We had a restful nite. But driving down here takes a lot out of you, and we are both fatigued. We awoke to a sunny day with a light breeze. I was hoping to fill the gas tank at the Pemex just outside of town yesterday. For some reason the pump (only one working) kept stopping. We should have been able to put 2000 pesos worth in, but only got 400 in before giving up. There are two more gas stations in Guerrero Negro itself, which we will scout today.
Gas is a special issue in the Baja. There are few Pemex stations available, some several hundred miles apart. This number is reduced further by availability - sometimes they are out of gas. Then there are some stations that it is almost impossible to get a large motorhome into. Lastly, some stations are notorious for overcharging people, and need to be avoided. They can get 100 gallons into a 70 gallon tank. Neat trick!
Guerrero Negro is one of the newest towns in the Baja, and it's a company town. Founded in 1955, the town owes its existence to the Exportadora de Sal (salt works). Large flats near the down are flooded with seawater, which quickly evaporates, leaving salt. This is gathered up using heavy equipment and shipped out on barges. The lagoon itself is a favorite for whales as a nursery. The pregnant females stay in the inner lagoon, with the males guarding the entrance against sharks, etc. The inner lagoon is shallow and highly saline, so that the baby whales have an easier time learning to swim and surfacing to breathe when they are born.
While exploring the town, we came across a strip of land designated as a bird refuge. An interesting phenomena in such a barren area. It was compliments of the local salt works and was obviously for the purpose of making them look environmentally aware. (They were thwarted recently in expanding the salt works, which would have endangered the whale nursery).
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