I’m groggy and half-asleep when I step outside this morning. But Mark said it would be worth it and it was. A perfect pattern of cotton ball shaped clouds line the sky and reflect the rising sun. Both the sky and the ocean are the most magnificent shade of orange. We stand and stare in awe until the sun crests the horizon. Shortly after, the sun disappears behind the cloud layer, taking the light...
Our migration back north began today with a 4.5 drive to Playa Ligui. Before hitting the road we stopped for groceries at Walmart. While Mark repacked our fridge, I watched what was presumably a dad teaching his daughter how to drive in the empty back corner of the parking lot where we were parked. As we pulled out of the parking lot, what looked like a relaxed driving lesson turned in to chaos...
It’s my 42nd birthday today and there’s no place I’d rather be. Mark starts the day by wrapping up tax preparations and sending them off to our accountant. A damn good birthday gift in my book. By late morning he’s done and game to do anything I’d like to do but I’m content as ever, wanting for nothing. The next few hours are spent reading in a hammock. A flood of birthday texts fills me up and...
At 6:30am we boarded a small boat and set out on the water with our local guide Freddy who would take us fishing off the coast of La Paz. Freddy’s English wasn’t much better than our Spanish so it was as much of an adventure in communication as fishing. After a few hours on the water Mark & Parker each reeled in a 30-40 lb yellowtail. My attempt to participate was short-lived as these fish...
It’s our second full work day at the campground here in La Paz and while it’s far from glamorous it feels great to be getting on top of some administrative tasks that have been nagging at us. Today I notice how nicely we’ve settled in to this lifestyle. It’s been two months now living in our truck camper with minimal square footage and very few amenities and yet I want for nothing. My...
I wake to the sound of traffic and immediately miss the melody of the flying rays that we got to experience the last few days. However, moments later I remember we’re parked at a campground and there’s a proper bathroom with a flushing toilet only a few steps from my door. A reminder that everything has its pros and cons. We’re at a campground in the city for one reason, to get some work done...
We’re back out on our paddleboard boat at sunrise this morning when we realize something that takes our already insane Mobula ray experience to the next level. If we don’t use the motor on the boat and paddle instead, they’ll swim right underneath us rather than away from us. For over an hour we paddle around with them. Every few seconds one or two will come flying out of the water, sometimes...
When I wake to the sound of slapping on the water, I know the rays are close. It’s sunrise and they’re jumping and flying and flipping like crazy. We set off on our paddleboard boat and while I steer us toward the rays Mark flies the drone overhead. What he shows me on the screen is hard for me to comprehend is actually us. Beneath the surface, a few feet ahead of us, are thousands of Mobula rays...
I wake this morning to Mark standing in the camper with his arm reached across the bed, drone controller in hand, eagerly trying to show me what he’s currently filming. My eyes open but I’m groggy and can hardly focus on the small screen in front of me. I’m not a morning person and don’t like being woken up so I fail to engage. But I should know better, it must be something good for Mark to 1)...
Packing up to leave Rancho San Dionisio this morning was a bit easier knowing that all our new friends were moving on today also. After taking a few photos together and exchanging phone numbers we all slowly began packing up. Knowing we’ll likely cross paths with these amazing people again in the future makes me so happy. Darci said there was a kind of magic in the air here these last few...
