Just finished reading WIND /WATER/SUN: A Solo Kayak Journey Along Baja California's Desert Coastline, by Ed Darack. Published by Poudre Canyon Press. It is a magnificent book - full of beautiful color pictures, descriptions of the terrain, geology etc., sixteen sectional maps (not charts) from Puerto Penasco, through the Colorado River Basin, down to San Jose del Cabo. It is beautifully written and as much about local people etc. as it is about kayaking per se. But it includes plenty of what I would consider essential info about his kayaking experiences. I have paddled some of the coast below Loreto and felt like I was right beside him the whole way. It would be on my required reading list for anyone planning to kayak the Baja coast. Enjoy Bill Dover, NH, USA *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> Just finished reading WIND /WATER/SUN: A Solo Kayak Journey Along Baja > California's Desert Coastline, by Ed Darack. Published by Poudre Canyon > Press. It is a magnificent book - full of beautiful color pictures, > descriptions of the terrain, geology etc., sixteen sectional maps (not > charts) from Puerto Penasco, through the Colorado River Basin, down to > San Jose del Cabo. It is beautifully written and as much about local people > etc. as it is about kayaking per se. But it includes plenty of what I > would consider essential info about his kayaking experiences. I have paddled > some of the coast below Loreto and felt like I was right beside him the whole > way. It would be on my required reading list for anyone planning to > kayak the Baja coast. I've found this book on Amazon, and the only review said that this book underemphasized the dangers of Sea of Cortez compared to another similar book -"Kayaking the Vermilion Sea" by John Waterman, which was also more retrospective. John's book happened to be in my local library, so I've picked it up. Reading random paragraphs now, - quite impressive. I loved the last chapter - the talk with Los Cabos realtor. **He points again, east of the airport on the map, "You pave this", he points to the perimeter of the Sea of Cortes: "you pave that", he looks quizzically at me, "and what have you got?". I shrug. "Accessibility", he says. The realtor laments that the eighteen-mile corridor between here and Cabo San Lucas has only thirty-five hundred hotel rooms. "that's the same as just one hotel in Las Vegas".... ** The hottest listing was 250 acres of subdivided property. **half-acre, oceanfront lots sells for $150,000. "Twenty percent of what they will be", he reminds. "Where does the sewage goes?" I ask. He shrugs. "Is there any drinking water left"? He doesn't know...** *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 8/21/2004 6:41:13 PM Pacific Daylight Time, al.m_at_3web.net writes: > The hottest listing was 250 acres of subdivided property. > **half-acre, oceanfront lots sells for $150,000. > "Twenty percent of what they will be", he reminds. "Where does the sewage > goes?" I ask. > He shrugs. > "Is there any drinking water left"? He doesn't know...** > And just a few paragraphs later Mr Waterman and Co were recouping at one of those hotels. I think we kayakers like just enough infrastructure to get us there and then expect the rest to be total wilderness. Rob G *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> And just a few paragraphs later Mr Waterman and Co were recouping at one of > those hotels. Yes, in some "flophouse" as they say. They only needed some place to hang around until their ride home arrives. Such spots below $25 or so will disappear as the development sprawls. I don't even understand why did they paddle that far south, still have to finish the book. Most people don't paddle lower than La Paz, there is already nothing there for kayakers. >I think we kayakers like just enough infrastructure to get us > there and then expect the rest to be total wilderness. Oh, that would be perfect :-). For me, there is already too much of infrastructure in Baja. Don't need anything there, but bus connection. It is probably doomed too, since they prefer gringos using cars - this is better for local economics, especially for traffic police ;-)... Good news is that Mexican government has abanoned or at least suspended plans for "Pacific Ladder" (thanks to environmental groups). According to that plan, marinas were to be tucked in every 50 kilometers or so all the way up to San Felipe. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 8/23/2004 7:22:48 PM Pacific Daylight Time, al.m_at_3web.net writes: > Good news is that Mexican government has abanoned or at least suspended > plans for "Pacific Ladder" (thanks to environmental groups). According to > that plan, marinas were to be tucked in every 50 kilometers or so all the > way up to San Felipe. > That is good news. I don't like telling other people in their own countries what to do, but if I were to be asked I'd say it would cause me to not return. Of course, for every me, there would be a thousand spring breakers, screaming and lobbing beer cans overboard. Rob G *************************************************************************** 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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