Valle de Guadalupe

Today we spent the day in the Valle de Guadalupe, which is northeast of Ensenada on the route to Tecate, perhaps 25 miles or so. It is the major wine producing region of Mexico, and apparently there are about 50 wineries in the area. There are also a lot of olive groves. The valley is surrounded by relatively bleak hills that look a bit forbidding. But for about 150 years since the valley was first settled by a few Russian families, the people have made a living from agriculture pulling a bit of water out of wells.

We were invited by the family of a boy in Theo's class (his name is Rodrigo) to participate in a Catholic youth group. I'll let the boys tell you more about the activities, but I'll post a few photos of the valley and the ranch where the festivities were held.

A view of the valley from one of the houses on the ranch.


The olive grove surrounding the property where we hung out for the day. It rained in the morning--just enough to make things muggy.
Laura at the rancho where the patio met the olive grove.