Loreto

Mission of Nuestra Senora de Loreto Concho.

Quaint cobble stone street scene looking back at the mission.

Can it get any more picture postcard than this?

Hotel Posada del las Flores has a roof top pool that you stand under in the courtyard.

A working loom for weaving blankets and small rugs.

It's for rent - any takers?

One of the most irritating thorns in our sides throughout the whole Baja - noise polution at its worst!

What would the area be without its beaches and palm trees?

Waiting for the tsunami.

We find ourselves spending a second night in Loreto. We fell in love with the Baja all over again by cruising around the historic streets of Loreto. JD spent a few hours patching our mountain bike tire tubes again - don't you just hate all those thorny things that puncture tires in this part of the world?! We've tried to head off disaster by injecting 'slime' into Susies' tire tubes. We'll see how effective it works down here. It is so much more relaxing to cruise around town on a mountain bike than in a 3/4 ton long box truck. Bumping over the topes and cobble stones is so much easier to bear on a bike than a big truck.

This community has an old world feel to it and was at one time the center of the religious world for all of the Californias which included the present day state of California. The main mission church is still in use at the centre of town - built circa 1700s. There of course is a huge population of ex-patriots living here, both US and Canadian citizens and a very welcoming group of people they are. The only disapointment is that the beaches are made up of silty dark sand and pebbles which you can't help but bring half of it home with you. The fishing boats are coming in with a number of yellow tail and the military is even showing its presence by checking anglers as they come off the boats. Our Conservation Officers will have to step up in the armament department if they want to keep up with these guys.

We've managed to meet some wonderful people in our travels. Some people we will probably never see again but have made our lives brighter by crossing our paths. Some we hope to meet with again as we meander northward. One couple we have met suggested we stick around for the farmers' market which happens, on Sunday mornings in the big arroyo that dissects the town. Of course with our love of fresh produce we won't miss that. After the market, a scouting trip to Nopolo may result or a meander northward to Bahia Concepcion.

We do not mean to make light of the tsunami warning issued for the Pacific Rim after the major earthquake in Chile but we have to reassure our family and friends that we are in little if any danger here on the Sea of Cortez from that threat.