BAHIA CONCEPCION

May 14, 2016

I awoke early to the slapping sound of dozens of rays hurling themselves out of the water in vain attempts at flight.  Each short flight ended in a belly flop that sounded like a gunshot.  They kept it up all morning.  There was just no sleeping, so I got up to watch.

Downtown Mulege

We were out of everything and needed to use the internet, so we motored across the bay to Mulege, which took about an hour.  Mulege is not a protected anchorage, but there was no wind, so we felt comfortable leaving the boat for a few hours.  Our guidebook said to land by the port captain’s office and we figured we could check in at the same time.  We rode the dinghy around the point and up into the estuary, but couldn’t find the port captain.  We asked some fishermen who told us it had been closed for some time.  The abandoned looking building on the spit where we anchored had been the port captain’s office at one time.  We took the dinghy back around to the outside and landed it on the rocky beach in front of the boat where it was not visible unless you were right on top of it.  It was kind of a deserted spot and we were slightly uncomfortable leaving it so close to a town with no one watching it.  We had even locked the boat for the first time since leaving La Cruz.

Las Casitas Restaurant

We had barely begun the 1.5 mile walk into the center of town when a friendly fellow named Paco offered us a ride in his PT Cruiser.  He let us off at Las Casitas Hotel and Restaurant, a pleasant spot off the main plaza.  We had lunch in the restaurant and were surprised to find it completely empty.  Indeed the town was largely deserted.  We asked the waitress why it was so slow and she indicated that it had started to get hot.  We were starting to get the message that the tourist season in the Sea of Cortez had ended.  It was definitely hot.  We had a very reasonable and tasty lunch.  I was hungry upon arrival, but could only eat half of my tostada.  It was huge!

Even Mexicans Need Their Sriracha

The town of Mulege sprang up around an oasis where the Rio Santa Rosalia runs into Bahia Concepcion.  The Spanish built a mission there.  It was a pretty spot with palm trees lining the river.  After lunch, we walked a couple of blocks to the Mini Super Ayleth where we did our grocery shopping.  They had a decent selection for a small store, although we failed to find any desirable lettuce.  It was a relief to resupply so that we could stop rationing virtually everything.  When we had last shopped in Loreto, we planned to make another trip before we left and then we never did.  We were out of eggs, fresh meat, produce, and rum, although we never quite ran out of beer.

After we stocked up, we were too laden to walk back to the beach in the rather oppressive heat.  A taxi driver had approached us on the plaza when we arrived but, of course, he was nowhere to be found when we wanted a ride back to the boat.  I stayed with the groceries while Don went in search of the taxi.  We eventually had to have the hotel call him.  It was siesta time.

Sunset from Santo Domingo

Our dinghy was fortunately still there when we returned.  It was 16:00 by the time we got back to the boat.  Margaritas on empty stomachs, followed by a big lunch on a hot day had sapped our energy.  We had planned to move on to Playa Santispac, but couldn’t face an extra hour of motoring.  We returned to Santo Domingo for the night.  It was hot and we were satiated, so we skipped dinner and lounged through the evening.  The sky was cloudy and the sunset was extraordinary, something we mostly missed with the sun setting over the land.  When it grew dark, I went below to write.  The rays continued jumping.  After I had gone to bed, Don got me up to watch them because they were leaping right next to the boat.

May 15, 2016

The rays were quiet, for once, so we slept in a bit.  I got up and dived into the water, which was pleasantly warm.  After a dozen laps around the boat, I got out and took a shower.  By 9:00 in the morning, the water in the sun shower was already warm.  A warm breeze was blowing and, for once, I could sit in the sun and dry off without clutching my thin towel around me to keep from shivering.

We decided to make bacon and goat cheese omelets for breakfast but, after I had started the bacon, we discovered that we had lost the dozen eggs we purchased in Mulege somewhere between the store and the boat.  I changed horses in midstream and made bacon and goat cheese quesadillas instead. 

After breakfast, Don called our friend, John, who had been considering coming to meet us.  We had cell service in Santo Domingo, but wouldn’t once we left, so we needed to solidify our plans before moving on. John confirmed that he wanted to meet us on the 19th. He would fly into Loreto and take a bus to Mulege unless he could convince the driver to stop at one of the beaches along the way, which we had heard was sometimes possible.  Our taxi driver in Mulege had told us that the airport taxis charged $200 to come to Mulege (about a 2 hour drive), although the Mulege taxi would charge only $100 to get back.

Shells on the Beach at Santo Domingo

After fixing our plans with John, we were free to leave Santo Domingo, but first we went for a walk on shore.  The beach was cluttered with a staggering number of beautiful shells.  When we returned, we pulled up the anchor and headed south down the long, narrow bay.  The water on the course suggested by our Navionics program was quite shallow.  The bottom was white sand and the water pale blue green.  We could see dark patches that represented groups of rays or, once, a pod of large dolphins that came to play with us even though we were motoring.  Just when the depth rose to 14 feet and we started to fear we were being led astray, the bottom fell away and we were able to turn the corner and cut between Isla Pitahaya and Punta Piedrita to tuck into the cove containing Playa Santispac.  We anchored in 18 feet of pale blue water off Ana’s Restaurant.

Ana's Restaurant

We arrived at mid-afternoon and lounged on the boat until 17:00 when we went ashore for dinner.  Playa Santispac consisted of a nice beach littered with palapas for rent and backed by a large sand lot where RVs could camp.  There were a few nice homes on the eastern shore and a couple of ramshackle ones on the inland side.  A few trailers were installed in semi-permanent settings here and there.  It looked like there would have been quite a community during the season, but the campground was mostly empty.  We walked to the western end of the beach and back before stopping at Ana’s for beer and dinner.  A few Mexicans were scattered around the television, watching a playoff soccer game between the Chivas (Guadalajara) and America (Mexico City.)  A couple of gringos were using the slow and unpredictable internet.  Lucy, a tiny Chihuahua, wandered from table to table or flopped in the shade by the door.  It was hot.

Palapas for Rent

We both had a couple of beers and excellent shrimp burritos for dinner.  According to the guidebook, there was once a store attached to the restaurant, but the building was severely damaged by Hurricane Odile in 2014 and the shop had not yet recovered.  They sold drinks and a small selection of snack foods, but nothing in the way of groceries.  We were disappointed that we could not replace our missing eggs.

After dinner, we strolled over to Armando’s, the other restaurant on the beach, for margaritas.  One was plenty for me, as they did not stint on the alcohol.  On our way back, we heard someone hailing, “Hey, cruiser couple.”  They were a pair of former cruisers who had moved ashore to Todos Santos and were on a camping trip with their new RV enroute to a grandchild’s graduation.  We chatted with them for a few minutes and then visited with an international group of twenty somethings who were traveling in a fifth wheel purchased in San Francisco.  Some of them had been traveling for two years. I marveled at that because, when I was that age, I was consumed with my career and trying to buy a house.  I would never have been able to travel for years, nor would my family have tolerated it.  I was nearly thirty before I ever left the country and then it was for less than a week.  Of course, I was making up for my late start.

Playa Santispac

May 16, 2016

I awoke to a strong wind from the south, which put us in shallow water on a lee shore.  I got up at 9:00 and dived in the water, swimming thirteen laps around the boat despite big swells smacking me in the face periodically.  The water was heavenly and the shower water warm, but the wind, which had increased in velocity, made it a bit chilly to sit in a wet swimsuit and I feared the long hair of my braid would be hopelessly tangled if I remained outside for long.  I dried as quickly as I could and scurried below.

Don was up by this time and, after considering the alternatives, decided that we should re-anchor in deeper water in the slight protection of Punta Piedrita.  It got a bit exciting when first the usually reliable engine hesitated to start and then when it took several long moments for the bow to come through the wind once the hook was up.  It always made me nervous to gun the motor in shallow water, but there was no other option and she eventually came around before we hit anything.  We relocated and, feeling much more secure with 180 feet of chain out in 30 feet of water, took the dinghy back to Ana’s for breakfast.

Don's Conversation Partners

After breakfast, we went for a walk over by the homes on the eastern shore and across Punta Piedrita to the bay side where there were more shelters available for campers.  By this time (13:30) it was getting hot, so we returned to the boat to read, write, and nap away the warm afternoon.  Two gulls decided to take their siestas perched on our dinghy and Don carried on a lively conversation with them as they squawked and cackled at him.

Just as we were contemplating hauling up the anchor and moving over to Playa Coyote, our friends, John and Julie from Myla, arrived.  We thought it would be rather rude to run away as soon as they arrived, so we decided to stay put.  Soon, we were invited over to their boat for cocktails.  We had ice and guacamole.  They had chips and alcohol.  We had all the ingredients for a party.  John and Julie had a guitar and we took turns playing.  We had a great time.  It was well past dark by the time we got back to our boat, but I was hungry.  We barbecued some lovely thick pork chops we had bought in Mulege and ate them with beans and a mango jicama salad.

May 17, 2016

Playa Coyote

I got up early and swam fourteen laps around the boat while the seas were still flat calm.  When Don got up, we went to shore to dump garbage, use the internet and get breakfast.  It was Tuesday and both Ana’s and Armando’s were closed.  We went back to the boat and, after conferring with Myla, decided to move over to Playa Coyote, a cove about 2.5 miles across Bahia Coyote.  Bahia Coyote is a smaller bay off the western shore of Bahia Concepcion.  It has several islands in it and is ringed with small anchorages and various forms of vacation homes.  Some detached rocks poked up a foot or two above the water in the center, surrounded by light blue shoal water.  Playa Coyote had a Mini Super and a Myla was not among them.  We thought we could see them in El Burro Cove.  John and I had plans to play guitar that evening, so we motored back over there so as to be close.

Rocks in Bahia Coyote

number of substantial houses.  There were several boats anchored there, but

El Burro Cove is famous as the location of Geary, the fellow who provides daily weather forecasts for the entire Pacific coast of Mexico and the Sea of Cortez.  We could see his antenna topped palapa a dozen feet from the waterline.  We dropped anchor in nineteen feet of water over white sand in front of Geary’s place.

Geary's Place

Don and I were eager to find some Wi-fi because we needed to communicate with our friend, John, who was joining us soon thereafter.  We took the dinghy in to Bertha’s restaurant where they had good seafood and very slow satellite internet.  We ate ceviche and fish tacos and drank beer until about 19:30.  Stopping by Myla on the way back, we all agreed to put off the jam session until the following night.

Bertha's Restaurant

May 18, 2016

We were just starting to stir when we suddenly heard a bagpipe rendition of Amazing Grace emanating from shore.  Apparently, Geary has played that recording every morning for many years.  Once the music ended, the weather report started up on VHF channel 22.  We drank our coffee and listened to the weather report.

Posada Concepcion

We had plans to climb to the top of a peak overlooking the bay with John and Julie that morning at 9:00.  We picked them up and all went ashore in our dinghy.  Supposedly, the trail began somewhere behind Bertha’s restaurant.  Though we could see white painted trail markers on the hillside, we never did find the beginning of the trail.  There were supposed to be petroglyphs near the trailhead and we never found those, either.  We did, however, eventually connect with the steep, rocky trail.  We climbed uphill for a couple of

El Burro Cove from above

miles to the top of a ridge where we could see back over towards Posada Concepcion and Playa Santispac.  I scrambled up the summit block to take a panoramic picture of the entire Bahia Coyote.  We discovered a Geo cache on top of the ridge, but couldn’t register our presence in the logbook because someone had taken the pen.  It occurred to me that hunting Geo caches could be a good occupation for cruisers, since we all have GPS devices.

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Panoramic View of Bahia Coyote

Don Dwarfed by Cardon Cactus

Our descent was much more rapid than the climb up. We had a chance to admire the desert flora.  Huge cardon cactus dwarfed us puny humans.  Once we made it back to the road level, we walked 500 meters south along Highway 1 to Bertha’s tienda where we bought cold drinks, tortillas, and eggs.  We were served by Bertha herself, who no longer operates the restaurant.  The Wi-fi at the store cost 20 pesos for a password and was so slow as to be virtually useless.  We drank our waters and went back to the beach.

Parking Lot Hazard

As we were walking past the palapas on the beach, we spied a fellow standing next to Geary’s place and we asked if he were Geary.  He was and we stopped and chatted for a few minutes before he finally invited us onto his shady porch under the looming loudspeaker we had heard hours before.  We visited for half an hour or so.  He had built the place twenty years before and, “figured he’d stay.”  It was rustic, but comfortable and he had cats underfoot and seemed to know everyone in all the nearby communities.  He invited us for the Fourth of July party.

View from Bertha's Restaurant

Don and I dropped John and Julie off at Myla and then went back to the restaurant to finalize our plans to meet John and eat hamburgers.  The weather was pretty mild and the light breeze was just enough to keep things cool.  We returned to the boat and Don defrosted the refrigerator (it was getting difficult to remove the ice trays) while I worked on my blog.

Myla and Comet at El Burro Cove

John and Julie went in to use the internet after we came back.  They stopped by Comet on the way back.  Don was feeling a bit low energy after our big hike, so I grabbed my guitar and accompanied them back to Myla so that John and I could play some guitar.  The seas were a bit rough and we were almost back to their boat when I got completely drenched by a rogue wave.  They loaned me a towel and we mixed up some margaritas and visited with Julie until I was dry and we were relaxed enough to whip out John’s sheet music and try to play some Beatles tunes.  We weren’t ready for prime time, but we had a lot of fun and didn’t sound half bad on the songs that were in my vocal range.  It was late by the time John delivered me back to Comet.

May 19, 2016

I got up early and swam fifteen laps around the boat while the seas were nice and flat.  Myla pulled out early to head over to Playa Coyote, but we stayed in El Burro to wait for our friend, John South, who was due to arrive that afternoon.  We drank our coffee and enjoyed the weak morning sun.  Eventually, I made salami and goat cheese omelets for brunch.  Then we read until about 15:00 when we thought we’d better go ashore in case John appeared.

El Burro Cove from Behind

We received an email confirming that John had arrived at the Loreto airport and managed to get a shuttle to the bus station.  He said that he would be taking the 15:00 bus.  Pepe, at Bertha’s restaurant, told us that the bus would arrive about 17:00.  We had some drinks and shared an order of quesadillas while we waited, which gave us a chance to use the very slow internet.  A little after 17:00, I went up to the road to meet the bus.  Sure enough, the bus appeared about 17:10 but, despite my effort to flag him down, the driver just flashed his lights at me and kept going.  I walked the half kilometer up the road to Bertha’s tienda in case the driver had let John off there, but there was no sign of him.

Don and I figured that John would either end up in Mulege and have to take a taxi back or would arrive on the next bus.  We settled down to wait.  A little after 18:00, Don went up to the road to await the next bus.  No sooner had he left than we received an email from John asking where we were.  I responded and asked where he was, but didn’t hear any more.  Apparently, the driver had let John off in Posada Concepcion, the next bay up the road.  There were no taxis and no cell service and John had no luck hitchhiking.  He asked at a local hostel, but the operator did not have a room and was not the least helpful.  Eventually, after much prompting by an increasingly desperate John, he suggested that he knock on the door of a nearby home.

John Relaxing on Comet

The occupants took pity on John and gave him a ride the two kilometers back to El Burro.  John invited them for dinner and we all had a pleasant meal at Bertha’s.  We were interested to hear the details of vacation home arrangements in yet another spot.  Each community seemed to have slightly different peculiarities.  These folks were leasing their parcel from a Mexican who held a federal concession.  Their lease included water and generated electricity from 10:00 to 22:00.  The folks in El Burro had to provide their own water and power.

It was near dark by the time we got John back to Comet.  We spent the rest of the evening chatting and getting him settled in.

PUERTO ESCONDIDO TO BAHIA CONCEPCION

May 7, 2016

We had resolved to skip the second day of Loretofest, but we did want to attend the swap meet.  We were ashore by 9:00.  I took a shower and then hit the swap meet where we managed to escape without buying anything but some nuts and bananas.  We used the internet for a few minutes and then returned to the boat.

Honeymoon Cove

Punta Baja was very low, flat protrusion at the end of an otherwise mountainous island.  We rounded the point and headed north along the eastern shore of Isla Carmen for a couple of hours until we reached Bahia Salinas.  We arrived in Bahia Salinas about 15:00.  I had awakened at 4:45 and kept nodding off on the way.  A tuna fishing boat had sunk in the bay in 35 feet of water.  It must have been a large boat because a portion of it was visible above the water as we entered the bay.  It looked like a rock from afar, but resolved into what looked like part of the deck as we passed.  We anchored in 18 feet of blue green water off a wide, white sand beach.  There was only one other boat in the large bay.

Wreck in Bahia Salinas

I was very sleepy and spent the remainder of the afternoon dozing in the sun.  About 18:00, I forced myself to get up and make tilapia, guacamole, chips, and salad for dinner.  A day of motoring and bright sunshine had charged our batteries up to 100%.  Don authorized me to run the computer off the inverter and, having consumed a small can of Diet Coke with dinner, I was able to stay awake long enough to write after dinner.  Then I took my rum and tonic out to the cockpit to shine a flashlight into the water and watch the profusion of life attracted by the light.

Fish Attracted by Light

May 9, 2016

We slept in on Sunday morning and then had breakfast burritos before heading out in the dinghy to explore the abandoned salt works on Isla Carmen.  Isla Carmen has a low spot on its north end that reaches nearly across the island.  This depression contains a seasonal lagoon and was once the site of extensive salt works employing up to 200 people.  The operation was abandoned in 1982 and mostly just left to rot.  Between the salt and sea air, the abandoned equipment looked like it had been there much longer.  We followed the levee that had once supported a narrow gauge railway out into the now dry salt ponds.  The rails had been pulled up, but some of the ties remained.

Former Salt Ponds on Isla Carmen

Abandoned Equipment at the Salt Works

Today, there is a hunting lodge where hunters gather when the national park decrees that the herd of bighorn sheep on the island needs thinning.  A caretaker guards the lodge and chapel, which remains in good repair, stark white against the landscape.  Someone had cleverly converted old forklifts and rail cars into cactus planters.  After walking through the ponds to the lagoon and back, we poked around the abandoned buildings and then strolled to the end of the white sand beach and back.  The former supply boat, the Guaymas, sank at the pier on its final run to remove employees and their belongings from the island.  We gawked at the remains scattered along the bottom of the shallow bay near shore.

Wreck of the Guaymas

Cactus Garden

Chapel at Bahia Salinas

Comet at Anchor in Bahia Salinas

We returned to the boat about 14:00 and spent the rest of the afternoon reading and dozing.  Just as I had started to make fajitas for dinner, the couple from the powerboat that shared our anchorage stopped by to give us a couple of fish they had caught.  We couldn’t say no after they had come so far in the dinghy, but Don slipped the fish back into the water after dark and they happily swam away.  Neither of us were big on cleaning fish on the boat.  We enjoyed our dinner in the cockpit and retired by 22:00.

May 9, 2016

Southerly swells combined with wind out of the east had kept us sideways to the swell all night and we had rolled just enough to prevent me from going back to sleep once I awoke.  Having gone to bed early, Don was up and about even before I was.  We pulled out of the anchorage at 8:10.  There were only a couple of knots of breeze, so we motored easily across calm seas, rounded Punta Perico and headed up to the north side of Isla Carmen.  We passed the small indentation known as V Cove and then turned into Puerto de la Lancha, where we anchored in twenty feet of exceptionally clear water.  We could see the anchor clearly on the white sand bottom.  Don made a pot of oatmeal and we paused there long enough to eat breakfast.

Puerto de la Lancha

We were underway again by 11:30, enroute on the thirteen mile leg from Isla Carmen to Isla Coronados.  Isla Coronados was an old volcano with a large sand spit extending from its southwestern corner to embrace a shallow bay of aquamarine water and white sand that makes a pretty anchorage in fair weather.  Tour boats bring snorkelers to the island from Loreto.  The sand spit continues under water all the way across to the shore, as shallow as twenty feet in places.  We crossed at the pass recommended in the guide book, passed Little Coronado Island, and hooked back into the anchorage staying in deeper water.  We dropped the anchor in 32 feet of water near the other four sailboats in the anchorage about 14:00.

Isla Coronados

We put the boat away and then sat in the sun taking advantage of the cellular and internet service that reached us from Loreto.  I was chilled from motoring through a cool breeze.  Once I warmed up, I ducked into the screened cabin to write because bees were buzzing around the cockpit, even daring to take a sip of my beer.  Don burned some incense which discouraged them while it lasted, but then they returned.  We saw no one stirring on any of the other boats, probably because they were hiding behind insect screens, also.

Dinner was salad and tamales that we had bought from the food vendors at Loretofest.  We had been busy taking advantage of the cellular service, so ate late.  After dinner, we listened to one of Don’s radio shows until we heard our bunks calling.

May 10, 2016

We had hoped to listen to the 8:00 net from Puerto Escondido, but couldn’t hear it at Isla Coronados.  Strangely, the cell service that had been so good the day before had evaporated.  We were disinclined to go ashore with all the bees around, so we pulled out of the anchorage about 9:15 and headed towards shore, trolling for a cell signal because Don needed to return a phone call.  We hoped that getting a line of sight to Loreto would restore service, but it did not.  When we got within a mile of shore, we turned and headed for Punta Mangles.  We followed the coast about a mile offshore and saw a large pod of dolphins leaping in the distance.  We were motoring, so they didn’t approach the boat.  I was still glad to see them because we had seen very few that season.

Ruins at Punta Mangles

The only obstacle between Isla Coronados and Punta Mangles is Mangles Rock.  The chart, surveyed in 1875, said it protruded two feet above high water.  It must have eroded over the past century and a half because we never did manage to spot it.  We passed inshore of it and tucked into the anchorage just inside Punta Mangles.  It didn’t look like much from afar, but turned out to be a wonderful spot.  We anchored in sixteen feet of crystal clear water over white sand.  We arrived about 11:00 and I made bacon and pancakes for brunch.

After the dishes were done, we decided to swim ashore to explore the ruins of an abandoned hotel project.  The water was so clear, that we donned masks and snorkels to snorkel to shore.  We didn’t see any fish on the way in, but there was lots of plant life on the many rocks that I swam over because my snorkel refused to stay attached to my mask and I ended up having to use one hand to keep it out of the waves.  It was tough to swim in a straight line with one hand and, despite my best effort to correct my course, I ended up on a rocky beach.  Don was probably laughing at me as he picked his way across the rocks to bring me the shoes he had carried in his net bag.

Former Restaurant Site

We climbed up the bluff to the ruins of what must have been intended to be a restaurant with a lovely view of the cove.  Concrete pillars reached for an absent palapa roof.  The building, which had been constructed of concrete block, was riddled with bullet holes and appeared to have been demolished with explosives.  Down on the beach, were the remains of two more buildings flanking a swimming pool.  Buildings and pool were filled with sand, rock, and driftwood, leading me to believe that someone’s vision had been destroyed by a flood or hurricane.  It had been built much too close to sea level.

 Our return to the boat was much more direct in my case.  I was in the lead and I saw a school of trout sized silvery fish and one large square bodied specimen lurking on the bottom.  Light was reflecting on the white sand bottom from the ripples above in dancing, glowing patterns.  We took quick showers in solar heated water and, refreshed, continued along our way to Caleta San Juanico, staying about a mile offshore in a hundred feet or more of water. 

Punta Mercenarios

Punta Mercenarios marks the southern edge of Caleta San Juanico and is composed of fabulous rock formations.  One of them resembled the sphinx, while others looked like people crouched on the reef.  We passed these features and anchored in the northwest corner of the bay, hard by a cactus crowned chunk of rock connected to the shore by a shallow reef.  There were already four boats in the anchorage when we arrived and they just kept coming.    Catamarans seemed to travel in packs in the Sea and soon we were surrounded by them. 

Caleta San Juanico

We had our celebratory beer and a snack and then took the dinghy ashore at 17:00.  We picked our way along the rocky shore to the cruisers’ “shrine” at the north end of the bay.  There, a tree was draped with all kinds of testaments to people’s visits to San Juanico.  Many rocks were carved with boat names and there were hats and bottles, burgees and plaques.  Some people had clearly planned ahead and devoted a lot of effort to their contributions.  Near the “shrine,” a path led to the top of the bluff and we climbed up there for a nice view of, not only Caleta San Juanico, but also La Ramada on the far side of Punta San Basilio.  Once we descended, we walked to the far side of the beach and back before returning to Comet for a dinner of spaghetti and salad.  Miraculously, my computer had held a charge and I was able to write after dinner.  It was a beautiful, warm night and we sat talking in the cockpit and watching the sliver of moon sink in the sky.

Cruiser's  Shrine

May 11, 2016

We took so long to decide what we wanted to do with the day that it was 11:00 before we sat down to a breakfast of goat cheese and bacon omelets.  Rather by default, we decided to remain in San Juanico another night.  The pride of catamarans departed, along with a number of the monohulls, leaving the anchorage a much more peaceful and attractive spot.

Lagoon at San Juanico

After breakfast, we took the dinghy across to the southwest corner of the beach near where we could see a road.  It was our intention to follow the road along the hillsides on the southern edge of the bay.  When we got there, we couldn’t determine where the road neared the beach.  We followed some horse tracks, thinking the rider must have come from the road.  He hadn’t, but the tracks led us to a beautiful lagoon that was hidden from the beach.  The trouble with the lagoon was that it was between us and the road.  We followed the lagoon back up a canyon where it became a stream and then a dry wash, figuring the road had to cross the stream somewhere.  The trail we were following degenerated into a warren of deer paths.  Tiring of cactus whacking, we slogged through the deep sand of the wash.  After close to three miles, we finally heard a car.  We were very hot and sweaty and might have turned back if we hadn’t heard that car.  As it was, we continued on and soon came to the road which led us back around to another wash that led back to the beach where our dinghy waited patiently.

Don Hiking at San Juanico

It was mid afternoon by the time we returned to the boat.  Ice cold beers revived us.  I was covered with salt crystals from our sweaty hike, so I dove in and swam eleven laps around the boat.  The water was alternately heavenly warm and frigid as I circled the boat.  Eleven laps didn’t seem far at all after our quarter mile swim of the day before, although it was slower going without fins.  The afternoon was the warmest we had seen since leaving the mainland.  For the first time, I could shower and sit to air dry without shivering in a cool breeze.  We were well satisfied that we had decided to remain another day in San Juanico.

Our Contribution to the Cruiser's Shrine

After my swim, I inscribed Comet’s logo on a scallop shell I had picked up for that purpose.  Don drilled a hole in it and strung it with a few loops of Goretex thread.  As the sun sank towards the horizon, we hopped in the dinghy and made a quick trip to the shrine tree to hang our offering.  Then we cruised around the rock pinnacles in the anchorage, disturbing large schools of fish and a few small rays.  San Juanico offered fascinating rocks and caves, but we had to be careful of submerged rocks that threatened our outboard.

Needlefish

We got back to the boat just in time for me to make mashed potatoes, salad, and spicy chicken wings for dinner before it got dark.  Another day of strong sunshine had our batteries at full strength and I was able to run my computer off the inverter after dinner.  Later, we sat in the cockpit enjoying Don’s eclectic music collection.  Once again, we shone a bright light into the water and watched the fish it attracted.  That night, we saw lots of neon blue needlefish darting about, feasting on the tiny creatures drawn to the light.

May 12, 2016

Punta Pulpito

I got up at 7:30 and made coffee.  By 8:00, Don was up and by 8:30 we were motoring past the pinnacles of Caleta San Juanico and heading around Punta San Basilio and up the coast to Pulpito where we dropped the anchor in a craterlike cove at the base of the 475 foot tall rock known as “the pulpit.”  We saw rays leaping out of the water and a large pod of dolphins heading south.

Don on Top of Pulpito

Our reason for stopping at Pulpito, other than shortening the trip to Bahia Concepcion, was to climb to the top of the pulpit.  It wasn’t very far to the top (1.3 miles), but it was very steep and hot and much of it was deep sand that slid back as we ascended.  There was only a tiny sandy beach for landing the dinghy.  From there, we clambered over a large pile of boulders and driftwood until we reached a steep chute of sand that led up to the ridge.  There was a road that led down to the beach from the ridge, but it ended at the far side of the cove where it was too rocky to land the dinghy.  It would have been a chore to hop from rock to rock all the way around the shore of the anchorage.

From the ridge, we followed a faint trail up onto the headland.  Where that track ended, we could see a pole erected on the summit and we scrambled up the red, volcanic rocks to the top.  It was hot and even the summit was almost windless.  There was an expansive view from San Juanico up to Santa Teresa Point.  We could see the anchorages of Bahia San Nicolas on the far side of the isthmus leading to the pulpit, useful if a southerly were blowing.

Comet in the Pulpito Anchorage

Cold beers were calling us, so we headed back down, descending much more quickly than we had climbed.  We were back at the boat by 14:00 where we had a cold beer, napped, read, and swam.  There were a lot of tiny jellyfish in the water.  I didn’t get stung, but they discouraged me from swimming laps around the boat.  The solar heated shower water was scalding hot.  Don waited until dinnertime to shower and fared much better.

Dinner was pork kebabs with quinoa and salad.  Clouds were gathering on the horizon and we could see rain to the southeast.  The clouds made for a spectacular sunset, but we hoped that we wouldn’t see a thunderstorm during the night.  Beginning in July, thunderstorms originating over the mainland known as “chubascos” would move west and hammer the west side of the Sea in the early morning hours.  In Puerto Escondido, a chubasco report was given every night at 21:00 during the season so that cruisers could prepare for strong winds if expected.

May 13, 2016

Sunrise at Pulpito

We had a long trip ahead of us, so got an early start.  I had been awake until 2:00 the night before and had been awake briefly at 6:30.  I was less than enthusiastic when Don got me up at 7:30.  Still, we were pulling up the hook and on our way by 7:45.  There was very little wind, so we motored around Pulpito and headed straight for Santa Teresa Point.  There was no scenic anchorage inviting us to stop for breakfast, so we had hard boiled eggs and an apple and kept going.  We turned slightly west at Santa Teresa and continued up the peninsula that formed the eastern side of Bahia Concepcion.  It was 37 miles from Pulpito to the anchorage at Santo Domingo.  We rounded Punta Concepcion and then Aguja and Hornitos and tucked into the anchorage by 14:00.

Rounding Punta Aguja

It was very hot when we arrived and soon a warm wind was blowing 16 knots from the east.  We drank a beer and contemplated the change in the weather.  The seemingly endless days in the vast and beautiful sea had lulled me into deep relaxation.  As Comet’s haul out date approached, the realization dawned on me that this period was finite and each day became incredibly precious.  I could hardly bear to think of all the places we would have to skip that year.  Only the knowledge that I could eventually return prevented me from refusing to leave.  The Sea of Cortez had surpassed all my expectations.

Santo Domingo Anchorage

We passed the sultry afternoon reading and swimming.  I did twelve laps around the boat.  The water felt cool and refreshing.  The east wind stopped suddenly as if someone had flipped a switch.  We had barbecued chicken legs and sweet potato home fries with salad for dinner and then I sat in the dark in the cockpit, perfecting the art of just being while the moonlight and mild evening air washed over me.

                                                                                                                                

PUERTO ESCONDIDO AND LORETO

May 2, 2016 continued

Entrance Channel

Puerto Escondido (Hidden Port) is almost completely landlocked.  The 200 foot wide entrance channel cannot be seen until one is aligned with it and ready to enter the bay.  Some boats and buildings around the outer bay known as the “waiting room” can be seen from afar and provide a target.  Boats can anchor in the “waiting room.”  This is a good anchorage for deep draft vessels that might have trouble passing through the channel.    On the left, as you transit the entrance channel, is the man made anchoring basin known as “the Ellipse”.  Fees to anchor in “the Waiting Room” or “the Ellipse” are lower than inside the main bay and are payable at the API office.  Many cruisers who had made Puerto Escondido their home had installed private moorings in these areas, but it was rumored that the Ellipse was about to be developed as a marina.

Inside the bay, Fonatur had built a small marina and a large mooring field.  Moorings could be rented for $10 per night.  We found the bay to be calmer than most marinas, with jumping fish the largest disturbance.  At the far end of the bay were two low spots known as the “windows” which provided air circulation.  The low spits of land between them looked exactly like dams and blocked the view of the water on the other side, giving the bay the appearance of being a reservoir with a drop off on the other side.  The Sierra La Giganta (Giantess Range) rose dramatically to the west.  Puerto Escondido was rumored to be a caldera, which would explain its unique topography.

The Windows

 

We arrived about 16:00 and, after milling about for a bit, looking for an empty ball in the proper size range, finally selected one on the outer edge of the mooring field with the shore on one side and a large empty area behind us.  It was also possible to anchor in the main bay, but the fee was the same as for a mooring, so we took the easy route.  Many of the mooring balls had lost their numbers, making it difficult to determine which were which.  In general, the larger boats were located further out.  Don called the marina office and they told us where to go, although they were closed by the time we got settled and finally made it to shore.

The Tripui Hotel and Restaurant

We picked up the mooring without incident, a maneuver that involved my motoring up to a stationary buoy and stopping the boat close enough that Don could pluck the line out of the water with a boat hook.  Once the mooring line was securely fastened to our bow, we launched the dinghy and headed for shore, showers, and dinner.  Unfortunately, the showers at the Puerto Escondido Marina closed at 17:00 and we arrived too late.  We had to go to dinner in our unwashed and casual state of dress.  We first checked out the restaurant in the marina, but found it much too rich for our tastes.  All of the dishes were a la carte and still twice as expensive as the average restaurant in Mexico.  We decided to walk a mile or so up the road to the Tripui Restaurant and Hotel for dinner.

Fonatur and carved out some canals and paved and landscaped roads for a community of private houses that had failed to materialize.  We wandered through this maze for a while before we found the main road, got out of Puerto Escondido, and turned right on the main road.  The hotel, restaurant, and RV park were visible on the other side of the road shortly after we started up the highway towards Loreto.  The Tripui Restaurant is located next to the hotel pool, with tables under a shady arcade.  Prices were reasonable, the food was good, and two of their margaritas left me worse for wear the next day.  We enjoyed relaxing in their beautiful and welcoming environment.  It was well worth the walk to get there.

It was past dark by the time we returned to the marina, but the water was calm and we had a pleasant dinghy ride out to the boat under the starry sky, the lights of the marina making it easy to find Comet despite the dark.  We sat up for an hour and then slept soundly, glad to be unconcerned with a change of wind direction during the night for a change.

May 3, 2016

Our "Office" in Puerto Escondido

I was fairly useless on Tuesday morning after the Tripui Restaurant’s potent margaritas the previous night.  I couldn’t even face coffee.  We had accidentally left the radio on channel 16 and had slept through the 8:00 radio net.  The prospect of a shower, however, was enough to motivate me to go to shore.  We took the dinghy in and checked in, took showers (no hot water), and did some laundry in the laundromat.

We had been without internet or cell coverage since we left the La Paz area, so spent the late morning and early afternoon catching up on our communications.  Don talked on the phone with all our friends who were considering coming to join us, but none of them were ready to make a decision at that moment.  He was also trying to decide whether to leave the boat in Guaymas for another summer or to sail back to Marina del Rey.  He called the Fonatur yard where he had left the boat the previous year, but found them already full.  He made a reservation at another yard, just in case he decided to leave the boat again.  It was starting to seem as if Comet would be remaining in Mexico for another summer.

Puerto Escondido from the Marina

When our phone batteries started to give out, we headed back to the boat.  We hadn’t eaten breakfast, so I made tostadas for lunch.  Then I napped and read while Don scrubbed all the soot off the back of the boat.  We ate a late, light dinner of barbecued marinated arrachera, roasted potatoes and cauliflower, and salad.  Then we read until nearly midnight.

May 4, 2016

The radio net woke us up at 8:00.  We got up, had coffee, and left for the showers.  We took our propane tank to be filled.  Once again, there was no hot water in the showers.  We had to wait until the store opened at 10:00 to leave the propane tank, so we sat at the defunct bar on the upper level of the marina building and used the wi-fi until it opened.

Loreto Bay

Once the propane tank was delivered, we hired a taxi to take us the 25 kilometers to Loreto.  The taxi ride was quite expensive at 500 pesos (about $30), given that in Puerto Vallarta a ride of that distance cost only 350 pesos.  Unfortunately, there was no alternative.  There was no bus service to Loreto.  Our taxi driver did speak some English and attempted to give us a bit of a tour on the way.  At one point, he even removed his rear view mirror so that I could take pictures through the windshield.

We drove north along the highway at what seemed to us like an incredible rate of speed after having traveled by sailboat at five or six knots for weeks.  We passed Juncalito and the highly recommended Vista del Mar Restaurant at Playa Notri, both possible anchorages in fair weather.  Eventually, we crested a hill and saw the Loreto Bay golf course, resort, and housing community spread before us, vividly green against the desert landscape.  The palo verde (green stick) trees, so called because their branches are green and they have no leaves, were blooming, covering the countryside in yellow flowers.  It was a beautiful time to visit.  Temperatures were reaching only into the mid-eighties.

The Loreto Malecon

Our driver took us through Loreto and left us at the malecon.  We agreed to call him later when we were ready to go back, as he had offered us a 100 peso discount on a round trip.  Actually, the round trip fare from Loreto to Puerto Escondido was 900 pesos, anyway.  He had just deducted the surcharge for having to come out there to fetch us.

A pretty malecon stretched along the beach in Loreto with several shaded pavilions containing benches from which to admire the view toward Isla Carmen.  A pedestrian street lined with tourist shops and restaurants stretched from the Malecon up past the main plaza.  We stopped for breakfast at Café Ole on a side street where we got tasty spinach and cheese omelets with beans, chilaquiles, and orange juice for about $6 each.

Cafe Ole

After breakfast, we walked around Loreto and visited the hot spots.  The Our Lady of Loreto church is considered to be the head and the mother of the entire mission system in both Baja and Alta California. As such, we were surprised to find it very plain and unadorned.  It was made even more homely by a renovation project that had left the pews in the courtyard and the floor covered with piles of rubble.  More interesting than the actual church was the museum next door which related the history of missions in Baja California.  The missions were begun by the Jesuits, but King Carlos V expelled the Jesuits from his empire in the 18^th century and that included Mexico.  He sent an army to remove them and they were replaced by the Franciscan order.

Our Lady of Loreto

Pedestrian Street in Loreto

After visiting the museum, we drifted back down the main drag and stopped at the Baja Bookstore where Don bought a copy of Steinbeck’s The Log from the Sea of Cortez, which was required reading in those parts.  Then we bought popsicles and followed the malecon to the small panga marina on the edge of town.  A number of cruising boats were anchored in the open roadstead off the beach.  There was a dinghy dock in the marina where cruisers could come ashore, making the anchorage attractive in fair weather.  We took a side street back through town to the Ley market, one of two big supermarkets at the entrance to town.  We did our provisioning and then called our taxi driver, who arrived within five minutes to give us a ride back to Puerto Escondido.

Don in Loreto

The Dinghy Dock in Loreto

We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the boat.  I made drunken chicken (chicken cooked in chorizo, tequila, and orange juice) for dinner and we gorged ourselves on chicken and rice.

May 5, 2016

Cinco de Mayo passed without remark in Puerto Escondido.  Loretofest was due to begin the next day and even the gringos couldn’t be bothered to celebrate.  Frankly, there were so few Mexicans visible in Puerto Escondido that I felt like I was in Arizona somewhere.  We went to shore after breakfast.  I actually managed to take a hot shower. 

Marina Buildings in Puerto Escondido

My mission for the day was to update my blog.  Unfortunately, my computer battery would not hold a charge.  I needed an electrical outlet.  Fonatur was having a meeting in the defunct bar that we had been using as an office.  None of the other outlets were live unless the lights were turned on.  The office had power, but was plastered with signs forbidding internet use inside.  The marina store offered charging at ten pesos per hour, but there was nowhere one could use the internet while plugged in.  We spent the entire morning milling around and using the internet on our phones, but I made no progress on my blog.  Finally, the Fonatur folks cleared out of the bar area and I grabbed an outlet.  Both the marina internet and Don’s hotspot were painfully slow.  It took me until 18:30 to get my blog entry done and, even then, I had to forego uploading the video of rays jumping at Isla Monserrate and end my post in the middle of a day because we were so hungry, having skipped lunch, that we just couldn’t continue working.  We headed back to the boat and had leftover chicken and salad, glad that food was readily available.

May 6, 2016

On the first day of Loretofest, we went ashore before 9:00 to shower and do laundry.  The women’s showers were occupied by four shrieking little girls, so I fled before my head exploded.  There was already a long line of women waiting for the laundry.  We joked about “laundryfest,” but actually had a good time chatting.  I eventually ducked out, bought a tank top, got a tamale for breakfast, and took a shower.  I spent the rest of the morning at the laundry, feeling like a throwback to the days when the women all took their laundry to the river to beat on the rocks. 

Don spent the morning sitting outside the store, chatting with other cruisers.  Every afternoon from 15:00 to 17:00, cruisers in Puerto Escondido gathered outside the shop to drink beer and exchange information, a gathering known as “The Circle of Knowledge.”  During Loretofest, this gathering went on all day.

The Ellipse

We were there for the twentieth and supposedly final Loretofest.  In my opinion, it was a festival that needed to be put out of its misery.  The food vendors and shady tents were appreciated, but it was a dull crowd and no one wanted to participate in any of the games.  Even the bar tent was largely unpatronized.  After eating a chili dog that had never even been in the same room with a chili pepper, we went back to the boat and read for the rest of the afternoon.  We went back to get carne asada tacos for dinner, but no one had signed up for entertainment, so we went for a walk to check out the Ellipse and the Waiting Room and then returned to Comet.