ODO: 306,402
For Boxing Day, we relaxed on the beach and checked some things off of our to do list, mainly getting after a new drawing of the truck. Since we did a complete overhaul on the back of the truck this year, even though we love it, the original drawing of the truck just doesn’t work anymore. We also decided to fix the leak in the rear driver tire. Berne loves any moment he can teach truck recovery, truck self sufficientcy, or just generally truck. Luckily KoKo also enjoys learning about the truck.
The next day we decided to head back over to Nine Palms (maybe this is our favorite beach and we haven’t realized it yet), with a quick stop in Cabo to drop KoKos board off for repairs again (remember that rock she hit during the sea urchin debacle? Well, it did some damage….). Wanting to be fully stocked, we pulled into a Walmart, only to discover the exit for the parking lot was through a parking garage. A low parking garage. KoKo had to block the entrance so Berne could drive back out.
Once we were safely back in Nine Palms, we unloaded the kayaks so we could add some protective padding to the roof rack (trying to keep the surfboard from having any more issues). In the morning, the weather was lovely, and they were already down, so we decided to go for a paddle. Getting our flat water kayaks into the ocean, over small surf was an adventure and took us a couple tries. The water was extremely clear, and we watched schools of fish swim underneath us. KoKo was hoping whales would swim near us, but it was probably best they didn’t. Later in the afternoon, the wind kicked up pretty strongly so we had to hide from the weather for a few hours. Luckily it didn’t last, and KoKo was able to go for a long walk down the beach where she got chased by a cow.
The next day was KoKo’s birthday! What a place to start a new year of your life, someone was feeling pretty grateful. Berne planned the whole day, blueberry pancakes for breakfast, back into Cabo for a massage, fancy steak dinner (they gave us complimentary tequila shots, yuck, and berry cheesecake, yum!), and a hotel for the night. Oh, and to pick up KoKo ‘s surfboard!
Once again, we were heading back to Nine Palms (I know, we basically live there) to meet a new friend. He was a friend of a friend looking for new places in Baja Sur, and we had a place worth sharing. While we made him steak and quesadillas for dinner, two local dogs decided we were their new family. They may have just been there for the steak and cheese KoKo kept feeding them, it’s hard to say.
For New Year’s Eve we headed back to El Pescadero. Since it was still early, we decided to check a restaurant off our list we had wanted to try: dirt road pizza, aka Pizzeria El Potrero. They were out of most of their drinks, but the pizza and bruschetta were pretty yummy. After dinner we headed back to Shaka’s for a NYE party. While we waited for the band to start we got to watch the Packers make it to the playoffs, Go Pack Go!! The band was a cover band made up if kids aged 14-21, and they kicked serious ass.
ITS A NEW YEAR! And what better way to start it than with some pho to curb last night’s hangover? Once we ate our fill, we started heading north along the Pacific coast. The waves were gigantic, and we got to watch them slam the shore while we drove. We found a little cove to tuck into for the night that was protected from the wind, and settled in for an early night.
