Where did we leave off? Oh, that's right, Puerto Escondido! After kidnapping Finn's friend, Niall, we headed out to Honeymoon Cove - a new anchorage on a tiny island half an hour away. It was a beautiful spot, promising wonderful snorkeling. This picture is typical of the views we had throughout the Sea of Cortez - Arizona desert and mountains meeting California waters with beautiful, natural sand beaches in between. Heaven!
Joe and Stephan took Niall under their wings and taught him to fish with the "big boy" rods and reels. Niall is a natural and spent the next week tagging along with whoever was dropping the lures!
Remember that snorkeling we were looking forward to? By 8 am the next morning, we had to blow out of the anchorage to rid ourselves of the bees. Hundreds of them! Seriously! Finn left an inch of water in his mug and found this in the morning! Though the bees did sting, no one was allergic and the itching was mild.
We headed over to Isla Carmen and met the rest of Niall's family on Totem at Marquer Cove. The rock ledges were covered with crabs. Despite heroic efforts, this one got away!
At Marquer Cove, we found the remnants of a whale. The larger bone was as big as a dinner plate and the discs carried the residual smell of blubber.
The rock walls here were very sedimentary. We found fossilized shells and salt deposits ten feet above us. A short, steep climb yielded a wonderful view and small flowering plants clinging to the sides.
Here are the kids -excited after an afternoon of crab hunting, snorkeling and shell collecting.
We hopped to another anchorage on Isla Carmen, called V-Neck cove. We were delighted to be able to visit here again, as last year the conditions did not allow for overnight anchoring. V-Neck has wonderful caves. The boys and I snorkeled all of them, discovering banded guitarfish in the last one. Though technically a shark, the banded guitarfish is less dangerous than a sting ray. It is a bottom feeder and buries itself in the sand or under rock shelves in the hopes of remaining unnoticed. Niall, Finn and I scared up five of them! Outside of the caves, the snorkeling was amazing - large schools of cornetfish and Mexican goatfish as well as parrotfish, rockfishes and colorful underwater vegetation.
Though V-Neck is technically a single boat anchorage, the benign conditions allowed for a raft up with Totem! Much easier to visit that way!
On shore, we explored the beach and the sand dunes. Arrowheads, fossilized shells, lava rock cliffs and some of the best shell collecting of the trip.
Our next stop was Loreto - a quaint city home to many ex-pats. Most live in homes or trailer parks (with palapa coverings) as anchoring for cruisers is only secure in the most moderate conditions. We visited the oldest mission ever built, the first in the line of missions built north through the Baja Peninsula and California. The sanctuary was lovely and the attached museum was quite interesting. There was a Harley Davidson parked outside the living area!
Joe and the Totem girls at the mission!
The flowering trees and shrubs were beautiful here.
This is a picnic area in one of the trailer parks. Great use for a satellite dish!
Unfortunately, after a week with our friends on Totem, we had to say good-bye. These two will truly miss each other though we have promised to meet again!
Wildflower at anchor off the malecon in Loreto.
Because we were running out of time and could not find an international package delivery service in Loreto, we crossed the Sea of Cortez to Guaymas. The 18 hour passage was comfortable and we were greeted by a great sunset.
We spent a week at the Singlar Marina in downtown Guaymas, cleaning and stowing Wildflower, packing for our trip home and seeing our friends here one more time. Guaymas was very hot and somewhat humid. Finn enjoyed the second floor pool!
Across the Bay, Wildflower was once again hauled out of the water and "put on the hard" in the boat yard. It is always nerve-wracking to see your floating home standing on stilts! We spent one very busy night in the yard, packing the van and closing up Wildflower.
Our 3/4 ton Chevy Express van comfortably carried us, all our gear and the cats fourteen hours back to San Diego. There we reinstalled ourselves on the floating condo, sailing vessel Pharaoh. She was ready for us and we were happy to be at our destination after ten days of wrapping up this year's cruising season. Believe it or not, we have already seen friends and family, attended a wedding and almost unpacked in the short week we have been back! Reentry is an adjustment. June gloom has hit San Diego and we found ourselves looking for sweatshirts and long pants after a month of living in bathing suits. Fast-paced America has been waiting for us - complete with jobs, bills, school and expensive groceries. So much to catch up on! Hopefully, we can keep some of our cruiser life-style a part of our lives here! Thank you for sharing our journey with us. We hope your summer brings some of the adventures and joys we have experienced in the last few months!
Where did we leave off? Oh, that's right, Puerto Escondido! After kidnapping Finn's friend, Niall, we headed out to Honeymoon Cove - a new anchorage on a tiny island half an hour away. It was a beautiful spot, promising wonderful snorkeling. This picture is typical of the views we had throughout the Sea of Cortez - Arizona desert and mountains meeting California waters with beautiful, natural sand beaches in between. Heaven!
Joe and Stephan took Niall under their wings and taught him to fish with the "big boy" rods and reels. Niall is a natural and spent the next week tagging along with whoever was dropping the lures!
Remember that snorkeling we were looking forward to? By 8 am the next morning, we had to blow out of the anchorage to rid ourselves of the bees. Hundreds of them! Seriously! Finn left an inch of water in his mug and found this in the morning! Though the bees did sting, no one was allergic and the itching was mild. 
We headed over to Isla Carmen and met the rest of Niall's family on Totem at Marquer Cove. The rock ledges were covered with crabs. Despite heroic efforts, this one got away!
At Marquer Cove, we found the remnants of a whale. The larger bone was as big as a dinner plate and the discs carried the residual smell of blubber. 
The rock walls here were very sedimentary. We found fossilized shells and salt deposits ten feet above us. A short, steep climb yielded a wonderful view and small flowering plants clinging to the sides.
Here are the kids -excited after an afternoon of crab hunting, snorkeling and shell collecting.
We hopped to another anchorage on Isla Carmen, called V-Neck cove. We were delighted to be able to visit here again, as last year the conditions did not allow for overnight anchoring. V-Neck has wonderful caves. The boys and I snorkeled all of them, discovering banded guitarfish in the last one. Though technically a shark, the banded guitarfish is less dangerous than a sting ray. It is a bottom feeder and buries itself in the sand or under rock shelves in the hopes of remaining unnoticed. Niall, Finn and I scared up five of them! Outside of the caves, the snorkeling was amazing - large schools of cornetfish and Mexican goatfish as well as parrotfish, rockfishes and colorful underwater vegetation. 
Though V-Neck is technically a single boat anchorage, the benign conditions allowed for a raft up with Totem! Much easier to visit that way!
On shore, we explored the beach and the sand dunes. Arrowheads, fossilized shells, lava rock cliffs and some of the best shell collecting of the trip.
Our next stop was Loreto - a quaint city home to many ex-pats. Most live in homes or trailer parks (with palapa coverings) as anchoring for cruisers is only secure in the most moderate conditions. We visited the oldest mission ever built, the first in the line of missions built north through the Baja Peninsula and California. The sanctuary was lovely and the attached museum was quite interesting. There was a Harley Davidson parked outside the living area!
Joe and the Totem girls at the mission!
The flowering trees and shrubs were beautiful here.
This is a picnic area in one of the trailer parks. Great use for a satellite dish!
Unfortunately, after a week with our friends on Totem, we had to say good-bye. These two will truly miss each other though we have promised to meet again!
Wildflower at anchor off the malecon in Loreto.
Because we were running out of time and could not find an international package delivery service in Loreto, we crossed the Sea of Cortez to Guaymas. The 18 hour passage was comfortable and we were greeted by a great sunset.
We spent a week at the Singlar Marina in downtown Guaymas, cleaning and stowing Wildflower, packing for our trip home and seeing our friends here one more time. Guaymas was very hot and somewhat humid. Finn enjoyed the second floor pool!
Across the Bay, Wildflower was once again hauled out of the water and "put on the hard" in the boat yard. It is always nerve-wracking to see your floating home standing on stilts! We spent one very busy night in the yard, packing the van and closing up Wildflower.
Our 3/4 ton Chevy Express van comfortably carried us, all our gear and the cats fourteen hours back to San Diego. There we reinstalled ourselves on the floating condo, sailing vessel Pharaoh. She was ready for us and we were happy to be at our destination after ten days of wrapping up this year's cruising season. Believe it or not, we have already seen friends and family, attended a wedding and almost unpacked in the short week we have been back! Reentry is an adjustment. June gloom has hit San Diego and we found ourselves looking for sweatshirts and long pants after a month of living in bathing suits. Fast-paced America has been waiting for us - complete with jobs, bills, school and expensive groceries. So much to catch up on! Hopefully, we can keep some of our cruiser life-style a part of our lives here! Thank you for sharing our journey with us. We hope your summer brings some of the adventures and joys we have experienced in the last few months! 
No comments:
Post a Comment