Tag Archives: Cabo San Lucas

We Begin Again – Welcome 2015

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We Begin Again

We Begin Again

With open arms, open hearts and (hopefully) open minds, we begin again. The calendar shifts, we turn the page, and leave the successes and wreckages of the past year behind us.

In the New Year – hopes awaken, dreams rekindle, and we give ourselves the opportunity to peer into the future with fresh eyes. Slate clean. Begin again.

What dreams and hopes do you have for 2015? What challenges are you willing to embrace?

Stormy December The year began for me, south of the American border with rain and dark clouds – unusual for Loreto, BCS, Mexico. Today, the second day, blustery winds whip the seas into a froth of whitecaps. Butterflies tangle in the winds and birds make fast for secure branches. Like my life at times, holding on tight with an illusion of security, or letting go .. flying freely .. letting change be the watchword.

For me, this year, my intention is to let go of all things that keep me small ..
And to embrace and celebrate my personal authenticity …

Welcome 2015.

None of the forecasts look good …

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Hurricane Odile set to make landfall / Cat 3 Storm

Hurricane Odile set to make landfall / Cat 3 Storm

With Odile just miles from Cabo San Lucas, winds and rain blast their way across the region. 22 airlines canceled flights in and out of city. Evacuations of up to 30,000 people are possible. Forecast is for up to 18″ of rain – okay – that’s a LOT OF RAIN!!! And sustained winds at around 135 mph. The imagery looks as if the storm is swallowing the Baja.

beauty where we find it …..

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Baja : Pacific Morning

For the uninitiated, there is little that can be said to fully express the beauty of Baja California Sur.  From the moment one leaves the populations of Colonet & San Quintin, makes a requisite gas stop in El Rosario, and heads into the heart of undeveloped land of cardon, bojum, cholla, poloverde, cirrius and more …  the heart slows, the shoulders drop, and the mind begins to embrace again that primal space of undeveloped land.

Mex One zigzags across the peninsula in undulating rhythms, following for the greater part, the easiest passage through rough terrain.  That translates to switchbacks, mountain climbs and descents, and arroyo crossings.  Wide plains, dry lakes and craggy rock piles – the spewn evidence of long-ago volcanoes litter the landscape.  I’ve stopped counting the trips. I never fail to be inspired.  I am always stunned by her beauty.

For those who are afraid to travel, I am sorry.  So much the greater landscape and less crowded roads for me.  While the horrors of the drug cartels are not to be ignored, the city streets of any major metropolitan area has its own body and assault count.  I feel safer in my home in Loreto than I ever did in the states.

The Pacific side teases with waves that follow distant swells.  Spots like the Wall, Shipwrecks, the local spots of Ensenada .. and of course, Pescadero, Todos Santos and Cabo San Lucas beckon surfers from across the globe.

The east coast, the beautiful bountiful Sea of Cortez, is filled with dolphin, sea turtles, fish of every color and size, rays and whales – blue, pilot, fin and orca.  Sunrises, sunsets .. kayaking, paddling, surfing, hiking, sailing, scuba diving, snorkeling .. exploring ..  magic.  To be with and surrounded by such beauty is to me – pure magic.
And then there are the people – beautiful kind warm family loving folks.

Food!  Beverages!  Music!  Dancing!  Camping under stars and/or a full moon. Yes : Baja : I love and dream of you always.

Esperanza

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Ezperanza Resort - Cabo San Lucas

Ezperanza Resort - Cabo San Lucas

Coming off the sailboat, all I could think about was a long hot bath – that, and seeing my husband, Steve.  He was driving down to Cabo while I was sailing into port.  We had planned a reunion and a post-anniversary celebration.
I hadn’t been in Cabo in 30+ years .. and had no real desire to return.  When last in the town, it was still a small quaint fishing village.  Now, a huge community of mostly gringos, with huge hotels, a Costco, Home Depot & Walmart, I know longer sensed it’s charm.

In fact, when I got off LunaSea, I made a mad dash through a plethora of bars and drunken party-goers, straight for a taxi. Guess I’m not much of a party woman .. but I already knew that about myself.

I beat Steve and the dogs to the hotel .. and kind of just dropped my jaw!  The Esperanza is first class all the way.  From the polite and attentive staff to the meticulous upkeep of the expansive grounds, The hotel was about pleasing.

Infinity Jacuzzi

Infinity Jacuzzi

Our room had a jacuzzi that sat on the deck and spilled into space .. Candles on an outside patio table, as well as indoors next to an oversized tub .. all fragrant and designed for creature comfort.

Steve had researched – we needed a dog-friendly hotel, and Esperanza was one of the few.  And dog-friendly hardly says it.  The dogs even had their own room-service menu with dinner selections.  The staff delivered bowls and beds.  Such lucky puppies. By the time we left, everyone knew their names and they had more than their share of head rubs.

We took a yoga class, got a massage .. and never left the grounds.  Steve kept asking me if I didn’t want to see Cabo.  And my answer was .. I saw it 30 years ago and it was beautiful.  Why spoil a good memory?

Baja Haha

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15th Annual Baja Haha .. San Diego to Cabo San Lucas .. 150 boats .. a great and fun way for families/pirates and just salty hands to get in some sail time and find their way south.

I ‘hitchhiked’ – put my name as potential crew on Latitude 38s website .. and got a nice ride on Luna Sea .. a boat owned by Dave Boyles.  Dave Hohman, Don Johnson, Katie & Matt rounded out the crew.  Luna Sea is a Hardin Force 50 .. Built like a Formasa clipper with 2 masts and a full outfit of sails.

We started out in light winds .. which eventually crashed down to no winds.. Landed a tuna – 3 in fact the first afernoon.  Sushi was abundant .. the only worry : would we have enough wasabi?

After two days of party in Bahia Tortuga, the fleet took off again .. this time with winds!  Too fast to catch fish, but fun fun sailing.  Past cruise ships and tankers in the dark of night .. and down to Santa Maria, for another two days of party, surfing, mountain climbing, beach walking and swimming.

Finally — south to Cabo .. and an end to a wonderful journey and experience.

Are you sure we’re on the start list?
Trimming the sails
Yes! It’s a tuna!
Matt cuts sushi
Dave chilling
Don cleaning fresh yellowtail
Captain Dave
Sunset on the Pacific
Storm Clouds
Baja Gold!
Dawn – Bahia de Tortuga
Katie flys to fix the radar
Land’s End

While I Was Out Sailing …

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Sunrise, Bahia de Tortuga

Sunrise, Bahia de Tortuga

While I was out sailing …

The world changed.  America took back her right to be brilliant.  We elected Obama Barack, a man of humble origins as the 44th President of the United States.

While I was sailing …

from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas …  I learned many things, made great new friends and, as always, found my spirit and my soul renewed by the journey.

It was the 15th Annual Baja Haha, a regatta/race that provides the comfort of numbers to the long off-shore distance.  Pirates, scaliwags, families and hardy partiers made up the mix of 150 boats and 546 sailors who left the San Diego shore.

I had ‘hitchhiked’ a ride, via Latitude 38’s crew list, and was brave in my adventure.  Without ever meeting either the boat owner or the rest of hte crew, I jumped onto Dave Boyle’s Hardin Force 50 and took on whatever duties or tasks were handed me.

Crew included Dave Hohman, the engineer who kept the boat running .. and Don Johnson who kept the electrical functioning, and Matt & Katy, affectionately dubbed ‘the kids’ who kept the sails trimmed and the crew smiling with their infectious excitement about their journey to the unknown.

While I’m not the party girl that was likely expected, I did have a great time learning to sail from mizen to kite …  the ins/outs of electrical/water/LPG conservation .. the joys of buying fresh shrimp from the local pangeras .. and of catching tuna and eating sashimi within minutes of the kill.

I was blessed by my slightly ‘wild’ crew .. and I wouldn’t have changed a thing (okay, not quite true.. but we loved each other all the way) ..