Road trip: Day 30

Last night was rough.  Neither one of us got much sleep as we're at the bottom of a hill and the semi trucks with their jake brakes sounded as though they were coming right through the room.  It was also pretty cold as very few places on the Baja have heat, but luckily we had the tent heater that we brought in the room to take the chill off.

It was 45 degrees when we left El Rosario.  Praise God for heated seats!

We had our last military checkpoint and they checked  the drivers side door panel and seat, but that was it.

Stopped for breakfast in San Quintin and I forgot how yummy Mexican hot chocolate is.  It tastes like hot chocolate with a stick of cinnamon in it:-)   They had Spam on the menu. Not sure I've ever seen that at a restaurant.

The area just past San Quintin is largely agricultural.

We decided we would go to Meling Ranch and see if we could get a room.  Meling Ranch is about 30 miles west of Hwy 1 going up into the mountains.  We got there and were pleased to learn we could get a room and that we also had time to drive up to the observatory and get back to the ranch before sundown.   The observatory is another 30 miles up the mountain, but the drive is about an hour and 45 minutes as it's steep with many switchbacks.

We entered the National Park, Parque Nacional Sierra de San Pedro Martir, paid the entrance fee and continued up toward the peak.  We were two miles from the top, when we came upon this sign.  It was 1:45 and we were heartbroken!  (It says they are open 10am-1pm)

We walked around to the maintenance areas in hopes of finding someone who would take pity on us and open the gate.  We couldn't find anyone and were so disappointed.  We were literally hanging out by the car moping, when we saw a truck coming down the road.  The man told us that it was actually closed from December 15 - January 5, so we didn't just miss it by 45 minutes, but rather by a couple of weeks.  He must have sensed our disappointment and told us to get in his car and he would take us to the top.  We could not believe our good fortune!!

He took us to the top of the mountain where you can see the Sea of Cortez on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other.  It was AMAZING!!!  We took several pictures and were so appreciative that we got to experience this stunning scenery.  Definitely a highlight of our trip.

On our way back down to the ranch, we stopped to play in the snow. Yes, snow!  On the Baja!  How cool is that?

Our snow angel and snowman.  Or rather, snow penguin.

Coyote in the meadow.

Went back to the ranch and had time to wander around and check it out.  The only electricity they have is by generator and they power it on for a few hours in the morning and then a few more hours in the evening. There's a wood burning stove and kerosene lamp in the room.

At 6pm, they ring the dinner bell and meals are served family style with the owners.  Hearty ranch food.  We had chicken, mashed potatoes, vegetables, salad, refried beans and tortillas.  After dinner, we fired up the wood stove in our room and read until the electricity was turned off.

Pics from the ranch.

The owner's wife had breast cancer and in her prayers she told God she would build a chapel at the ranch if she were cured.  This chapel is a sign of a blessing in her life!