We made it to Loreto- 3/4 of the way to Cabo!

We enjoyed our stay in the beautiful town of Mulege' but as the weather (wind) subsided we needed to continue on our expedition.  Many thanks go out to our unexpected hosts Mike & Rosalyn for taking us in and providing us with all kinds of information, opportunities, meals and outstanding hospitality!  Our early morning departure was once again greated with Rosalyn's generosity.  She was up early and prepared an unexpected bon voyage breakfast for us, coffee, breakfast sandwich and snacks!  Wow - you two have completely outdone yourselves!  We hope the see you again soon and hope we can repay your generosity toward two strangers from your river.

We found the run down the coast from Bahia Conception to Loreto to be one of the most beautiful and enjoyable stretches of the Sea of Cortez coastline.  There were many nice coves and beaches to pull into, the incredible paddle thru arches were a highlight for both of us, and our experience with Chico, who one pangaro described him as the owner of the "fruit of the soul".  Chico has an orchard up from the coast about 1 kilometer that was a private little oasis.  He had banana, orange, grapefruit, lime, avocado and other trees.  It was an undescribable and unforgetable experience we thoroughly enjoyed.  We believe Chico enjoyed the experience just as much as we did and an instant bond was created amongst amigos.

Our four day paddle to Loreto included fishing as ususual, but our catch never seems to be usual at all.  Every time we hook a fish, we never know what the fish will be as there is such a variety of species down here.  Doug caught a very interesting fish we have yet to figure out what it is.  It was in the billfish family, 3 feet long, 3 pounds and Doug's first billfish ever.  It was not a Blue or Striped Marlin but definately had a bill on it.  It was a small one, which was a good thing, given we are doing our fishing out of 17 foot kayaks and they become quite tippy when fighting a fish.   If anyone knows what it is please let us know.

Punta el Pulpito was an incredible point to not only paddle around but also to explore and enjoy the absolute enormity of the massive rock which was shear cliffs 400-500 feet tall and included two arches we were able to paddle through!

Our paddle yesterday brought us into Loreto.  We started out under calm seas and ended up surfing into the pass between Punta Bajo and Isla Coronado.  After crossing the shallow bar by Punta Bajo, things calmed down and we were able to utilize our WindPaddles to sail on into Loreto. 

After a few phone call back to John in Craig, Alaska where he could use Google Earth to direct us to our friend Rita's house, we were able to locate her magnificent place and Doug's car parked out back.  Rita treated us to a Super Burro Burrito, and we mean SUPER!  The tortilla alone was at least 2 feet in diameter and loaded with meat and cheese.  Another incredible experience of hospitality and generosity, thank you Rita.