Bahia Gonzaga y El delta del Rio Colorado

With little planning we ended up spending two weeks in Baja and the Sea of Cortez. The first week we spent in Bahia San Luis Gonzaga and the second week paddling the ‘crossing’ from San Felipe to El Golfo de Santa Clara.

The drive to Gonzaga was uneventful, but beautiful. We camped along the way and loved being on the beach and taking that requisite baptismal swim in the Sea. Taking the recommendations from other Nomad’s we headed for Campo Beluga, about two or three miles down the bay from Alfonsina’s. It is a great place to stay with fresh water, toilets, and very sturdy palapas. We based our over night kayaking from there.

The coves near Punta Final are largely unvisited, mostly because of access difficulty – the kayak is the perfect way to get there. We camped on typical Baja beaches littered with trash and dead sea creatures like sea turtles, sea lions, pelicans as well as discarded bleach bottles, plastic bags and rope.

We spent an afternoon swimming in a hyper-saline lagoon that featured brine shrimp and hyper-buoyancy. What a kick trying to snorkel to the bottom but being left to pop to the top like a cork! This lagoon has clearly been here for a long long time…

One day we spent an hour watching a whale (a California Grey?) and a pod of dolphins feed in an isolated cove. Judging by the bubbles it appeared that the whale was ‘bubble netting’ prey. Neither the whale or the dolphins minded our presence and the whale even swam right under my brothers and our friend Ricks’ kayak.

In Baja I love how my senses become hyper-vigilant – my eyes are always searching for movement or patterns in the desert, the sea, the beach. It could simply be a disruption in the pattern of waves that indicates dolphins surfacing in the distance. Or it could mean a coyote standing in the rocky shadows on the shoreline watching us paddle by. As always, things for me feel new and there’s always a sense of anticipation about what lies over the next sand dune, what bones we might find on the beach, what creature might appear at the bow of our kayaks.

We did eventually make it to El Golfo, but not without our share of pitch black night paddling and sketchy scenarios. We were very happy to stand on the sandy shores of Sonora when all was said and done.

This was by far the best Baja trip I've had in years...

~ gringorio



[Edited on 3-29-2007 by gringorio]

[Edited on 3-29-2007 by gringorio]

[Edited on 8-24-2007 by gringorio]

photos

Alfonsina's as seen from near Punta Final with a 400mm lens.

[Edited on 3-29-2007 by gringorio]

photos

San Felipe to El Golfo tracks

road to Puertecitos

road to Puertecitos (looking North)

[Edited on 3-29-2007 by gringorio]

[Edited on 3-29-2007 by gringorio]

gringorio

sunrise

sunrise

mud

As David K has pointed out, there are many shell 'islands', especially north of San Felipe. As it turns out, there's also a lot of mud.

[Edited on 8-24-2007 by gringorio]

moth

moth pollinator

dolphin

dolphin

whale

whale

[Edited on 3-29-2007 by gringorio]

Holy cow Greg, that picture of the whale near the kayak is amazing! I wish I had been that lucky! My kayaking was much less adventurous as yours, I'm still pretty new with it. I hope to get my trip report online in a few weeks.

Thanks for the great report Greg and photos. I was introduced to El Golfo back in the 70's and now that I live AZ I should get back down there and enjoy some sand and shrimp.

thanks!

thanks everyone! i've still a ton more photos to go through and will try and post some of them in the photo section.

gringorio, Thanks, Super pics.

Plenty mud alright! Here's Isla Montague from the air (passenger side of beercan's Bonanza)

photo

Oso - great piont of view - we could have used that shot!

Gringorio,

Great report! I met you back in May 05' off the Gonzaga area in the Yak....we were the guys flyfishing! Glad to see you're still hitting Baja, what a beautiful place!

I'd like to get down there again, maybe next spring...who knows.

How was the road south of Puertositos to Gonzaga? Heard they are starting to pave some of it.

Buena Suerte,

Jim

trip n pics

video

Thanks everyone! We're planning a return trip this August - can hardly wait!!! Will definately post a trip report here on Nomad...

Here are some videos from the last trip:

http://www.bajatrekker.com/phpbb/viewforum.php?f=21

Enjoy!

gringorio

hey capt. mike,

remember flying my brother and i over the delta on the way to Loreto? that was so cool! back then i was only dreaming of paddling that coast. thanks for the great flight! by the way, i still wear your Screaming Airlines t-shirt...

gringorio

[Edited on 6-2-2007 by gringorio]

[Edited on 6-2-2007 by gringorio]

alright Greg!
and yes, i have the CDV you made for us too, i show it as part of my inflight movies now, or baja 1000 clips.....or whales , fishing, killer squid diving with Dale Pearson (gone to baja) - hell, i got a ton of video. i even show the DK matomi movie courtesy of El Camote Mike.

when you last flew i didn't have the DVD and 2 screens (no neck strain here!) system in the plane. So when you go next you'll have plenty to look at while you are pampered in 1st class section....

remember that landing at PSFO when we hit that hoover suck out over the beach on short final?! what a ride man! i am surprised you guys got back in the plane for the next hop to loreto.
all fun for me tho!