On the last day of the swell it was time to say adios to the East Cape and finish the last few kilometers of the peninsula. The Cape was definitely one of my favorite places in Baja. The sun said buenos dias through the back doors of the van every morning. I had miles of white sand and turquoise waters all to myself. It was the perfect setting for the think tank.

It took two hours to reach Cabo and immediately I knew it would be a short visit. So far I’ve passed through every major town in Baja. I don’t know how to interact and play nicely with people who wear visors and platform flip flops. I’m also not on spring break. So for the first night in a while Riley and I shared closed quarters in the van and I didn’t get to fall asleep to the crashing waves or the cool breeze blowing through my open doors. By sunrise it was time to get out of town. I needed a destination. I flipped the destination coin and Todos Santos won the toss.

Todos is a sweet town considering its full of expats; most of them retired. Its 45 minutes north of Cabo. The vibe is mellow and its fun to walk around and check out all the galleries and crafts. There’s an obvious Norte Americano interest in the town but the roots are visible even with the new development. Todos is also a few degrees cooler than the east side of the peninsula. Despite being near the Tropic of Cancer, Todos waters are cold in the spring and early summer due to upwelling. I had to look it up to. So the winds come in and keep the nights and early mornings cool. If I had the dinero or a reason, I would buy just south of Todos in a town called Pescadero.

As I’m walking the town I see this pilgrimage happening opposite my direction. Immediately I recognized that it was an old friend of mine from Utah days. Its hard to describe Spencer and the rest of the Copes. Just picture a family where everyone is beautiful, genuine and caring. They’re pretty rad. They love hugs. And food. Did I mention they’re Mormon? Not that has anything to do with anything. Just when they roll, they roll deep.

I spent the rest of the day catching up with Spencer and enjoying the waves at playa Cerritos. After that Spencer’s mom, Karen, had me hook line and sinker with a hot shower and some family fun. So I drove back to Cabo. On the condition that Spencer and girlfriend Kaylee join me for a night of camping back to the Cape.

They next morning Spencer, Kaylee and I took of for the Cabo Riviera. Every time I found myself on the perfect beach in Baja I thought it would be just a little more awesome if I had a couple of my buddies from back home to share the experience with. I was stoked to share The Cape with Kaylee and Spencer. Growing up in Utah I’m sure Spencer did his share of camping; even if it wasn’t on his terms. I learned a few things from him. Like I don’t need a car to gather wood. Maybe I just need to turn Riley into a camp donkey. Kaylee was our camp chef and taught me that camp food doesn’t have to suck.