Loreto Farmers Market

Last night we said farewell to our guides Jorge and Celia, and I hoped that I might see them again someday. They were good guides and nice company. This morning, I bump into Jorge at the Sunday market, looking for additional snorkel masks and fins for his clients. I also run into some kayakers we met on Isla Danzante, and later in town at El Rey del Taco. On the way back to the hotel, I follow signs to an open house, and the real estate agent showing the property turns out to be Jill Jackson, who runs the cabanas where I stayed my first two nights. Small town.

Random Thoughts

In no particular order, some thoughts recorded during the kayaking:

A large group of dolphins herds a school of fish into shallow water and the beach; OUR beach. Pelicans and frigate birds dive into the mele.

After our first four days on the water, I finally remember to raise the rudder before beaching the kayak.

I come to enjoy the salty tang in my first cup of coffee, after last night's salt water dishwash. We carry all our fresh water with us to these arid islands.

This morning, dolphins swim under our boats when as are paddling to our final campsite. They swim straight to us and then dive.

My supply of ibuprofen looks to be just enough to get me through. 

Celia, one of our guides, is very sweet and decorates our library with beach treasures at each campsite.

Oh, the first days are the hardest days ...

Isla Carmen

Stunning full moon shining through the mesh roof of my tent.  On Isla Carmen, camped on the beach with our kayaks after the 10 mile paddle from the Baja mainland, south of Loreto. This is our second day paddling and it is wonderfully calm with hardly a breeze. Our crossing on the first day was, well, a little 'iffy'  when the wind came up and the Sea of Cortez showed the choppy side of its nature. I appreciate my spray skirt as we cross to Danzante Island in a bit more than an hour and stopped to rest out of the wind before continuing with the second crossing to Carmen Island. Our guide Jorge, earns our respect early in the trip when he looks at the sky and says 'I think maybe the wind will die down soon',  And it does! The second crossing is just as long but a lot smoother. I thought that I might be at the outer edge of my comfort zone with the deep water channel crossings, but the heavily loaded kayaks feel very stable, and I look forward to getting out on the water each day. Gear is stuffed into every nook and cranny with snorkel gear, tables, and anything that can get wet are lashed on top. Beverly Hillbillies on the water.

Loreto Shopping

March 23
Loreto is  a quiet town.  I can see this when I compre the shopkeepers with those in San Jose del Cabo. In Cabo, vendors are in front of their shops, chatting up the tourists: "Come in, my friend; almost free. No charge to look. " Here in Loreto they are more likely to be involved in a rambelling conversation in front of their shop with the street cop, not noticing the customers wandering in and out.

Benito Juarez Day

March 21
I wake at 6:00 and am surprised to hear the sound of sweeping in the street outside my window. Today is a national holiday - Benito Juarez's birthday and the town is sprucing up for festivities later in the morning. To call Juarez the George Washington of Mexico might be a simplification, but he left a legacy of democratic reforms that transformed the country and he is revered. Walking back from breakfast at the French bakery, I see a modest crowd is gathered in the town plaza, listening to long winded speeches about democratic traditions, etc, etc. There is a group of young women on the sidelines,  dressed in long cotton dresses, waiting to perform a traditional dance. When their turn comes, they dance with colorful ribbons stretched between them, bare feet moving in a graceful shuffle, toe-tap step. They have sweet faces behind heavy makeup,  but they are quite serious about their dance.

Margarita Night

March 18
The days do blend together and there is a routine that has developed now that we are in the Sea of Cortez. Mornings are for a on-shore hike before the day heats up, then a snorkel from the shore or from a skiff. Afternoon is for raising anchor and a lazy wander in search of whales. Blue whales are long and majestic. Today's wander is now over and we are stationary with the engines off, miles from shore. It is margarita night on the back deck followed by some amusimg John Pryne songs off Charles' laptop. After dinner, the sea is dark and full of mysteries - a squid briefly comes to the surface off one side and later a softly glowing something floats nearby,  below the surface - UFO. Soon we are underway and many of us are on the bow, looking at bio-luminescence in the wake. All day long we had seen balls of little bait fish, boiling the surface of the water. Now we run through those fish and they flee the boat's wake in glowing clouds. Magic and mystery.

Passing Cabo

Friday March 15

This morning we rounded the tip of Baja at 5:00am and we are now in the This Sea of Cortez. The area is good for sighting active humpback whales, who breach, tail-flap and flipper-flap. We follow one group of three whales that includes a baby who loves to practice his breaching techniques,  over and over - very entertaining. I get one very good shot of the baby completely out of the water. Every so often one of the adults will join in, but the youngster is the star. In the afternoon, we walk and bird watch, then snorkel on a reef near  a sandy beach. Lots of colorful tropical fish above the rocky bottom.

Right now, the sun is setting.  Charles and Geri-Sue are in the galley preparing dinner; tonight is braised lamb shanks. Charles studied at the California Culinary Institute, and it shows. He is also an avid photographer and has a portfolio of mind blowing wildlife shots taken from the boat. Geri-Sue assists in the galley and does baking of muffins, breads and cookies. They both have some impressive tattoos, and I ask permission to document them with camera. After dinner, Michael trys to explain bio-luminescence, but everyone is too loose to follow along, so we adjourn and go to the bow to watch the phenomenon first hand. The wake glows and swirls with light from the tiny creatures, agitated by the boat's wake. The light is milky green, like the hands of a luminous watch. A school of fish runs away from the wake and leaves trails like the traces of fireworks in the dark water. 4:30 am -  the day is capped of when a gentle announcement on the boat's PA says there are dolphins bow riding the wake in bio-luminescence. In the pitch dark night, they leave big trails of light that wriggle and twist through the bow wake. Like something in a dream.

Pacific

March 14

Today the ocean is truly peaceful. Still headed south with occasional diversions to follow whales; today blue whales and humpbacks. Overnight we will be rounding Cabo about 4:00am and will wake up in the Sea of Cortez.

Some images from the last two days:
Frigate bird catches the rays of the setting sun.
Wall inside abandoned lighthouse.
Door to fish cold storage building.
Panga driver Chavalo.
Humpback whale fluke.

Laguna San Ignacio!

What a day. We cross over the bar to enter the laguna a little after breakfast and anchor in the outer part of the protected sanctuary. The Searcher is one of three boats with permits to enter this wildlife preserve. We soon start out and spend six hours on small pangas, driven by the local fishermen. Four separate excursions, and each one is a different experience. This bay is noted for "friendly " gray whales who will approach the boats and enjoy being touched by us - amazing to look into the eye of a whale a foot away from yours. One boat (not mine) took it to the extreme and all eight of them kissed their whale. These whales have given birth within the past several months and mothers and calfs , bonded by nursing, approach together. There are so many whales here, I can't imagine how many I saw today - Some calm, some curious, some playful. I'm sure I can see personality differences between the whales we see.

Later, during desert (Bananas Foster)  we break to go onto the rear deck to view the new crescent moon and the just visable comet, which will hopefully be with us for the next several days. The comet is easily visible with binoculars and is one of the many highlights of day. After dinner is a final highlight as the captain shuts off all lights and generator and we see the spectacular stars and hear Michael's far ranging star talk. Later, in absolute silence we gaze at those stars, and listen to the breathing of maybe a dozen whales within earshot, the splashing of the ones closer, then the squeeky wingbeats of surf scoters flying low over the water,  and the call of a distant loon.

Underway

Monday March 11

Our first two days are concentrated on covering ground, proceeding down the Pacific coast of Baja. After one full day and night underway we stop at Isla San Benito for a nice long hike. On the map, we are just off the tip of the big thorn-shaped peninsula that juts out into the Pacific. When we make our landing, we are at a small community that is seasonally occupied by lobster and abalone fishermen. It is a rugged, utilitarian setting but there is a sweet little chapel with an inscription over the door asking for protection during their work at sea. A few men are bringing in a catch which they share as a community co-op, so unfortunately they cannot share with us. On the other side of the island, the elephant seal colony is quiet,with only pups and a few females remaining after the big males have left on migration. There are 24 people strung out along the trail as we climb to the top of the island and out to the abandoned lighthouse. The lighthouse is accessible and the climb up the spiral stairs leads to the top  where the old Fresnel  lens sits in disrepair. Armando had worked on a restoration of the Point Reyes lighthouse and he gives a breif lesson on the history and function of the old lighthouses. Wonderful bit of engineering. We walk back along the trail in silence  at Michael's suggestion, each to our own thoughts. Back on board now and looking forward to dinner pork roast with red onion marmalade and roasted red potatoes. You see, this is the first time I have had an appitate.

Packing List

Tom asked to see my whole packing list - I don't know if he was kidding or not, but here is the list I put together when planning for the trip. I'm trying to get it all to fit right now. I'll be on my way at 3:00 pm!

Camping Gear

Whenever I travel, I have a reputation for bringing an abundance of gear. Can't apologize for it, I'd just rather be safe than sorry. However, I have to think carefully about gear to bring on the upcoming eight day sea kayak trip due to strict limitation of space. There is no support boat, so food, tents, water and everyone's gear are stowed in the kayaks. I must get all my gear in a 20"x12" duffel, including some gear for snorkeling.

Even with the space limitations, I don't want to be too separated from technology gear, so I am bringing a small folding 7 watt solar charger for power - folded, it is only about 9"x6". It can charge equipment directly and it will also charge a AA battery pack to store power. The batteries then can charge camera and Android phone (for blog posts, I hope). The battery pack can also be used with a small plug-in 1.5 watt light for about fours of reading or whatnot. The cables and connectors transfer photos from camera to phone. The solar panel, battery charger and light are all made by Goal Zero, one of my favorite travel gear companies. The camera is an Olympus TG-1 which will be all purpose, including being waterproof for snorkeling. It is full of features, with video and GPS tracking, and is only hampered by a limited 4X zoom. I recently took it Hawaii as my only camera and I liked it a lot.

This might seem like a lot of stuff, but if you know what I normally travel with, this is bare bones indeed.

Baja Graphic Arts

I discovered that Baja California has their own flag and seal. It is bold, and graphically interesting, but what the heck is this?  It took me a while to find a narrative explaining all of its meaning. 

From Wikipedia: it represents the past, the present and the future of the state. The motto "Work and social justice" is one of the goals of this state. In the upper part is the Sun, symbol of light, the main element nature gave the world and an inexhaustible source of energy, heat and life. To the sides, two human figures, with their hands joined in the middle, project a beam of light, symbol of energy. The book the man is holding in his hand represents culture. The woman is holding a test tube, which stands for chemistry, a carpenter's square, representing engineering, and an allegory for medicine. Together, these stand for the joining of intellectual work and science. 

I can figure out most of this, but I invite you to your own interpretation.

I am also enjoying the look and character of the official Mexican seal, as it appears on the national flag, with the eagle and snake motif that I remember from high school history and the founding of the Aztec empire.  A no-nonsense eagle.







Here is that eagle again, in a painting by Diego Rivera, depicting the history of Mexico from the time of the Spanish conquest - complicated maybe?
I will be staying in Loreto, the site of the first California mission - established in 1697. And from there the Spanish padres strung the chain of missions up to Sonoma, north of San Francisco.
Thank you Jared for the image.