A small treasure with big services!

Posted on by CGENGO

The past few days have been spent on the Sea of Cortez (e.g.- Gulf of California) enjoying some nice little oceanside areas.   After the tranquility of Concepcion Bay we headed to the town of Loreto for services. This is one of the few towns on this side of the peninsula with a deep-water port and an international airport so we expected to find a bustling city filled with touristy shops. But we were pleasantly surprised. When we first arrived we drove through the main section and found a medium sized, Mexican town engaging in typical Mexican commerce. Then we saw the closed streets of the downtown area. Finally we drove along a very clean, well-designed malecon area with many small pangas docked. This was a pleasant little town without the hard edge of a typical port city or tourist destination. We located a great little RV park with laundry, hot showers, and clean bathrooms.

Alta is the thorn among the roses. She is not accustomed to being the smallest rig in town!
Alta is the thorn among the roses. She is not accustomed to being the smallest rig in town!

Among the guests were several other travelers like ourselves. One guy was just puttering around Baja in a 70’s bay window VW. Several couples had elaborate, pop up campers on large trucks. We spent time with a couple from New Zealand who came to North America for their bucket list- Overland Expo, Burning Man and the Pan-American Highway. They will travel in a Toyota 4-Runner with a roof top tent. Mango made friends with the children in the conversion van next door; they are from France, have been living in Tahiti and are traveling Mexico. None of that matters to Mango as long as the kids keep dropping Cheerios!

Mango is vacuuming up every Cheerio the kids drop!
Mango is vacuuming up every Cheerio the kids drop!

We took care of business in the small town and then went out exploring on our bikes. Found cute café’s and great shops along the closed streets.

The beautiful Loreto walkway. A closed-to-cars plaza with shops, cafes, church, etc.
The beautiful Loreto walkway. A closed-to-cars plaza with shops, cafes, church, etc.
The beautiful Loreto mission along the walkway.
The beautiful Loreto mission along the walkway.
A fun cafe on the closed streets of Loreto.
A fun cafe on the closed streets of Loreto.

We strolled the         malecon (waterfront walkway)  and Loreto harborwatched the fishermen off the jetty with their hand lines. loreto harbor1This was an easy city to navigate and a comfortable place to relax for a couple of days.

An information sign that advises folks about the impacts of trash. This is an unusual campaign in Mexico- a country that still throws out a lot of trash along roadways and towns.
An information sign that advises folks about the impacts of trash. This is an unusual campaign in Mexico- a country that still throws out a lot of trash along roadways and towns.

One of the permanent guests in the park explained that he selected Loreto because it was a direct flight on Alaskan Airlines. He flies in from Anchorage after fishing season and spends half the year in the warm, tropical climate. He seemed to enjoy the services in town, the cheap lifestyle and the stories from the ever-changing guests in the RV park. When we finally left there, we did not go far. About 40 miles down the coast we found the tiny town of Lugui and a bay which the locals used to launch their small fishing pangas. They told us that they were fishing for Tiburon (shark) when they left at sunset. These photos capture the fantastic colors of the see and sky as the sun was setting and a full moon was rising. We spent just one night in the bay and moved further south.

The colors in the sky are from the sunset in the mountains behind us. The dot in the sky is the full moon rising over the sea.
The colors in the sky are from the sunset in the mountains behind us. The dot in the sky is the full moon rising over the sea.
After the sun was gone, the ocean and sky became blue with a full moon hanging in the sky!
After the sun was gone, the ocean and sky became blue with a full moon hanging in the sky!
The morning sun has the clouds held captive in the Sierra Giganta mountains behind our campsite.
The morning sun has the clouds held captive in the Sierra Giganta mountains behind our campsite.

One stop along the way was San Carlos Bay. This Pacific coast village was busy with clams, fishing and preparing for the whales arrival. We had a quick lunch and decided not to stay. We found a once-lovely-now-rundown RV park in Cuidad Constitution and stayed for a night. Then back on the road and heading for the cape.

2 thoughts on “A small treasure with big services!”

  2. Loreto was my favorite town in all of the Baja. On your way back north, stop in at McLulu’s for fish tacos. I blogged about her. Might be the only time I dedicated a blog to one person!

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