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| Oasis in San Ignacio |
The sun was getting
rather low so as we left town we were immediately on the lookout for camping
spots and chanced into one after crossing a massive bridge over an arroyo
system. We followed a telephone line road to a perfect glade where we stopped
for the night. Pink lupines bloomed across the sandy bottom of the arroyo and
strange euphorbia, purple blooms and red
ocotillo trumpets filled the desert nearby.
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| James at the mission |
We enjoyed a tasty
dinner and a few beers, passing out early. When the sun goes to bed, so do we.
In the morning we headed to Santa Rosalia passing some wonderful and painful
sights. The Volcan Tres Virgines erupted out of the desert with charcoal black
basalt lava flows oozing out of the base. Then we passed a massive open pit
landfill that was up in flames, burning the trash away. Then we passed massive copper
mining and smelting operation. All of the industry shocked us after driving through
pristine desert. We picked up a cell phone for James and re-upped our grocery
supply at a supermarket in Santa Rosalia. Most importantly we grabbed a bag of
oranges from a lady on the side of the road! Oranges are cheap and a daily
necessity. Further south we entered Mulege where we came back to the ocean.
From there the road wound around Bahia Concepcion, filled with turquoise blue waters
and white sandy beaches; the multitude of just off shore islands blew our
minds. At the bottom of the bay we pulled off onto a rocky road which we
thought was going to bring us to our dream campsite. Alas after 45 minutes of
bumping along with few good looking places, we decided to turn around and found
a comfortable wash to camp in.
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| Camping in the arroyo |
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| Not too shabby a place |
After an Italian Dinner
replete with zucchini, bolete
(porcini), and sun dried tomato spaghetti sauce served over pasta, I was
finally able to get the group to sit down have a discussion about group norms. As
a social change organizer and camp counselor, I was adamant that we have the
conversation. We created a massive list of everything, from how we want to
treat each other, to our individual money situations, our pet peeves, how we
plan to deal with robberies or tense situations. Afterwards I was happy to hear
James and Josh exclaim that the conversation was actually way more useful than
they believed it would be.
In the morning we
headed south to tranquil Loreto. The town was heavily policed with many gringos
walking the streets. Trees lined the streets and the central square was filled
with well maintained gardens. We picked up groceries, gas and tequila as well
as a fishing license and an extra snorkel. From Loreto, the road hugs the gorgeous
coastline. We had to pull over and drink in the vista because the scene was so
gripping. Isla Coronado, Isla Monserrat and the massive Isla del Carmen
stretched along the coastline. We moved down the coast finding a secluded
campsite at Puerto Escondito where Isla Danzate framed our view out over the
Gulf.
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| View from our campsite in Puerto Escondito |
After setting up camp,
Josh, Brian and I jumped out in the water. We had noted this area as one for snorkeling
and spear fishing. Unfortunately the wind was blowing as a fairly decent clip
stirring up some larger waves and sand from the bottom but we had our hearts
set on snorkeling and catching fish. This was my first time snorkeling. Wind,
chilly water, and my slight fear of turbid water made the experience a bit
tough. I eventually calmed my breathing down enough to actually look under the
surface and enjoy the marine life there. Being a total nerd, I was instantly
excited when I started seeing even the occasional bit of marine life. Tiny
puffer fish and occasional starfish left me ready for more snorkeling. Brian
found a couple fish to shoot at but came up empty. Finally after drinking my
fair share of salt water I headed back towards land. When we came back to shore
we met our neighbors Penny and Suzy who became our wonderful surrogate mothers.
The two hail from the Lost Coast of California and have been coming down to
Loreto and camping for a few months at a time during the winter. Suzy and her
husband have been coming down to Baja for years and have traveled the peninsula
extensively; Suzy and her sister even drove Highway 1 the first year it was
completed!
Of course Suzy had a
son who is a graduate student at Oregon State University and the world being
tiny, Brian had gone to a lecture that Suzy’s son presented. Suzy gave us the
low down on the area and shared her wealth of knowledge of Baja, letting us in
on her favorite snorkeling spot in Baja and which canyons to hike in the area.
The next morning we
headed to the canyon right across the road from our campsite. Two miles later
and we were at the mouth of the canyon and we started upwards. Massive swarms
of butterflies flew from the upper boughs of a strange tree that engulfed a
cliff face. The white bark of the tree contrasted with the lush, large green leaves.
The trunk was many smaller branches that eventually coalesced into a larger
trunk, looking similar to a mangrove but far larger than most mangroves. The
walls of the canyon narrowed as we hiked onwards and we ogled at the high
cliffs above.
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| Entering the Canyon |
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| What a good looking guy |
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| Crazy butterfly tree |
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| Pull! |
Red, tan, black, green,
white and purple rocks lined the canyon. The predominant rock was a beautiful conglomerate
while occasional and volcanic rock with quartz veins crossed our path. Soon
after entering the canyon we heard water flowing. Rounding a corner we were
treated to pristine pools; water in the desert. Palm trees appeared and we
hiked higher. The water carved the canyon and would periodically disappear to
only reappear a few hundred meters farther along. Clambering over massive
boulders we made our way higher and higher. Every couple hundred feet of gained
elevation brought new and different plants. The diversity was like nothing I
have ever seen; these mountains were so close to the coast and receive more
rain than the surrounding desert leading to the diversity. The year previous
was exceptionally rainy, bringing massive floods through the canyon and Susy
had warned us that the going might be tough. Occasionally house sized choke
stones blocked the narrow canyon and we had to use ropes to climb higher. This
just made for more climbing and more fun!
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| Palm Grove at the top |
Brian and Josh decided to relax next to one of the larger pools while James and I explored higher up. The views back down the canyon and over the islands and the gulf made for pleasant sights. Ultimately we made it to our destination, a massive palm grove high in the mountains. Trekking down, we made it out of the canyon just as the sun started to set, throwing orange light over the craggy peaks behind us. Night fell as James and I walked back the final two miles to camp where we found our exasperated friends. We had all forgotten that the keys were in my pocket when we parted ways so they were stuck outside of the car without access to food and warm clothes while James and I hiked. Alas we developed a better protocol for avoiding the situation in the future
The next morning we
headed south again on straight roads towards Ciudad Insurgentes eventually
making it to Punta Conejo. The waves were rolling in in massive curling sets.
Brian was beside himself. He had never seen waves like these. Absolutely perfect.
While Brian jumped in the water with the surfboard, Josh and I headed out to
search for tasty shellfish. As we looked under and around the tidal rocks, the
sun slowly set on the horizon lighting up the stratus clouds above us with a
light mauve and the massive cumulonimbus thunderheads out over the Pacific with
brilliant yellows and oranges. Both Josh and I stood dumfounded, our gathering
mission forgotten. I motioned Josh over and we sat on the rocks taking in the
spectacle. In the east, the legs of a double rainbow shone brightly while the
sun continued to set in the west. Flocks of seagulls passed overhead along with
groups of feeding brown pelicans, each silhouetted by the sunset. We made
scrumptious chile rellenos stuffed with chorizo and onion for dinner. We are
true hobbits; we eat well.
In the morning we
prepared some delicious burritos while Brian and James hit the surf with our
new friend, Will of Bellingham, Washington (most recently, as he has been
living out of a well set up Sprinter van for the past three years). Will is en
route to Envision, a music festival in Costa Rica with two brothers, Cole and
Sam. Seeing the two brothers made me realize how much I wish my awesome
brother, Ian was with us! Once again we were reminded that while the horizons
of Baja seem vast and the world a huge place, the reality is that we are a
small, interconnected community. Will had been climbing with Meghan’s (James’
ladyfriend) brother in law and was also good friends with Morgan Foster, a dude
that I grew up playing soccer with.
Punta Conejo was filled
with surfers, all of whom were incredibly friendly folks. No sooner would one
conversation end than another would begin and we would connect over being from
Oregon or a love for camping in the middle of nowhere. John, our resident
seagull, otherwise known as the owner of Kite the Bay in San Francisco tried to
buy a cup of coffee and oranges from us. We laughed at the audacity. Come have
three of each and eat some breakfast with us.
“Seriously?” He asked. Of
course! We had another friend.
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| Sunset at Punta Conejo |
Best,
Elliott
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