Baja Blog: Mon, Apr 6 - to Loreto, our Southern Most Point

 

Katy -   We got up at six and Bob went birding.   I walked around the property and suddenly spotted a Gray Thrasher, a bird endemic  to Baja, and one Bob has been looking for.   It’s a robin size bird, with a  long down-curved bill and a heavily spotted breast.  After it left, Bob returned and said he had seen one also. Life list #4869 for him…Thank God!

Vulture sunning on the San Ignacio Mission!

 

We joined Hilary and drove into town.  The mission was open so we went inside to admire it.   The Rancho Grande , last night’s restaurant, was closed, so we drove over to La Huerta Hotel for breakfast again, returned to Rancho Espinoza, packed up and drove off.  A very nice, small, quiet, prettily-decorated accommodation!

 

Hilary drove us due east as the landscape became more mountainous.  We passed the 6000’ Tres Virgines volcano, and suddenly could see turquoise water and an island ahead!

Unfortunately, a huge trash pit appeared to our right, we turned south down the coast and into Santa Rosalia, which from the romantic name and location, one would expect to be a tropical paradise.  But, No! This town was developed by a French mining company in 1884 to dig for copper.  The beach has grey sand and rocks, not very appealing, and it has  industrial ruins  with more auto supply stores than reasonable for one small town! 

 

We continued south 53 miles and entered Mulegé, a lovely beach town along a palm-filled oasis on a rare Baja river.

  There was a very convoluted route to the  attractive stone mission (Santa Rosalia de Mulegé, #4) high on a hill.

 The temperature was 100 outside, too scorching to do much exploring around the outside and river nearby, but fairly cool inside the church!

 

The route took us along the Bahia Concepción, a beautiful body of water lined with camping spots and small resorts that looks across to a undeveloped mountain range on a neck of land that forms the bay. We camped here at Playa Coyote 50 years ago.  Too hot to do anything but continue to Loreto and our hopefully cool hotel!

 

We reached Loreto at 2 and with the help of Hilary’s phone wove through town, nearer and nearer the beach and found the charming bright green Iguana Inn!

  It is a tiny place with 5 rooms, shady palapas, lush vegetation, desks, plenty of hooks and shelves, and a place to hang wet laundry:  perfect!

 

We walked into town for an early dinner at Los Olivos restaurant in La Misión Loreto Hotel.  We sat on a balcony overlooking the water and a nice breeze kept us pleasantly cool.
 Seafood risotto and a mojito.

Hil's dinner

 Afterwards  we walked along the Malecon overlooking the beach with swimmers and yachts. Back for an early night as we’re getting up early to beat the heat!

View from dinner