To Playa San Rafael
One of our major goals of this trip was to visit and interview our friend Pancho at Playa San Rafael. He lives a simple life on a bluff overlooking the beach with spectacular views of the islands offshore. To get to his house is a 47-mile run on a very washboarded road through the desert.
The last time we saw him was in 2013 and he was elated when we removed our helmets to reveal our identities after we rode up. "Siempre recuerdo!" he told us. I remember, always. Immediately he ran into his house to fetch three ice cold beers. His generator was humming away keeping his refrigerator and freezer working. His house is a very clean "shack" with many amenities and upgrades. His life is simple, and he has many friends that help him out.
Todd, Pancho, and JT, reunited.
Our visit was wonderful and we exchanged gifts (Pancho and I have been doing this for over 22 years now). We gave him a bottle of tequila, a shirt, stickers, and a bandana. He gave me a book about the Baja Missions. Our interview with him was better than we expected and we had a great visit. Pancho asked that when we come down next to bring him a DVD player. He has a flat screen TV and a number of DVDs he'd like to watch.
On our return, we stopped at the old Las Flores mine to film. All that is left are several piles of tailings and a rock walled jail.
