Petroglyphs and Ringing Rocks

"Little Lara" sailing on Bahia Concepcion

Peggy's Post: These are a few of my favorite things --

• listening to a violin concert (thanks John!) on the beach on a moonlit night with a bonfire, potluck appetizers, and good friends
• watching a gorgeous sunrise sneak over the mountains and wash the beaches in its shimmering glow
• listening each morning to “Amazing Grace” played on bagpipes before the Cruiser's Net weather broadcast (thanks Geary!)
• chasing giant Angelfish though mazes in the reefs while snorkeling
• watching Jay spearfish then eating delicious grilled fish or cerviche
• being amazed by stingrays and dolphins' display of aerial acrobatics
• bio-luminescence exploding in the water at night as fish swim around "Little Lara"
• exploring deserted beaches and finding beautiful sea shells
• hitching hiking to the closest town and discovering out how many people we can squeeze into a car (the record is 8!)
• learning about the interesting history of each village and town we visit
• attending church in Ensenada, Cabo San Lucas, La Paz, and Loreto (meetings - all in Spanish!)
• listening to the wind calm down at night so we can have a peaceful nights sleep
• finding "old" friends in new anchorage when we arrive … and meeting "new" friends there
• being with with my sweetheart (of 36 years) and enjoying these wonderful adventures together!

San Juanico Anchorage

Jay's Post: We left Puerto Escondido February 26, 2015 northward bound. We very much enjoyed nearby Loreto with its plaza and historic buildings, but the weather was beginning to warm up, encouraging us to move on. Because the waters have been cold (69 degrees), we have been unwilling to do much snorkeling. We are hopeful this will change soon. Our first stop was Puerto Ballandra on Isla Carmen. We had been here before, but we liked it so much, we decided to return. Last time we anchored here we snagged an underwater tree that had probably been washed down the nearby arroyo with the last hurricane. We had a hard time pulling the anchor up and were successful only after motoring “Little Lara” into shallower waters, dragging the tree with us. There, we were able to snag the tree with the boat hook and slip the anchor from underneath it. Having learned our lesson, we were extra careful where we anchored this time.

From Ballandra we motor-sailed 25 miles north to Caleta San Juanico. There are no nearby towns, no

Ranchito garden in San Juanico

stores, but plenty of RVs camped along the beach. We enjoyed getting to know them during the week we stayed here. Interestingly, most of them are Canadians—about three Canadians for every American. They come to Mexico each year to escape the harsh winters. There are also some small Ranchitos in the area, and we went to visit the families who live out in this desert wilderness tending gardens and raising goats. We were particularly impresses with their gardens. Using goat manure as fertilizer, they plant vegetables in raised beds, which they irrigate using water from a nearby communal well. This water is hauled in by truck and stored in cisterns. The organic vegetables plants were beautiful: large, leafy and healthy looking, unlike the vegetables we grow in our garden back in Redding. While in San Juanico, we went on several hikes, had bonfires on the beach with other cruisers, and hunted for “Apache Tears”. We picked up a bagful of them scattered along the roads and up the arroyos.

Some of the Apache Tears

Apache tears are smooth, glassy stones of natural volcanic obsidian. The stones generally range from pea to golf ball size. They are black in color formed when lava flows cooled rapidly. Because they can be chipped to an amazing sharpness, they were used by the Indians to make spears and arrow heads. Their name comes from a legend dating back to the late 1800's when the United States fought the Apache Indians in Arizona. When the warriors were defeated and killed, their families wept bitterly for their loss of their loved ones, and with each tear shed, it turned into stone upon hitting the ground.

Calm anchorage, Santispac, Bahia Concepcion

We left San Juanico March 9^th for Bahia Concepcion. Boaters, RVers, campers, kayakers, and fishermen come to Bahia Concepcion from all around the world because of the beautiful bays, clear waters and sandy beaches. Here we met Americans, Canadians, Mexicans, South Africans, Austrians, etc. The bay lies 14 miles south of Mulege along Mexico Highway 1. Due to its protection, the ocean swells and northerly winds are blocked, making for calmer waters. There are numerous anchorages all within an eight mile radius, with exotic names like: Santispac, Escondida, El Burro, Coyote, Santa Barbara, and Requeson.

Insect Petroglyph

We stayed long enough to visit them all. While here we went on hikes, caught rides into Mulege, made new friends, and enjoyed the beaches. It was in Bahia Concepcion that the waters finally warmed up enough (75 degrees) for us to go snorkeling and spearfishing without freezing. While hiking we came across many petroglyphs and “bell rocks”. These petroglyphs were carved by the Indians that once inhabited this area up to 3,000 years ago. We were able to easily identify carvings of fish, insects, cacti and trees. The bell rocks were interspersed among the petroglyphs. These fascinating rocks are reddish brown in color and the size of small boulders. Because of their high iron content, when struck, they resonate like a bell (see the video below). We enjoyed Bahia Concepcion so much, we stayed here for two weeks, leaving on March 23^rd for Santa Rosalia.

Note: Click on the pictures to enlarge. Comments and questions are always encouraged!