Pulpito

Pulpito derives its name from the pulpit-like structure of rock, projecting high above the sea and visible for miles around. We anchored in 20 feet of water and rowed the dinghy into shore to climb to the top.

After a quarter mile of bushwhacking, we found the well-used trail that takes you safely to the summit. A grand view!
Back at sea level we checked out the vein of obsidian in the southern rock face of the point. The sand all around the pulpit is littered with bits and pieces of sharp, smooth obsidian, some the size of small soccer balls.

Mangles

We've sailed or motored by this anchorage a half dozen times during our time in the Sea of Cortez. This day it was calm, and we were in no hurry to get anywhere. So we stopped at Mangles.

The guide books tell you to check out the striated rock formations, so we put the kayaks in the water early in the morning and took advantage of the eastern sun to get some nice photos off the shoreline.
The water was still enough to be able to see the fish below our kayaks (nearly) as well as if we were snorkeling.

Los Coronados

The day after we hiked the Steinbeck Canyon, we left our mooring ball at Puerto Escondido Singlar and headed for Islas Coronados, a short motor-ride away. There was no wind, and we were invaded enroute by a swarm of bees. They tried to set up housekeeping under our solar panels, but we persuaded them to move on to a more hospitable place. They were hard to convince...it took three hours and, being underway, we didn't have the luxury of the usual cruiser strategy: "Close all the ports and hatches and go below until they leave of their own accord." The sunset at anchor off Islas Coronados was amazing. So was the sunrise next morning.

With Bill and Linda from Tanque de Tiburon we hiked to the top of the mountain and then snorkeled off the reef just north of our anchorage. I saw my first moray eel, a foot of its body projected out from its lair, mouth wide, searching for its reef fish dinner.

Canyon

Although this is probably not the place in which John Steinbeck hunted Big Horn sheep in 1940, it is often referred to as the "Steinbeck Canyon." Just across the road from the entrance to Puerto Escondido and an hour's climb into the Sierra de la Giganta, the view back to the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez) is spectacular.


The hike is challenging, one spot taking you into, under, through, and up over huge boulders tumbled together by roaring flood waters through many years and many storms. A bat circled our heads as we wriggled through a cave, then we stepped steeply up the crack to the next level.

We were hiking with Don and Debbie from Buena Vista and Dave Wallace from AirOps. Each extra hiker motivates the rest of us to keep going.

Loreto Fest

The whole cruising world seemed to be descending on Puerto Escondido for the 14th Annual Loreto Fest, April 29-May 2. The entire week beforehand, chatter on single-side-band radio and the local nets was all about the festivities to come.

We arrived Thursday night, April 29th, just in time for the dinghy raft-up hor d'oeuvres event in Cocktail Cove.



Ardy and Marv helped out at the pancake breakfast Sunday morning...over 400 people were served in about an hour.


Saturday night, May 1, was the big costume contest. Dave Wallace took honors in the men's division, dressed in debris...items he has collected from the sea in the past few weeks. From his mis-matched flip-flops to shorts, hat, and a designer vest/shirt festooned with trash, he was a stand-out hit.



Dave has instituted a clean-up the Bay day as one of the Loreto Fest activities, and each year, hundreds of pounds of trash is collected. Sadly, much of it is from boats. Its time we learned to control ourselves!