The Perfect Spot for a January Vacation

San José Del Cabo

This is the first time in many years that our family will be spending time together, and it so exciting. We hope that it will be the first of many more such holidays in the future. The two hotels where our vacation is situated are located just over a mile apart.

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Photos of each hotel are at the bottom of this page. Scroll down to see them. To see photos of our last Cabo vacation, click on my vacation website.

Transport

Taxi drivers are required by law to display a sanctioned price list. The official, government-run company runs bright yellow taxis and minibuses to the airport for about M$150. Local buses from the main bus terminal to the airport junction cost less than M$25, but taking one means a half-hour walk to the air terminal. The toll road costs M$27.

Currently, the exchange rate is one peso equals eight cents U.S., so $1.00 will buy 12.74 Mexican pesos. So, if you see something priced at $100 Mexican, it is about $7.83 U.S. as of the time this is written. Most cell phones have a currency converter, so it's best to use that rather than calculate mentally.

Top 10 List for Cabo San Lucas activities

1. Charter sailing, 
2. Snorkeling, 
3. Deep sea fishing, 
4. Golf,  
5. Whale Watching, (December through March with peak sightings in January),
6. Off-roading,
7. Swimming with dolphins; 
8. Shopping, 
9. Nature preserves, and 
10. Sunbathing.

A short trip into town

One event they omitted was the beach camel ride in Rancho San Cristobal, which is also available at a reduced price of $84 at this website. It also books sunset, dining, jazz and show cruises as well as fishing trips. One inexpensive sunset cruise option is available for $33. An additional catch-all activities site shows many options of interest:

• Fishing, 
• Golf, 
• Spas at Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach, 
• Shopping, and
• Pez Gato boats.

Water Taxi in glass-bottomed boat

Not to mention eating in Cabo San Lucas near the marina.

Walkway around marina with shops to the left

Restaurants to the right of the harbor

Video shows Cabos Cantina in downtown area and another video gives a quick tour of the markets and shopping in town.

Deep Sea Fishing

We've been to Cabo San Lucas many times, but t his will be our first time to stay in San Jose del Cabo, as well as our longest stay--twelve days. Since my brother will be going this time, and he's a consummate fisherman, it might be a great opportunity to charter a fishing boat. What are the options?

Baja Raiders

One charter service is Baja Raiders, which gives its price list on its website and also shows pictures of the boats. and rental covers an 8-hour day beginning at 6:30 a.m. with an approximate return at 2:30 p.m.

If all six person went, that would mean a cost of $525 for a 33-foot craft, or $725 for a 35-foot one, plus an extra $30 per person to cover lunches, beverages (water, soda and/or beer), fishing licenses and live bait fish. Another page on the website states: "Every passenger on board, fishing or not is required to have a fishing license. Fishing license cost is approximately $14 to $15 (depending on the peso rate for that day)." You are expected to tip the crew 15%.

So it sounds as though it's a good value. You are also allowed to keep the fish you catch and can ship them home under certain circumstances. To charter this, you have to fill out the boat reservation form at their website or call toll free at 1-877-761-1182; local number: 104-3649.

PFISH Launched from San Jose del Cabo

At their website, Pacific Fishing tells us that in January the "focus is on live bait fishing on and near the seamounts and banks for Striped Marlin, Wahoo, small-medium-large Yellowfin Tuna, and Dorado, as well as inshore fishing for roosterfish, grouper, snapper, sierra, cabrilla and other local species....PFISH will provide all professional tackle and filet any fish that you catch. We'll have all the ice and coolers dedicated to your food and drinks along [which you bring yourself] with the jumbo ice-filled fish cooler. You will be required to have a Mexican fishing permit (about $12/day), licenses can be obtained on-line or in either the San Jose or San Lucas marinas.'

$695.00 Full Day (up to 4 passengers, $50 each beyond that up to 8 total) on their 32-foot boat. This is significantly pricier than the cost of Baja Raiders and would also be more crowded.

Our Hotels

Grand Mayan to the right and Coral Baja to the left

Grand Mayan

Coral Baja (Minors' 1st hotel)

Santa Maria Suites (Minors' 2nd hotel)

Night in Santa Rosa, N.M.

Our vacation began in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, a small town we had passed by on numerous occasions traveling along Interstate 40, though we had never taken the brief detour onto the historic Route 66 running alongside the highway. This time we stopped for a night.

On this occasion we opted to spend the night at the Days Inn. We were pleasantly surprised that the room priced $20 below the La Quinta was quite adequate in every respect. We used the money we saved to eat that evening at Joseph's Bar & Grill, a choice we would take back were we given the opportunity. The bland New Mexican cuisine was not what we were hoping for.

But what we would not take back was our drive to Blue Hole, which was a wonderful surprise discovered right in the heart of Santa Rosa. A round swimming hole without a floor, it is fed by an underground river which keeps the lake's temperature at a constant 61 degrees, the sign there told us. Blue Hole is a natural lake dug into the native rock terrain of the area, a scenic marvel.

The next morning before leaving town, we stepped through the breezeway to the back of the Days Inn and found a delightful little vegetable garden being cultivated, apparently by the operator of the motel. There were also numerous wildflowers in bloom. All in all, our visit to Santa Rosa was quite enjoyable.

 

Monument Valley

Another vacation is just around the corner. In fact, the vacation will be around four corners. With the farthest stop to the west being Monument Valley Arizona and Utah; then moving back east to Colorado and New Mexico. Les has been before, but this is the first time for me, so I have lots to learn.

Goulding's Lodge looks like an interesting place to stay for a day or two--located just north of the Arizona-Utah border, six miles from the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. San Juan County, Utah, is one of the most popular settings for all types of movies, especially westerns.

 The lodge was built at the site of where so many of these movies were filmed. There is a 2 star budget hotel lodge as well as cabins, RV and tent sites with excellent amenities, including a large swimming pool and tours through the area: THE ALL DAY TOUR EXPLORES THE ANCIENT ANASAZI RUINS AND ROCK ART PANELS OF MYSTERY VALLEY.  AFTER AN OUTDOOR LUNCH, THE TOUR CONTINUES ON TO VIEW THE MAGNIFICENT RED ROCK MONOLITHS AND ROCK FORMATIONS OF MONUMENT VALLEY.

Unfortunately, it appears all rooms are booked during the time we will be there, so we will look in the Mexican Hat area, 22 miles to the north, along the San Juan River.

 The San Juan Inn seems to be a great option. In the same vicinity is the Hat Rock Inn. A third option is the Mexican Hat Lodge.

Eureka Springs Spas

Our next vacation is to Holiday Island, located about 10 miles north of Eureka Springs and about an hour west of Branson. A downtown map of  Eureka Springs is available. The largest grocery appears to be Goodall's at 55 Center Street. On the south side of town, however, at 2100 East Van Buren, there is located W.T. Focker's Discount Outlet -- described as a place where one can find "retail and wholesale merchandise at ridiculously low prices. Groceries, pet food, personal care, housewares, electronics, clothing, toys and more."

The town itself contains several old bath houses:

• Palace Hotel and Bath House - 135 Spring Street

 

•  Grand Central Hotel & Spa  - 37 North Main Street

•  Suchness Spa  - 63 Spring Street

 

•  Gryphon's Roost Day Spa & Gallery  - 137 Spring Street

  

 

•  Serenity Spa  - 12 Spring Street in Basin Park historic area

Scenic Tour--Miracles to Minerals

In Search of Miracles

We set out west from Angel Fire early one day headed toward Rancho de Taos and turned onto Highway 518 south through a mountainous terrain. Presently we came to Highway 75, which curved around through villages of Vadito and Penasco with a turn on Highway 76 to the west, which soon also faced south. We found a friend there, a pleasant and talkative native who sold us a few mementoes and gave me several rocks he had lying around his small shop. He told us he had been an extra in the movie, "Milagro Beanfield War," which had filmed some scenes at Las Trampas in addition to the somewhat larger tiny town of Truchas, a few miles up the road. "Milagro, of course, is Spanish for "miracle."

We were looking for lunch by that time, and he thought Truchas had such a cafe. He was mistaken. All we could find there was a small store where we bought a bag of blue corn chips for the road and a cold drink. From Truchas to Espanola, a distance of less than 20 miles, took us about 45 minutes. But when we spotted an historic restaurant called El Paragua, we knew the wait was worth it.

  
After a tasty Mexican lunch, we took Highway 84 north and west to Abiquiu, where we got out  of the car to explore. 

 

Abiquiu Churches

The focal point of the village was clearly the lovely adobe church, surrounded by an assortment of colorful desert flora. But the church was not the only thing in Abiquiu, which also had a library and a small museum.

As we wandered down the dusty streets, taking photos, however, we discovered another intriguing sight, which we could hardly wait to ask about. Another church that appeared almost abandoned could be seen a hundred yards or so beyond the museum. It was a breathtaking sight! Next to the church stood three enormous crosses.


As we walked past the crosses an even more beguiling scene caught our attention. Mere words do not do it justice. After making an inquiry at a grocery store a few miles away, we learned this weathered building was the meeting place of the Penitente Brotherhood.  My husband googled the name and became quite fascinated by this religious sect which, in times past, engaged in flagellation, or self-whipping, to atone for their sins.  According to Marc Simmons'  review in The New Mexican of a book written by George
Wharton James--New Mexico, The Land of the Delight Makers (1920):

One of the first outsiders to comment on the Penitente phenomenon was Santa Fe trader Josiah Gregg in 1844. He wrote of viewing a procession at Tomé below Albuquerque, in which a man bore a 100-pound cross on his shoulder with a large stone attached to increase the weight.

Thereafter, toward the end of the century, American observers in growing numbers wrote books and articles describing the bizarre rites they witnessed. In response, the Penitentes attempted to maintain secrecy and exclude intruders.

After filing away our lesson for the day, we headed back to Angel Fire -- completing a circle through the resort of Ojo Caliente on Highway 285.

Ojo Caliente

Because the day was almost gone, we took a quick look around, determining to save a more luxurious visit to the famous spa for another day. Possibly America's oldest mineral spa, its name is Spanish for "hot eye".

Another missed opportunity last year was a visit to Georgia O'Keefe's house and the Ghost Ranch. We'll definitely try to fit that in this year.