Today we embarked on our first BIG ADVENTURE since we arrived – over a YEAR ago! The purpose of the adventure is less than exciting. I need to get some official paperwork done, and the local consulate is closed – so, we are driving 3 days to get to the next closest consulate. Yippee!!
Many years of driving in the US and seeing “Caution – Livestock” signs and I have probably only ever seen a dozen cows, sheep, goats etc. in total. During three days of driving we encountered at least 3 dozen cows, about 10 horses, maybe 15 goats, and about 6 donkeys. And those were just the critters that were on the road or the shoulder (potential danger to drivers). Anything behind a fence didn’t get counted.
Another accidental encounter (no we didn’t hit any of the above livestock – it us just a turn of phrase) was at our quick, roadside lunch stop. We pulled into a mirador (overlook) to stretch and have some lunch. We saw a guy looking out at the bay with binoculars, and were interested to see what he was watching. As we peered out into the bay we were graced with a pod of dolphins feeding below our overlook position. There were a couple of sea birds also chasing the fish that were scared by the hunting dolphins!
We did a lot of animal watching during the drive. Many caracaras, turkey vultures, and a variety of hawks I couldn’t identify; multiple golden eagles; a pair of some sort of weasel/cat creature running across the road; a gopher or prairie dog on a pile of rocks by the roadside; one roadrunner and (YES, it is true) a coyote. (Couldn’t help looking out for the falling anvil! LOL!!)
These were some of the animals that we saw but couldn’t take pictures of! What a variety of new and interesting animals.
Our first day was long but we arrived with some daylight to spare. It was nice to stretch our legs and look around town. We’d been here just over a year ago, on our original drive down from the States. The town is just as quaint, the hotel just as clean, and the taco stand is JUST AS GOOD!!
Beautiful, well preserved mission. 
Cafe sculpture, as seen from the street. 
Vultures roosting for the evening. A quick count came to 36! 
Best tacos! No menu, just tell the man how many you want.
Internet on the road was… spotty at best. After our first stop, we had no internet or phone for the next few days. Our hotel the second night had an art garden out back that was really fun, and represented some of the local rock paintings.
Patina-ed sheet metal, life-size replicas of local rock art. 
Rock art reproductions in the art garden. 
Rock art reproductions. 
Rock art reproductions. 
Not rock art, but cool anyway.
Our last big day of driving and we found the ocean (again)! The Basha has been a trooper, driving a lot of the (barely) two-lane twisties with never a complaint. We have some relaxation time before dealing with consular offices. This is my view…
