South Of The Border And More: 2/18/15 A Tale of Whales

I don't keep a bucket list because it limits the possibilities. But if I did, today would have been at the top.

The Halfway Inn, the finest that Gurrero Negro has to offer, teased us awake for our early departure with its totally Mexican breakfast buffet. This town exists only on salt and a brief tourist season in February and March, when the whales come to play. A bit apathetic about our scheduled whale watching trip ( been there, done that, saw three whales) we joked about our excursion. Do they guarantee a whale? Can't wait to see how many people they cram on a boat. We'd rather be riding. We thought that the best view of the day would be an osprey, nesting outside our motel. Well. We were wrong!

Late to the orientation, we didn't learn much until our ride to the El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve. The city of Guerro Negro was built on salt. Established in 1957, the salt works here yielded the most in the world, due to the extreme salinity of the water. This salinity also draws in migrating gray whales to mate and birth their calves, embracing the freedom of their new buoyancy in these briny waters. Driving through miles of salt flats, I was unsure as to what this trip would bring.

Finally halting at a landing with small motorized boats, I realized that this was serious business. We were going to meet some whales in boats a fraction of their size. But then, I rationalized, how many whales could there be. As we sped out into the lagoon, sea birds sat calmly on the water and the horizon was clear. Then dark lumps started to appear in the distance - everywhere. We were not on a three-whale cruise. Hundreds of behemoths floated placidly around us. Cool! Did I think they would have the courage to engage with humans? Never! Wrong again.

Like dogs looking for an affectionate pat on the head, mothers and babies swam up to our boat, showing us their beauty and their barnacles, revealing blowholes that sprayed rainbows of water over all and cheesing for the cameras. Leaning over the gunwhale, I tentatively touched one - smooth, rubbery, so alive. And then I couldn't get enough. Laughing as they sprayed us with water, thrilled as they dove under the boat and bumped us, we all were reaching, leaning to get one more hand on these huge friendly mammals. Someone commented that of course they had the nature to be friendly- they were mammals. Not necessarily true - there are many mammals that would not instill this feeling of comfort in me, especially some of the Homo sapiens variety.

As the boat turned away from our friends, a solitary flipper raised up out of the water and saluted a farewell to us. Seals basking on buoys were another treat, but after the whales, everything else was small change. A stop on the way back to our hotel let us examine closely a 1,000,000 ton pile of salt. Shipped all over the world, this salt is mined by Mitsubishi. Ironically, all the work trucks were Toyotas!

This rich deposit of salt was one of the reasons Japan wanted to buy the Baja. The US quickly put the brakes on that deal.

With half the day spent on whales, we had to make tracks to our next stop, Catavina. Into the heart of Baja California, the mountainous desert cleared the salt from our bodies and minds. We traveled for miles, seeing only the rare horse or cow. One of the only establishments along this road, Restaurant Melany, served us a fine lunch and a riot of colorful flowers.

True meaning to the phrase "the middle of nowhere" is defined by Catavina. Gas was hawked out of a pickup by an entrepreneurial Señorita along the road. Tomorrow there will be no gas for 75 more miles, so we gladly sucked up the fuel from her makeshift gas pumps - plastic containers. Our hotel, Misión Catarina, was the only public building in town and we were thrilled to be there. Beautiful courtyards and a restaurant on site were an oasis for weary travelers. The German group of bikers we had seen a few days earlier roared in after us. This is the spot - the only spot!

After a few Margueritas in the cozy bar, where we watched Alberto clean up the table at pool, we dined in style. Excited about the "Bananas Foster" listed for desert, we were surprised and delighted by apples coated in carmel sauce. Yes, we have no bananas - the Mexican way.

Whales beyond my wildest expectations captured this day. To be granted such a charmed experience is the gift of a lifetime. What more can our travels bring? The only way to answer that question is to keep hitting the road each day, with open eyes, mind and heart.