Bound for Baja

By Jeff Shapiro

By KAVU

December 28^th, 2021

Long time coming....

My good friend Hayden has been visiting southern Baja for many, many years. Surf trips, sailing trips on both the Pacific and Sea of Cortez sides of the peninsula, and trips to just slow down and get on Baja time. It's a different pace of life in many of the small towns and the combination of beaches, mountains, wind, sun and warm water make it a spot that he's found a deep connection with.

After years of looking for just the right feel, he found a spot which will allow him to slow down, grow food, surf and fish, all while enjoying culture and solid time with good friends and family. So, when he called me to tell me he was going to drive a load of stuff down to his new property and wanted a co-pilot for the journey, YES was all I came up with.

So, we loaded up his temp home with boats, boards, spear guns, a motorcycle and one big dog....

It was crazy.... when we got to the border, we realized that we'd be driving south during the opening days of the infamous Baja 1000 race. Passing trophy trucks and classic buggies alike as we rolled through Encenada, all lining up for last day checks before the race start was WILD! So much raw energy and hype was in the air!

As we made it further south, past the Seven Sisters and to the other side of the Peninsula north of LaPaz, we stopped for a break to let Reyna Dog get out of the truck for some ocean time. For us.... not so bad either.

After nearly 3 days of driving, we finally rolled into Hayden's new spot. Some friends are currently living in one of the casitas on the property so, it was awesome to be greeted by smiling faces and a few cold beers by the fire as a full moon rose steadily in a star studded sky.

Having close to a week there before I had to fly back to Oregon, we shared amazing food, some clean waves and lots of laughs before the sun burned in below the horizon each evening. I could definitely get used to Baja time.

During the last two days of my trip, the waves got flat and one of our good friends was returning from a trip to his home in Los Barriles. So, we jumped in the truck and after a short drive, it was nothing but more good times catching up over laughs and diving for dinner. After spearing a few fish and preparing them, we spent the evening at a local restaurant, owned by a friend of our friend, where the chefs turned our catch into a fish taco feast that was no less than epic.