Kayaking & Exploring Mexico's Baja California Sur

December 2004

Flying down the entire length of Mexico's Baja peninsula gives one a sense of the land's rugged repetitions interrupted by little surprises. Pastel reds, purples, greens, and yellows leach from ore and mineral, painting accents on top of the otherwise resoundingly brown canyons and mesas. "Brown" has all its many hues here: dark and light, khaki, tan, off white, more.

The bone dry expanses are clearly shaped by unexpected forces of rare water. Dusty river beds carve the ground, crisscrossing each other as they etch plains and form deltas that spill out to the aquamarine Sea of Cortez. Shark fin ridged islands provide a shoulder for waves to curl and fall to. And thousands of miles of little traveled light sand beaches rim coves and shorelines throughout.

Dire roads meander some of the countryside, making me yearn for a hardy Jeep that never breaks down. The towns are small or nonexistent. Scrub brush and cactus reigns over most, although there is a rich hidden ecosystem here for those who think beyond forests and jungles.

This trip is a first for me on several levels, all related to family. This my first family vacation truly devoted to my wife's side of the tree. It is the first Christmas not spent with my branches. And it is my primero exposure to Mexican holiday traditions. The itinerary revolved around exploring beyond areas I already visited 4 years ago while on a week-long cross-Baja scavenger hunt competition. This is a different take on the area.

We arrived on the eve of Christmas Eve, journeying by bus from San Jose del Cabo through Cabo San Lucas and Todos Santos to Monica and Jim's home town of La Paz. La Paz is much more authentically Mexican than the other touristy towns we rode through. Dusty rutted roads, taco carts, open air markets, bandaided cars, and no English signs. It commands a pretty bay on the Sea of Cortez rimmed by the Malecon waterfront promenade, a rather fancy nod to trying to attract tourists that mostly serves as a friendly gathering place for the locals. Churches and squares are sprinkled between closely packed concrete homes, and the most visible shops are centered around food, clothes, crafts, or support of tourists.

From this beginning, we enjoyed both Christmas and New Years with our family, and also paddled a 4 day kayaking/camping route along Isla Partida and Isla Espiritu Santo in the Sea of Cortez. Afterwards, we relaxed with trolley busses (fantastic tasting fruit-based ice slushies that have the consistency of yogurt) and great food around La Paz. Then it was off to explore other towns further south in Baja Sur before returning to Seattle.

A fun trip, and great to visit with Jim and Monica in their home - and home town.

 

 

Karen enjoying the boat ride from La Paz out to Isla Partida in the Sea of Cortez, where our kayaks were waiting for us

 

Off the northern coast of Isla Partida lies several small guano-covered rock islands that provide home for a sea lion colony. While snorkeling here, we dove under the water and did barrel rolls and flips. This interested several sea lions who mimicked our actions and played with us, coming within touching distance many times while under water.

 

A large, wide meandering sand spit provides a great camping location between the islands of Isla Partida and Isla Espiritu Santo (north coast shown above). Shacks made from discarded and recycled materials line parts of the shoreline, using everything from Coke boxes to cardboard for walls. Sea caves are within easy walking distance on the southern coast of Isla Partida.

 

Pulling up onto the shore of Isla Espiritu Santo for some rest, grub, and exploring

 

We hiked up to an ancient gathering place where rock painting petroglyphs are still visible. The one above represents a bird.

 

Walking around the barren but pretty expanses of the lower plateaus on Isla Espiritu Santo

 

Coast line of a protected bay. The curved dark rock band on the low tide beach in the lower part of the picture is the remains of a fish corral from inhabitants who lived here long ago.

 

Guide Dave talks with the group before heading out in the morning

 

Fanciful wind and rain carved rock formations lined the coast of Isla Espiritu Santo, providing protective nesting areas for the island's many birds

 

In the evenings we played group games, drank good alcoholic drinks such as The Mayan Sacrifice, and swapped stories. Here Karen is trying the rather tricky vertical limbo, which I won!

 

Kayaking along the coast of Isla Espiritu Santo. This day's overcast weather kept the temperatures pleasant and the water very smooth for some great kayaking. During this time of year there are normally more wind-driven waves, so we had some unusually good easy paddling for the area.

 

Karen grinning and paddling

 

We meandered through a mangrove bay, which was unusual in its greenery and lushness when compared to the rest of the island.

 

Sunset from our campsite area by Isla Espiritu Santo's north shore

 

Gillie, guide Dave, Matt, guide Manuel, and Frank peeing in the background. The guides were great, and experienced guide Manuel had both the knowledge and interpersonal skills to deal with a big group of all different personalities.

 

The whole gang heading back to the mainland after 4 days out. The boat ran out of gas while en route, so we did a little change of plans along the way...

 

Jim in front of the house Monica grew up in (they currently live there plus run an informal La Paz bed &breakfast)

 

Soaring atrium inside their house

 

Scott, Mary, Monica, Jim, and Karen by the Christmas tree

 

Boats along the long waterfront boardwalk Malecon of La Paz

 

Church and square in central La Paz. The mushroom shaped rock is a replica of the real thing on nearby Balandra Bay (which unfortunately toppled over recently from wave action)

 

Checking out the views of the Sierra de la Laguna mountains while heading south through Baja Sur

 

Smokestack from the abandoned silver and gold mining operations of the tiny town of El Triunfo. Where currently a few hundred people live, 10,000 previously lived during the peak of mining here.

 

The only church of small San Antonio, where the only shops are a small outdoor taco stand and a few items at a laid back grocery store with rather bare shelves.

 

Wandering through a cactus sanctuary. This sanctuary preserves many species of cactus, and has informative interpretive signs throughout in both English and Spanish. It is located in a very small town located a ways down a rutted side dirt road. If nobody's at the entrance, ask someone in the town like we did. It just so happened that the first person we asked was the guy who opens the gate and maintains the grounds, and he amiably walked to the sanctuary to let us in.

 

Jim and Monica controlling the light bulb reindeer in downtown San Jose del Cabo

 

New Years Eve in San Jose del Cabo. Great food, friends, wine, singing, and goofing