May 23, 2002: Mission in Loreto (Established October 25, 1697)

April 10, 2002:  Hola again from sunny and warm Baja, MEXICO

Guess I should backtrack a bit in case you’re wondering how I got from South Carolina to Mexico. With a flexible schedule, I was able to cash in frequent flyer miles and do it all practically free. Had a quick stopover in southern California to visit my grandma (who had turned 87 earlier that week!) and was also able to catch up with a few college friends, getting to a 1st bday party and baby shower, despite some jerk clipping me driving my grandma’s dinosaur LTD on the freeway and then taking off. Luckily I (and a few other witnesses, one of whom happened to be an off-duty LAPD officer) followed the guy until he pulled over and we got his insurance information...California drivers!

I did finally make it to Loreto, and it’s hard to believe that a month has already zoomed by (I know I shouldn’t complain!). My birth father, Frank, began coming to Loreto to sportfish years ago and retired here permanently five years ago. I have visited so often that it has truly become a “home away from home”.

Loreto is located on the Baja peninsula, the long scraggly piece of Mexico that juts south of California. What many people don’t realize is that this narrow peninsula is longer than Italy. Baja is separated from mainland Mexico by the Gulf of California, better known as the Sea of Cortez (Mar de Cortez), which was formed when the San Andreas fault separated the peninsula and the Pacific filled the narrow gap (ranging from 60-125 miles wide). Loreto is on the Mar de Cortez side of the peninsula about 2/3 of the way down (that’s about 700 miles south of the US/Mexico border). Most of the peninsula is desert, but the Sierra de la Giganta mountain range runs down Baja’s spine. While Loreto is barely above sea level, the tallest mountain in this range, Cerro de la Giganta (at 5,832 ft) is only 10 miles from Loreto! In fact the offshore islands, Isla Carmen and Isla Coronado, are mountains themselves; thus, Loreto is sometimes described as “where even the mountains swim”.

No one seems sure of Loreto’s population, despite a 2001 census, but best guess is around 11,000-12,000...regardless, it’s a pretty small town. Since  there is only one big plane that flies into Loreto (from Los Angeles), and it only arrives/departs on certain days, everyone knows if and when “the plane” arrives. I always giggle watching first-time tourists arriving at Loreto’s palapa-roofed airport and being quickly reminded that not only are they in a small town, they ARE in Mexico. After you clear immigrations, you face the customs officer standing dutifully next to what appears to be a traffic signal...in fact, it is a traffic signal! Well, it’s a traffic signal without the yellow light, just green and red. When it’s your turn, you step up and press a button on the base of the signal and one of the lights illuminates (if it’s red they go through your bags, if it’s green you’re home free). It’s perfectly senseless and random, and this is what seems to throw American tourists into a mental conundrum. At least Loreto customs agents can’t be accused of profiling!

Below are some photos I’ve taken in and around Loreto. I am headed from Baja to South Carolina in a very roundabout way, so I won’t be online much the next few days (and please don’t reply to this email!). I will send photos of Loreto’s 300+ year old mission and let you know when the new and improved website is complete…any day now!

Hasta luego…Siri

March 31, 2002: Easter in Loreto, Baja (MEXICO)

Sad to be saying farewell to Baja today (I'll be on my way to SC and offline till Tues)...but a good excuse to send some very belated photos from my last trip here, which happened to coincide with the Easter procession through the streets of Loreto.

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