Mountains and Waves

Jay catches a "Big Eye Tuna"

Jay's Post: Mountains and valleys everywhere. The peninsular mountain ranges of Baja California run down the geographic center of the state. The most notable ranges of these mountains are the Sierra de Juarez and the Sierra de San Pedro Martir.  These mineral-rich mountain ranges extend southwards to the Gulf of California, where the western slope becomes wider, forming the Llanos del Berrendo in the border with Baja California Sur. Many of these mountains can be seen from far out at sea.  The mountain ranges located in the center and southern part of the state include the Sierra de La Asamblea, Sierra de Calamajué, Sierra de San Luis and the Sierra de San Borja.  Picacho del Diablo, at 10,175 feet, is the highest peak on the entire peninsula. The valleys between these mountain ranges are located within a climate zone that are suitable for agriculture. These valleys included the Valle de Guadalupe and the Valle de Ojos Negros, areas that produce citrus fruits and grapes that are shipped to consumers in the United States. However, these are not the mountains and valleys of which I speak. The ones I am writing about are found in the ocean, swells that reach 10-15 feet as we travel down the Pacific coast. In a 24 foot sailboat, they look huge as they approach us from behind. As they near, “Little Lara” slowly rises to meet them. And then, if by magic, we find ourselves on top of these mountains of seawater looking down into the valleys far below. Then “Little Lara” begins to slide down the backside of these waves only to reach the valley floor as the next wave approaches. The process then repeats itself over and over again. These mountains and valleys, unlike the ones found on the peninsula do not have names, but they are just as impressive. Thankfully, “Little Lara” was designed to handle them as we slowly sail down the coast.

Peggy's Post: Reflections on Waves

I have decide that waves are a lot like people. A few are angry, mean and spiteful. They get right in our faces and cause fear to surge in our hearts. Some are strong and powerful, intimidating us with their size. Others are headed in the wrong direction, getting in our way, causing us to have to fight our way forward. And then, there are the happy, bubbling and singing wave that we pray for. They keep our spirits up and keep us company along our journey. They help us by moving along with us, pushing us forward on the right course. These are the waves we love!

Marina Cabo San Lucas

Presently we are in Cabo San Lucas. Here we will re-provision “Little Lara, perform some routine maintenance and enjoy being in a marina after anchoring out for the past three weeks. It will be a blessing to be able to attend church again. Next week we will head north, up the Sea of Cortez, to La Paz. Finally, let us express how much we look forward to and enjoy reading all the comments from family and friends. Keep them coming and should you have any questions, please ask.

Hurricane Odile damage to Cabo San Lucas

Who would have thought? --
Swarms of butterflies in the middle of the ocean