Bahia De Los Angeles

We had read and heard about Bahia De Los Angeles (BDLA), but found it hard to believe that it was really as gorgeous as all the hype suggested.  BDLA is a detour off the main highway on the Sea of Cortez side of Baja.  A few days ago we decided to take the detour.  We were blown away when we arrived at Punta La Gringa, our camping spot for the past 4 nights.  This place is magical -- sunrises, sunsets, water, cascading mountains, islands, dolphins, fish, birds.

Sunset and sunrise from our camp at La Gringa

Scott caught his first Baja fish!  It was a "scorpion fish" that turned out to be excellent eating.  We had to ask the local fishermen what it was, and if it was okay to eat.  He said it was one of the best, but that the skin can be toxic to humans when it's alive.  Fortunately, the scorpion fish looked so scary that Scott was carrying it around with his Leatherman pliers.

The fisherman laughed when he saw Scott's fishing gear.  He said that Scott's fishing rod was too small and couldn't believe that he had caught the scorpion fish using a salmon spoon.  All along, we thought Scott's fishing pole was huge -- it is a steelhead rod that my dad gave to Scott for the "big fish" of the sea.  The locals were using huge rods nearly the size of our old windsurfing masts.

After making scorpion fish tacos and filling the night air with yummy smells, Scott stepped outside to find his shoes missing.  Earlier that night a truck with a bunch of people had driven by.  We were convinced they had stolen Scott's stinky, silver Crocs.  This freaked us out. If people were willing to steal our shoes just after sunset, while we were sitting in the truck, we were concerned about our personal safety.

Bahia De Los Angeles from Punta La Gringa

Not to worry.  Earlier in the evening, two coyotes had been circling the truck while I was out watching the sunset, so I decided to grab the headlamp and search a little farther away from the truck.  Sure enough, the coyotes had ran off with his Crocs and left them down the beach. A section of one of the straps was eaten.  Another good lesson for the gringos -- don't leave ANYTHING outside of your truck in the desert.

Link to November photos