Tuesday
Yesterdays drive up the Sea of Cortez was short and sweet. We pulled out of Laredo about 9:30 am and headed up the coast to Bahia Concepción. The drive took us about 3 hours and when we arrived we had our choice of at least 10 different beaches (Playa) to choose from. A few years ago Louise and I stayed a couple of nights at Playa El Requeson, and then on our way down the Baja in December, we stayed a couple of nights at Playa Buenaventura. We totally enjoyed both of these beaches. Phil and Kathy stayed a couple of nights this last January at Playa Santispac and had great things to say about this beach, so, taking their advice we found a couple of great spots to park. One of the great advantages for Louise and me was the quick and easy access to the water for our kayak. We hadn’t been parked but an hour and we were unloading the kayak and getting ready to head out. Bahia Concepcion has been described in the books as the “desert Polynesia”. This huge bay, open to the north and sheltered on the east by some tall hills, has a string of sandy beaches and small islands. Now a national marine preserve, this large bay is one of the cleanest marine systems in the world. The bay is about 26 miles long and at the widest point it is about 10 miles. We took the kayak out along the coast and followed from one beach area to another and then headed out to visit one of the larger islands in the bay. This island was only inhabited by birds, but boy was it inhabited. We saw Blue-footed Boobies, magnificent frigates, 3 different pelicans, and enough sea gulls to fill the shores of Puget Sound all over again. The day was perfect…
When we got back, we found Phil and Kathy sitting at waters edge and immediately got them fitted with our life vests, a little instruction, and a shove out to enjoy the wonders of kayaking for themselves.