Rancho San Dionisio // It’s our third full day in the same place and feels so good to wake with no intention of moving. We wait for the sun to come out and warm the air before stepping outside for a morning yoga session on the lawn. During yoga a gentle breeze causes the leaves of the giant Ceiba tree beside us to come raining down. I wonder, in confusion, what month it is...
Rancho San Dionisio // It’s 40 degrees this morning, by far the coldest morning we’ve experienced this winter. (A far cry from the below freezing temps we used to endure this time of year in Colorado.). None of us guests on the ranch seem prepared for it and are all huddled around the outdoor kitchen with our hoods over our heads while we drink our coffee and tea. Time somehow becomes...
Rancho San Dionisio // Hot coffee and fresh baked chocolate chip cookies lure us over to the community kitchen this morning where we join in conversation with fellow travelers. Clarence & Isabel, the owners and hosts of the ranch, have a way of bringing people together, it’s one of the many things I love about this traveler’s paradise. With a lawn at our doorstep, rolling out our...
La Ribera -> San Dionisio // Sure enough, the locals came to party last night. That’s always the risk when camping on a beach near a populated area but we were in need of a place to sleep and hoped for the best. Luckily it didn’t last all night but for a few hours the music was loud and the hooting and hollering even louder. Interestingly enough, what did make noise all night...
Los Frailes -> La Ribera // The encounter we were hoping we wouldn’t have occurs at 7am this morning. After taking a closer look yesterday at the welcome sign that we passed on the way to where we’re parked, Mark and I deduced that we’re most likely not supposed to be camping where we are. Sure enough a park ranger pays us a visit and confirms our suspicions. Unlike in the States, where...
The East Cape // Ocean theatre begins first thing this morning with whales breaching not too far from the coastline. I grab a chair and walk barefoot in the sand towards the water where I join the rest of the group for the morning show. A mama whale and calf appear right before our eyes, so close to the shore that we could easily swim out to them. Stepping away to make breakfast...
Los Barriles -> The East Cape // The moment Mark opens the camper door this morning a stream of blazing orange light comes flooding inside. He looks at me and says “it’s good, you should come outside”. I peek my head out to see a sky full of cotton ball clouds in all shades of pink, orange, and yellow. These are the moments the earth is begging us to stop and take it all in...
A beach north of El Cardonal -> Los Barriles // I could easily spend a sixth day at this beach. It’s treated us well. But food and water is running out and waste is piling up bringing our week of self-sufficiency to a close. Whether you travel on a bike or a yacht, you can only be free for so long before resources are needed. The nearest town of El Cardonal is our first...
Somewhere north of El Cardonal // There isn’t so much as a whisper of wind this morning. The sea is still, the air is warm, and the sun is intensifying by the minute. It only makes sense then to spend the day on the water. Mark had hopes of snorkeling and I was well on my way to attempting my first ever paddleboard yoga session until witnessing all the jellyfish that had...
Somewhere north of El Cardonal // Apparently we weren’t alone last night. Ellie’s missing dog food container and paw prints surrounding the area indicate thieves in the form of raccoons. We’re so focused on sea life when we’re at the beach, it’s easy to forget about the land-based creatures whose habitat we’re sharing. Mark and I are in a cooking kind of mood today and make three...
