Gearing Up to Get Underway

Although we were delayed by hurricane Dora, Mike and I have begun getting ready to spend the next three months living at anchor in some fairly remote areas of the Sea of Cortez.  Dora didn't do anything at all around here, but she got close enough to make the seas choppy.  Since we have a novice on board (Walt's girlfriend Chelsea) it seemed prudent to wait until the sea was calmer.  Choppy seas are a guarantee that someone will get sick.  Plus we are hoping the marine store gets some scuba gear in that we want to buy - according to the store manager, it has been held up in customs.  I am not sure how long Mike is willing to wait, although La Paz is a great place to be as I have said over and over again.  We are tired of being in marinas, but if one has to be in a marina, this is a really nice one.  It is clean, secure, and has all sorts of stuff like laundry service, a little store, and a number of restaurants right here.  The staff is really nice, too. 

Today Mike and I took a drive (we rented a car a few days ago - easier to transport all of our groceries and stuff like the new starter battery to the boat) and hiked around the desert a little bit - I made him cut it short because it was really really hot.  Here are some pictures of a huge fig tree we fopund growing out there.  These trees are amazing - I have seen them places so sere and desolate that I can't imagine how they survive.  There is virtually no water out here - they grow out of rocks.



Even with the heat, the desert has always had a strong draw for me.  Mike and I spent a lot of time in the desert between San Diego and Arizona, north to Blythe, and south to the border.  I can't really describe the feeling I get, but it is a feeling that everything is basically okay and coming along as expected.  It is not quite that mundane, but that is as close as I can get.  One time we camped near the All-American Canal - it was too hot to sleep, so we were night fishing for catfish.  There were wild burros all around us - they wouls bray and it sounded like they were right next to us, but we couldn't see them.  It drove our poor dog (Tempest) crazy all night long, trying to protect us from what must have seemed like braying ghosts.  When the sky began to get lighter but well before dawn, we saw the burros silhouetted against the first glimmer of morning, walking one after the other along a narrow ridge, disappearing off into a canyon in that really rough country.  We just sat there staring - even the dog was quiet - as we watched them go whereever they go during the daytime. 

There are wild burros down here but they aren't so shy.  I think that some of the animals that seem wild really aren't.  I think the livestock, which includes burros, are allowed to just wander around anywhere, including the road.  But who would steal another's livestock here?  There isn't anywhere to hide it so you'd get caught right away. 

We drove to Cabo San Lucas a couple of days ago to find scuba tanks for sale (we didn't.  No one around here sells them, only rents.  Now we are considering an air compressor, but that is for another post.) and on the way, we drove through a tiny farming community.  Everyone was selling mangos and I bought a big bag of them.  Then we saw people selling pitahaya (which is a cactus fruit) and I bought a bunch of that.  I made the pitahaya into a sauce that is going to go over the mango cake I will bake tomorrow.  It is a beautiful little town - in the middle of the desert, up pops this literal oasis of fruit trees and wild-looking gardens.  All that greenery in the middle of the arid looking desert is surprizing and makes the place all that more appealing.  I like it.

Our plan is to anchorage hop each day or so until we get to the Bahia De Los Angeles area.  It will take several weeks if we want to take our time.  There are a lot of incredible places to stop and anchor - the problem will be which to choose.  

Now that the girlfriend is here - apparently for an open-ended amount of time - our dynamic will change yet again.  I am curious to see how it all works out - it could be fun to have another girl around.  I also like introducing people to the wonders of Mexico.  So with that sentiment, I am signing off for today.  To all that might be reading this - have the best day possible!