Deeper into Baja - Part 6

We were camped in the lower left portion of this picture.  A short hike earned you this view.

From Loreto, it's an easy 40 or so "klicks" until the turn-off to Aqua Verde.  As you drive south out of Loreto you're traversing the Sierra La Giganta Range and shortly after turning off the paved road you begin losing elevation in a hurry as you drop back to the sea.  With the Sierra La Giganta Range in your rearview and the Sierra San Francisco Range staring at you through the windshield, it makes for a beautiful drive.  I would say that the view from the top as you look down on the Sea of Cortez is one of the best in Baja. I had come in here last year and was amazed at how much improvement had been done to the road.  Last year, four wheel drive was required at a few spots as well as "mucho" washboard!  This year it was in really good shape and made the drive in....easy.  Sure, it's still a dusty dirt road with some washboard sections but a world apart from last year.  Once you drop out of the clouds and can access the coastline there are numerous beaches, arroyos or bluffs up towards the mountains where one can camp.  There are also some hot springs which can be accessed during low tide.  The little fishing village of Puerto Aqua Verde sits about another 10 miles south on the coastline.  The road ends in Aqua Verde as the hurricanes over the years have destroyed anything further south. One small mercado and nothing else so one needs to be well stocked with supplies and water prior to making the drive in.  The little mercado does carry the basic staples, fresh fish when the local catch is in and some vegetables but not much else and their hours are......whenever they feel like it.  It is truly an old style fishing village with no electricity in a beautiful setting, literally at the end of the road.  We ended up staying for about 6 nights where we visited the hot springs, found some cave paintings, did a little fishing, kayaking, met an interesting old-timer, walked miles of deserted beaches, etc., etc.. Another typical week in Baja.

Road dropping out of the mountains down to the coast.

More of the same.

Some beach driving at low tide.

Side road leading to the bay where we ended up camping.

Petey and I checking out one of the beaches not far from camp.

After a few days, Wayne needed to charge his batteries to keep is ARB fridge functioning so he took off for a little drive. 

This is the drive he made.  Not your average commute.

Campsite for the week.

Visitors near camp.

Setting moon early one morning.

Of course, we had to eat so some afternoon hand line fishing was called for.

Dinner on the line.

I kept getting hung up on a ledge from where I was throwing the hand line and since we were running low on hooks, one of us had to go in to free it. Wayne decided, that since I was the one that got hung up,  he was supplying the mask and had the camera, I'd be the one to go in after it. I made the sacrifice for the team.

Village of Aqua Verde.

One and only store.

End of the road in Aqua Verde.

Kirby and his wife Pam, who had been coming down to Baja for the past 40 years, were a wealth of knowledge on the area.   After having dinner at their camp one night, Kirby and I poured over the map of Baja where he pointed out some of the "good stuff".  We'd end up covering some of that ground in the coming week. Also got the chance to do a little fishing with him but we struck out there.  No fish, but heard some interesting stories while putting around in his inflatable. Interesting guy who had a wealth of knowledge on Baja.

On the ridgeline behind camp, we'd been told of a cave that had some ancient cave paintings so the following day we checked that out.  You can see the hand prints over my left shoulder in the picture above.

Wayne viewing the cave paintings.

View from the cave on the ridgeline overlooking the beach.

The buzzards were circling as we exited the cave.

One afternoon spent at the hot springs which are only accessible at low tide.

Kayaking to another beach from where we were camped with a little fishing from the boat on the way back.

Petey soaking up the sun outside of camp one afternoon.

Aqua Verde was another one of those camps that you hate to leave but after 6 nights we packed up and headed out.

More to come.....