Baja Road Trip – Heading Home.

 Thursday – January 21st – Good Bye Zacatitos, Baja

Art and I wake at sunrise and I sip my final cup of coffee on the deck of Casa Magic Gecko. The ocean dances with the morning light and whales spout in the distance. Although, I’m sad to be leaving both Zacatitos and Art, I will fly back for a week at Valentines Day. It’s time to head home, get some creative traction on new designs for the Marty Magic business and take up my responsibilities in the office

At 7:45 A.M. I climb the ladder to wake the boys, sleeping on the roof, and they break down their tent and we all pack for our return trip home. John’s final semester at S.F.S.U. begins on Monday and Will must complete his volunteer hours at the San Francisco Botanical Gardens before the end of January. 

We lock the Magic Gecko Bungalow for our drive to the airport, stopping at Buzzards for breakfast on the way. Buzzards, the Gringo Restaurant in El Encanto is half way between Zacatitos and San Jose and there are occasional concerts here. Extra Large, a Santa Cruz Band performed here last year and Art and I had a great time, dancing in the sand. We are surprised and pleased to have Jesus, who used to work at Zac’s Bar and Grill as our waiter. Art and I share eggs Benedict and the boys down large breakfast platters.

On the way into San Jose, we make a reverse right at the cement plant and drive the dirt road to Flora Farms, an upscale organic farm, restaurant and gallery complex. Flora Farms is thriving thanks to a recent write up in the New York Times.They offer a farm tour at 11:00 but with a plane to catch, we don’t really have the time. We stroll the beautiful manicured gardens where butterflies flit between the flowers and pop into their overpriced jewelry gallery and body care shop.

I have been thinking about purchasing another Mexican Fire opal that I saw in the same jewelry gallery where I purchased an opal on Tuesday. I want to get John’s opinion and possibly purchase this one before I fly home. It is 5.1 carats and a nugget of blazing crystal blue opalescence. Both John and Art appreciate it’s beauty and approve my purchase. Ruben, the gallery owner is expecting me this morning and he has two other opals to show me that belong to his friend. One is of no interest to me but I ask the price and carat weight of the other. It is a substantial, 20.5 carats with a pleasing organic shape and a pastel rainbow opalescence. Although it is fairly priced, I don’t have enough money to purchase it and ask Art if he will walk to the ATM to get pesos from his account? Tomorrow, I will deposit money back into his account so that he will be solvent again. As we drive to the airport, John and I discuss names for the new opals and he suggests Mermaid’s Tear for the fiery blue nugget but we are at a loss for the name of the other. Art chimes in Argonaut, a good name to save for when we find the “Argonaut Opal.” Naming each opal is part of the process and we try hard to choose appropriate names that suit each stone which helps everyone remember and keep the stones straight; customers as well. *When I return home and show Alisha the opals, she exclaimed on the wonderful purple radiance and the rippled shape of our unnamed treasure and suggested Violaceous Surge.  

Art drops us off at the curb and we say our goodbyes which is not too painful since I am returning before Valentine’s Day in less than three weeks. We are flying Alaska Air and because I paid for our three tickets with Alaska Signature Visa, we each get one free checked bag. Will fuels up with Burger King, I spoon down a Starbucks Yogurt and before we know it, we are boarding!