Category: adventure

Exploring Baja: A 21-Day Camping Adventure

Our Baja trip began in March 13 when we hopped in the camper and started our drive to Loreto. The highlights of the trip included spending a couple of days in the desert to photograph the cirios and cactus and a six day kayaking trip out of Loreto. Those events are covered in separate blog posts. For this post I’m going to describe some of the other highlights of the trip.

We spent our first night at Kern River Campground just east of
Bakersfield. The highlight here was breakfast. We fired up the Dutch oven and cooked up a mushroom and brie breakfast strata, one of our favorite camping meals. Needless to say, the leftovers provided us with breakfast on several days.

From the Kern River we moved on to Anza Borrego Desert State Park where we spent two nights in the Tamarisk Grove campground. Most of the spring wildflowers were gone, but we did find a few cactus in bloom.

From Anza Borrego we headed south and crossed the border at Tecate, an easy border crossing, although we did have to walk across the street to the bank to pay for our tourist cards (Forma Migratoria Multiple, FMM) since the credit card reader at the immigration office was out of order.

We passed through Guadalupe about noon so we stopped for lunch at Tacos del Valle for some delicious tacos, our first meal in Baja.

We reached Fidel’s Palapas, just south of San Quintin, about 5:00 PM, our intended stop for the night. Fidel promptly appeared to collect 300 pesos. Fidel’s has hot showers, running water and electrical hookups, although we didn’t make use of the water or electrical.

From Fidel’s we headed to Cataviña where we spent two nights in the Cactus Wonderland. From there it was on to San Ignacio where we spent one night at Paraiso Misional, our favorite place to camp in San Ignacio. It’s a lovely spot in the shade of palm trees, with hot showers. Then on to Loreto where we had two days to explore the town, having some fabulous food, dining with live music at Baja Haay and enjoying the vibe of the town.

From Loreto we embarked on our six day kayaking tour exploring some of the islands, poking along the coast, paddling, snorkeling and doing a bit of hiking. Before leaving Loreto on our return trip we made a stop at a water vendor to fill our water tank.

We were happy to find that one of our favorite restaurants, Nomadico’s, was open. We stopped for a delicious lunch. Joann had a yellowtail tostada and I had a scallop tostada with a pineapple coconut smoothie. On our last night in Baja we camped at Guadalupe RV park and took advantage of the hot showers. We crossed the boarder again at Tecate, camping at Sycamore Flat Campground in the Angeles National Forest. From there we checked out the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve. The flower display was past its prime, but we did find a few clusters of flowers. Then it was on to Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park before making the final leg home. We were back home on the afternoon of April 2 having logged 2820 miles over the course of our 21 days.

More photos are available in an online gallery.

Unforgettable Six-Day Kayaking Adventure in Loreto

Our six-day kayaking adventure begins on the morning of March 22 when our guide picks us up at our hotel and takes us to our launch site, a beach, Playa El Quemado south of Loreto. Actually, we had met our guide the evening before for a briefing and to provide us with bags for our gear. We booked our trip through Paddling South/SeaTrek.

We were surprised to find that we were the only two guests on this trip, which meant we had rather personalized support with our guide Jorge and the boat driver Adrian. We had opted for a skiff supported trip, which meant that our gear went by panga and we had cold beer and fresh food.

At 10:15 AM on March 22 we were on the water. It’s about a three-mile paddle to Isla Danzante where we made a stop at Honeymoon Beach (Playa Luna de Miel). A gorgeous beach with clear turquoise water. We did a short hike here to a panoramic vantage point. We then returned to our boats and paddled to a beach further south, Playa Arenas, where we set up camp.

We spent two nights camped at Playa Arenas. On the second day of the trip we paddled to Isla del Carmen where we had lunch, put our wetsuits on and got in the water to do some snorkeling. Whenever we stopped, up went the tent to provide us shade from the sun and, of course, a cooler with cold drinks. Paddling to and from Isla del Carmen and snorkeling made for a long day. It was 5:30 when we returned to camp. Having logged 12 miles, we were feeling a bit tired.

I must say that the food that Jorge and Adrian prepared was excellent. We had fresh fish, fresh fruit and vegetables, and of course tortillas and beans. We were well fed.

The trip was billed as a kayaking, snorkeling and hiking trip. We had several opportunities to get in the water and marvel at the coral and tropical fish as well as a couple of opportunities for short hikes to explore the plant and animal life. For photography I had my recently purchased iPhone 17 which I kept in a dive case whenever we were on or in the water.

I had a few issues with the camera, seemingly having a mind of its own and changing modes on me. It took me a couple of days to get the hang of getting the camera to behave, but in the end, I was quite happy with the results.

On the third day we broke camp and paddled to a beach on the peninsula where we stopped for lunch. The intent was to camp there, but Jorge decided that the beach was not suitable, so we put the kayaks on top of the panga and motored to another beach, Playa Aquililla, a few miles south. Our last two nights were spent on a lovely beach four miles further south and our final takeout was at Playa San Cosme.

Here’s a map of our track over the six days with color segments representing different days. Over the course of trip, we did not see any other kayakers, and only an occasional fishing boat off the coast. It was a week of paddling and camping on remote and secluded beaches with amazing sunsets and sunrises. We did not spot any whales or turtles, but we did spot several pods of Pacific Bottlenosed Dolphins as well as a variety of birds. Overall, it was an adventure of peace and tranquility and an opportunity to be close to nature. More photos are available in an online gallery.

Camping in Cactus Wonderland

After a night on the beach at Fidel’s Palapas just south of San Quintín, we were on the road shortly after 10:00. About noon as we were contemplating lunch, we found Restaurant El Sacrificio. One thing I like about traveling in Baja is discovering places to eat.

North of the border it’s franchises surrounded by acres of asphalt with young kids behind the counter. When you order a Big Mac, you know exactly what to expect. Here it’s small family-run establishments by the side of the road with the charm of rural Baja, with posters about the Baja races and local treats. The food always seems to be delicious. We were the only guests for lunch. Excellent food and the opportunity to practice my broken Spanish. After lunch we were back on the road.

Shortly before reaching the town of Cataviña we pulled off onto a dirt road and explored possibilities to camp. We had camped here three years ago on our previous trip.

I wanted to return to spend a couple days exploring the desert. One of the apps we use for navigation, iOverlander, suggested that there were several locations suitable for camping. We explored a couple of dirt roads before settling on a spot. It was just short of 3:00 when we parked the rig.

This would give me two sunsets and two sunrises for photography. Temperatures were also more pleasant in the morning and evening, running about 65 degrees at sunrise. By mid-afternoon the temperature was 85 in the shade and 95 inside the camper. During the heat of the day we pulled out our journals and books and hunkered down in the shade.

Sunset provided some interesting photo opportunities with the cactus and cirios silhouetted against the western sky. Sunrise was not near as interesting. About 20 minutes before sunrise there was a faint glow of color which only lasted about five minutes, and I was not inspired to do much with the early morning light.

We did see a number of cactus in bloom as well as a few ocotillo with their spray of red flowers looking like flames on the tips of their thorny branches.

With the dark night sky, I was inspired to try my hand at astrophotography to see if I could capture part of the Milky Way. I think the resulting image of the cirios silhouetted by a cloud of stars is quite interesting. You can view more photos in an online gallery.

Threading Grendel’s Needle

Grendel’s Needle refers to a feature on a small island in San Francisco Bay. That feature is a slot in the rock on the westernmost of The Sisters Islands just off of Point San Pedro. When conditions are right it’s fun to paddle a kayak through the slot, an exercise we call threading Grendel’s Needle.

When we left our house in Albany, we had the windshield wipers going with dark clouds overhead. As we were crossing the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge though, we could see patches of blue sky and sun shining on San Rafael. Harbingers for a good day on the water.

Eight of us were on the water at 10:30, launching from the kayak ramp at the east end of the Loch Lomond Yacht Harbor. There was some discussion about whether wetsuits or drysuits would be the better option. For safety’s sake we like to “dress for immersion,” should we end up in the water. I opted for my drysuit. In hindsight the weather was quite mild and my wetsuit long john would have been more comfortable.

Once we were on the water we paddled out of the harbor and headed east rounding the Marin Islands. We then paddled on to Point San Pedro where we held up for some radio communications. We had a new member in our group who had never paddled through Grendel’s Needle, so we opted to head to The Sisters to thread the needle. With hardly any current going through the slot we had no trouble paddling back and forth through the slot. Trying to exercise some boat control I even paddled through the slot backwards.

After lunch at China Camp, we returned paddling close to shore. We were back at our launch site at about 2:30.

We logged 9 miles over the course of the day on relatively calm water. More photos are available in an online gallery.

Horseshoe to Angel Island

The plan was to launch our kayaks from Horseshoe Bay in Sausalito and to paddle to a beach near Point Blunt where we would land for lunch. After reviewing the paddle plan, a safety briefing and a radio check we were on the water at 10:30.

From Horseshoe Bay the nine of us paddled out in the clearing fog, with fog horns bellowing and ships horns bellowing. By paddling into the bay a bit, we were able to pick up a current to carry us towards Angel Island. Approaching the island, we found a patch of confused and lumpy water just off of Point Knoxx, not unusual for these waters. A peek around the Point suggested that our intended plan would involve a surf landing given the wind. The consensus of the group was to avoid the surf landing and to land at Fort Reynolds (West Garrison). The wind had come up more than we had anticipated, making conditions a bit more challenging.

After lunch we were back on the water. In order to avoid a long slog into the wind, we paddled across Raccoon Straight to Peninsula Point and then changed course for Sausalito. For this leg I was too busy paddling to pick up my camera. With part of our group apparently anxious to make a short path to Yellow Bluff, we had our work cut out paddling into the wind. A more efficient route would have been to paddle to the Sausalito coast before turning to Yellow Bluff. This was actually suggested as the preferred route, but pod dynamics being what they were, we worked a bit harder than we needed.

Once we were all gathered up inside of Yellow Bluff, we rounded the point and met the full force of wind blowing 20 knots or so. It was hard work covering the last quarter mile. We all felt like we had a good workout when we were back on the beach at 2:45, logging 8 miles. More photos are available in an online gallery

Paddling the Apostles

Our adventure starts on July 14. That’s when we met our guide and completed our safety check. The outfitters, Trek and Trail, require paddlers to demonstrate a wet exit and self-rescue to qualify to paddle single kayaks. Joann and I both successfully demonstrated the use the paddle float to get back in the boat.

The next morning, July 15 ,we arrived at the outfitters at 7:30 am to assemble the gear for our paddle. Once the gear was organized, we hopped in the van with kayaks in tow and headed to Sand Bay. We did a pretty quick job of packing all our gear for the three-day trip. At 9:30 we were on the water heading out to Sand Island.

On the Northeast corner of the island we paddled through some amazing sea caves. The red sandstone contrasting with the clear turquoise water was mesmerizing.

Once we were around the top of the island we stopped at the lighthouse, landing on some flat rocks. Nahon helped us beach our fully loaded kayaks. Actually, he single-handedly manhandled the boats.

We were treated to a personalized tour of the lighthouse from docent Laurie. With light rain falling and the forecast of a storm moving in, we didn’t dally too long at the lighthouse. We were back on the water shortly after noon, pressing on to get to our campsite for lunch.

On the last leg of our paddle, the sky continued to darken, and the skies exploded with thunder; not just occasional peal of thunder but a continual roar, as if the gods were tearing the skies apart. We were a bit anxious about being on the water with a thunderstorm in the distance. We pressed on and we were on the beach a short time later, landing at 12:30. We unpacked our gear and broke out lunch.

On July 16 we woke to wind, rain and the sound of surf pounding the beach. With small craft warnings up, we decided to explore the island on foot, hiking to the lighthouse and to East Bay. Dinner was pulled pork sandwiches. We ate well on the trip.

On July 17 we woke to sun and calm water. We broke camp, loaded the kayaks and continued our journey around Sand Island and back to the mainland.

Along the northwest side of the Bayfield Penninsua we found more sea caves to explore. We had fun paddling in and out of caves and through tunnels. The cliffs of red sandstone are covered with lush green vegetation and hanging gardens and waterfalls. I was struck by the sound created by the waves lapping into many miniature blow holes: plink, plop, ploink, squish, swish. It would be fun just to capture the sounds and compile them into a composition.

It was about 3:00 pm when we landed on Meyers Beach. There we unpacked and jumped in the van for the ride back to Trek and Trail in Bayfield. Our paddle out to the island and back logged a little over 22 miles. More photos are available in an online gallery. We were happy we had taken our drysuits with us. With the weather and cool temperatures, we stayed quite comfortable. The sign at Meyers Beach noted the water temperature at 41 degrees.

Kayaking Croatia: Drvenik Veliki to Trogir

Our journey today starts in the sleepy little town of Drvenik Veliki on the island of Drvenik Veli. This marks the last day of our five-day kayaking adventure in Croatia. The day begins with breakfast at our villa, Villa LA. Our guide Marko put out a spread of cheese, ham, bread, granola, yogurt, fruit, juice and scrambled eggs. After breakfast we walked down to the harbor and launched off of a boat ramp.

A high tide of 0.49 feet and a low of 0.42 feet means that tides and currents are not an issue. There is little tidal effect here compared to what we are used to in San Francisco. It’s also a pleasure to paddle in swimsuits without the need for dry suits.

The water is flat calm and crystal clear as we launch. We head out of the bay and turn northeast towards the mainland, crossing the channel and keeping an eye out for ferries and pleasure boats. We feel the slight effect of the following seas and light wind, so I alternate between using my best paddling technique and edging and using the rudder to keep the boat on course. I’m not fond of rudders and this boat behaves a bit different from the one I paddle at home, but efficient enough for my needs.

I’m astounded by the color of the water and how it changes from a deep blue to transparent turquoise with the light reflecting off the white limestone and sand bottom. At 11:00 we pull into a small beach on a little island and our guide Marko surprises us by serving up ice cream.

After ice cream and a quick swim, we are back in the boats continuing to the mainland. We stop at a white sand beach just a few kilometers west of Trogir. After lunch we continue to Trogir, paddling up the canal and under three bridges.

As we exit the canal, we join the larger body of water, and we feel wind in our faces. We paddle into the wind, perhaps 10 knots, passing under the highway bridge and landing on a beach just east of the bridge. This ends an amazing five days of paddling the “Hidden Archipelago” of Croatia. I’ll be posting more highlights about this adventure in future posts so stay tuned.

Enchanted Archipelago: Day 1

At 9:00 our guide, Marko, picks us up at Vila Baguc where we’ve been staying in Split. We hop in the van and drive to Trogir to pick up Penny and Phil, a couple from England that are part of our tour. There will be five of us on the Enchanted Archipelago tour. Then we drive to our intended launch point, a beautiful beach at Vinisce. Marko provides the weather prediction which is for wind later in the day. We discuss the options; the plan is to launch from the beach and paddle to Drvenik Mali for a lunch stop.

The clarity of the water and the colors are enchanting. We land on a beach in the harbor at Drvenik Mali. Marko finds a spot to spread out the goods for a picnic lunch.

After lunch there is some concern about the wind. Marko consults with his boss and informs us that we will be taking the ferry for the next leg given the wind. We carry our kayaks up the ramp onto the ferry.

Once the ferry is underway it’s clear we made the right choice. The wind was whipping at about 18 knots with gust to 25. You can see the whitecaps on the water from the deck of the ferry. I kept a log of the day’s activities. The track includes the ferry from Drvenik Mali to Drvenik Viliki.

Even though our paddling was cut short it was a splendid first day of paddling. Once the ferry reached out destination, Marko led us on a short walk to our accommodations at Villa LA. In the evening, we all walked over to a restaurant overlooking the bay for a lovely dinner with a view of the town lit by the setting sun.

Croatia: Walking – Day 2

At 8:30 we were on our way to the Ferry Terminal in Split for our ferry to Brac. We disembarked at Supetar, consulted our walking tour instructions and started our walk along the waterfront. Today’s tour is a loop walk on west side of Brac.

Our walk took us along the coast where we admired sculptures along an azure sea. As we approached the town of Mirca our route turned inland. Mirca had an interesting mix of traditional and contemporary houses. Leaving Mirca our route turned inland. Our directions were a bit confusing so we may have wandered off the prescribed route. Our track then took us back along the coast. A little after 2:00 we reached the town of Sutivan, a charming town of fishermen and farmers with a thousand-year-old tradition closely intertwined with the sea.

From there we started our return leg climbing up into the hills, following stone-lined roads and trails past fields of ancient olive trees.

It was after 6:00 when we finished our loop walk back in Supetar having walked 10 miles. More photos are available in an online gallery.

16-Day Road Trip Highlights: Scenic Stops and Adventures

On February 11 we climbed in our rig and headed off on a 16 day road trip. On February 27 we returned home after logging 2508 miles and having seen some amazing places. We tend to take our time on road trips. We don’t like to spend more than four or five hours on the road on any given day. There are so many things along the way that catch our attention. And traveling with a dog and a rig that can get us off the beaten track, we tend to avoid busy places like national parks. Suffice it to say that we found some wonderful locations to park our rig and our dog Carson had plenty of off leash time.

Our first destination was Bishop to spend a couple of days with family and to play grandparents. We took our time getting to Bishop, stopping one night at Kern River Campground just east of Bakersfield, and another night at the Alabama Hills.

Here’s a photo of our camp in the Alabama Hills. We timed our trip to avoid a storm that was predicted to play havoc with mountain travel. The storm caught up with us at the Alabama Hills dumping rain on us in the middle of the night.

Our kids like to camp, so after a couple of nights in Bishop we all packed our gear and headed to Goodale Creek Campground. Here’s a photo of us around the campfire in the morning drinking coffee. The third photo shows Joann hiking in a slot canyon at Valley of Fire State Park, one of our destinations on our trip.

From Valley of Fire, we headed to Monument Valley. Using HipCamp, one of the apps we use for locating camping, we found HummingBird Campsite, a private campground.

The highlight of Monument Valley was a tour led by Carl Phillips, a guide who specializes in taking photographers on tours. Being in the Valley at sunrise was a magical moment.

Then it was time to start making our way home. We had no planned itinerary; we were just playing it one day at a time. Taking our time, we discovered the ghost town of Stanton, explored Indian ruins, and walked in the footsteps of dinosaurs.

We did find that mid-February was a bit of a challenge. Nighttime temperatures were a bit low on the first half of the trip, in the low 20s. Many campgrounds were still closed for winter. Having captured over 1000 photos and with many stories to tell, I’ll be posting more details about the trip in separate posts.