Wednesday morning breakfast at Meling Ranch...

Wednesday, September 24, 2008, I awoke at 0500 to the sound of birds chirping, cattle lowing, and rooster crowing. What a change of pace from my daily, suburban grind! The electricity wasn't on, so I lit the kerosene lamp on the nightstand, next to the bed, and pondered what I was going to do for the day. I got up, got dressed, and went outside to a clear, crisp morning, where my digital thermometer in the truck read a cool 55 degrees. Ahh, another beautiful morning at Meling Ranch, and a perfect start to another day in beautiful Baja California!

Photo: It's 0645 in the morning, as Jicelia grabs another piece of wood to put in the stove. The pot of refried beans is already heating. The aroma of wood smoke, cooking refried beans, coffee and bacon is unbelievable!

Photo: Close-up of Meling Ranch's wood-fired range in action. After the lid was replaced over the burner, Andrea moved the potatoes to high heat to brown the outside of them.

The daily routine at Meling Ranch begins about 0645, when Andrea and the girls go into the kitchen, fire up the wood stove, and get the coffee going. While they're getting things going in the kitchen, the ranch hands start the day by feeding the animals, and making sure that they have plenty of water. As for me, a paying guest, my job was to relax, take notes, and take digital photos.

Photo: After browning the potatoes, Andrea moved them to medium heat. She stirred the potatoes every couple of minutes. Andrea knows how to make delicious potaotes.

Today, I was the only guest for breakfast, as Steve and Chuck left early to try their luck at a nearby trout stream. I filed into the kitchen as Jicelia was lighting the fire in the wood-fired kitchen range, and Andrea asked me what I wanted for breakfast. Easy... eggs, beans and corn tortillas, which is my all-time favorite breakfast meal. However, I let Andrea know that I would love anything that they serve, as I love everything.

Photo: Jicelia fries my eggs, as Andrea stirs the homestyle potatoes. Note the pot of refried beans heating on the stove.

While Andrea and the girls prepared breakfast, I did what I do best... talk. According to Andrea, potatoes are a staple at the ranch, as they're served practically every day, along with tortillas, which are served with every meal. Breakfast takes an hour to prepare, as the stove is lit at 0645, the coffee is ready bo 0700, and the breakfast bell is rung at 0800. The girls work very hard preparing the meals, but the food is custom-prepared, and the quality, quantity and care is far superior to any restaurant on earth.

Photo: Here I am, in all of my splendor, about to enjoy another wonderful breakfast at Meling Ranch.

True to form, the breakfast bell rang exactly at 0800. They have an old fashioned triangle outside the kitchen door, and at mealtime, one of the girls bang on it to summon the guests and the ranch hands. I enjoyed a wonderful breakfast of diced, homestyle potatoes, refried beans, bacon, eggs over easy, corn tortillas, diced melon, salsa, orange juice and coffee. As I mentioned before, the food that the staff at Meling Ranch serves their guests is far superior to any food that can be purchased in any restaurant. It's not fancy, as it's cattle-ranch cusine, but it's the best food on earth. As an added prsonal touch, Jicelia remembered from my visit last year that I prefer my eggs fried over easy, and my eggs arrived that way.

Photo: Today's breakfast of refried beans, melon, salsa, homestyle potatoes, corn tortillas, organe juice, bacon and fried eggs... delicious. My plate is at the far right. Yes, I managed to eat everything pictured in the photo... it's too good to give to the hog.

The girls work hard to prepare a delicious breakfast, but their efforts really pay off, as Meling Ranch serves the best breakfasts that I've ever eaten. Now that's saying something!