BajaNomad - 7-4-09 Shell Island Time (Photos & more)

7-4-09 Shell Island Time (Photos & more)

David K - 7-6-2009 at 10:00 PM

Hola amigos,

Baja Angel and I love the beach... a sand beach... and one that we can get to in less than a day's drive... just to chill and enjoy the beauty of Baja's great outdoors.

The coast south of San Felipe has offered that to me for all my life and I can't get enough of it!

Since we bring everything we need and want on the beach, we need no services or facilities and four wheel drive is how we get to our favorite spot... out on Shell Island*

*a barrier island seperated from Baja by lagoons, marshes and a salt flat that periodically is submerged... between Rancho Percebu and Bahia Santa Maria.

The fastest way for us to get there from Oceanside (San Diego County) is by I-8 to El Centro, then south on 111 to Mexicali... and south on Mex. 5 to San Felipe and beyond to Km. 26 (access road to Shell Island). We left the IHOP in Vista at 6 am and arrived in San Felipe at 11:15 am. Gasoline was 7.41 pesos per litre and the exchange rate was 12.50 pesos per dollar, making gas $2.24/ gallon.

We arrived at our camp site at noon on Friday and it was a beautiful day with a firm breeze from the south... Shade is the first thing to go up!

View south on the beach:

View north:

The truck that keeps on giving, Toyota!

View north from the dunes towards Percebu:

Looking across the lagoon towards Baja California:

Looking south down the island:

Happy husband and wife:

Later after some swimming and sunshine, we take a drive to the north and south ends of 4 mile long Shell Island and discover some changes that Mother Nature is making... She is extending Shell Island...!!!

See the next set of photos...

Von - 7-6-2009 at 10:04 PM

Love the pictures David i definitely need to hit shell island looks so beautiful........

David K - 7-6-2009 at 10:15 PM

First we drive to the south end and discover the inlet to Bahia Santa Maria's backbay/ lagoon has moved from east facing to south facing, directly into/ out of Bahia Santa Maria... making the island a tad bit longer on the south end...

View west at the lagoon entrance:

View south towards the homes of BajaRob and Baja Warrior in the Santa Maria complex:

Zoom on the homes, ~ 1.5 miles away:

On the north end we found a big extention of Shell Island just since Memorial Weekend, now extending out infront of Rancho Percebu...

These photos make a panorama from north to west to south of Rancho Percebu:

Back at our camp, we set up the tent:

Every afternoon the thunderclouds formed over the Sierra San Pedro Martir... and you could see the rain falling.

Sunday the clouds spread out to the coast and cooled us off for a while before the evaporated.

Some wildlife photos, next!

David K - 7-6-2009 at 10:30 PM

On Sunday, July 4th... we saw no other people... just various birds and critters...

Can someone ID these two?

We sure had a peaceful weekend! It was a great escape from civilization!

Interesting sea plant or ??? The leaves felt like nylon and were chambers, like balloons... ID?

Monday Morning... packed and leaving Shell Island at 9:30 am...

Heading back to San Felipe...

Slow down for the OH SH*% DIP!

Beautiful Bahia San Felipe...

4 lane highway now extends 20 miles north of San Felipe (a few miles only one side was open)...

Then 10 1/2 miles of dirt detour as they work on the rest of the new highway...

We came home via Tecate... gas near Mexicali was 7.72 pesos per litre @ 12.50 to the dollar ($2.34/ gallon).

Border wait was 37 minutes starting at 2:37 pm.

Hwy. 2-D tolls were $4.00 dollars at El Hongo and Mexicali bipass and $1.30 at La Rumorosa.

I may have a couple more photos to add...

Hope you enjoyed them!

David K - 7-6-2009 at 10:52 PM

Oh, and I often say how bug free it is on Shell Island... but we can get a bug or two to fly in ...

Take this gal, who smelled the juice from the fresh tomatos we just sliced for our lunch... She hung around and drank up all she could. As she moved about, she let me take a few close ups.

The sting from a tarantula hawk is rather strong!

Okay, that was our drama for the weekend, now back to the main event...

[Edited on 7-7-2009 by David K]

rpleger - 7-6-2009 at 11:15 PM

Those two birds were Sam and Tobias....

Sure was crowded over the 4th...

David K - 7-6-2009 at 11:22 PM

Yah... on Friday one SUV with two gringos inside drove by and two kids on quads passed by twice. Saturday, nobody... or Sunday when we were there. :rolleyes:

duke62 - 7-7-2009 at 12:00 AM

Thanks for the pics DK. It looks like it was beautiful. Sounds like a wonderful trip was had.

I believe the birds are Oystercatchers (someone correct me if I am wrong). Was that insect a Tarantula Hawk? The other object looked like a vertebrae??? As my son would text, IDK.

pal57 - 7-7-2009 at 04:54 AM

Hi David,
just read your trip in Shell Island. Great photos. The beach is beautiful and quite different from what we have seen in our trip in Baja. (nothing like Playa Balandra)

I tried to find out where Shell Island could be by your explanations, on google earth. I found Bahia Santa Maria on the Cortes Sea and a little up north Casteneda. I'm not sure if it's the right place.

The 18th of July we are going for a moto trip in Croatia for a week. Split, Zadar, Krk, Pletvice. Coming back I'll put some photos on my forum so you can compare the beaches we have in Europe and does in Baja.

Bye Pal57.

Cypress - 7-7-2009 at 04:59 AM

David K., Thanks for sharing the weekend.

woody with a view - 7-7-2009 at 05:42 AM

in the first foto, did you photoshop the red "towel?"

:light:

BajaRob - 7-7-2009 at 06:27 AM

Great pictures, thanks for sharing.

David K - 7-7-2009 at 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by duke62
Thanks for the pics DK. It looks like it was beautiful. Sounds like a wonderful trip was had.

I believe the birds are Oystercatchers (someone correct me if I am wrong). [Thanks!]

Was that insect a Tarantula Hawk? [Yes]

The other object looked like a vertebrae??? [It was soft] As my son would text, IDK.

David K - 7-7-2009 at 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by pal57
Hi David,
just read your trip in Shell Island. Great photos. The beach is beautiful and quite different from what we have seen in our trip in Baja. (nothing like Playa Balandra)

I tried to find out where Shell Island could be by your explanations, on google earth. I found Bahia Santa Maria on the Cortes Sea and a little up north Casteneda. I'm not sure if it's the right place.

The 18th of July we are going for a moto trip in Croatia for a week. Split, Zadar, Krk, Pletvice. Coming back I'll put some photos on my forum so you can compare the beaches we have in Europe and does in Baja.

Bye Pal57.

Here you go Pal... There is no place called "Casteneda", just Rancho Percebu (formerly Laguna Percebu)... and there has been a couple of attempts at making a campo just south of Percebu: 'Isla San Martin' and 'Laguna del Sol' (I think the sign said):

out on Shell Island*

*a barrier island seperated from Baja by lagoons, marshes and a salt flat that periodically is submerged... between Rancho Percebu and Bahia Santa Maria.

David K - 7-7-2009 at 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Cypress
David K., Thanks for sharing the weekend.

You are welcome...

David K - 7-7-2009 at 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by woody in ob
in the first foto, did you photoshop the red "towel?"

:light:

No... no photos 'photoshopped', should I?

woody with a view - 7-7-2009 at 08:38 AM

no, it just looks like the "towel" is not part of the picture.... maybe it's just me!

David K - 7-7-2009 at 09:00 AM

That's okay Woody... You had a fun weekend, no doubt!

That towel can be seen again just below the tarantula hawk photos (above).

desertcpl - 7-7-2009 at 11:11 AM

great,, thanks for sharing cant wait to see shell island,,

are you able to drive to shell island at high tide

woody with a view - 7-7-2009 at 12:30 PM

if it's an island........ :?:

Bob H - 7-7-2009 at 12:33 PM

David, that's a very nice series of Shell Island images. Thanks for sharing your latest Baja adventure.
Bob H

viabaja - 7-7-2009 at 12:39 PM

Dave,

Great pix as always! What were the night time temps down to? Thats always been my roadblock to going down in July & August. With the humidity and temps as night I could not sleep - even with fans.

Met the people years ago ( a Sr. Limon from LA - I still got the guys' business card!!) who had just bought the property (Isla Martin or whatever it was then) and had big plans - didn't pan out as 99% of the projects do in Baja! Same for the Americans who graded the road in just south to a cleared area. But who the hell wants to camp/trailer overlooking the salf flats?? There is no beach or water!! You still have to drive south to the only access.

David K - 7-7-2009 at 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by viabaja
Dave,

Great pix as always! What were the night time temps down to? Thats always been my roadblock to going down in July & August. With the humidity and temps as night I could not sleep - even with fans.

Met the people years ago ( a Sr. Limon from LA - I still got the guys' business card!!) who had just bought the property (Isla Martin or whatever it was then) and had big plans - didn't pan out as 99% of the projects do in Baja! Same for the Americans who graded the road in just south to a cleared area. But who the hell wants to camp/trailer overlooking the salf flats?? There is no beach or water!! You still have to drive south to the only access.

Yah, exactly... who wants to look at a lagoon that is empty more than half the time (low tides and small moon tides)?

We slept well... it was great at night... maybe 70-75 tops IMO. There was humidity off the gulf, but not hot, steamy stuff. When we did a night run with the new Hellas turned on, it looked like fog!

David K - 7-7-2009 at 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by woody in ob
if it's an island........ :?:

Look closely at this map:

Notice water surrounding the narrow strip of coast/ beach.

It is as much an island as Shelter Island, Harbor Island, Coronado Island... in fact even more so, as during the highest tides, water does go completely around it... the others named above have a small bit of land connecting them to the mainland... like Shell Island does (at low tide)!

[Edited on 7-8-2009 by David K]

On Capt. Mike's GIANT Baja wall map, it's an island!

David K - 7-7-2009 at 06:30 PM

David K - 7-8-2009 at 05:38 PM

I would like a sea weed or sea animal expert to ID this, anybody?

[Edited on 7-9-2009 by David K]

Russ - 7-8-2009 at 05:51 PM

The first thing I thought of was an egg casing from a shark or ray but I googled the $-*t of it and nothing even close comes up. But that is still my GUESS.

David K - 7-8-2009 at 06:07 PM

The 'leaves' are hallow chambers and feel like nylon...

"Mermaid's Necklace"

David K - 9-15-2009 at 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K
I would like a sea weed or sea animal expert to ID this, anybody?

Here is the answer from a marine biologist refered by Ken Bondy (thank you):

"Those are whelk eggs (a whelk is a large marine snail)."

I learned a common name for them is "Mermaid's Necklace".

[Edited on 9-15-2009 by David K]

David K - 9-15-2009 at 08:37 AM

Interesting facts on the Whelk:

Mating and egg laying occur during the spring and fall migration.

Internally fertilized eggs are surrounded by a transparent mass of albumen, a gel-like material, and are laid in protective flat, rounded egg capsules joined to form a paper-like chain of egg cases, commonly called a "Mermaid's Necklace".

On average each capsule contains 0-99 eggs, with most strings having 40-160 capsules.

After laying their egg cases, female knobbed whelk will bury one end of the egg case into the substrate, thus providing an anchor for the developing fertilized eggs and preventing the string of egg cases from washing ashore where it would dehydrate.

Fertilized eggs emerge as juvenile knobbed whelks approximately 4 mm in length.

wessongroup - 9-16-2009 at 08:57 PM

Thanks, quite a bit of information that results from a Baja trip..

Great pictures, you guys are really good sports and not sure if I could have done "tent" camping at your age in the Baja in July.. yeah, I'm a sissy like it cool rather than hot..

Thanks again for all the time and effort, it looks almost like work, but then you took pictures and we know it was fun

David K - 9-17-2009 at 07:57 AM

You're welcome!

Baja is a great place to be outdoors and enjoy Nature!

I enjoy sharing my trips and data with my friends here... I hope it inspires others to do the same...

David K - 6-22-2019 at 07:30 PM

It's been almost 10 years since this trip... We had only the basic sunshade and dome tent.

First time seeing whelk eggs, got a close up of a tarantula hawk, and nice photos of a pair of oystercatchers...

bajapedro - 6-23-2019 at 06:46 AM

Here is what the northern part of Shell Island looks like with a 20' tide

IMG_1698.jpg - 15kB

bajapedro - 6-23-2019 at 06:58 AM

Another pic showing Northern Shell Island under water.
[img]IMG_1695 )1).jpg[/img]

David K - 6-23-2019 at 08:19 AM

I am guessing this is from Percebu looking east from someone's construction project? The island has been growing northward slowly over the years. It isn't much more than a sand bar there.

bajapedro - 6-23-2019 at 08:27 AM

That is correct. A 20' tide covers about a 1/2 mile of the Northern portion of Shell Island. View is from patio of new casa.

David K - 6-23-2019 at 08:38 AM

In 2016, I took my Baja Extreme Tour to the north end of the island after our first night camp. Percebu homes in the background...

bajapedro - 6-23-2019 at 09:13 AM

Here are current pics from Shell Island looking toward beach.