Mulege Madness
Howdy from Mulege!
We’re in Mulege for the day, doing chores and stuff (like a hot shower, groceries, beer and laundry.) Some clothes have so much sand and salt in them after three weeks that they could stand up on their own and walk away by themselves if they wanted.
Mulege is about 2/3 of the way down Baja on the Sea of Cortez side. Semi tropical, with Palm trees in an oasis like setting. A few gringo tourists heading for the beaches at Bahia Concepcion. This is the first “real” internet chance we’ve had. One other internet place in Bahia Ascuncion we tried dropped the connection 8 times in 15 minutes. It was only barely possible to check messages, let alone trying to send one.
The trip has been just grand!! We had a great 5 day hike in Canyon Diablo. It comes down off of Mount Diablo which is a little over 10,000 feet and is Baja’s tallest mountain, lying just west of the fishing village / RV destination of San Felipe. The canyon has not been grazed by cattle and only softly touched by man. Thanks to a couple of slick granite waterfalls guarding its entrance. They keep away all but the hardiest of hikers. The canyon itself has running water and lots of trees in its upper reaches. Very cold in January camping at 5,000 feet elevation.
After our hike we drove south along the Sea of Coast along a very slow going gravel and dirt road to a point about 30 kilometers south of Puertocitos. From there we had a marvelous 5 day paddle around Las Islas Encantadas. The islands were great for hiking, fishing, beachcombing and goofing off. We encountered several pods of Dolphins who were stunning to watch as the swam and frolicked in the waters.
Heading further south we spent three days in Bahia Asuncion, on the Pacific Coast, fishing for large Yellowtail, hiking around fossil beads and paddling out to a nearby island for a better look at sea lions and birds.
Using the oasis town of San Ignacio as a base we headed out to the Laguna San Ignacio (on the Pacific Side) for some whale watching. This is the time of year that the Gray Whales who have migrated from the Bering Sea off of Alaska come into the pacific lagoons to breed and calve. We went out in a small “panga”, (a fisherman’s’ boat) to view the whales “up close and personal”. So close in some cases that you could literally almost touch them!! There were dozens of them in one area all swimming around, breaching the water and spouting off!!! It was one of the most awe inspiring sights of nature I have ever seen!!
Today we head out for Bahia Magdalena for 5 days of paddling and fishing. Later on we will do paddle around Isla Espiratu Santu and then hike through Canon Dioniso in the southern Baja area. The we will start back up the Peninsula, coming back into the US around March 26th.
Ciao for now,
Phil and Deb
