My Month in Loreto

I live near Seattle and every spring I crave escaping to someplace filled with sun, lots of sun! I've been going to Cabo for many years but this year I needed to try something different. I've been widowed for 10 years and during that time my life had settled into a comfortable routine. Maybe too comfortable, even with regular trips to Mexico. So how could I make a month in the sun more adventurous? A solo trip sounded intriguing...but also scary. It would definitely be an adventure. Am I up to the challenge? I guess I'll find out...

My criteria for a solo trip:

• A sunny, warm location
• Close to an airport
• A walkable town
• By the water
• A quiet, relaxing location but with fun things to do

I found the answer in Loreto Mexico on the Sea of Cortez. So with a short internet search I found a one bedroom apartment, right in town, and rented it! It looks like this solo trip is going to happen. I'll be living only one block from the waterfront and four blocks from the town square. It's one of four residences in a gated compound, so I'll have privacy, security and neighbors. Seems perfect.

Thanks to Facebook I connected with a couple people before I arrived in Loreto and one of them even met me at the airport. It was nice to be greeted by a friendly face. My first few days were difficult. It was sunny but Loreto was cold - and very windy. It was so cold I had to turn the heater on in my apartment - something I have never before done in Mexico. Even the locals were complaining about the unusually cold weather. I was spending too much time alone in my apartment and that was not what I came for! So I got out and started walking. Loreto is very easy to explore on foot. First I found a fun little place, just a block away from my apartment, that has live music almost every night. And then I started meeting people. Plus it got warmer. Yay!

What a great adventure it turned out to be!

Exploring Loreto was so much fun and I discovered some beautiful things.

Town Hall With a Quarter Moon

Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó was built in the 1740s.

There is nothing this old in my hometown!

The bells play the same song at the same time every day. I loved waking up to 

"Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" every morning!

Around the Town Plaza

At the tiny Loreto marina.

 Love the Colors!

A day without wind on the main beach in town.
And look - no vendors!!

Here's what I did for a few days out of the month:

One of the first things I signed up for was to go on a tour to Isla Coronado, a nature preserve. It felt wonderful to get out on the water for the first time in several months. We saw a humpback whale, lots of pelicans, sea lions, cormorants, seagulls and Canadian geese. We also saw an osprey in its nest up on the rocks and a few Blue Footed Boobies. We finished the tour with a taco lunch on a quiet, sandy beach.

Bye Coronado

I also rented a car for a day to take a short trip through the Baja mountains. The drive into the desert mountains was incredibly beautiful. I stopped so often to take photos that it took me almost two hours to travel only 22 miles. And there were many things I couldn't get a photo of. An egret flew right in front of me and landed in a small pond. Several goats ran across the road ahead of me. And it was amazing to see cowboys, on their horses, wearing full cowboy gear - even chaps!

My drive into the mountains ended in San Javier and the first thing I saw was the most incredible church. It was built in 1699...in the middle of the desert...up in the mountains of the Baja! Amazing! It's an active church with regular services. I would love to be there on a Sunday morning to experience worshiping in such a historical place. And there is a 300 year old olive tree growing near the church. A very nice man took me on a private tour of the area.

Misión San Francisco Javier de Vigge-Biaundo

I love that the rope to ring the church bell is tied to the orange tree!

A 300 Year Old Olive Tree

Something I've wanted to do for years is visit Magdalena Bay to see the gray whales that come south to give birth. So I signed up for a tour and off we went. What an incredible experience! The babies were bigger than our boat and they were only about six weeks old. 

They come right up close!

Whale's breath really stinks!

This is the baby! Mamma is below the surface just behind it.

On the way back to Loreto, after spending time with the whales, our guide stopped to show us some cacti. They are unique to this part of the world and I found them very interesting.

The Walking Cactus

What a strange plant! It just lies there on the ground and grows from its top end with the bottom end dying off. 

So as it grows, it stays the same length but it moves, very slowly, across the desert floor. 

In its ideal climate it can "walk" as much as two feet a year!

The Jumping Cholla (pronounced choy-a)

This is a wicked cactus - ask me how I know! The plant has pads that separate from the main stem very easily. The barbs then attach the pads to anything - clothes, skin, even your shoes. Since the pads are covered with spines, they're difficult to dislodge. And the barbs anchor in tight! 

A trick is that if you can rub the barbs on your hair they come right out on their own.

The official nickname for people from Southern Baja is "Choyero" named after this cactus. Anyone born and raised in Southern Baja proudly refers to themselves, and each other, as Choyeros. 

One day I got an invitation to go off-roading and of course I said yes. I love going fast! We went way up an arroyo that ended with a trickle of a waterfall. 

Next I started researching the idea of going on an overnight road trip. I got mixed reviews when I told my Loreto friends about my plan - but I decided to do it anyway. If the worst happened, I'd just deal with it! It turned out that the worst thing I experienced was my first time going through a military checkpoint. Those soldiers were so nice! They even blushed when I asked them what I had to put in the column of numbers on their form. It was my age!
First I drove along Bahia Conceptión and took hundreds of photos. The contrast of the desert meeting the sea is so beautiful. I think I was pulling off the road every ten minutes to take more pictures.

Playa Requeson

Stopped at Buenaventura for lunch.

Then I drove on to Mulegé, a charming town along a river, about two hours north of Loreto. Of course with all my stops it took me most of the day to drive there! And because there's a river in Mulegé there are a lot of palm trees - it's so beautiful. First I found a place to spend the night and then went exploring. I found another old church, a lighthouse and some funky old buildings.

Misión Santa Rosalía de Mulegé

From the church grounds above the river.

Next stop - Santa Rosalía, another hour to the north. It's a quaint old mining town with a very unusual church designed by Gustave Eiffel - it's made of metal. I also loved all the unique wooden buildings in town. Especially since there are no trees around! Santa Rosalía has very interesting architecture. It also has a fantastic bakery and I can't wait to go back for more of their yummy pastries. Just as I was coming into town a police car started up his siren right behind me! But he went right by when I pulled over. Whew! Dodged a bullet!

Iglesía de Santa Bárbara - designed by Eiffel

This church was built in Paris, displayed at the Paris World's Fair

in 1889, then dismantled, shipped to Santa Rosalía and rebuilt.

To me, this does not look like Mexico!

And last, but most important, I made many great friends. I know they will be friends for life! I got so many invitations to do things that I had to be careful. One purpose of this trip was to learn more about me. At age 70 I'm feeling some time pressure to figure out what I want my life to be like 'when I grow up'. I'd gone from college to marriage to children and then owning a business; now it's my time! I'm working on it but I do need to trust that God really does want what is best for me.

I learned that:

• I like who I am.
• I need to connect with people on a regular basis. I am definitely a people person! But I also need a good amount of time alone.
• I love exploring without a plan.
• It's good to dream.
• I love making new friends.
• I like to be challenged.
• It's okay to take risks.
• I have so much to be thankful for!
• I want to bring my life at home more in line with how I spent my time in Loreto.
• I love going alone on road trips to new places.
• I was not on vacation - I spent a month living in Mexico.
• I want to embrace the life I've been given but also continue to search for more.
• It's easier to go on adventures now that I've downsized my home and my possessions.
• It's very empowering to say "I did it"!
• I'm getting much better at being patient.
• It's okay to be scared.
• Gringos that live in Loreto, even if only part time, are very adventurous. They understand my need to get out and try new things.
• I do not fear change…no matter where it takes me.
• I'm learning to appreciate the journey even more than arriving at the destination.

What now? For sure I want to keep traveling to sunny places. I do want to go back to Loreto because I made so many new friends and I want to see them again. Do I need to find more destinations to travel to alone? Yes...I think so. 

Where do you think I should I go next?

More Loreto exploring -

Mexican graffiti.
Watch out - Mexican sidewalks add to the adventure!

My apartment is on the ground floor - 

the front door is inside the green gate.

Gotta hatch those eggs!

This was the second hummingbird nest I saw - 

and both were right outside my apartment door!

I found a pool I could use and I had it to myself most of the time.

Looking forward to getting back in this saddle.

Bye Loreto. See you soon!