Isla Angel de la Guarda and Bahia de Los Angeles

“Rain here is only brief punctuation, a momentary breath between long dry stanzas.”
-Jack Swenson, Baja: A Special Expedition to Baja and the Sea of Cortez, 1995

This was a day of superlatives.

It was an awe-inspiring sunrise along the eastern side of Isla Angel de la Guarda. The sky was gorgeous with slender fingers of clouds in the east, lit up with scarlet edges. To the west were mountainous layers of geologic formations in stunning shades and tones with fiery clouds above. The light was dramatic, as the mountains lit up in the sun with stormy dark clouds behind.

The light continued to change as we began our morning walks into a broad arroyo. As varying clouds passed overhead, on occasion the sun became a perfect spotlight moving slowly across the land, highlighting this stunning area. As the arroyo narrowed into a deep canyon, its beauty was like a cathedral in nature. It was an easy walk up a sandy floor between the steep rock walls of varying tan to reddish earth tones. Cardon cactus, and lovely native Mexican blue palms accented the visual landscape, and the scent of desert lavender extended the sensory experience.

Rain! There is a joyous feeling when it rains in the desert. Big fat drops dotted the rocks like a leopard’s spots, but only briefly. Thunder rumbled above the mountains. In the distance, we could see brushstrokes of rain in the sky, never reaching the ground. Many people were watching a particularly intriguing cloud as it evolved into new shapes, when a single bolt of lightening shot down from it to the ground.

When we sailed to the small town of Bahia de Los Angeles for our afternoon adventure, the weather cleared, and the sun warmed us on the bow as we entered the bay. At the jetty, we were met by a variety of local vehicles to drive us out into the desert to explore a boojum forest. Boojums are a unique, somewhat bizarre looking plant that grows to over 80ft, and can live to 700 years or even longer. Visually, while many look a bit like an upside down pale carrot, they can also form very unusual shapes — arcing, leaning, and curving into natural sculptures. While it might be challenging to describe the boojum tree, we were amused, intrigued, and creatively inspired by the experience.

We wrapped up the afternoon with a party of margaritas, lemonade, chips and guacamole at a friendly spot by the edge of the jetty — a sweet ending to a remarkable day.