January 15, 2014 – This morning we head off to Constitucion as our southward journey continues, we have had a few fun filled days for sure since my last blog. The gang had a wonderful experience whale watching in Guerrero Negro and on their return we headed off to San Ignacio. After a short tour around the town plaza we headed back to Rice & beans and sampled some Margaritas, arguably the best on Baja. The next morning bright and early we headed off to the beach, first with a stop and walkabout at Santa Rosalia, a unique Baja town with a rich history.
We had two excellent days on Playa Santispac, a mild breeze when we arrived and the next day nothing short of spectacular for the entire day. Hot (28C or 80F), blue sky and hardly any wind all day. Everyone that was interested, and that was almost everyone, was able to get out on the water on either the kayak or the SUP. I took Betty, Gwen’s Mom who is 90, out for a spin in the kayak, around the cove and into the lagoon before the tide went out. We were out for about 45 minutes and Betty kept up with the paddling, we both enjoyed each other’s company for sure, what a great gal. Bruce and Marian provided wood for yet another fire and also joined our potluck, another memorable evening on Baja which concluded with Mark’s son and friends showing up with a dance machine in the back of a truck for late night fun, they were well mannered and did not stay to late by the under 30 standards. I counted over 30 RVs on Baja, other folks we saw and knew included Donna & George from our March 2013 tour, Tom & Andy, Gary & Linda and Gord & Kathy. George and Joanne, “Tennis” George, Jack and a few others we recognized were still there from when we last saw them in December.
Just as we were departing from the beach heading south to Loreto the wind came up and was to be up for a few days, we lucked out indeed. We will see how the wind is when we arrive at Tecolote, will our luck hold? We will see. Our drive to Loreto was spectacular as always and we arrived and were set up by noon. Del Borracho was closed (Monday & Tuesday) so we tried out a new spot down the street from the RV Park on the east side just before the town square, Orlando’s, it was delicious and reasonable.
Yesterday was Gwen’s birthday and we started out with of course a chorus of Happy Birthday from all the Baja Amigos before setting out for the San Javier Mission. The drive is still amazing, even more so with all the road damage from recent storms. I was pleased to see repairs underway on many sections, we will see how long these last. Everyone was impressed with the raw beauty of Baja on this journey and the Mission once we arrived. The 300 year old Olive tree was pretty cool as well. On the way down we stopped at my usual scenic overlook for a few photos. This excursion would not be complete without dropping into Conchita’s, a store with a wide variety of Mexican made goods and products local Expats shop at to furnish their winter homes.
After some errands I had a siesta prior to our Fiesta Dinner at the Giggling Dolphin, Ubaldo and staff provided an excellent meal, no surprise to us of course. Miguel & Martin had included a bass player this time and the traditional Mexican music was wonderful, these guys are so good. Ubaldo had picked up a birthday cake from the local bakery which we brought out after dinner accompanied by a Mexican rendition of Happy Birthday, what an experience for everyone. On our return we had a surprise for Gwen, a Pinata. We strung it up between Jon & I and had Gwen swing away with her Mom’s cane, this was fun for sure, that is quite a laugh Gwen can get going.
Lots of great memories made in Loreto.
Good news reported from Dom & Diane;
“While we went to the restaurant for supper at Santa Inez, someone helped themselves to Jim&Vicki’s 2 Yamaha generators that they had LEFT UNLOCKED sitting on the ground outside their rig. I found Oscar, and told him, he immediately drove to town and brought back the local police. They took Jim off to where they thought the generators might be (for him to identify them if found), but nothing. Our only solution was for us to take Vicki to the delegation in Jesus Maria and report the theft for insurance proof and claim. As the rest of the group fuelled up, I drove Vicki to the police station in JM, and we were about to write out the report, when our tail gunners came ripping down the street, honking and hollering. Oscar and the Catavina cops had found the generators hidden in an old house right in Catavina! He had followed us 200km to return them! Needless to say, Jim gave him a huge thank you tip, and so did a number of the group. I wish all situations were so beautifully resolved.”
Did you know?
Loreto’s climate is hot and humid, with abundant sunshine (desert with some rainfalls in summer). The median temperature is 24.4 C (76 F) although the temperatures are much hotter from June through October. These summer days have highs around 34 C (93 F) and high humidity. According to the National Meteorological Service, Loreto’s highest official temperature reading of 44.2 C (112 F) was recorded on July 2, 2006; the lowest temperature ever recorded was 0.0 C (32 F) in December 15, 1987. In spring season, the temperatures are moderate and temperate, in autumn and winter months are usually windy.
From January to March, winds blow from the NW (night hours) and the North (day hours), the rest of the year, the winds blow usually from the West. Loreto’s yearly precipitation is low; averaging about 160 mm (6.3 in), the wettest months are August and September, when there are occasional short-lived rainfalls. One concern for Loreto is the Pacific hurricane season, which runs from August 1 to October 31, and sometimes causes heavy rainfall and floods in the area. The last time the town area was hit by a hurricane was on September 2 and 3, 2006, when the hurricane John hit the Baja California Peninsula.
Loreto has a reputation as an excellent sport fishing location. This is its main tourist attraction, as well as the main source of employment in the area, thus linking Loreto’s economy closely to fishing. There are two well-defined fishing seasons: summer features “dorado” and species like marlin (black marlin, Atlantic blue marlin, striped marlin) and sailfish, which are ideal for the fly fishing; winter fishing features “yellow tail” (jurel) and other species that usually are deep in the sea rocks. In addition to these seasonal species, Loreto’s waters are home to other species like snapper and seabass, which are found all year long. Thanks to this abundance, Loreto has been home of several IGFA records. The two “foundations” of Loreto’s sport fishing are the “dorado” and the “yellow tail” (Seriola lalandi dorsalis). The dorado is the emblematic species of Loreto’s warm waters, its season beginning in late May, peaking from July to September, and ending in November, with two important tournaments, in July and September. The yellow tail is one of the strongest species; its season begins in November, peaks from March to April, and comes to an end in late May.
