How weird? After dining with Jeff, Sue and their sweet friend, Anne, at wonderful Wilcuma lodge on Wednesday night, who do I find on the ferry to Port Angeles Monday afternoon (Oct 23rd), the day I started Mexicoward? 
Jeff and his delightful father Paul! While crossing, a pod of humpback whales passed, then a nuclear submarine. Except for the submarine I took all these as good omens.
By next day noon Mt Shasta welcomes me to California and the run into San Francisco. A couple of days with sister Carolyn, and a wonderful dinner party with a Morrocan theme, eased the driving blues.
Then I drive off into the Sausalito sunrise, well, almost, then over the Golden Gate and on to LA.
By nightfall I have had it with California driving. Bleery-eyed, nearly hypnotized by piercing beams of light, somewhat delirious from the jostle and perhaps drugged by fumes and life in the fastlane, I yearn for Mexico. LA is a 
great big freeway! And that sucks!Next day I do my San Diego shopping, cross the border and loll along slowly to familiar old Ensenada where I overnight. Then it is south, crossing
the great Baja Desert, a marvel of nature and geology, mostly vulcanism, on to Scammon's Lagoon. Alas the Gray whales do not return until December.Next morning I continue through pristine desert dodging burros. But things, things they are a changin'. Greening!
Baja has hundreds of species of xeroscopic plants and when the rains come they react instantly, with green vehemence. They must flower and go to seed before relentless dessication resumes control once more. Insects must find mates and reproduce, and quickly reproduce again, multiplying their seed, as it were. So brilliant butterflies are everywhere. This is all a consequence of the three hurricanes that harassed the Sea of Cortez and sweet Anya earlier on. So cactus, chaparral, yucca, mesquite and all their kinds erupt into lushness. And the aroma!
Finally down off the plateau and mountain passes to the sea, to La Paz and to Anya.
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