After the last few anchorages full of beautiful sea shells, Genny got creative and crafty.  She put together a jar of shells then Eric and Jack tied it up with heavy duty line.  Hopefully we’ll be back to see it again in the future.

A couple of our buddy boats left a sign as well.

Terrapin and YOLO left their names on the tree as well.

Twinsies at the beach.  Last spring Genny and I bought bathing suits but didn’t notice that one of the many tops we bought were so similar.  We’ve both avoided wearing this suit but now all the other suits are worn out and we’re left with our twinsie clothes. Genny looks much better than me in it though.

Over the hill to the beach on the other side we followed a small band of donkeys, mules and burros.  This little guy was bringing up the rear and waited a safe distance from us before making a break for it to join his pals.

As always the kids are finding some little critter like this warf roach.

Ahh, the beach.  Now that its getting hot out, we spend lots of time soaking in the water.

I guess when they get bored they make signs.

The Hobie hasn’t been in the water for a few days so Eric put on some new stickers.  Arrrrg, doesn’t it instill fear?

The grebes are like old friends.  On our last trip we spent hours playing games with the neighbors and watching the grebes.  A whole flock of these little guys would float around in the bay.  Then one guy would get the bright idea to dive under the water prompting the rest of the flock to follow popping up like little bobbers in another location.

On a provisioning run in La Paz we came across a fabric store with dozens of bolts of stretchy dress fabric.  The girls picked this one, came home and sewed up their new cruising uniform.

A fire ring is more than designating a location for the fire, its also about style and decorative shells. Driftwood has been easy to find and everyone has fun walking the beach collecting wood, shells, trash, bugs, digging holes, swimming and getting side tracked.

Topaz must always, always, always be tied to a line and anchored so it’s easy to get a hold of her in case she gets some sort of an idea that maybe, she would like to roll in something disgusting.  We thought we were giving her a chance to run and stretch her legs on this long soft beach.  Instead, she found something disgusting to roll in.  Will we ever learn?

Earlier, a panga came over and the fishermen asked if we had any water.  They had been living out of their boat for a few days, lobster diving at night and sleeping during the day and were low on supplies.  The trade was more than a dozen tails and we happily accepted.  While Eric filled their water jugs, I made peanut butter and nutella sandwiches with fresh baked bread and scrounged up packages of cookies and crackers for later.  When dinner time came around we invited Yolo over for a seafood feast on the BBQ.

Beer in Mexico is wonderfully refreshing on these hot days.  Pacifico comes in regular, big and bigger sizes.  While the Ballena (whale in Spanish), about a liter is fun, the Ballenon is a chore to finish. Definitely the big bottles are to share.

Eric’s shoes were burned at the stake.  They were glued, sewed, and had holes in the soles. This environment is harsh on sandals.  I have a pair of Chacaos that have been saved for the past two years.  Within the first few months of wearing them the sole started to delaminate.  I guess just living on the boat, whether or not they are used, is enough to trash a pair of expensive sandals.

Roy lives to spear fish.  If its a sandy bottom and no fish, he always finds something to harass.

Look mom, here’s a starfish. How about this interesting ray, maybe it’s a guitar fish.

Look if I gently scoop up this puffer fish, it puffs up and I can hold it.

Oh, look at those crazy sea lions floating on the surface warming their fins in the sun.

Roy is happiest in his wetsuit with his long fins propelling him through the water a snorkel to breath and his mask giving him a clear view of the world beneath the surface.

While each reef has its similarities, there are also new things to see.  This green weed is new to us.

Roy with his infinite patience, deep diving and eagle eyes, he always manages to come home with the prize.

Matt estimated this 30 inch leopard grouper to be about 15 pounds.

Conception Bay is REALLY hot.  The average daily temp is 99 degrees and the water is in the mid to upper 80s.  The only thing we can do is float in the shade of the bridge deck. I can’t work, or cook, or even sleep.  The heat saps all the energy out.

Everyone joins us under Makai.

The biggest hazard in Santispac is the swarms of catfish that like to nip at your legs. The kids loved them.  They could scoop half a dozen up in one swipe or yank them out of the water one after another on the pole.  Roy was a great fishing guide.  He filed the barbs off of everyone’s hooks, and set the crew up with hot dogs for bait and took their fish off the hook or taught them how to do it.

With this heat no one wants to go ashore.  Here is the ruins of the campground bar and restaurant. The restrooms were made of straw bales, they look interesting but are crumbled now.

Now that we’ve completed our obligatory walk, everyone ran back to the beach.  Yolo brought snacks and drinks and everyone is happy again.

Back to the catfish.

This is Roy’s new de-hooker device.  You just clip the line, slide it down to the hook and twist.  The fish falls back into the water, no slimy hands and you don’t even have to put down your pole.

It was so much fun and easy Genny gave it a go.

Me too.

Eventually the heat catches up and we have to soak some more.

Topaz had fun because everyone was in the water with her.

We visited Geary in Burro cove.  Using his favorite internet weather sites and his own experience, he gives the fleet morning weather reports on the Sonrisa HAM net.

Highway One passes by the bay.  We had plenty of entertainment watching the trucks go by.

I’m not sure what the purpose is of these signs.  Maybe to teach you geography or how about to show how far away the stresses of major cities around the world are. The sign pointed to JC restaurant across the street.

So we fed the kids and had a parents night out. I love these restaurants out side of the tourist zones.  A meal that could easily cost $200 pesos or about $13 in a tourist zone, costs half that here.  We had fabulous Mexican plates of meat, salad, beans, torillas and it’s always served with a tray of salsas and veggie condiments. The margaritas were top notch and the locals enjoying the soccer game completed the atmosphere. Geary is a volunteer fireman for the Bahia Concepcion substation.

First thing in the morning everyone packed up for a hike to the petroglyphs. The sign says the Cochimis Indians made them 3000 years ago and lots are for sale.  If anyone is interested contact Boni or Manuel Diaz. Now, I love a hike through the forest with a cool breeze rustling in the tree tops and the moist earth squishing under my feet as I walk along. Jumping across little streams and pointing out wild flowers or ferns.  This was not that hike!

We saw the petroglyphs then scrambled up a rocky wash.  The heat had everyone dripping in sweat and the rocks loosened and rolled under our feet, not to mention scraping past cactus and thorny bushes.  The kids all whined and I wanted to whine but tried to support the adults by pressing on.  Finally, when I thought the kids would mutiny and simply turn around and slide back down the hill, I set a goal of the next shady stop and said we could turn around then.  Luckily, the next ridge gave us a view of the actual path that we missed.

Hurray, lets get out of here.  Once again, I love a hike, but this 99 degree heat is only good for one thing.

SOAKING!  and making everyone crabby and sleepy.  I would move from one bench to the other unable to be productive in any way. Everyone thought I was sick, but once I joined everyone in the water, like a wilting flower I perked up when properly watered.

Topaz isn’t used to people in her water for so long.  Usually we swim off to a reef or take a quick dip and get out.  She loved to have two families soaking and swimming around her.

We felt bad that all the humans could float on cushions but Topaz had to swim, swim, swim. After a little struggling she finally relaxed on floating cushions.  Then we all slid under Makai’s bridge deck for shade.

After three nights in this heat we decided that maybe Conception Bay’s beauty wasn’t enough to compensate for the heat.  Off we went to Punta Chivato, a few miles north of the Bay’s entrance. We were all still hot and soaked at another beach.  There we met a guy who has a house on the beach in front of our boats.   He mentioned shells and whale sharks.  Oh yea, we missed the whale sharks in La Paz, lets go check them out here.

We didn’t know what to expect, but then we saw fins slowly meandering through the shallow water.

We saw up to five of these fish, one clearly larger than the others. They slowly swam at the surface filtering the nutrient rich water for plankton and anything else that appeals to their pallet. Occasionally they would stop, open that big mouth, and suck water.

We have been really lucky to have these animal encounters.  The memories are with us forever.

After watching them the first time out, we decided to get into the water.

Roy finally met a fish he didn’t want to eat.  This whale shark would move back and forth, coming back to the swimmers and dinghies on his loop thorough the water.  Swimmers could gently wipe their hand over his side, but he didn’t like his fins touched.

 

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No one wanted to leave but there are more places to visit before we turn around and head for home.  Isla San Marcos has a gypsum mine (main ingredient in drywall) billowing dust on passing boats.

A few miles up from the mine is Sweet Pea cove our destination for the night.

Those Manta Rays followed us up here and were going crazy.  The evening before we were having dinner and heard a roar of splashing, belly slapping rays heading our way.  Roy was ready with his mask and fins when they returned in the morning.

Unfortunately the water visibility wasn’t so clear but the aerial show was spectacular.

Roy and Topaz were out there.  Roy covered his head for fear of being flopped on, but Topaz would have chased them and barked until she was exhausted.

No one knows why they jump.  Speculations include removing parasites, mating rituals, and jumping for joy.

Crazy Mantas

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We only had one chance at snorkeling.  Marie was exhausted after a morning of avoiding homework in earnest. I was exhausted hearing her complaints.  When were in the water everything is mellow.  My ears are full of water so I can feel alone and she can rest since I can’t hear her complaints.  There she floats, fast asleep.

Next stop is Santa Rosalia. This is our fish hook, as Roy calls it.  You know the fish hook is at the end of the line, a little fisherman humor there.

Santa Rosalia is a turn of the century Copper mining company town.  In the late 1884 a French company developed the area and its influence over the towns architecture is immediately apparent.

Santa Rosalia also uses Gustave Eiffel’s church, built for the exposition in 1889, and dedicated to the patron saint of miners, Santa Barbara.

The metal works are an interesting contrast to most Mexican cement, stucco, adobe architecture.

 

Here’s a photo of the church during Santa Rosalia’s boom years.

Inside the white ceiling and beautiful stained glass windows bring in a lot of light to show off the beautiful wood work around the altar and pews.

Another historical building to visit is the bakery.  Panaderia el Boleo.  Remember the French Baker in Barra de Navidad, we love our baked goods.  The girls picked out a selection of sweet bread and bolillos (traditional Mexican French bread) for sandwiches.

 

We’re still here, any more than 2 days in one place we must have a good reason.  Yes, we do, there is a hurricane brewing and is forecasted to make landfall at Cabo San Lucas and then head up the Sea of Cortez.  While it will be losing strength on the way up, the storm is still something to prepare for.  We decided this marina should be safe for the storm.   So lets go sight seeing.

There is a museum at the top of the hill to house artifacts used in the administrative offices of the original mining operations.

The artifacts and descriptions were pretty sparse, but the museum was on on the way to the grocery store.

Nice Sculpture, a tribute to the miners.

We were excited to see a street named after Jean Michel Cousteau, but further research left me without any more information about his connection to the town.  One thing I did learn is that his last name is misspelled.

Abandoned mining buildings are a centerpiece on the water front.  After the French ran the mines, the Canadians, Mexicans and Koreans all took a stab at it.  The current offices are just out of town.

The old Marina office is also abandoned along the waterfront.  When we visited in 2000, this is the marina we stayed at.   I remember that we gave our windsurfer to a guy that worked here, and while there weren’t any amenities, the atmosphere was a little more like a cruiser friendly hangout.

Santa Rosalia has been the City of Manhattan Beach, CA’s sister city since 1989. The program provides an opportunity for the people in Manhattan Beach to donate fire and rescue equipment, scholarships, and exchange student programs.

We were excited to see Manhattan Beach on the side of these trucks because we have a neighbor at our cabin who is a retired LA City fireman who lives in Manhattan Beach. HI Ron!

Summer in the Sea of Cortez is hot.  We spent the days waiting for the storm inside Makai with the air conditioning on, catching up on work, school, and blog posts.  Topaz was bored to death and had to stay inside to keep cool.  Just before turned the AC switch to ON, we cleaned the cockpit and everyone got hosed.  Topaz hates, hates, hates the hose, a squirt bottle, a bucket of water or even a sprinkle of rain. How can some pup who spends 8 hours a day swimming be so afraid of a hose?

She is pretty lucky living with the comforts of Makai provides.  The local perros and gatos living on the street don’t have such comforts.

What good would a stay at a Mexican town be if we didn’t get to eat local delicacies. The exquisito cart is still located next to the church in the afternoon/evenings.  This hot dog is wrapped in bacon and served topped with tomatoes, mayo, and cheese wiz.

Hurricane Blanco has been brewing for a week south of Cabo.  All the boaters spent the last few days executing plans for safe refuge.

We’ve decided to stay here in Santa Rosalia.  The marina is situated in the bay in a corner safe from the swells.

All the boats used extra lines to tie to the pilings instead of the docks.

It turned out to be a rainy day, a few gusts of wind up to 30 knots.  Now we’re off to Loreto and to pick up Saundy and Effie.