Son, friends and strangers

The trip was a success allowing my son to experience Baja as I know it.  

Once a month you’ll find the members of our family en masse at our home in Lake Elsinore…eighteen or nineteen of us enjoying our closeness as we celebrate holidays and birthdays together.  But because we all have busy lives, it’s not often that I have an opportunity to hang out and have some extended one-on-one face time with our children.

A seasoned Baja traveler, our son Geoff announced that he had some vacation time that he would like to share, and a Baja adventure was in the making for the two of us. The plan: he would fly to Loreto, hookup with me in Lopez Mateos where I would have arrived earlier to fish with clients and Lance Peterson, long time Baja on the Fly guide; we would spend a few days exploring the bay together and then Geoff and I would wander around southern Baja for a week.

I had already briefly encountered the Taco Stand dog, by the time Geoff arrived, but she had promptly disappeared. So he and I headed to the Stand only to be disappointed to learn that she was still missing.  As we mapped out the next day's outing during dinner, we were frequently interrupted by locals stopping by to report their latest white dog sightings.  

The following morning we launched the 17’ Bass Tracker and sped South, planning to do more exploring than fishing. The three of us savored the excitement of the unknown as we idled over a shallow sandbar through a narrow mangroved-lined channel, barely wider than the boat.

Startled birds squawked as we entered. Several bends later the channel widened, and still we continued. We could hear the sounds of the faraway surf mingled with the splashes of fish jumping and we found ourselves speaking in hushed tones as the channel revealed herself. We stopped occasionally at deeper holes to sample the fishing before moving on.

For several days we explored, carefully marking the GPS waypoints of the most promising channels for future fishing trips, many of which continued a mile or two beyond the entrance. Not once during our exploration did we see other boats. The only memorable local we saw was a snake that was slowly swimming across the channel but when startled by the motor noise, quickly darted up on a mangrove branch to get a better look.

Tired of Taco-stand fare,  Geoff and I drove down to La Paz to visit our friends, Jonathan and Jilly Roldan and enjoy a fantastic wahoo dinner at their Tailhunter Restaurant. It was late afternoon when we arrived, and we were dazzled by the signature sunset from their balcony as we sipped their frosty margaritas. 

Arriving back at the compound mid-afternoon, our luck had changed, and my friend Elsa, owner of The Taco Stand, brought me the small, dirty white dog…which I immediately named Sũerte.

Then I received a call from Yvonne; my Mother had fallen. Geoff and I decided to head home at gray light the following morning. After a long day on the road after sunset, we found ourselves south of El Rosario in a construction zone pushing to make it into town before dark, when the right rear wheel slipped off the edge of the road. Only a few miles outside of town, the inner side wall was damaged causing a blowout.

As we surveyed the damage with flashlights, an older pickup heading south slowed and rumbled to a stop. Two wiry Mexican farmers jumped out of the truck.  After a few questions, they had surveyed the situation and the driver had quickly spun his ramshackle pickup around so the headlights shone on the rear of the Roadtrek. Then he seized the jack and began positioning it beneath the axle, while his sidekick grabbed the lug wrench. As the sidekick loosened the lug nuts, he explained they were on their way back to their onion farm on the other side of the arroyo.  They refused to let me help.

They were soon finished and were saying adios. I offered to pay. Politely they refused. Finally, I thrust a couple of bills in the driver’s hand and suggested that he could buy Cerveza. With a big grin and a tip of his sombrero, he took the money, motioned to his sidekick and they both jumped back in their pickup. Heading back to the Cantina for a final--final, I suppose.

The trip was a success allowing my son to experience Baja as I know it.  

Baja emerges with renewed vitality

After enduring one of the coldest local winters on record, Baja business owners are converging on Long Beach in record numbers for the Fred Hall Extravaganza. Regardless of their size, they all share the belief that they can provide their old as well as new clients an unforgettable Baja fishing adventure.

You cannot ignore their rugged determination blended with conservative optimism that reflects the tough land they all live and conduct business in.   Most of them believe that last year showed an improvement, however slight, over the preceding dismal seasons which had been influenced by the devastating economic downturn.

Baja's west coast, stretching all the way to the tip, will be well represented. Several marinas offering full services for both trailer boats and sportfishers will entice anglers to consider the Ensenada area for the early season action found offshore as well as inshore.

Stretching below Ensenada all the way to El Rosario is Baja's gateway to some of the best surface and bottom fishing left on the Pacific's west coast. San Quintin has established itself in the recent past as a hotbed of white sea bass fishing but is still virtually unknown.

The relatively new operations which are offering fly-in trips to Cedros and San Benitos plus some extraordinary kelp bed fishing reminiscent of that found on the California coast near El Rosario a half-century ago. Stop by their booth; they will be delighted to show you photos of mossback yellows and world-record class calico bass.

Traveling nearly 800 miles farther down the coast below Bahia Ascension, La Bocana and Punta Abreojos  is the giant sprawling 132-mile long Magdalena Bay. Only recently local operators have begun offering offshore day trips fishing some of the most prolific waters found anywhere in the world. So good, in fact, that several San Diego long-range boats have also begun offering offshore trips in the fall basing out of  Lopez Mateos and Puerto San Carlos. First timers to the show this year will be Mag Bay Outfitters based in Lopez Mateos.

At Baja's tip is Los Cabos, the crown jewel of Baja.  With two huge state-of-the-art marinas surrounded by hotels ranging from luxurious 5-star hotels with world class golf courses to RV parks, the area is always well represented at the show with the newest along with some of the oldest, well seasoned properties found anywhere in Baja. Set aside plenty of time to visit these folks and the wonderful outdoor paradise they call home.

Heading up into the Sea of Cortez the coastline that used to be deserted is now punctuated by high-rise hotels surrounded by manicured landscaping perched above the alternating rocky and white sand shoreline.  They  offer  accommodations for every pocketbook. North of San Jose del Cabo, the newest marina in Baja Sur, Puerto Los Cabos is situated a short distance from several of the most legendary offshore fishing banks found in the Sea of Cortez. 

If the East Cape has always been one of your favorite destinations, you'll find it still well represented.  In addition, the two new marinas, Cabo Rivera (with construction underway) along with the Van Wormer's and El Cid's El Anhelo Marina and Resort (beginning construction later this spring) will change the face of East Cape for generations to come by offering unprecedented access for boaters and enhancing the amenities already offered by the existing resorts.

North of East Cape, Bahía de los Sueños with its new golf course will be of interest as well as the several new smaller hotels along the beaches of La Ventana. La Paz, the capitol of Baja Sur is a favorite with many veteran Baja travelers who enjoy its laid back atmosphere. Improved marinas and new golf courses are some of the recent improvements to be investigated in this city.

Farther up the coast there is another new Marina development planned at Agua Verde named Puerto de San Cosme. Then farther still along the coastline is Loreto, Bahia Concepcion, Mulege, Santa Rosalia and San Felipe…all will be represented at the show.

The popularity of the destinations of the Sea of Cortez is reflected in the number of exhibitors found on both the east and west shore. Rocky Point, San Carlos, Guaymas, Los Mochis and Mazatlan will represent the eastern shore.

Set aside enough time during your visit to the show to capitalize on all the invaluable resources available throughout the show. Representatives with generations of local fishing knowledge from all of the Baja areas will be in their booths, eager to share their secrets and hook you up with the trip of a lifetime.

Monster Fishing--Magdalena Bay style

Always a challenge searching for the shrimp fishermen can cause some anxious moments until they are found.

Last year at the Fred Hall Show, Dennis Braid, owner of Braid Products and co-host of Trev Gowdy's Monster Fish, stopped me in an aisle and pulled a tattered piece of notepaper out of his pocket.

"You are on my list," he said as he pointed to my name with 'fish Mag Bay snook' scrawled behind it.

We had experienced a banner year for snook in 2009 and a quick check with Bob Hoyt, Mag Bay Outfitters in Lopez Mateos confirmed open dates in November of 2010 and the Monster Fish trip was added to the calendar.

After spending October in Cabo San Lucas where I covered three back-to-back marlin tournaments and the WON/Yamaha Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot, I met Braid, a native Australian, who is considered one of the pioneers of stand-up, big game fishing, and his cameraman Todd Free at the La Paz airport. During the three-plus hour drive to Lopez Mateos in the Roadtrek,  Dennis's enthusiastic questions were non-stop…covering everything from tackle to techniques.

Before sunup the following morning, the truck towing MBO's Mar Gato grumbled to a stop in front of Mag Bay Outfitter's rental. Dennis and his cameraman had already assembled a large pile of gear to be loaded on the 26' outboard-powered catamaran that we would be fishing on for the next week. Always smiling Captain Sergio Garcia helped pack their gear and we bounced along the dirt streets of Lopez to the concrete launch ramp a few blocks away.

In the water, we sped north in search of the pangas rigged with the telltale loge-pole outriggers that seasonally fish for shrimp (camarones) in November. Always a challenge, searching for the shrimp fishermen can cause some anxious moments until they are found. Only in the past few years have we began using live shrimp for bait in the esteros, and the success of this trip was dependent on the availability of the shrimp. Nearly every live bait is bit by something. Don't even waste your time with the dead ones; save those and eat them for dinner. 

A quick inventory of tackle confirmed this wasn't one of my usual light-tackle or fly-rod trips where finesse provided the balance between angler and fish. This tackle was medium to heavy and loaded with fifty pound braid!  It would be game-on for the monsterfish we sought!

Loading up the bait tank with live shrimp, we continued farther to the north. The spot we chose  was a thirty-foot deep channel along the eastern shore of the mangrove-lined estero. The sounder confirmed the depth and an irregular bottom with two-foot ridges covered with sticks and debris. Using small one to two ounce sinkers, depending on the current, the live shrimp were dropped to the bottom and then raised up a couple of reel turns to avoid the debris.

It was as though the fish had been waiting for Dennis to arrive. The bite began with the first drop and continued throughout the day with a little ebb and flow. Every fish hooked demonstrated the strength developed in the tough neighborhood where they dwelled.

Oddly, while there were an unusual number of species caught, the star of show (the snook) didn't appear on stage as often as we had hoped for. The distinctive violent bite of the snook was few and far between.

A few days into our trip, a local pangero we had befriended provided the answer. Sipping one of our icy cervesa's, he volunteered that the divers speared all the snook in our spot two weeks ago. "Grandes," he said as he spread his hands more than four feet apart, signifying the size.

Digesting the disappointing news, A plan quickly evolved into plan B at our friend Elsa's Taco stand that night. Local knowledge provided  us with a laundry list of other snook-producing spots to visit.

For the final few days, we moved from spot to spot covering thirty miles of Magdalena Bay north and south of Lopez Mateos. We pounded the good spots that produced and moved on to the others if they didn't. 

The strategy paid off and we caught the elusive snook…did we get the monster we needed to star in the show? Tune into Outdoor Channel and watch Monsterfish to find out.

http://www.outdoorchannel.com/Shows/MonsterFish.aspx

ShowTime's are:
Friday Feb. 18 Prime Time 7-11 pm
Saturday Feb 19 9:30 am
Sunday Feb 20 7:00 am

Rancho Buena Vista Closing January 25th Part 1 and 2

Rancho Buena Vista Closing January 25th
Six Decades later

When the email subject flashed on my screen Rancho Buena Vista Closing Celebration, I couldn't believe my eyes.

After surviving countless numbers of devastating Chubascos and other calamities, this historic hotel that literally put the East Cape area on the map was closing…in the end, it was taken down by the Tsunami of the economy.

In part,  the email notice read,
"Josh Martz, Russ Jones,  Christi Jones and the entire Rancho Buena Vista family
WHAT:  A closing celebration at the historic Rancho Buena Vista bar.

As many people may have heard, Rancho Buena Vista has peacefully gone to Baja’s Golden Age Resort in the Sky.  There are many reasons for shutting down the hotel, but it really boils down to whether or not we are able to give our customers the absolute best experience they deserve for their hard-earned travel dollars.  RBV has aged well, but we no longer foresee the ability to keep the hotel in good enough shape to offer that experience.  So, after six decades of operation, we no longer feel we can provide that experience."

I suspect that as the news gets out the thousands of guests who considered RBV their personal retreat and returned time after time over the years are feeling a twinge of age remembering their first visit to this unique piece of history.  I know I am.

I also suspect that many of the early principals, Herb Tansey and Joe García and WON columnist Ray Cannon and Sports Afield writer Chris Dufrense who wrote the early stories that drew attention to the hotel…those who were there for what was described as a "goat ranch" in the early fifties would be shaking their heads in disbelief that after all the hardships management endured over the years, their dreams could be destroyed so casually.

RBV has been part of our family's personal Baja history since the mid-seventies and honestly I need to step back and reflect a bit. Once I have, I promise there will more…soon

Gary Graham
January 25, 2011

Rancho Buena Vista Closing? Hold on just a sec…

In an unusual email on Monday afternoon of this week, Seby R. 'Russ' Jones, President of Davidson and Jones Corporation of North Carolina, announced the permanent closing of Rancho Buena Vista Hotel in East Cape, adding yet another chapter to its colorful history.  The email invited one and all to celebrate the closing in the bar the following afternoon.

According to the email signed by Jones,  "RBV has aged well, but we no longer foresee the ability to keep the hotel in good enough shape to offer that experience.  So, after six decades of operation, it’s time to say goodbye."  

Telephones rang, emails flew and many that heard the news shook their heads disbelievingly.

The shocked reaction was swift as the emails reverberating across the internet. East Cape locals and hotel owners expressed disappointment that the stately historic hotel would be no more.

Axel Valdez, Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort, summed it up best. "It’s tragic for both the area and the hotel industry here."

Then early Tuesday afternoon a second email arrived from Mark Walters, one of the partners of Rancho Buena Vista Hotel and grandson, son, and third generation Baja entrepreneur.  Mark, paraphrasing Mark Twain, quoted, "The reports of RBV's closing are greatly exaggerated."

He continued, "The Davidson and Jones Corporation has been managing/operating the hotel for the past few years and they have decided to call it quits. The actual owners, the Hermosillo family and myself, are currently reviewing our options. The hotel will be closed only until another management company is located. Thanks for your interest."

So It seems for the moment the old girl has a reprieve. It appears that the whole incident was nothing more than a spat between owners and operators who resorted to the internet to negotiate a management position.

Next week's column will explore this story in more detail.

It is what it is…

Bob McEniry struggles to hold up one of the roosters that prompted Rancho Leonero owner John Ireland to declare 2011 the best roosterfish season he had ever witnessed at East Cape!

As 2010 comes to a close and 2011 begins, I'm reminded of sitting on the tailgate of my parents' station wagon many years ago with a childhood friend whose name has long been forgotten. As we bounced along a dusty country road, legs dangling over the edge, my friend posed the question, "Wouldn't you rather see where you're going than where you've been?"  

El Nino, the mantra of 2009, was replaced by La Nina in 2010, producing enough surprises to leave old timers either shaking their heads in dismay or rolling their eyes in wonder.

The bubbles in the leftover champagne from new year's celebration had barely gone flat before hints indicated that 2010 would be a different kind of year. Pleasant weather, an early snook snap at Magdalena Bay followed by a white seabass run, huge yellowtail just outside of casting range in front of East Cape hotels, and Humboldt squid within tin boat range were all clues.

As the mild winter faded into early spring, the weirdness continued. The traditional offshore fishing season got off to a slow start, which disappointed many.  Along the beaches of East Cape the sardina failed to appear, yet schools of hungry roosterfish with a disproportionate number of larger fish mixed in became common and were the spring highlight that remarkably continued into late October. This prompted Rancho Leonero owner John Ireland to comment that it had been the best roosterfish season he had ever witnessed at East Cape!

Late in June, offshore conditions began a transformation. Mysteriously,  the missing sardina suddenly returned, signaling the late arrival of the much awaited 'spring' offshore season in the first week in July.

"All in all, this week will be remembered as one of those weeks at East Cape when you should have been here!" proclaimed local resident, Mark Rayor, Vista Sea Sport.    

Suddenly the La Nina condition produced what would become one of the most memorable tuna seasons with catches of 100-plus pound tuna as the norm, with a few exceeding the two hundred pound mark.  The tuna season stretched all the way into October.

Later in July, the 11th Annual Bisbee's East Cape Offshore Tournament 'road show' arrived and La Nina was definitely their friend, producing near-record catches plus three new tournament records set by the 56-boat field for the three day event.

Adding an exclamation point to what has been referred to as the "Morning After" season was the extraordinary number of black marlin landed from October through December at Cabo San Lucas.

So what can we expect in 2011? Sampling the answers I have received to that question has left plenty of wiggle-room…

Mark Rayor, Jen Wren Sportfishing, was cautiously optimistic.  "This should be a great season.  Several weeks ago while fishing off of Cabo, we witnessed the Mexican Navy chasing a tuna seiner out.  There is more vigilance to protect our great resource, plus there has been less sport fishing pressure for the last couple of years with the down U.S. economy.  It all equates to more fish for the anglers who are here."

Tim Barnett, Marine physicist emeritus at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography:   "What happens next?  Most of the forecast models show the La Nina ramping down to 'normal' conditions by summer.  From a probability point of view, this is also the most likely forecast.  However, a few of the models predict a continuation of cold conditions through 2011...a second consecutive cold year.  Historically, a strong La Nina event is followed by a continuation of cold conditions into the next year about half the time."

"All things considered, I think the ocean will return to normal conditions by next summer...however, I sure wouldn't bet the farm on that forecast coming true.  I am sure by spring we will have a clearer idea of how the event will play out."

After 60 years, I'm still contemplating my friends question.  But looking back over my many years in Baja, my guess is that while the season may take a few unusual twists and turns along the way, it will be another exciting Baja season. After all 'it is what it is'…

Baja Child Needs the Gift of Noise

The total cost of Hania’s device and surgery will be approximately $30,000 USD; to date more than 60% of the $30,000 or $18,000 has been raised.

When Hania Lopez Sosa was barely eight months old, her mother realized that her treasured baby girl was not hearing or reacting to sounds when she tried to play with her.

A local doctor recommended that the infant be taken to an ear specialist for tests, the results of which confirmed the upsetting news that Hania had a severe hearing defect. Further tests revealed that despite being equipped with the most sophisticated hearing aids available, the precocious seven year old would not be able to live a normal life. Hania, who lives with her parents in San José del Cabo BCS, is unable to hear or speak. 

The hearing specialists prescribed an alternative for Hania. A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a profoundly deaf individual. Unfortunately, the device and surgery required is very expensive and well beyond the family's resources.  According to the doctors, timing is critical and the younger Hania is when the electronic device is implanted, the better, in order to facilitate her ability to speak.

Oscar Daccarett, Sport Fishing Commissioner, Baja California Sur, moved by Hania's touching story, directed Clicerio Mercado, Coordinator for Circuito Copa Gobernador Tournament series, to organize a last-minute benefit tournament to be held in Cabo San Lucas to raise funds to help with her surgery.

Circuito Copa Gobernador Tournaments were founded by Baja Sur’s Gobernador Narciso Agúndez Montaño and Sr. Daccarett in August, 2006 to introduce sportfishing not only the adults in the many small communities that dot the coastline of the state Baja, but to the children as well. During the past four years, sixty-three tournaments have been held in small communities throughout the state with more than 26,900 anglers participating in offshore, inshore and beach fishing. 

Clicerio Mercado, Tournaments Coordinator, using the expertise and resources developed for these events, turned the attention to the plight of Hania Lopez Sosa and her need for the expensive surgery which could alter her life.  The result was the Tornero de Pesca which would both increase the awareness and raise additional funds to implant the cochlear device and  to provide the medical care necessary, as well as the on-going therapy needed to improve her speech.

The event began with registration at the Wamongo Restaurant on the Marina Boardwalk on the afternoon on the 10^th of December. The following morning the tournament began with the traditional  flare gun start at 8:00 a.m. Ten teams with forty anglers participating sped off in different directions in search of the winning fish. Fortunately, the fishing was good and the weigh-station which opened at 2 p.m. was busy until the official closing at 4 p.m.

Solomon’s Landing and Baja Cantina hosted the awards banquet and like the old days twenty-two years ago, cash awards were given for the largest yellowfin tuna and wahoo.  The winners were:
TUNA

1st place, Larry Loschuk, 41.6 Lb $20,000 Pesos

2nd place Carlos Jimenez Partida, 41.2 Lb $15,000 Pesos

3th place Victor Saiza, 23.4 LB $10,000 Pesos

Tuna Jackpot $2,000 Pesos was won by second place Carlos Jimenez
Wahoo

1st place Chris Fuller, 11.2 Lb $20,000

Each of the winning teams volunteered  25% of their winnings to Hania's fund, amounting to over $1,500 which was generously matched by the Bisbee’s Tournament organization.

Sra. Dolores Concepcion Zenteno y Sr. Francisco Talamantes Mendoza, grandparents of Hania were on hand and thanked the organizers and participants for their interest and generous contributions.

Clicerio Mercado also suggested that anyone wishing to contribute to the fund may do so by mailing a check to:
Dolores Concepcion Zenteno

Restaurant Wamongo
Boulevard Marina

Tesoro Los Cabos Hotel, C-6

Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S

The total cost of Hania’s device and surgery will be approximately $30,000 USD; to date more than 60% of the $30,000 or $18,000 has been raised.

What could be better this Christmas Season than giving the gift of noise to Hania? Allowing her to enjoy the best Christmas of her young life… instead of the world of silence that greeted her at birth, the anticipation of a lifetime of noise.

Mex 1 Road tips and observations

A word of caution: Mex 1 is similar to a secondary road in the States. However, it is frequented by large semi-rigs and buses; your speeds should be adjusted accordingly! 

Driving Mex 1 is always a blend of emotions…the novice and often the seasoned traveler is excited by the  adventure, but both can also experience the anxiety of the unexpected as the wheels of their rig touch the first of many speed bumps (topes) and the stoplight flashes red or green signaling whether they continue or pull into secondary.

My last trip which began in early October and stretched out nearly seven weeks is a good example. I had heard of a recently passed Mexican law that restricted how many American dollars could be exchanged for pesos south of the border. The government had recently enacted the change to control the number of dollars entering the country's banking system, hoping to curb drug-related money laundering. The law, however, does not limit credit card, debit card, or ATM withdrawals of pesos. According to the State Secretary of Tourism for Baja California, “Hotels, restaurants, stores and other merchants in Baja California still gladly accept U.S. dollars."

Since my routine has been to stop at the Casa de Cambio at the inspection area in Tijuana and load up on pesos specifically for gasoline, I wasn’t sure what would happen as I approached the window and thrust five one hundred dollar bills into the slot on this trip. The woman behind the glass promptly exchanged the stack. However, I found that at the other end of the peninsula the new law was being strictly enforced with the exception of the Los Cabos Airport where I managed to exchange another $500 at a ridiculously low exchange rate. I found that another option is to use ATM machines that charge more reasonable service fees.

Mex 1, which stretches more than a 1,000+ miles south, will always have areas of road construction and detours. As of early November the most notable began after the second Toll Booth at Rosarito Beach. Road construction there had southbound lanes re-routed to the northbound lane, reducing traffic-flow to one lane in each direction.   

The next heavy construction area is south of Maneadero beyond the La Bufadora turnoff for about five to six miles. Traffic in both directions is routed onto a bad dirt road parallel to the regular road. Proceed with caution; the entire stretch is poorly marked, bumpy and very slippery when wet. There is no way to avoid this section that ends a short distance before the military checkpoint at the top of the hill before dropping down into Santo Thomas Valley.

There are also several bridges under construction with little if any delay as the detours around them are paved and well marked.

The last major road construction project is below La Paz where Hwy 1 turns into Highway 19 to Todos Santos and Cabo. Below Todos Santos a large stretch of road is pure dirt with minimal markings making for very dangerous driving. This area should be approached cautiously.

Military checkpoints  are a mix of both floating and permanent locations. Currently there are checkpoints north of Santo Thomas, north of El Rosario, Millers Landing turnoff, North of San Ignacio, north of Loreto, north of La Paz and Todos Santos Highway 19. I tried something that seemed to expedite my stops this last trip: When stopped, I lowered my window and instead of waiting for the usual ‘do you speak Spanish’ routine, I simply offered to get out so they could inspect the vehicle. By doing so, I shortened the total inspection time significantly. Was it a fluke or was it because it happened to be a Sunday?  Quien sabe (who knows)? But it is definitely worth a shot.

A word of caution: Mex 1 is similar to a secondary road in the States. However, it is frequented by large semi-rigs and buses; your speeds should be adjusted accordingly!

Another huge change is that gasoline stations with convenience stores attached are popping up all along the highway. The only area where stations are still in short supply is between El Rosario and Jesus Maria.

One more note for even the seasoned Baja driver: Always check the dates on your Mexican insurance policy before you cross the line. 

Once again, for a longer period of time than usual, I traveled the length and breadth of Baja and never encountered even one drug-related problem.