|
 TM
In Search of Margaritaville
By David Peevers
 About 70
dusty, cactus-strewn miles up the Sea of Cortez coast from the fleshpots of
Condo San Lucas - er, make that Cabo San Lucas - lies a Mexican
"Brigadoon." The signpost for Rancho Leonero is a weathered board nailed to
a tree stump. The place isn't mapped very well, other than in the psyche of
every fisherman who ever wet a line. But turn right here and follow the tang
of brine and fresh fish to the sea.
The promise of big and plentiful fish got John Ireland and Keith Richards to
start kicking around the idea of a resort here some 20 years ago. Richards
left to resume his job as guitarist for some obscure English rock band;
Ireland stayed. His payoff - in the midst of Baja's East Cape solitude - is
a place that stays in the mind.
 Oh, you'll find the fish here. And the crusty and prosperous types who find
a taut line singing over the rail a far better connection with life forces
than anything delivered via modem. But you'll also find local families
fishing off the dock, regularly skunking the Hemingway wannabes who've gone
40 miles out to sea.
The people of Leonero are its greatest draw. The resort manager is one of
the greatest hunters to ply that dangerous trade in Africa. There are lions
in his eyes, still. "Desert Rat" Steve Chisholm can march you a hundred
yards down the beach to an Indian ‘midden’ where generations of tribes
hunkered to crack open their shellfish. You might well bump into an aging
walrus of a man called the "Flying Fool of Baja," who has piloted to, or
otherwise sniffed out, every legendary spot worth mention in the peninsula's
raucous history. You'll witness an expat Seattle hausfrau unburdening
herself from the surfeit of her day's catch. She lays a 10-pound platter of
tuna sashimi at the table of four starving fishermen and discovers that
"Hoover" is a verb.
The best scuba and snorkeling in Baja are scant sandy footsteps out your
front door. Dinner companions might be oceanographers or bronco busters from
Wyoming. You can windsurf, trot up the local canyons on horseback or just
drink in the silence. But the best of all Leonero time is spent conversing
with fellow travelers at the resort's fabled bar. Tennessee Williams, George
Bush (senior, of course), Bette Midler and a carpenter from Dubuque would
all be at home here.
The scarred rail has been lovingly polished by the elbows of legions of
raconteurs, and the air smells of a mixture of alcohol, briny breezes and
harmless lies. It's on this curve of coast - above this very bar - where the
notoriously stiff elbow of John Ireland floats while the Commemorativo
tequila splashes into a wicked citrus brew that bites like a fierce love.
These are the margaritas that - after the third - are much like the 1960s:
If you can remember them, you just weren't really there.
Rancho Leonero is located on the Sea of Cortez, about 70 miles from Cabo San
Lucas. From the Los Cabos airport, a shuttle arranged through the resort
ranges in cost from $50 for a single person to $14 each for a van of eight.
Room rates, which include three meals a day, are $115 for doubles from
November to March and from August to September. During prime season (April
to July and October), doubles run $140. Ask for specials and last-minute
deals, sometimes available on the Web. Phone: (800) 646-2252 or (800)
334-2252.
Rancho Leonero Resort
USA Representatives
1560 N Coast Highway, Leucadia, CA 92024
800-646-2252 or 800-334-2252 toll-free from USA/Canada
760-634-4336 from other countries 760-635-0727 fax
http://www.rancholeonero.com/
David Peevers
Author & Photographer
Lonely Planet Publications
Home Address:
12504 Mitchell Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90066
Tel: 310-636-0015
Fax: 310-636-9131
Photos
courtesy of Rancho Leonero Resort
Back to TravelLady Magazine |
|