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Have A Baja Moment! East Cape Sees Signs of Summer

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Have A Baja Moment! East Cape Sees Signs of Summer Seasonal changes in the tropical desert may not be as overt as those in more temperate regions, but to the observant they give measure to the passage of time. Recently, on the drive to town along the bumpy Palo Escopeta Road , I noticed subtle changes to the scenery. Trees had dropped the leaves they’d grown thanks to last years’ rain, coloring the landscape grey where before it was verdant. In contrast, the branches of the tree known locally as Palo Escopeta held out thick bunches of tiny greenish white flowers, backed by …

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Planning A Day Trip to Los Barriles, Jewel of the East Cape

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Planning A Day Trip to Los Barriles, Jewel of the East Cape By El Barrilito Need a break from the touristy atmosphere and rowdy nightlife of Cabo San Lucas? How about a day trip to Los Barriles , one of the jewels of the East Cape ? Los Barriles isn’t hip and it isn’t pretentious, but it is filled with nice folks and enjoys great year round weather. The town was little more than a fishing village until about 25 years ago. Now it’s populated with full and part-time expats, retired and otherwise, who have discovered the area’s natural beauty. Los Barriles offers numerous outdoor adventures, from …

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Have a Baja Moment! Rancho Leonero and Beachfront Casa Verde

Rancho Leonero on the Sea of Cortez.

Have a Baja Moment! Rancho Leonero and Beachfront Casa Verde by Tom Gatch “Alright,” our kayak guide barked with a grin.  “Get those legs over the side …I want to see you all sitting sideways on your yaks!!  Get used to fishing that way.  It’s VERY stable!” He was right, of course; it was our first day of East Cape kayak fishing and we needed to get outside of my comfort zone.  We were paddling along in 120 feet of deep blue water on a beautiful morning in the Sea of Cortez, and it was totally up to me to make the most of …

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Mobula Rays and Humpback Whales: East Cape and the Cycle of Life

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Mobula Rays and Humpback Whales:  East Cape and the Cycle of Life by Dawn Pier Earlier this month, as I snuggled into bed one night and stillness settled over me, a series of rhythmic sounds came sharp and distinct out of the darkness. It sounded like a horse trotting down the stone pathway that runs next to the house, to the beach. I pictured him then: brown coat shining under the light of the waxing moon, searching for a way out of the fenced property, ears twitching this way and that at the noise of dogs stirring. The clop-clop-clop stopped then, briefly. …

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East Cape Get-Away: An Angler’s Dream

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East Cape Get-Away:  An Angler’s Dream by Tom Gatch   For most of the visitors who fly into Baja Sur’s Los Cabos Airport, their ultimate destinations in places like San Jose Del Cabo , Cabo San Lucas or Todos Santos lie relatively close at hand.  But for those who head north along Baja’s Cortez coast, the narrow highway passes through miles and miles of primitive, sparsely inhabited terrain eventually crossing the Tropic of Cancer and passing through the small poblado of Los Barriles, which is 40 miles north of the airport and in the middle of the legendary East Cape , a place where countless anglers have caught the fish of …

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After the Rain: East Cape Transformed

After the rain, East Cape transformed from brown and beige to lush and verdant.

East Cape Transformed Thanks to the Rain By Dawn Pier The East Cape desert has been transformed. We’ve finally received much-needed rain following a four-year drought; what was once a mixture of grey, brown and beige, has exploded into a verdant landscape unrecognizable as its former self – our Baja desert runneth over with the green of trees, grasses, vines and flowering plants. Add to that a smorgasbord of buzzing insects, singing birds and fat, content livestock. But I shall let the photos speak for themselves.   We had three separate rain events this summer and total rainfall amounted to approximately 23 …

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Villa del Faro: An Eco-Friendly Boutique East Cape Hotel Oasis

East Cape Hotels

By Dawn Pier Villa del Faro Eco-Hotel  in the East Cape  is a surprise in so many ways – a lovingly handcrafted private estate turned boutique hotel, hidden on the side of a hill overlooking the Sea of Cortez smack dab in the middle of nowhere. It is truly a tropical hideaway. One is even more surprised to learn that the vast and comfortable compound is powered by solar energy (augmented by quiet generators only when necessary). There are no power or phone lines to connect to, but thanks to satellites, it isn’t difficult to connect to the outside world through the internet and television. The hotel …

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East Cape’s Crossroads Country Club: More Baja Country than Club

The view from inside Crossroads

By Dawn Pier The owners of the Crossroads Country Club clearly have a sense of humor. While it is located at the crossroads of the Coast and Palo Escopeta Roads, smack dab in the middle of the East Cape and about as far from “civilization” as you can get, it is by no means a country club. Don’t worry about donning your whites, ties or polo shirts, just come as you are and bring your appetite. The restaurant is located on a large beachfront lot with commanding views of the expansive beach and desertscape. Large sliding glass doors are typically left open to give the …

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Mexican President Calderon Sides with Cabo Pulmo

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By Dawn Pier I must preface this blog entry with the caveat that I am not unbiased in reporting the recent cancellation of the Cabo Cortez Project. In 2003, I was one of several people who founded the organization Amigos para la Conservacion de Cabo Pulmo, A.C. (ACCP), the mandate of which includes the conservation of the coral reef ecosystem in Cabo Pulmo National Park. I was executive director of the organization until 2005. In 2009, spurred by the threat represented by Cabo Cortez, I rejoined the current membership as a volunteer. On June 15th, at the height of the …

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Beware of the Jumping Cholla: Not Your Average Garden Plant

Poor guy has had a run in with cholla.  Image courtesy of Lon & Queta

By Dawn Pier After four years with almost no measurable rain in the East Cape region of Baja , the desert looks dead. It’s predominant color is grey with virtually all vegetation appearing devoid of life. The exception is the mesquite, which grow in arroyos (dry river beds) and must have incredibly deep roots that tap into aquifers running deep below the surface. Even the cacti are starting to show signs of water stress, turning red, their ribs shrinking like folded accordions as the water they store dwindles to precariously low levels. I marvel at the free-ranging cows, horses, donkeys and goats. How …

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