The winter solstice arrived in Baja California Sur at 5:38 AM. The Sea Bird had just left her anchorage and was on her way towards our morning destination, a coastal town on the eastern side of the Baja peninsula. The sun began its early rise just a few minutes after 7:00 AM on the shortest day of the year, casting soft pinkish orange light and deep shadows on the Sierra de la Giganta. This rugged and steep mountain range appears to have exploded directly out of the Gulf of California creating a stark but beautiful visual feast particularly in the first light of the day.
Our intentions for the day included a morning visit, to the first mission established by Father Junipero Serra in 1697, located in the small town of Loreto. It was from this first mission that Father Serra began his journey north by mule. He eventually established a mission at what is now the city of San Diego, California. For the next 130 years following its founding Loreto was the capitol of California, until a hurricane devastated the town and the capitol was moved to La Paz.
We spent part of the morning seeing the mission and mission museum and then wandered through this small community enjoying the contrast of the old mission buildings, cobble streets, a few tourists and the Mexican people preparing for the Christmas holidays.
