Hello Family and Friends!
Guess what? We’re coming home in mid-July for a few weeks. We’ll let you know more as our plans take shape. One of our cruising buddies gave us a packet of information on the hurricanes that blew into the northern Sea of Cortez in 2003. It’s rare for them to get up here, but it does happen. August and September are the most likely months, so we want to be with our faithful boat during that time. People who anchored in hurricane holes and stayed with their boats did far better than those who left them in marinas or hauled them out. So, we thought we’d head north while the weather is calm. Don’t be surprised to answer a knock at your door and find one yellow and two tan vagabundos standing there!
Well, it’s getting hotter here. The water has warmed up and become greener. In this part of the Sea of Cortez the waters are rich with nutrients and full of life. We saw our first whale shark last week while talking to Jeff and George (the men who drove Amber back to the states.) Jeff immediately leaned over and slapped the side of his boat to attract the whale shark. No kidding, that 15 foot shark wagged his tail and swam right over! Jeff didn’t quite get to pet him, other cruiser’s said they did. Whale sharks are filter feeders and can grow to over 40 feet long. I’m content to swim among the little fishes. One day a school of striped mullet let me swim with them in a sea cave. We eyed each other with mutual curiosity and I was filled with gratitude to be a part of their realm. Another day I found an undersea garden with red coral, starfish with striped arms, orange crabs and fish of all sizes and shapes. We’ve seen lots of sting rays too. They hide in the sand and can camouflage themselves to match their surroundings. Some have patterns identical to army fatigues. The most interesting camouflage technique I’ve seen is on a type of puffer fish. Their tan backs have white concentric rings that look exactly like the ripples created by dropping a pebble in the water. My favorite sea creatures are the pelicans. One morning at sunrise the sky was full of them flying toward the mountains behind Bahia de Los Angeles. They flew in long lines and vees and rose higher and higher, until they were tiny specks in the sky. Then they rode the thermals for an hour, gradually circling back to the sea. It was inspiring!
Oh, I promised to explain how Amber got a ride back to the states. We had no idea how she’d get home. No buses travel the 40 miles of washboard road from Highway 1 to Bahia de Los Angeles. No airports or trains either. Anticipating difficulty, we arrived a week early to give us time to figure it out. On our very first trip ashore, we landed the dinghy and walked up to a restaurant on the beach. We asked a group of men sitting on the patio if they knew where we could find showers. They asked how long it had been since we’d showered and when we replied with feeling, “A looooog time,” they asked us to step downwind! A lively conversation ensued and when they heard Amber was looking for a ride home, immediately offered to take her. They live in Costa Mesa and knew all about Biola University. George has a grandchild going there now. So Amber got a lift all the way to Costa Mesa with a couple of “old Christian farts” (their self-description.)
Well, with love and best wishes for a Happy Independence Day. See you soon,
The Vagabundos