The Peace Center is so cool. Ana, Pavel, and Zarza run the place. They are fun, positive, warm, hosts. Everyone loves them.

Most of the time, the place is full. The only way to reach them is to come by and yell through the “gate” Hola!! Someone will come to greet you and give you the latest on availability.

There is a group of french-speaking Candians staying currently. It’s fun to see how happy they are to be together here in Baja. There are definitely life-long friendships developing.

Last weekend, we had a really fun potluck, with everyone contributing.

The ebb and flow are fun, as is meeting so many new people. Any time someone needs to “chill”, they just retreat to their van, close the door, and everyone knows to respect their privacy.

Living in La Paz is quiet, fun, and vibrant. How lucky I am to be here.

Last Saturday I was so lucky to be invited to train with the La Paz triathlon group!! My hosts Pável & Anna are members of the team and allowed me to invite myself to the workout.

We left Peace Center at 6:30am on our bikes. We rode about 5 k to the meeting location.

After we locked our bikes, stored our packs in another members car, and joined the warm up

Next, we ran about .75 miles to a dirt road. We then did 6 hill repeats, running up 2.5 min and down 3.5. Gut busting! And I loved it!!

We the. Ran back to the meeting place and changed into swim gear. Swimming in the bay is amazing!! Schools or rather walls of fish went by! We all stoped at several places to meet up, one was a rock with a huge pelican perched on top.

I got cold and turned back along with two others. When I reached the beach Anna and Emma were cheering me on!

I changed back into dry clothes and rode my bike back to the hostel.

What a great to get to hang out with the local athletes of La Paz! There is a race on Feb 12 that I hope to volunteer.

Can’t wait to do it again next Saturday.

The full moon shined bright throughout the entire trip. What a joy to traverse the biosphere of Baja.

Finding details on this route was next to impossible, and six of us decided to go for it. Here is the map we did find:

We were loosely organized. Raphael was kind enough to head to the park office twice to get our permits. Jaden and Amber coordinated with Raphael to leave one of their cars at La Burrera (our finish point). I took the bus from La Paz to Los Barriles to meet up with David and Leea, whose house in LB became our meeting point.

We all rode together to Rancho San Dionisio to begin our trip. There, we were invited into the ranch, which was amazing! Organic gardens, grass, games, and great hospitality surprised us! We camped out in the lawn, while Clarence told us his story and the story of the Ranch. Our trip was off on the right foot!

We were off! The first couple of miles were flat. Of course, we forgot our permit in the car, and I ran back to get it. Luckily, it was just the flat part. Then things started to get steep! Really steep.

At least we had shade and water. Jayden was backpacking for the very first time. What a way to start! Everyone kept a really positive attitude and arriving at Poza de Pepe made it all worthwhile!

The next morning we set out for the Laguna. It was mostly a hike along a ridge. Less steep than day one for sure.

We made it to the lake early enough that Leea and I dashed off to the peak. It was about a two-hour round trip hike. There was a group of runners from La Paz who were doing up and back in a day. Good on them!

One surprise to me was the Madrona tree! Growing everywhere once we were slightly west. How cool! A taste of home!

When we got back to camp, we learned of an unfortunate situation with the landowner (parks are weird in Baja with much private land throughout). The owner charges 400 pesos per day per person to cross his land. A very high price, which feels pretty awful. We got him to charge us 400 pesos for two days, but it came at a price that involved a lot of arguing and stress. Ugh. That was the only downside of the trip. Leea and I were on the peak when it all went down, but I guess it got ugly.

The next morning was our last and we had a lot of mileage to travel. The down was difficult, hot, sandy, and dry.

Everyone was pretty beat by the time we got back to the car. It felt SO GOOD to complete our goal! I could not believe we pulled it off. No maps, a couple of vague descriptions, very few people we could find who had done the trip.

It felt so special to cross the Sierra de la Laguna and visit the tallest point in Southern Baja. What a wonder to see a place so few people ever get to touch. My team was amazing, and so, so fun.

Full moon over Baja in La Sierra. Pure Joy.

Saturday was a calm, sunny, warm day. Perfect for a SUP outing. The hostel I’m staying in is about 750 meters from a beach. I hefted my SUP onto my back and walked to the water.

After launching, I paddled out toward the Island in the bay. As I worked my way across the channel, I saw, out of the corner of my eye, some movement. I sat down and just watched. The dolphins gave me a show!!

The following day I signed up for “swimming with the tuberon ballena” (Whale Shark). What a thrill! They are the largest fish (fish, not mammal). They hang out in shallow waters just off shore in the bay in La Paz. Out guide said that this is “the nursery” for the whale sharks.

To swim with these giants of the sea, you jump out of the boat (with a guide) and swim as fast as you can to keep up with this gi-normous fish that is effortlessly moving. You can see it’s eyes, and feel the rush of their movement. It’s a thrill!!!

There are some joys on the water in La Paz, not to be missed!

A different medium

In my experience, public art south of the US border is ubiquitous and beautiful! I have not explored all of La Paz, yet, I have found much artwork sprinkled throughout the city. It’s fun, festive, and fabulous.

So many thanks for an interesting 2021 and best best wishes for 2022!

Fireworks are blasting here at the Marina in La Paz! We certainly have no idea what 2022 will hold, but we all know it’s going to be interesting!

Cheers to you for making my life full, fun, and filled with love!

There are many gifts for me this holiday season. The one I am cherishing the most at the moment is my gift of new friends.

There are many types of friends in the world and in our lives. Some friends are those we have known our entire lives, others are new friends from work or from a new hobby or activity.

My new friends have come from “the road” I am currently exploring. I would love to share with you a few of the interesting people I have met since I left home, mainly those who I now call my friends (amigos and amigas here in Mexico).

Sergio – the sailor. His mother is from Sicily and hs father is Porchugese. He grew up in Mexico City. He is a professional sailor and recently lost his boat in a hurricane. He has an adventure story per minute. I have not figured out Sergio yet, and I am hoping to get to sail with him on New Years. We are planning to sail from La Paz out to Isla de Ispiritu……My first sailing lesson!

Phil(ipe) – the bike packer. I spent a couple of days hanging out with Phil at the Hostel in Todos Santos. He told me of his many adventures bike packing in Baja and other places. I have become quite interested in this mode of travel and have since been receiving many text’s from Phil sharing with me the mechanics of what to do and how to do it. Fun!

Jaden – the 19-year-old. Jaden is fascinating. I met her in my Spanish class and then learned that she is living at the Hostel in Todos Santos. She is a 19-year-old with an old soul. She left college (where she got into engineering school) because she didn’t want to attend via Zoom. She worked at an airport fueling plane and now thinks she wants to become an A/P mechanic. She’s looking into A/P school in Everett WA. She’s cool! We went surfing together yesterday.

Amber – Jaden’s 23-year-old sister. Amber actually works at the Hostel in Todos Santos. She found the job on workaway. She works four hours, six days per week. In exchange, she has a place to live. They don’t provide her with any meals, only lodging. Amber was the first person I met at the Hostel and she was just starting her first day on the job. She and Jaden drove themselves down to Todos Santos from Colorado. Amber has worked with workaway in several countries. She has graduated from college is just out exploring the world. She also went surfing yesterday. She did great and got up many times. He is cool, calm collected, and confident. A super interesting, cool woman who is fun to hang around with.

Raphael – No idea how old, but I’m guessing he’s 40. He’s from LA and works on training young Hispanic people to be leaders in the political progressive movement. Right now, he’s working with a program that is directly tied to Stacey Abrahams in Georgia. He works a lot, lives in a tent at the hostel, is teaching himself to surf, and is game to go hiking into the Sierra La Laguna with me and Amber in January.

Jack – What a hoot! Jack works at the hostel, is from Ireland, and runs the bar in the evenings. The bar was closed before he got there, and he talked Jacobo (the owner) into letting him open the bar. It’s now open every night. Jack is fun, jovial, and a great guy. He adds so much to life at the hostel.

That’s not everyone. There are more “gifts” – Like Leea and David, who kindly let me caravan down the Baja with them, and then gifted me their guest room in their brand new home in Los Barriles. They also took me on a hike into the Sierra de las Lagunas and showed me the way into those amazing, lush mountains.

There is Doug, whom I met in Hood River pre-pandemic. He has been coming to Baja for 30 years. He surfs, he kites when he’s not working as a writer. A nomad, long before the term was coined. He and I were neighbors at Playa La Pastora over the Xmas holiday weekend. He has many stories to share!

I hope you love the gifts you are hoping for and receiving this season. I wish for you to find joy in the places you were not expecting. Friends as my gifts are one, big, special surprise for me. I sure hope I am giving as much as I feel I am receiving.

Baja is really a fabulous place to live for the PNW winter. The temperature is mild, at about 80 degrees high each day. The nights are cool, so you can sleep, at 60 degrees, and there is always something to do!

I love to visit the beaches (there are many a short bike ride away from the hostel) and watch the whales. Without fail, the whales spout within minutes of reaching a viewpoint.

The crashing surf is another reason Baja is so soothing. I can hear the waves at night and in the early morning, from my bed in Westie! Of course, that is only on the nights when the mariachi bands are not playing – which is usually from Mon – Thursday. The nights I now sleep in town.

Last weekend, I went over to the East Cape to hang out with David and Leea – my caravan compadres. What a blast! Their new home is beautiful, with an incredible view of the Gulf.

David and I went for a bike ride Saturday on the well-attended trails of Los Barriles.

Sunday we went out for a waterfall hike with their group of paddleball aficionados. Wow! The hike was stunning.

In only about one-quarter of a mile, you arrive at the first pool and waterfall. This is where most people stop.

We continued on for about another two miles leaving the crowd behind. The landscape is beautiful in the Sierra de la Laguna, with huge rocks, cactus, ficus, and more.

We arrived at our destination, which is a big, beautiful pool, with rocks you can jump from, a slide you can slide down, and water at the perfect temperature for refreshing.

The hike out was fast and fun.

I am determined to do the cross Sierra de la Laguna hike. I have been searching for a GPS track, and have finally found one! David and Leea are game!

Baja has so much to offer! If you have a wish to leave the grey and rain of winter, come down and visit. You won’t be sorry you came!!

Tonight at sunset a group of us from the hostel drove out to Tortugueros Las Playitas to watch the evening’s release of baby turtles.

The organization collects Turtle Eggs on the beach and securely hatches them. They then release the hatchlings out to the sea.

The turtles are tiny.

They are so cute.

They only walk toward the surf. Not one turned away from the surf.

The turtles are so small, and the ocean is so vast. It felt a little sad, like those tiny little turtles, must feel alone, lonely……yet, rather, they seemed to be excitedly getting started in their life in the huge, surging, Pacific Ocean swimming alongside the whales.