Wrapping it Up in Todo Santos - Part Three

...and it's off to El Mirador for Happy Hour extraordinaire!

High above the sea...we find this place!

We're thinking....it doesn't get much better than this!  Now to wait for the green flash...

The next morning it's adios to our friends, but first a little breakfast out in one of the many fine restaurant choices here in Todo Santos.  

Everywhere we look...art surfaces.  Even on the entry walls to a courtyard restaurant.

And...on the way out as well....now, on to Cabo for a Costco stop...(yes, really) and then Los Barilles!

Todo Santos - An Artist Haven - Part Two

And more.......

 

What's a visit to Todo Santos without a stop at Hotel California?  

 

How about this Glass light fixture in the lobby?  And lots of art, including a mini gallery.

 

Then a stroll through the Saturday market square.  Too bad we already  have SO many Mexican blankets!

 

Another trip to the beach for a walk...and then happy hour up a top a high hill overlooking the ocean for sunset.  Come along with us!

Todo Santos - An Artist Haven

We find Dennis and Lisa's Casita by following the long, detailed and excellent directions. Wow!  A little dream hideaway with views of whales transiting the Pacific marine highway.

See the palapa roof top accommodations?  Yes!  That's our nest for two nights 

 

Up the spiral staircase we find the perfect tent and cots complete with cozy sleeping bags.  Ahhhh.  

 

 

Place of sweet dreams.

Here's a view from room at the top.  Yes, we could count the grey whales making their way south.  

 

 

Skipper was in love with the front porch-a.  

And what about a fenced space....wow, no leashes needed!  

 

We walk the beach at sunset, have a fine tour of town the next morning and then spend an afternoon constructing a dog shelf in the Jeep and the perfect place underneath for gear stowage.  What's a day without a project?  Thanks to Dennis for the perfect power tools to do this!

 

 

 

The jury is still out for Sparky on the shelf idea.  

Now it's off to explore the town!

Load the Jeep and Off We Go!

After a fun, but fast, visit from Dennis and Lisa here on the beach we decide to take a road trip and visit them in Todo Santos.  Packing for six days on the road for two people and two dogs in one small Jeep is daunting after being so easily self contained in our RV.  We added an extra five gallons of drinking water, a small cooler for road lunches and snacks, dog matts, bowls, food and leashes, maps, travel guides,..oh, and a few clothes for us.

After Spanish on Tuesday we throw things in the Jeep only to discover the solar system is not charging our RV system.  A brief panic....and a lucky "find" set us on the road by 3:30 p.m.  We make Loreto by 5:00 p.m.  (Remember, no driving after dark in Mex.1.  

 

Little surprises..all the time on the main highway.  "Mooo-ve Over!"  

Our pet friendly hotel in Loreto is high end and all we could find at the last minute that would accept the dogs.  This is a trip of many contrasts.  I figure, enjoy each one!

For dinner we find a spot on the town square and although I try to order the sweet and sour chicken, the waiter will not let me order until we agree on the sea food special for two.  Funny.  Sort of.  But, the din ER is excellent and the serenade is a perfect touch.  I even have a song I can ask for...Celito Lindo!  

 

 

 

 

Yes, we appreciate the outdoor patio heaters in the evening.  How can 60 degrees seem so cold?

 

Tomorrow the long drive (6 and 1/2 hours) to Todo Santos.

Bienvenidos 2017!

And just like that....we enter a new year.  2016 ended with the luminaries on the beach, slowly going out, one after another....until it was just a line of brown paper bags in the high tide mark.  And then, it was a clean swept beach...ready for 2017.

 

We still await a space within the regular camp sites. 

 

One of Lupe's cinnamon rolls greets us for New Year's Day.  

As the new year starts rolling along we find ourselves immersed in beach life.  Wednesday is Spanish lesson day.

 

Gotta love the outdoor classroom.  Lily is our teacher as we read, write and speak our way through the lessons.

There is time for afternoon chats with our neighbors in the screen tent.

 

Paddle boarding is a great way to start the day.  Sparky gets to go along too!

 

The kayaks take us out to the islands and to nearby camping beaches.  We get them rigged for sailing and find it an "interesting " approach to sail boating.  There's never a worry about enough speed to come about....you just add peddle power!

 

If there's not enough wind for sailing, it's back to the peddling approach.

 

 

 

Yes, the whale sharks are back.  We see a lot of them in December and January.  One evening a researcher from Whale  Shark Mexico gives a talk about the research being done locally.  It seems most of the individuals we see here in Bahia Conception are juveniles.  Being youngsters, they are only about 17-20 feet long and up to 12 years old.  

 

Deni's talk gives us a good idea of the range of the whale sharks here, which is all through the Sea of Cortez and across to mainland Mexico.  They have identified about 800 individuals, using photographs of the left side of the animal and computer technology to descern distinct patterns in the spots.  

 

Since the water remains warmer than usual in late December and January, we are graced by their presence daily.  The day the water temperature drops to 65 they literally disappear!  

Fresh fruit and vegetables are our main staples.  Friday is our delivery day!

 

 

 

Good food, good friends, good weather.....time is slipping away!