April 26 - last day

For such a "lazy" day, the time flew past. Folks were honing their skills of pool lounging, beach and pool volleyball, sun worshipping, and visiting last sites before departure day.

A few took a water taxi to the Arc where they explored and took pictures of the sea lions and birds along Pelican Rock, and the wild beauty as you walk the gap from the Sea of Cortes side to the Pacific.

More whale sighting throughout the day, and there were a great many young manta rays "flying" out of the water then bellyflopping back.

Dinner was a Mexican buffet and after dinner entertainment included a mariachi band and various traditional dance troupes. The Ceviche Yucatan style is still amazing.

The best guacamole in the world:
Avocados
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Lime juice

April 25 - penultimate day

A good day for relaxing! The sun felt extra bright today, and I do not believe it is entirely an after effect of being out late at Cabo San Lucas :-)
Today's organized activity was a trip north to San Jose del Cabo. This is the older town, and what one would think of when visiting a town surrounding a Spanish mission built in the 16th or 17th century. Wide plazas filled with tree shaded planters where one can retire to escape from the sun or to meet with friends in the evenings.
Many of the shops in the old quarter were Mexican folk art, but a few included display cases of historical relics and artifacts from the times between independence and the revolution. Spurs, sabers, cobblers shoe forms, traveling sales men's business card print press, scabbards for old swords.
After mooching around town, the group split and part continued on to a glass blowing works and a local lunch while others went their separate way or returned to the resort to lounge by the pools. A good relaxing day closed out by the awards dinner banquet.

April 24 - A really great day!

Slept in awhile Wednesday, then went for a walk Northward up the beach. The Westin resort looks like a place to bring the family next time we visit! Spectacular rock formations.
We retired to the pool to replenish our moisture deficit and have a light lunch.
After a quick shower, we met the gang at the lobby for a ride down to Cabo San Lucas, for a sunset cruise at the Arc, or tip of the Baja peninsula. The Arc refers to a naturally formed rock arch at the very tip, Very Cool!
Dinner was at Baja Cantina, a disreputable-looking hangout for charter-boat captains and aficionados of masterfully-prepared local seafood. I think I speak for everyone when I say that the meal was amazing! Torrey and I went for cappuccino at an Italian bakery, while many if the rest went to Cabo Wabo, Sammy Hagar's club or the Hard Rock, for a drink.
A good night!

Torrey here; even some fish stories to tell from the day, a group went out sport fishing on a charter boat for the day returning exhausted and happy. They managed to bring in a 120-140# Marlin which was released after pictures were taken, and a dolphin fish which was kept.

A few others went down to Cabo San Lucas during the daytime to shop without the booming of the night clubs to overwhelm the senses.

April 23 (Day Two): Unimogs and Camels

The gang met up at 8:30 Tuesday morning, for a field trip down just past the tip of the peninsula, or "Arc". We arrived at Cabo Adventures about 45 minutes later, located on a relatively pristine plot extending up from the beach. We met our guide, Daniel, and split up into two teams of 13. We then boarded the big yellow MB Unimogs and headed down almost to the beach.
The rumors turned out to be true: Camels awaited us in a large enclosure, and after donning attire that would not excite the beasts, we were installed on camels and led on a short loop, about enough time to appreciate the benefits of riding camels over sand. Torrey and I rode a camel named "Slim". Slim wasn't really in the spirit of things, but we weren't spat on, and that was okay. Our desert-habitat eco-tour began shortly after a refreshing cup of sweet green tea, sweetened with honey, and seasoned with mint. We rode the Unimogs a ways up into a less disturbed part of the property, and Daniel gave us very knowledgeable instruction on desert herbology and local lore.
An amazing lunch awaited us when we got back: Fresh homemade corn tortillas, chicken in a chocolate mole sauce and a really hot salsa were standouts. All were prepared on-site using traditional methods, and washed down with Pacifico and what looked like fruit punch.
Sidebar- did I mention what a huge difference in water temperature there is on the west side of the peninsula vs. the east side? The water was positively FREEZING, and you could feel chill! If you weren't in direct sunshine, it was really chilly!
Tequila 101 followed, with our Unimog driver providing expert instruction on the subtle yet profound differences between Tequilas. For example: I never knew that Mezcal- style tequila, (the kind with the worm) was only produced in Oxaca (a state). The worm serves as a kind if natural "quality control"; if the water content of the liquor gets too high, the worm disintegrates, I.e., is no linger preserved. Nifty, huh? ;)
We returned to our resort afterwards, sunburnt and happy. More or less or the remaining afternoon was spent near the pool by many members of the trip, some engaged in a heard contest of volleyball (short guys vs.tall guys) (short guys won, however claim to victory was disputed by tall guys), some basting each other with sunblock and broiling to a perfect shade of doneness, and nearly all keeping Armando busy shuttling G&T's and margaritas in a steady stream.
The group split for dinner, with some going to a French- themed resort restaurant and our half landed in the Italian-continental fusion restaurant. Karaoke afterwards-zzzzž

April 22 - Quits, Frigates and a Pod of whales

Arriving at Secrets Marquis greeted by our hosts and being reminded to relax, enjoy and feel the sand between our toes was wonderful. With an updated lay of land it was time to shed our gear and get on with the very serious business of relaxing, getting to know the other President Awards 2013 winners, and get some wildlife watching in (and no, not talking about the Cabo Wabos).

Migration season is pretty well over for the birds that have been coming up from SA, but the natives are still fun to look for.... Little yellow quits in the coconut trees, purple finches finding the perfect spot to have the sun explode off their breast and stately frigate birds patrolling where the fish are jumping. The tide was in ebb when we arrived and there was a sizable school of fish, probably red snapper, hunting smaller fish around the rocks, creating these boils to suddenly break from the surface so you would see the flashes before they splashed back under the waves. Was a red flag day, and the do not recommend swimming in the surf directly in front of the resort, but to go up or down the beach for safer access.

Walking the beach, the surf was a force not to ignore! The drop has to be close to shore for the rollers to break where they are and surge up the beach, if you are not vigilant or steady on your feet it will knock you down or soak you. Folks out surf casting for red snapper and bass, a washed up puffed fish, expired, and ghost crabs fleeing every footstep.

Dinner was on the beach, and our before dinner show, as though planned, was a pod of whales and dolphins playing about 1/2 mile out from shore, leaping, tail slapping, and waving to their adoring fans.

April 22 - Touchdown San Jose Cabo

Stepping off the plane out into the Tarmac when one is only familiar with destinations in the Caribbean was a pleasant surprise! Wall to wall sunshine and blue sky with an air temperature of about 84deg but the humidity was so low that with the breeze made it feel as though it was only in the mid to upper 70's.

Customs and immigration was relatively painless. They have an automated lottery system for who gets "additional screening", so getting through was not much longer than 10 minutes if you were not chosen from the time you picked up your bag for the carousel to the time you made it out to the taxi stand.

Our group of 10 turned into an even dozen by the time we boarded the bus to take us to our home for the next 5-1/2 days, approximately 20 miles south of the airport through terrain and geography that was very similar to northern New Mexico along the Rio Grande Gorge west of Taos and southern Colorado around Great Sand Dunes NP, adding the sea of Cortez to the East and the Pacific to the West... We are near the smaller peaks of a mountain chain (Sierra's?) as it heads down to the sea to dip its toes in the cool deep.

We are here!

We arrived on Monday early in the afternoon. Our flight in was without incident, ;) and we landed at the Los Cabos airport, a busy little airport, with flights almost constantly in and out. What struck me first about Mexico was the air, was how totally dried-out everything looks- think Mars about ten thousand years ago. It looks as if there might have been adequate rainfall once, but not anymore, New Mexico looked like that when we were there at christmastime, but the depth of the drought there wasn't as profound as it is in this region of the Sonoran Desert.
Tall old saguaros grow among low trees and desert plants in undeveloped areas.
Right now, we are riding on a comfortable Volvo coach, on our way to an Eco-tour. We are headed south on Route 1, a major arterial.