to Rachel's late uncle. They knew we wanted a boat, so they told us we could have it.

With the help of Rachel’s dad, Richard, we built some cool racks for the top of the car out of the broken RV awning arms, which Richard had stored every since the wind tore the awning from their trailer a year earlier. With the boat securely attached to the top of the car, we headed south for the winter.

From San Felipe to La Paz we carried the boat on top of the car, and although it was a small boat made by Sears, I felt pretty cool with it up there . . . no one knew we had never actually had it in the water. We even took the San Felipe Trail from Puertecitos to Gonzaga, then past Coco’s Corner to Highway 1, and although our car and our kidney’s took a beating, the boat never budged.

In La Paz, we met Gary and Patricia, just the two to get us motivated. Patricia was a nurse and would-be veterinarian and Gary a fix-this, build-that kind of guy and both were avid fishing nuts. They had been traveling about an hour south of La Paz to “Bahia Los Muertos” (Bay of the Dead) to go fishing and, on this trip, we were going with them and taking the boat for its maiden voyage. The boat looked solid enough and, with Gary’s help, we rigged up a walker normally used by the elderly to hang the outboard. It worked really well. Not only did it have wheels to move it around, but it was just the right height to put the prop in a five-gallon bucket for rinsing.

The outboard is also a Sears brand, circa 1970 or older, called a "Ted Williams." From what I remembered, Ted Williams was a baseball player . . . I had no idea what he had to do with outboards. It was an odd little outboard, air-cooled, but after having sat unused for several years, it started on the second pull . . . Oh my goodness, it was loud! I figure the only fish I’d catch with this outboard would be deaf.

Also, going on the trip with us would be Don and Ivonne, and they’d be bringing their huge Bayliner. This would be their maiden voyage in the Sea of Cortez also, and after dragging it down the Baja and getting seven flats on their boat trailer along the way (that's seven tires in 700 miles . . . you do the math), I'm sure they were ready to put it into the water.  

When we got to the bay, Gary and Patricia were the first in, followed by Don and Ivonne. By the time Rachel and I got our boat off the car and the boat and outboard to the water, Gary and Patrica were gone around the north end of the bay and out of sight, and Don and Ivonne were out in the middle of the Bay, checking their systems, I guessed.

The sun was just coming up and the bay was glassy and flat, with the sky a beautiful light purple. The shoreline was lined with pangas and few fishermen were preparing to go out. Our preparations went smoothly as we loaded our ice chest, our dog Cai, and effortlessly mounted the outboard. I decided that since I hadn't any history with this outboard, I would stand outside the boat while starting it—just in case if it took a bit to start, we wouldn't float away from shore. I put the outboard in neutral and gave the outboard starter rope a tug . . . no go; another tug . . . no go; another tug and it roared to life. I climbed in and within a few minutes we motored, albeit loudly, into the bay.

We had decided we would hug the coastline, staying within swimming distance of shore . . . after all, this was a new boat, outboard and area to us. Although the boat and outboard were both older than Rachel, they ran great and we cruised from one end of the bay to the next, beaching it a couple of times so that I could nap while Rachel combed the beach for shells and Cai chased birds. Once we got comfortable, we decided to head out of the bay and cruise up the coast in search of new adventures. 

After about the third small cove we started to feel pretty good about making beach landings and getting in and out of the boat. Soon the tougher beaches were doable to us, we could navigate through the rocks and, although there were some waves breaking, we could still see the many rocks hiding just below the surface.

On our last cove, the beach was a real delight, from end to end the rocky beach was peppered with pieces of beautiful white coral, some were no bigger round than a bottle cap, but others were as large as a football. I had no idea what would cause this kind of coral debris, but the pieces were beautiful. Of course, in addition to a piece of coral, we found many amazing stones and shells to add to Rachel's ever growing collection.

We loaded our new treasures in the boat and, once Cai and Rachel were aboard, I decided that it was important to stay outside the boat while I started it. After all, if it didn't start right away, we would most certainly drift into one of the many rocks appearing dangerously above the waterline. I gave the outboard starter rope a tug . . . no go; another tug . . . no go; another tug and it roared to life like a racehorse being released from the gate.  

“What do I do, what do I do!?” Rachel's voice was full of panic.

“Turn it off!” I yelled back, knowing we hadn't gone over any of that prior to leaving shore. 

"I don't know how" she replied sounding a little frightened.

"Turn the throttle to off," I replied trying to pull myself up high enough to reach the throttle myself. 

With some effort, I was able to reach up and grab the throttle and give it a twist, immediately shutting the outboard down and bringing us to fast stop and causing me to hang on even harder to avoid sinking. The sea floor was somewhere below and the shore seemed like miles aways. I knew there was no way I could get into the boat without possibly flipping it or knocking Rachel out, so I started swimming, pulling the boat with me. 

Fortunately the shore was only a few hundred yards and I had a pleasant swim, whilst listening to Rachel laugh, and laugh and laugh some more. In retrospect, maybe I should have tried to get in. Oh well, we made it back to shore, I climbed in and it started on the first pull . . . wouldn't you know it!  

We Are Back!

John & I are back in San Felipe - Home Base for us

We arrived in San Felipe a week before the 2010 International Blues and Arts Fiesta. We worked to get all the last minute marketing for the event. Then enjoyed the fun filled day listening to blues music, viewed some of the best artist in Baja, and enjoyed food and drink through out the day.

For the first time we are going to stay on our El Dorado Property...sooo cool! We have relocated a few of our cactus and bought a great lava rock that John painted our lot number with white and yellow paint. We will be starting to build a small patio and outdoor kitchen to relax and entertain our close friends and family on during these next few months here in San Felipe. Happy to be Home!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Finally Made it to Guerrero Negro

Finally made it to Guerrero Negro, although it took a little patience. After leaving we had an accident with an on coming van on the highway. Just prior to reaching the military checkpoint the RV mirror smashed into the mirror of a van going to opposite direction. Didn't see them hit their brakes and no where to turnaround, we just assumed we got stuck with a shattered mirror. As we were pulling away from the checkpoint, the van pulled up. The smashed mirror has also smashed the drivers window.
The man and wife wanted us to go back to San Ignacio to take care of it, I refused saying

Friday, March 12, 2010

Mar 12th - Update on our Travels

Friday, March 12, 2010
San Ignacio - NO GAS: We're still in San Ignacio. Our plan was to leave today, but we then found out there is no ban and we didn't have enough money for gas. So, we borrowed 200 pesos from our friends, packed up and drove to the gas station only to find there is no gas. We are now at Las Palmas campground waiting for gas to arrive, they said maybe later today, but we know how that can go in Baja. With any luck gas will be here later today and we can get to Guerrero Negro by this afternoon. Out goal is to be in San Felipe next week.

Thursday, March 11, 2010
San Ignacio River & Lagoon: Today we moved from Rice & Beans to a wonderful spot next to the San Ignacio river. We can actually hear the frogs outside on the river bank. We're in the middle of date palm orchard, and it's very quiet. Tomorrow we are going to the lagoon for pictures. We hope to be back on the road tomorrow afternoon on our way to Guerrero Negro.

Thursday, March 10, 2010
Mulege to San Ignacio:Today we arrived at Rice & Beans in San Ignacio. Took us 3 hours from Mulege. Stopped in Santa Rosalia to look for a tire for the RV, the left dually is getting bald. No tires in Santa Rosalia or San Ignacio. Rice & Beans is $250 pesos per night, but has full hookups. We're recharging our batteries and filling and dumping our holding tanks. Tomorrow we will look for something different.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Playa Santispac: Tomorrow we'll be leaving Playa Santispac in Mulege and heading to San Ignacio. The beach is beautiful, although we have had lots of wind. Gary and Patricia are going to wait a day before leaving. Today we met our new distributor, she is very excited and has already done an amazing job getting the magazine out to people. When we stopped to visit an RV park to get info for next month RV edition, they already knew us and wanted to advertise.

The Gypsy Journal - Feb 2010


"Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live."
—Dorothy Thompson

I have recently made new friends in La Paz and their story encapsulates this truth. Out of the fear of being trapped in a stressful job, my new friend Gary had enough and quit. He didn't know what he was going to do, only it that it was time to overcome his fear and make a change. Together Gary and his wife, Patricia, decided to travel south from Canada into the United States. They purchased a truck, a trailer, an inflatable boat and hit the road. 

Their travels took them from salmon fishing in Oregon to hiking in the majestic mountains of Utah; and continuing south, they traveled through Nevada to Arizona, visiting as many beautiful locals as they could. They took several months, all the while thinking they might eventually make it to Mexico. However, with every new stop and acquaintance, they would encounter the usual; "Don't go to Mexico, you'll be killed," "Mexico isn't safe," "What! You don't want to go there, it's too dangerous," "You'll be arrested and rot in a Mexican jail"—it was always the same. The fear was everywhere. Gary and Patricia began to doubt themselves and believe what they were hearing; they too were beginning to fear what they might find in Mexico. North of Tecate, Baja, they stopped.

Was it true? Would they be in danger? Would they be at risk of rotting in jail, or losing their new truck, trailer and boat? Were these legitimate fears? They sat in an RV park and pondered. Then one day they decided to walk into Tecate and have a closer look. They would stay on the main road, not drink the water or take any risks. That day they made it to and from Tecate safely and decided they would go for it. 

Still fearful of what could possibly happen, they packed up and drove into Baja, into the unknown. They drove and they drove . . . not stopping, not wanting to take any risks . . . they continued driving south past Ensenada, past San Quintin, past El Roasrio . . . they didn't stop until they reached Guerrero Negro.           

When Rachel and I met them, they had made it to "Hacienda del Sol," an RV park north of La Paz, and they had been there a month. Gary had built a wonderful palapa, a custom outdoor kitchen with his BBQ and camping stove. They had planted a garden and had been exploring the Sea of Cortez in their boat; and as long outdoors and fishing enthusiasts, they had been catching fish like none they had before. 

For them each day is a new adventure, a new view of paradise. "We passed so many beautiful things on the way down," says Gary. "We have to see them on the way north," Patricia would add. They are excited about visiting San Felipe and seeing the Blues & Arts Fiesta that Rachel and I have talked so much about. 

They almost didn't come to Baja. "We're going to live here," says Patricia, "we want to be in Baja. We don't need to be rich, we just want to have enough to live here forever." 

"The Gypsy Journal" is my journal of the places and adventures Rachel and I encounter while traveling Baja. It is our open diary of our love and life in this wondrous place, and nothing brings me more joy then when others see through the fear for the truth and come to find paradise.    

For "Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live."

Mulege to Guerrero Negro


Playa Santispac: Tomorrow we'll be leaving Playa Santispac in Mulege and heading to San Ignacio. The beach is beautiful, although we have had lots of wind. Gary and Patricia are going to wait a day before leaving. Today we met our new distributor, she is very excited and has already done an amazing job getting the magazine out to people. When we stopped to visit an RV park to get info for next month RV edition, they already knew us and wanted to advertise.

Thursday, March 10, 2010
Mulege to San Ignacio:Today we arrived at Rice & Beans in San Ignacio. Took us 3 hours from Mulege. Stopped in Santa Rosalia to look for a tire for the RV, the left dually is getting bald. No tires in Santa Rosalia or San Ignacio. Rice & Beans is $250 pesos per night, but has full hookups. We're recharging our batteries and filling and dumping our holding tanks. Tomorrow we will look for something different.

Thursday, March 11, 2010
San Ignacio River & Lagoon: Today we moved from Rice & Beans to a wonderful spot next to the San Ignacio river. We can actually hear the frogs outside on the river bank. We're in the middle of date palm orchard, and it's very quiet. Tomorrow we are going to the lagoon for pictures. We hope to be back on the road tomorrow afternoon on our way to Guerrero Negro.

Friday, March 12, 2010
San Ignacio - NO GAS: We're still in San Ignacio. Our plan was to leave today, but we then found out there is no bank and we didn't have enough money for gas. So, we borrowed 200 pesos from our friends, packed up and drove to the gas station only to find there is no gas. We are now at Las Palmas campground waiting for gas to arrive, they said maybe later today, but we know how that can go in Baja. With any luck gas will be here later today and we can get to Guerrero Negro by this afternoon. Our goal is to be in San Felipe next week.





Wednesday, March 10, 2010

San Ignacio - NO GAS

We're still in San Ignacio. Our plan was to leave today, but we then found out there is no ban and we didn't have enough money for gas. So, we borrowed 200 pesos from our friends, packed up and drove to the gas station only to find there is no gas. We are now at Las Palmas campground waiting for gas to arrive, they said maybe later today, but we know how that can go in Baja.

With any luck gas will be here later today and we can get to Guerrero Negro by this afternoon.
Our goal is to be in San Felipe next week.

photo by Rachel Pack / March 2010

Monday, March 8, 2010

Here and There

San Ignacio River & Lagoon
Today we moved from Rice & Beans to a wonderful spot next to the San Ignacio river. We can actually hear the frogs outside on the river bank. We're in the middle of date palm orchard, and it's very quiet. Tomorrow we are going to the lagoon for pictures. We hope to be back on the road tomorrow afternoon on our way to Guerrero Negro.

Mulege to San Ignacio
Today we arrived at Rice & Beans in San Ignacio. Took us 3 hours from Mulege. Stopped in Santa Rosalia to look for a tire for the RV, the left dually is getting bald. No tires in Santa Rosalia or San Ignacio. Rice & Beans is $250 pesos per night, but has full hookups. We're recharging our batteries and filling and dumping our holding tanks. Tomorrow we will look for something different.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Loreto - March 3, 2010

So Back in Loreto, we have been here for 5 days. Back at the nice clean RV Park - Rivera del Mar, it is close to the beach where we walk or run with Cai everyday. Loreto is one of our favorite places in Baja - we plan to stop on our return trips south over the next few years. 


Tomorrow (4-Mar.) we on our way to Mulege for a few days of RR on the beach, sun and time to play in the water. The Bay of Conception is the first place in Mexico John and I vacationed together. In 2002 - we stayed in the same Palapa that John sister and her boyfriend stayed in a months before. We saw their names carved in the palapa. Then again in March 2009 we rested on the beaches of the Bay of Conception with our good friends Christine & Raine. Where we had some of the best dinners cooked over a camp fire (see photo). We hope to much of the same - just relax and have good time with old and new friends. by Rachel

Back in Loreto Again...



Back in Loreto again...
We have been here for about 5 day from La Paz where stayed for 7 day trying to get our generator serviced...finally we got the the parts and the parts replaced but we need a new carburetor. We decide to wait and get the new generator in Ensenada when we get home.

During our time in Las Barrriles BCS Mexico we saw the sights of Santiago, San Jose del Cabo, and Todos Santos. I will talk about those adventures later...So Back in Loreto and tomorrow on our way to Mulege for a few day of RR on the Beach and play in the water. The Bay of Conception is the first place in Mexico John and I vacationed together. We stayed in the same Palapa that John sister and her boyfriend stayed months before, but did not know until we saw her name carved into one of the post of the Palapa. Then last year we went to meet friend and camped on the beach and had some great dinner over the camp fire. We hope to do the something next week.