2018.3.31. Maxwell Butte snowshoe

3/31, Saturday. Priyanka picked me up at 6:30am, to meet the others at Tualatin P&R at 7am. 7 women + 2 dogs drove to Maxwell Butte Sno-Park, on Santium Hwy, north of the junction of hwy-22 and hwy-20. Forecast for the day is partly sunny. Blue sky when we reached the large parking lot with only 3 other cars and an outhouse (2 stalls, no TP).

The first ~half mile is a road, ok to walk in boots, occasionally sank. But snowshoe is much easier. The first junction has a sign. Blue diamonds on tree. 2nd is a 4-way junction and a map showing that we are at the east end of the map at Mark 5. Quite many loop trails you can do here that's shown on that map. We continue straight and out of the map. You definitely want snowshoes now. A mile or so later, another junction, signed. We met a lady here with a full pack. Turn right here. At this point, we have already entered Mt. Jefferson Wilderness. Next is a small lake. No snow on tree branches. So far, the grade is very gentle. No more footprint.

A few of the ladies downloaded GPS maps, so we knew where about we were going. But there's no marking, no sign of any trail. Just snow, quite soft. After skirting to the east, where the slope is not as steep, we picked our way up. Gets quite steep, but good view. We decided to turn around just few steps shy of the end of this ridge. It's steep enough that rocks poke out of snow, so hard to walk on snowshoes. I picked my way up grabbing on branches, until I could poke my head above. The top is still further, but gentler. Too wooded to see any view. So came back down and had lunch with the group. Nice view, but too cloudy. Jefferson is completely covered. On a clear day, Three-Finger Jack is very close by, and 3 Sisters should be clearly visible.

Some of us removed snowshoes getting down this steep slope, but I found it easier with snowshoes (except above where we lunched), as the snow was reasonably deep and soft to support our weight. Lisa and I were the fastest coming down, and both of us had snowshoes on.

Back to P&R before 6pm. Sunny and warm in Portland! Total about 9 miles. 2100'?

2018.3.29. Luis Alberto Urrea at Powell's Books

3/29, Thursday. Urrea on his book tour of House of Broken Angels. He's funny and entertaining, and a great reader. His theatre major in his college years certainly helps. He said he reads all his audio books. The room was full.

2018.3.26. Weldon Wagon Trail - early spring flower

3/26, Sunday, a bit better weather than Saturday. I picked up Mary, my go-to botanist, at 8am, and we headed to a flower hunt. In the Hiking eNews from Friends of The Gorge on Thursday, it said "Columbia desert parsley (pictured) is in peak bloom right now along the Weldon Wagon trail". This is the impetus of today's outing.

The TH is off east of the Husum (4 miles north of White Salmon). ~1 mile of good condition gravel road. There's a clearing on the left for parking, and a gate to the right. The only indication that this may be the entrance is the boot-brush. Mary climbed over the gate, and I went over the ditch on the side of the gate. There, is the short 4x4 road to the real TH, to your right, up the hill into the woods. It looks quite nice. Very gentle grade, slowly going up. Once emerged from the woods, it's a long open slope, with nice views to the town of Husum and beyond. We found hound's tongue, oak's toothwort, quite some buttercup, grass widow, a low lying lomatium with no smell, a couple of violet. Balsomroot started blooming under last year's dead leaves. Only one small section has the purple Lomatium Columbianum. They are small and not yet full bloom. Nice large oak grove here.

The trail continues up into woods again, and skirting by some private residences. The last piece is a tree farm, the only one doesn't have a no-trespassing sign. Right after this is the eastern TH by a large gravel road. Some abandoned farm equipment.

One odd thing of this trail today is that the first 1/3 is much warmer (maybe because it's lower, but not by much). I could feel the sudden temperature change.

We encountered less than 10 people and a few dogs. We were the first car there. Total about 5 miles, 1300'.

I insisted not to have lunch yet, but wait till Catherine Creek. Drove pass the town of White Salmon, it looks quite nice. We had lunch on a bench with this view to the right.

After lunch, we hiked up north over some boot path and bike trails. Better Columbia Parsley here, as well as the pungent parsley. Saw some grass widow, upland larkspur, lots of saxifrage, blue-eyed mary, miniature phlox, miniature monkey flower, broomrape, popcorn, spearleaf agoseris, shooting start, lots of yellow bell, golden star, and filaree, a little bit fairy star and small common camas.

View of the Columbia River from here is always lovely. Weather improved. About 2 miles here. Back in town around 5pm.

2018.3.24. Trillium Lake snowshoe

3/24, Saturday, partly cloudy -> rain/snow. 6 of us and a dog drove met at Gateway at 7:30am, and drove to Trillium Lake Sno-Par for Trillium Lake. Sun shone through clouds in, and heavy new snow on green trees. Very pretty. Last week has been cold and wet.

Obnly 7-8 cars (including ours) in the big parking lot. The wide snow trail starts behind the closed gate, yes, it starts on the road. At the junction, we turn left for a clock-wise loop, 3 on snowshoes and 3 on cross-country skis. Fluffy snow. It's easy to slow down a bit, just walk in the new snow. No wind, I even worked up some sweat. I took all the outer layers off. Snow cascaded off top branches, sparkling in the sun.

Mt Hood looked regal from here. Even though it was only 10:20, we decided to have our lunch break here. I like this "PEED" sign, the rest of the "SPEED LIMIT" letters were buried in the snow. The lake looks pristine, non one walked into the lake much. Last 2 weeks were too warm, probably not safe. You can walk around the lake. But we followed the main route, and soon left the view of the lake, as well as Hood.

The clouds got thicker, and the temperature dropped. I put on a fleece. Mostly we were on some road (of course the road was under the snow) with limited view, so no much snow that fell from the tree would land on us. At Summit Prairie, view expands. The "Oregon Trail" sign says An original gathering place for Native American Indians, in 1866 squatter Perry Vickers built the first log cabin here which became another tollgate. By 1905 a large wooden structure known as Summit House, a cedar shake tipi, a barn and corral occupied this clearing. Soon, we were back at the junction, and a lot more people. It started to snow lightly. But much less snow on the trees, not as pretty.

Overall, maybe 4.5 miles, ~500'. Back in town ~2pm. I got dropped off at home, nice. Rained the rest of the day.

2018.3.23. Spring is here

3/23 Friday. Cloudy. Chilly this week, but we just had 2 warm weeks. Walked to Japanese American Plaza by the river front before going to work. Cherry blossoms are near full bloom. Still many buds, so will last a week or 2. They seem to be the earlier bloomers of the cherry trees in the city. Not many people at this hour.

Update on 3/31, Cherry blossom at where I live.

Update on 4/2, full bloom same place by the river. Already plenty petals on the ground. May last another week.

2018.3.17. Snowshoe to Tilly Jane

3/17, Saturday. Partly sunny with passing showers. I walked to Priyanka's house to hitch a ride. We then picked up Yutki and her dog. Then we went to Sunset TC to pick up a friend of Priyanka's. When we texted her, she said she would be 15 minutes late. So, we didn't wait, heading to Gateway to meet the rest of the group for Tilly Jane snow shoe. Total 8 women, 3 dogs.

Parked at Tilly Jane Sno-Park. By the time we started hiking, it was ~10am. We started in light rain. Soon, it was changed to the snow drop from the trees. The first half of the trail is a bit narrow, consider two way traffic, and skiers and snowshoers. Then it's open, and trees are mostly burned, so provide good view around. Snow on the trail itself is compact enough that you can just walk in boots. Since I have snowshoes on, I veered off trail a little bit twice.

The slope is gentle, not steep. Sooner than I realized, we reached the historic Tilly Jane A Frame in the trees, which you can reserve and stay overnight. In fact, we did pass by a group of campers on their way down. Also passed two rope teams in the Mazamas BCEP program. Had lunch here, but the view is limited (trees are not burnt here).

It cleared up. Sky turned blue. As we were hiking out, I caught a glimpse of Hood, but soon it was covered by clouds. Some rain on I-84 and Portland. Got a ride back home. Early.

Total about 5 miles RT, 1900' gain.

2018.3.13 Peter Carey at Powell's

3/13, Tuesday. Peter Carey in conversation with Omar El Akkad. Copying from Powell's website:
In A Long Way From Home (Knopf), two-time Booker Prize-winning author Peter Carey gives us a wildly exuberant, wily new novel that circumnavigates 1954 Australia, revealing as much about the country/continent as it does about three audacious individuals who take part in the infamous 10,000-mile race, the Redex Trial. Set in the 1950s, this is a world every American will recognize: black, white, who we are, how we got here, and what we did to each other along the way. Carey will be joined in conversation by Omar El Akkad, author of American War.
Carey read 2 brief passages of his new book. The only book I read authored by Carey is True History of the Kelly Gang, which I didn't like. Also I usually don't like these conversations, but this one is an exception. I like Akkad. He's a good interviewer, offered some insights and good questions, as well as allowing Carey to finish his thoughts (which wanders off a few times tonight). I think I enjoyed both writers and their conversation. Maybe I'll read them both when I have some time.

2018.3.11. Timberline Lodge to Palmer Lift

3/11. Sunny, no clouds, warm, maybe 68°F (20°C). Daylight saving starts today, so I didn't want to make an early appointment. I woke up very early, as I went to bed very early yesterday. Had a leisurely morning, mopped the floor. Took the 11:25am train from my home (took a nap), and connected to SAM to Sandy and Mt Hood Express to Timberline Lodge. The afternoon sun was casting shadows of trees onto the bus, so I couldn't really read. I brought a book as well as my laptop for the long ride. Listened to podcast most of the way. The buses were fairly empty when I was on. Two kids had big suitcases on Mt Hood Express. Not sure where they came from.

The stop is at Wy'East Day Lodge. Quite busy when I arrived ~2:30pm. By the time I was all ready, and on to the slope (~3pm), the life had stopped. Almost no people. It's a pity that the lift ends so early, but it's good for me. I enjoyed the deserted slope. Took photos of the ice and plants.

The hike is straight forward. You can see the end of Palmer Lift when you start. Only about 2 mile ahead, but 2500' gain. The slope is fairly gentle, but steady. I kept on thinking that I reached highway point for an hour! The snow is soft today. I should have hiked up higher, but my phone battery died, so I wouldn't be able to judge the time. In fact my phone died when I was taking a photo of the building behind the end of the lift. It was just past 5pm. I turned around shortly. The weather was incredibly warm, but a bit of breeze to keep it cool. Really it's a beautiful and quiet slope. On the way down, I met a guy with a full pack, slowly skiing up. I asked him where would he camp. He pointed at the mountain, and mentioned some place ~9000'.

Back to the lodge around 6:30pm. I know the time because I took my laptop to prepare for the wait. I could have hiked up another 30 minutes before heading back. There's WiFi in the day lodge. I was the only person there, other than 2 cleaners. Went outside to see the sunset. Around 7pm, Hood was bright pink. Jefferson was also beautiful. A pity that I couldn't take a photo. A car drove up, stopped to take a photo, and drove down. I couldn't get back to the lodge, so waited at the entrance. Picked up a couple of ski poles and put them together by the door. I think it's locked up at 7. Temperature dropped quickly, but not bad. ~7:30, the bus arrived. Going back down at 7:45pm. There were more passengers on this bus, some worked in Government Camp, and Ski Bowl, which is still running with lots of lights. All was smooth, got home a little past 11pm.

2018.3.10. Ghost Ridge + Palmateer Point

3/10, Saturday. I signed up this snowshoe Friday evening only because the train on Friday afternoon was late, so I couldn't pick up my rental car before Hertz closed. The weather was supposed to be fabulous this weekend. So I joined Claudio again to Ghost Ridge like 1.5 months ago.

4 of us met at Gateway, and parked at Barlow Pass Sno-Park. Followed PCT south for about a mile and then veer right (west) off trail towards Ghost Ridge. Despite of the sunny forecast, when we reached the top of the ridge, Hood was shrouded in clouds. From the top, which is not covered by trees, the promised view to Jefferson and Three Sister wasn't to be had. We can see Palmateer Point lower to the east.

After descending down the ridge, we crossed PCT, cross country to Palmateer Point trail. No tree on top, more gentle slope, and the sky was cleared up. Excellent lunch spot. However, it's too low to see the southern peaks.

Going downhill the north tip of the point is steep. Cross a bridge over Barlow Creek. Once we reached flatter ground, it's near Devil's Half Acre camp, and Barlow Road (or NF-3530) which is now a wide snow track. Here, to the left (west) of the road, there's a big flat (probably swampy later) area looks quite inviting. We continued on the road north, slowly climbing back up to Barlow Pass.

After a coffee break in Sandy (same place as last time), we returned to Portland fairly early afternoon. Total 5 miles, ~1300'.

2018.2.28-3.5 Baja California Sud: Cabo San Lucas + La Paz

2/28 Wednesday. Took 1 hour to get to PDX due to traffic. PDX-SJD direct 10:45 - 15:30. Baja California Sud is 1 hour ahead of Baja California which is the same as PST. At the airport, after the passport control, there're about 3 rental car desks. I didn't see Europcar, which I reserved with Expedia (which showed an address in Cabo San Lucas - that got me worried). The next room has 2 long curved counters with many travel-agent looking personnel. I asked for Europcar. Was talked into visiting Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Resort by a very friendly sales person. Once exited this room, I found more rental car desks and 3 ATMs. 2 dispense US$ only, 1 for Mexican Pesos. Took 4000 pesos (about $210, the highest allowable amount. Compared to another ATM receipt of 6000 peso taken in a bank in La Paz). ~5pm, we got on Europcar's shuttle to the rental pickup, which is close by (walkable in cooler weather). Then car rental is 50c/day, but insurance is expensive. Even though I bought insurance from Expedia, they wouldn't let me have a car until I bought their minimum insurance, about $25/day + tax. For my 5 day rental, the total is $147 (+$66 paid to Expedia, which is probably redundant). I was given a very crappy Chevrolet Spark. A tiny car, we can barely fit in. Manual transmission, no windshield fluid, broken blade, manual window and lock. To adjust the right side mirror, I have to ask the passenger to do that for me, because the manual control is by the passenger window. A few dents, which I insisted the guy recording it on my contract.

I didn't realize that the airport is north of San Jose de Cabo until I drove out of the rental car parking lot. It's about 40 minutes to Cabo San Lucas. Everyone drives faster than I do, even though the lane is narrower than in US. They all go 20 miles above speed limit. By the time we checked into Los Cabos Golf Resort, it was almost dark. The receptionist said I have a "welcome package", which I should call my family to review it. A nice lady sat us down, and basically trying to talk us into timeshare here. After many "no"s, finally we were let go. I rented a one-bedroom condo from Airbnb with a terrace. The property is quite nice, a swimming pool, onsite bar and restaurant, wifi in the lobby, well groomed with raked sand and flowering plants, clean. But you need a car to stay here.

Once settled, I drove to Walmart for water and some grocery. It's next door, but with all the walls, you cannot get there directly. The evening is cool and very pleasant.

Cabo San Lucas

3/1 Thursday. Drove to the resort gate around 8:20 (there are two checkpoints, so outsiders cannot get into the property), because we were supposed to be picked up at 8:30 by the airport sales guy. Someone else was waiting for us. He checked what I need to bring: the "invitation" voucher, a credit card, my US ID. Later, the airport guy showed up in a taxi van. We followed the van to Pueblo Bonito at Sunset Beach, on the other side of downtown.

After checking in, we were assigned to a sale rep, Arssén from Greece. We were seated on the balcony of the restaurant, great view of the beach and the property. He jotted down my travel preferences. We were not rushed though breakfast, but I didn't feel comfortable to take a 2nd serving. Afterwards, Arssen led us a tour of the property. After walking though the private checkin and the grand lobby, we boarded a shuttle to see demo homes. On the way, we learned that there are 7 restaurants, 9 swimming pools, a few grocery stores and bakery on site.
First is a 2 story house. The balcony of the 2nd floor has a hot tub, and a ceramic pool sits on the first floor. Nicely furnished. Furniture is said to change every 5 years, where the old one is given to the employees, and the new ones are a tax write-off.
2nd is a villa with a private swimming pool fit with a sunken bar, yes, overlooking the ocean. Lovely courtyard. All windows look out to the Pacific. Furnished like the first house.
3rd stop is an apartment building, which we were whisked through a one bedroom 2 bath condo, and a 2 bed 2 bath condo. Similar furniture.
After the tour, Arssén's boss came to sit with us. He's an American. Oh, I was told that this is an American chain headquartered in San Diego. Their goal is that I sign a 5 year contract to own a piece of the property I saw for 2 weeks (yes, you can buy 4 weeks, or more, even 100%) which agrees to let go at least 1 week/year. They like the fact that I don't plan on using my 2 weeks, so they can rent to golfers, yes, this is a golf course. In return, I will get 75% of the rent, which is about $1000/week. They can also pay me in cash or other means so I don't have to pay US tax. They emphasize that it's a "resident club" not a "time share". I don't pay maintenance fee if I don't use my property. I'm allowed to exchange to 500+ other properties in equal points for $200/week more if not in the Pueblo Bonito family. I would save money for my travel, as well as help them sell more properties to the golfers.

3 hours later, we were let go. The price of the 2 weeks ownership of a 1bd/2ba "executive suite" went from 32K down to 26K. Back at the check-in desk, we were ushered to another agent, who asked us to evaluate our sale rep. He then proposed another contract of 15 year ownership, and the price went below 10K. Finally he proposed 1 week ownership for 6-7K, all the while, I never said it was too expensive. The checkout is smooth. I got $100 cash (compensation of my rental car, which they made a copy of my rental car agreement), and 3 vouchers for the glass bottom boat to Land's End. This is my first time ever going to a time share presentation. Very interesting experience, albeit a bit too long. A good way to checkout some nice properties though.

Drove to Puerto Paradiso shopping mall to park. 20 peso for 4 hours. It's right in downtown by the mariner. Perfect location with clean bathrooms. You can pay at the machine before exiting, or just pay the guy at the exit. Walked over the mariner, and on to Medano beach to where the boats are. Same tours offered by different companies.

Had lunch at the Pueblo Bonito beach resort. Food is mediocre, they never brought my beer, but charged me anyway. View is great, not busy. Waiters are inattentive. They don't take cash! Had to pay with credit card.

At 2:30, we and 2 others board a small boat. The glass bottom is only a rectangle of ~0.5m * 1m, fogged up and dirty. The young guy who man the boat speaks English. They seem to run this every half an hour. Land's End is a short ride. It's where Sea of Cortez (gulf of California) meets Pacific Ocean. Water is low to walk to The Arch. The boat goes around, showing a snorkel site, a sea lion rock, and the beaches. Upon request, we were dropped off at Lover's Beach until the next tour. A guy waits for the boats and helps you getting off and on the boats, in return for tips. Water is colder than I expected. There were a few swimming here, most were just sunbathing on the sand. A few locals occupied a shady spot with their food and drink, which peddle. You can walk here to the Pacific side, a much larger beach called Divorce Beach. Quite pretty here.

Afterwards we walked along the beach for a bit, and then I went to fetch the car. I didn't feel like going to another beach, so just called it a day. Back to the hotel early. Walked with dad around the property a bit, and took some sunset photos.

Pack for tomorrow.

La Paz

3/2 Friday. La Paz, the capital of Baja California Sur (BCS), is about 2 hours north. Highway 19 is dry and boring. My little Spark produced concerning noice whenever I went above 90Km/hr - the speed limit. Not many cars on road, but I was passed by all of them including truck! La Paz is a sprawling and ugly city, except for the couple of blocks near Malecon. Checked into One hotel downtown. We were given a room on the 7th floor, good partial view of the waterfront, which is 6-7 blocks away.

Once settled in and had lunch, we drove to the waterfront. I was surprised to find that there's no meter here. After dropping off my parents at the kiosk, I was able to fine a good parking spot 1.5 blocks from waterfront. Inquired about tours, and walked a bit along Malecon. No shade on the waterfront side. A bit hot in the afternoon sun.

We drove to the state capitol. Not that far, but too warm to walk. What a disappointment. It looks like a telecom company. There's a statue of Benito Juarez. Large and empty square, plenty parking spaces.

Visited Jadin Velasco and Cathedral of Nuestra Senora. Both unimpressive. The garden is small, the church looks nice outside, but boring inside. There's a replica of the mushroom rock from Balandra Beach, north of La Paz.

I like the building of the Culture Center. The previous city hall how houses a cafe, the visitor center, and maybe some temp exhibitions.

Back to the hotel for sunset at the roof top pool. For dinner, we went to the Chinese restaurant downstairs. Dad is pretty happy about it. In fact, he insisted of eating here while we were in La Paz, instead of trying local cuisine.

The next 2 days were occupied by tours. We didn't like the water pressure of our hotel room, so decided to move.

3/3 Saturday. Went to the roof top for the city overview before checking out. After a good breakfast, we moved to Seven Crown by Malecon. Left luggage and the car there. The parking garage is very small, so you need to leave the car key to the front desk for them move around your car when needed.

10am snorkeling tour ($50/pp) to Isla Espiritu Santo, part of UNESCO listed Baja islands. I wore swimsuit, and took some The guy I bought the ticket from sold us to another agency, who had 2 boats going, over 15 per boat. Quite crowded. I was not happy as I had to sit facing backwards. But soon all were squared, because the youngsters wanted to sit on the bow of the boat, and freed up seats. The only problem is that we were on a boat with all Spanish speakers, and the guide's English is as bad as my Spanish, so I didn't understand much. First stop is snorkel at the little islet with the light tower. The water was pretty cold. Some got on wetsuit, but still cold. I didn't want to swim in the cold water. A few seals were lounging and playing around the little islet.
Next stop is the Frigate Bird colony. It's utterly pretty here. The birds perched on a long arm of land that almost enclosed a salt lagoon behind. Water is clean and a beautiful green. I saw a couple with red deflated pouch at their neck. The guide gave a long spiel of the bird which is beyond my language capability.
We stopped at the little coral beach (Coralito) for lunch, and a long break, instead of heading north to Playa Ensenada Grande on Isla Partida, as well as the seal colony of Los Islotes, because the sea is a bit rough. You never go to the east side of the islands, because it's more open and bigger waves. It's a pity. Half of the boat did a bit of snorkeling off the beach, where I attempted to walk to. Didn't get far into the water. It's tricky to walk on rocks in water. Didn't see many fish, but saw millions of sea cockroaches. Yes, water is very clean here, despite of the obvious litter here and there. The company tried best to contain all the trash in a big bag and take it away. Dad picked a few shells here. Some are tiny and delicate. Lunch is ceviche. Beer and cola. Don't know what kind of white fish. It's chopped up so small so hard to tell. I liked it. But my parents didn't want to eat raw fish for fear of germs. They took deli ham and cheese with white bread. No bathroom. So, walk past "Not W.C." sign, and do your business behind a small dune. The guide of the other boat speaks excellent English: all foreigners on her boat. She was nice enough to relate the frigate bird story to me. There were total of 7-8 boats docked here.
On the way back, we passed by some place where Manta Rays would fly out of the water. Very interesting. Then we pass by Balandra beach(es), claimed to be the most beautiful beach in the world. Too bad that we didn't stop there.

Back to town around 5pm. Finally checked into our room. I went out to buy a tour to see Gray Whales for tomorrow. Sunset was lovely tonight. There's also a rooftop of this hotel, but not as nice.

After dinner (yes, from the same Chinese restaurant), we strolled south along Malecon. The temperature was very pleasant. Moon was bright. Street was lively.

3/4 Sunday. Gray Whale tour ($110/pp) in Magdelena Bay - one of their nursing grounds. National Geographic has a video showcases some of the highlights.
We waited for pickup at the breakfast lobby. 2 vans. All Mexicans except us. After 2+ hour drive over dry boring landscape, we stopped at Restaurant Los Dolores, at a road junction with no infrastructure. You scoop water from a barrel to flush the toilet. I don't want to think where it goes down to. The breakfast is 3 beef burrito, a slice of cheese and some beans. I don't like this burrito: narrow with overcooked shredded beef, with no veggie or sauce inside. So very dry. I asked the driver where they get their water. He told me it's from a town 12km away. 45 minutes later, we arrived at Puerto Chale, at the south end of Magdelena Bay, which is the closest from La Paz.
We board two boats, no canopy. Going out of the river channel was pleasant. Tree-lined banks with a lot of birds. As soon as we were out in the bay (rather open), I had to take off my hat, so it wouldn't fly away. Water was rather choppy, so much so, that my right hand that was holding on to the side of the boat touched water a number of times. I was cold and wet, because the wave pour down me at times. My sunglasses were wet with salt residue, hard to see. Once we reached the corner of Margarita Island and Cresciente Island, we slowed down, and it was calmer. I changed my fleece, no longer shivering. Yes, always bring some dry clothes in a dry bag.
Yes, quite some whales, and sometimes very close. They are often a pair: mom and baby. On calmer days, the engine can be shut down, and the whales would be close enough that you can touch them. Another area to see whales in Magdelena Bay is at the north end, near Puerto San Carlos. Looking over the map, and other nursing grounds in Baja, seems the sound or bay of Laguna San Ignacio and Laguna Ojo de Liebre much north (the latter is bordering the north half of Baja) is more sheltered. Next time, I'd go there.
A late lunch after the tour, at Puerto Charle. Battered fish. Quite fresh. Lettuce, rice, and beer. Dad approved. A lady walked around the tables and gave us a name card, if you want to book a tour directly with the local: puertochale@hotmail.com, 612-13-63-766/15-68-501.

Back at La Paz around 6pm. Went up to the rooftop to see the sunset. Not as pretty as yesterday. After dinner, we strolled along Malecon north. Very nice.

One thing we missed, which should have done, if I planned better, is the whale shark tour. Again, probably better on a calm day, as I'm prone to motion sickness.

East Cape

3/5 Monday. Breakfast at the hotel lobby. Check out ~9am. Heading home today.
We took a different road, SE on highway 1 over low mountain ranges via El Triunfo. It's quite scenic. The hills are green, no more sprawling concrete towns. El Tiunfo is one of the little mining towns, quite nice. Recently re-vitalized. Was a ghost town for about 80 years. This chimney is said to be designed by Gustav Eiffel. At the end of the curving mountain road, we reached the coast of Cortez Sea at Los Barriles, which I don't like. Looks dry and sprawling.

The goal is Cabo Pulmo National Park. The paved road ends 10Km north of the town of Cabo Pulmo. The road is quite rough at times, and signs of view lot for sale. The town is really a collection of ramshacks, and outfitters. The main parking lot is circled by stores. You can park in front of the national park office, a small open shed. The water is of the beautiful green blue. I wanted to go further to Playa Los Arbolitos and Frailes. But don't comfortable with my little car. Need a high clearance vehicle to better enjoy the area. I'd like to come back.

Last stop before the airport is the memorial of Tropic of Cancer. Flowers, a gift shop, free bathroom, makes a nice break. Not many cars stop by. The lady at the gift shop disappeared while we were there, obviously didn't expect to make any sale. I don't know what other buildings here are for.

Around 2:30pm, we reached the airport. International terminal is terminal 2, but I dropped my parents at terminal 1. Our flight is at 4:30pm. They had some trouble in SeaTac airport with US immigration. I don't understand why Alaska made them go through immigration, since their connecting flight is to Vancouver. They got there past midnight. All is well.