BajaNomad - Shell Island - this weekend

Shell Island - this weekend

viabaja - 6-25-2006 at 02:28 PM

Hot & muggy!! Dave, saw those 2 structures you mentioned. Identical at each end of the beach. Ejido? Access will be impossible unless a million or more is spent on a raised road.

Pix are from Lands'end where Shell Island ends & Santa Maria starts.

More pix

viabaja - 6-25-2006 at 02:57 PM

Land'send where Shellisland ends and Santa Maria starts - over arroyo. Tide 16.5" high.

David K - 6-25-2006 at 07:18 PM

Good shots Chris!

Too bad it was muggy for you! I wish I was still there from last Sunday...

Thanks for the post amigo!

Bob H - 6-25-2006 at 08:18 PM

Daivd, I think this is one of the most favorite places for you in Baja, if not the #1 favrorite place. What a great place to hang out.
Bob H

David K - 6-26-2006 at 07:24 AM

I love the beach... all sand... no other people usually... the only trash (if any) is what floats down from Percebu where all the people are. Perfect place to be a Baja Nomad!

[Edited on 6-26-2006 by David K]

Images- jpg

capitolkat - 6-26-2006 at 11:52 AM

david- I really enjoy your reports but I can't open the JPG images with my browser- while the images posted by viabaja were just great-- any ideas of why some open but others won't ?

HotSchott - 6-26-2006 at 11:59 AM

It's almost warm enough for Val and me. Soon - very soon...

Hey Dave, what is the story with those pilot whale / dolphin bones? Can you bring that stuff back to the states? That would look really cool reconstructed in my front yard! Is it legal to be in possession of marine mammal bones? Way better than pink plastic flamingos.

David K - 6-26-2006 at 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by capitolkat
david- I really enjoy your reports but I can't open the JPG images with my browser- while the images posted by viabaja were just great-- any ideas of why some open but others won't ?

I have no idea why... do you not see other images on Nomad I have posted?. Viabaja's are hotlinked from his web site I believe (why he can show more than one image per post)... Whereas my photos from last weekend are off my pc files...

Here's a photo from last September... (hot linked)

Here's Mike Humfreville and viabaja on Shell Island in 2004...

Here's Baja Angel on Shell Island in 2005...

Here's Shell Island last July...

Here I am on New Years Day 2001 with my new truck on Shell Island...

Here in May, 2003...

Finally... the last one off my PC using 'browse'... (2001)

[Edited on 6-27-2006 by David K]

David K - 6-26-2006 at 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by HotSchott
It's almost warm enough for Val and me. Soon - very soon...

Hey Dave, what is the story with those pilot whale / dolphin bones? Can you bring that stuff back to the states? That would look really cool reconstructed in my front yard! Is it legal to be in possession of marine mammal bones? Way better than pink plastic flamingos.

I don't have an answer for you Steve... sorry! (come by my place if you want to see them in person!) :lol:

eetdrt88 - 6-26-2006 at 06:13 PM

hey David its great that you get down there during the summer months as well...only been down a few times during the summer and loved how sparse the crowds were and how warm the water was...but the summer months are by far our busiest as we are doing the Sawdust Art Festival here in Laguna and it starts in a few days and goes basically the entire duration of the summer...any nomads interested in checking out some art just let me know and i'll get you in for free and we can have a beer and talk some Baja...oh yeah I forgot to mention plenty of live music and great food there as well :yes:

Roberto - 6-26-2006 at 06:26 PM

Are you sure these are dolphin bones? During May, there was a VERY abnormal rate of deaths of "Lobos Marinos" (sea lions). I covered about 15 miles of coast, and found a dead sea lion every few hundred feet. I was told by my camp host that the news was on TV and the count was 300+ for the month.

David K - 6-26-2006 at 06:26 PM

That sounds great!!! How do we find you there? This weekend maybe (unless I go back to Baja, LOL!)?

capitolkat - 6-27-2006 at 05:38 AM

David I see all the hot link photos but no JPG. I think it must be the filter on my computer here at work. Thanks for the pics- really nice. Norm

David K - 6-27-2006 at 07:23 AM

De nada Norm... All the photos and more are on my web site, by the way...

tim40 - 6-27-2006 at 01:46 PM

Eetdrt88: how would one find you at the festival? We make it down from Manhattan Beach at least once during the summer.

Now, before blasting me, note I have been on this board several years and traveling baja since I was just a glimmer of my parents eye....and that was not yesterday... Soooo... Where, exactly, is shell beach?

eetdrt88 - 6-27-2006 at 05:01 PM

any nomads interested in checking out the Sawdust just drop me a u2u with your email add. and i'll send you all the info

David K - 6-27-2006 at 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tim40
Eetdrt88: how would one find you at the festival? We make it down from Manhattan Beach at least once during the summer.

Now, before blasting me, note I have been on this board several years and traveling baja since I was just a glimmer of my parents eye....and that was not yesterday... Soooo... Where, exactly, is shell beach?

Tim, 'Shell Beach' is at Punta Chivato near Mulege...

'Shell Island' (however others not so savvy have called it Shell Beach as well) is between Laguna (Rancho) Percebu and Bahia Santa Maria (20-25 road miles south of San Felipe). It is deep sand with no services... deflating your tires to almost flat is necessary even with 4WD.

I call it an island because it is a barrier island backed by long, shallow lagoons that empty at low tide. The island does become surrounded by water at the highest lunar tides. 'Island' sounds more exotic than 'Beach' anyway! Obviously, shells are plentiful because it isn't easy to get to.

A road was built from Hwy. 5 onto the island (via a raised causeway and bridge onto the island) at Km. 26, in 1984... But the constant tidal action has eroded that roadbed down and the bridge is useless, so driving through some mud or sea water going around that bridge is needed.

Photo of Surfer Jim on that bridge in 2004... (note the roadbed is about two feet below the concrete bridge, now)

[Edited on 6-28-2006 by David K]

David K - 6-27-2006 at 08:55 PM

Here's a satellite view of the long, skinny Shell Island... which is what I named it since crossing the water and mud to get out there starting about 1977...

Bridge

viabaja - 6-28-2006 at 09:15 PM

Dave, as I understand it, that great bridge to Shell Island was built by a company out out of Arizona which explains why it has lasted! The fishing company (part of the San Felipe co-op) originally built up the road with clay. In fact, many years ago, I had dinner at Lands'end with one of the "participants", who owned the engine, but not the boat, which was owned by one of the co-op crowd. For a drive from Lands'end to the road, we were given a bunch of shrimp! They were so big, we needed to butterfly em! I'll find that pix1

Shrimp on the barbi!

viabaja - 6-28-2006 at 09:21 PM

tim40 - 6-28-2006 at 09:43 PM

Thank you David. I have been...and like so many times, I did not know where I was...ahhh, just another day..

jimgrms - 7-15-2006 at 07:12 PM

Via baja the bldgs brhind the birds what is it called? and is there any accomadations

David K - 7-16-2006 at 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jimgrms
Via baja the bldgs brhind the birds what is it called? and is there any accomadations

That is Bahia Santa Maria, just south of Shell Island... Private vacation homes, no motel.

On the north end of Shell Island and across the lagoon is Rancho Percebu which has rental homes (weekend or longer). www.bajarentals.com

Ken Cooke - 8-27-2006 at 09:03 PM

I would love to visit. Looks like a blast!!

David K - 8-28-2006 at 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ken Cooke
I would love to visit. Looks like a blast!!

You did visit! Here's you and Suzanne on Shell Island about 5 years ago...

Ken Cooke - 8-28-2006 at 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K

Quote:

Originally posted by Ken Cooke
I would love to visit. Looks like a blast!!

You did visit! Here's you and Suzanne on Shell Island about 5 years ago...

5 years is a long time, Amigo. We might check it out in November when we swing through the San Felipe area on our way home after the big Mission Impossible Jeep Event in November. That way, we'll get to see Shell Island again...