Tuesday, May 21, 2019

More pictures from our trip home including Grand Canyon



Flowers - Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Bug Sex - Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument


Reflection in creek near Sedona

Creek crossings tested Rani's recently healed leg

Tree near Sedona

Too steep to walk up - look out!

Sedona trail view

Bright Angel Trail - Grand Canyon

South rim - Grand Canyon

Just to prove we were both there

I hiked to the river and back up along the Bright Angel trail - meeting mules on the way up
Dusk on the south rim

Inside the Desert View watch tower



Sea lion videos

A clip from our visit to the sea lions near La Paz Mexico


And a second clip taken under the rock arch nearby


Monday, May 20, 2019

Some pictures from the trip home plus a few whales

We ended up bringing the Yaris from California to San Carlos, Mexico to load up with the gear we were to have taken on our Pacific crossing. I picked up a tent, air mattress, sleeping bag, and stove in Nevada en route and we bought pots and pans and plates and mugs and all the other things you need to live on a camping trip in various stores around Guaymas.

We drove north stopping at Organ Pipe National Monument, the Grand Canyon, Navajo National Monument, Natural Bridges, Canyonlands (the Needles), and Arches as well as a few lesser known destinations. I will post some pictures from these places in later posts, but here are a few to get started.

Grey whale at San Ignacio lagoon

Another grey whale at San Ignacio lagoon

And one more grey whale at San Ignacio lagoon

Lovely double ender anchored at San Juanico - the anchorage where we first met Kurt and Nancy

Nest builder

Wild flowers in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Mutant Organ Pipe Cactus

Tree in evening light - Grand Canyon south rim

Silhouetted tree - Grand Canyon south rim

Moon rising - Grand Canyon south rim

View from our campsite Navajo National Monument

Rocks and clouds - the Needles, Canyonlands

An arch - Arches National Monument

Lovely hike at Arches

Contemplating a natural bridge

We did a loop hike at Natural Bridges to see 2 of the bridges from below

Newspaper rock - petroglyphs hammered into the desert varnish

Newspaper rock - more petroglyphs

Narrow leafed yucca

Tree shadows Cedar Mesa

Saturday, March 30, 2019

Trip to New Zealand is off


Circumstances have changed and we will no longer be going to New Zealand on Raven. Kurt has decided he is not ready to do the trip at this time and we are in San Carlos, Sonora, waiting to have Raven hauled out. She will be stored in a boatyard for the summer. Here are some pictures from our passage up to San Carlos in the Sea of Cortez. We swam with the sea lions at the Islotes just north of Partida island as one of our first stops.

Junior sea lion playing

Rani and sea lion - this one kept trying to bite our flippers

Sea lions playing

More frolicking

Close up

And even closer up

One juveniile was quite aggressive 

Chris got bitten through his wet suite

Sea lion love bites

We next visited Isla San Francisco where we did one of our favorite ridge walks.

San Francisco ridge walk and bay

Rani and Kurt on the ridge at Isla San Francisco



Turkey vulture and pelican pal

We also stopped in at El Gato where we had some lovely snorkeling and walks on the stunning red rocks.

Cross overlooking El Gato anchorage

Splendid rocks at El Gato


Thursday, March 14, 2019

La Paz

We are in La Paz and Raven is safely tucked into a slip at Marina Palmira. The remainder of the passage from Bahia Santa Maria was relatively uneventful. We stopped off in the harbour at Cabo San Lucas and enjoyed a placid anchorage after the bars shut down their sound systems. The next day we motored in calms along the south end of the Baja peninsula and got quite close to a humpback mother and her calf whom she appeared to be teaching how to spy hop. We arrived late at night at Los Muertos after turning the corner and heading north into the Sea of Cortez. It was a tense entry into the anchorage, what with trying to find a good place to anchor close into the beach but away from reefs and other boats.

Los Arcos at entrance to Cabo San Lucas harbour

Our neighbour

Humpback mother and calf. We were quite close to them as they leapt out of the water

The next day we motored and sailed up the Cerralvo Channel to Espiritu Santo island where we anchored off Bonanza Beach near 2 sailing yachts and the small Un-Cruise cruise ship 'Safari Endeavour'. We went ashore for a beach walk the next morning and then set sail for our final leg into La Paz. It felt a bit like coming home to arrive here because La Paz was our primary base for a few years while we cruised in the Sea of Cortez on Ladybug II.

Glassy waters, stunning sunset and lots of motoring
Beautiful Bonanza Beach

Doug walks the beach

Happy captain and crew arriving in La Paz

A Carnival was on when we arrived in La Paz
Hundreds of vendors line the malecon including these blanket sellers. Everyone has impressive sound systems and ear plugs are recommended