Hi, I'm assuming you are paddling LTO to LaPaz. Some Notes on that stretch of coast and Baja paddling in general: First, head South, keep the coast on your right-as Ed Gillet would say. I paddled this section of coast last Feb/01, with a friend in a double. Of all the Baja paddling I've done, between San Felipe to LaPaz, I think this stretch is my favorite. We put in just South of Loreto _at_ Puerto Escondito. Turn E off Hwy 1 toward Tripui RV Park, then turn R into the boondocks at some water valves just before Tripui RV Park and go around the big hill to the SE, where you can camp and launch. The RV park will allow you to leave a car for $3/day??. Otherwise you could get a taxi ride from LTO and just camp and start paddling. There's a nice hot spring at low tide S of Punta el Carizalito. It is just W of a tall rock outcrop that is an island _at_ high tide. You can find lots of good camping ~ 4 mi N around Pta la Aguilla before the road access to Agua Verde. Agua Verde is supposedly the site of Gene Kira's book _King of the Moon_. There are lots of pretty beaches on this stretch, eg Pta el Gato. If Wx is calm, consider a trip around the E side of I San Jose. I would suggest camping N of San Juan, which is a mining town. Our supply of Tecate and lime was low at this point, so we hiked into town from camp 6 miles North for more supplies. A few thoughts on safety: Outfitters don't run this stretch as much in winter, as in fall and spring, due to Wx. Last year had an unusual # of Pacific fronts; pattern seemed to be: offshore west winds/clouds/maybe precip, then 2-4 days of El Norte with growing seas. We often had 6-8 ft seas by 10AM, sometimes with sets of 2-3 10-12 ft waves at ~3 minutes. Not a pretty picture if the big ones catch you at Pts., shallows, or long stretches of N. facing beach(Pt Tarabillas N. of San Juan can be tricky). Best to be paddling before dawn if crossing or making for a point. Use tide tables to be aware of currents, which will steepen seas if running against wind waves. Paddle leash is vital for wind or in rescue IMHO. Practice rescues/rolls with loaded boats. Be able to handle boats with braces/correction strokes for beam seas, rear quarter seas, or when surfing in on waves when you can't find a protected landing. (You can test all those theories about hulls, strokes, etc, vs sitting at a computer in a cold place debating them.) Dress for water. Always have a Plan, A, B, and C. Don't count on getting help from the Coasties while swimming, with a Mayday call on your VHF. (Auxilio!Auxilio!Auxilio!) You should climb to a high spot to contact a boat in visual distance, for best results. Houses and settlements on shore may have a VHF. On arriving Lapaz, we paddled to the Aquamarina RV Park in LaPaz and camped. Then I hopped on a bus back to LTO to pick up the truck, while my friend hung out in La Paz. The driver will drop you off someplace enroute-a small tip is considerate. The buses are fast, safe and pretty reliable. Sometimes the relief driver will sleep in the front baggage compartment. Don't be worried if you see a pair of dice hanging from the rearview mirror of the bus. The bus left LAPAz at 9am and I was back with the truck by late afternoon. One bus line serves this route, the station is right in LAPaz, on the maps. I rented a VW beetle in LTO once for an interior trip. I was not supposed to have to pay the extra insurance per reservation, but was charged it anyway. My travel agent leaned on the Avis rep and got it refunded. If you are doing mainly paddling, I think you could get by without a car, especially if you have folding boats. Lots of small trucks are hauling goods, fish, etc up and down the coast. Transport is non-structured and flexible. Likewise, I've stopped to pick up a Baja cowboy hitching with a gas can, and ended up visiting their rancho for a few days. Don't get too hung up on a plan or itinery-just let things unfold. A bit of Spanish goes a _long_ way towards getting around and learning about how people live. I especially enjoy hanging out with the pangeros, who live on the water. They may not have NOAA-grade WX info, but they usually can tell you what will happen in the days ahead. The ones who didn't understand the WX are probably no longer around. You will welcome extra days for WX and hiking from beaches. Water is scarce in the Sonoran desert. We usually carry 7-10 gals/person on longer trips. A little water and food reserve will let you sit out unfavorable WX-usually wind. Bigger towns have agua purifacado plants. Put water in hard kayak hatches at night, as coyotes will get into the bags if unprotected. MSR 10 ltr bags are the best, with spigots, vs the std. medicine dropper spouts. For maps I used both the Baja Almanac (Topo Atlas)-land features, and FishnMap co Baja South map-water/bottom contours. Baja Almanac Publishers, POBOX 94318 Las Vegas NV89193 fishnmap.com Have a great trip. Regards, Jay Ginrich Alma, CO *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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