.: Full Moon Party, hiking volcanos -this is the life!

We left the Bay of L.A. with a months worth of provisions. Since this community does not have electricity, needless to say it doesn't have an ATM or accept credit cards. We are down to about $5.00 in cash. Fortunately, we don't anticipate needing money until we get to Santa Rosalia a few more weeks from now.

Osprey atop cactus

Our first destination was the anchorage at the marine park island of La Ventura. We had this secluded bay to ourselves for the three days we were there. It was a great stop where we hiked the island every day.

From here we went to the large bay of La Gringa for a party with other cruisers in the area. This was a gathering of 17 sailboats and it was a terrific opportunity to meet everyone that we had been communicating with over the ham radio the past months. The reason for the location and date was that it was the full moon with a tide of about 18 feet. At La Gringa there is a lagoon and when the tide turns, you swoosh out of it on any kind of floatie into the bay. It was like a bunch of 12 year old kids all on floaties and hanging out in the water for hours (except for the addition of beer, wine and cocktails).

The next day I went for a couple of hours hiking through the hills, where I was rewarded by 360 degree views of the surrounding islands. That evening, one of the boats called Hipnautical hosted an "outdoor concert" at sunset where we all took our dinghies, tied up to them and were entertained by their guitar and harp. A truly magical night!

The next stop was at Isla Smith, which attracted us because of the 1,550 foot volcano. We got up and left before sunrise to tackle this. It was virtually straight up and there were spots that we were pulling ourselves up with our hands. We took lots of water (to avoid the dehydration that Peter got on the last volcano) as the heat index was already over 100 degrees. The 4 hour return trip was definitely worth it and we continue to seek out anchorages that offer seclusion and hikes onshore.

(Yes, Peter, we just go straight up)

We will be staying out at the various midriff islands for another 5 days or so when we will be heading back to the Bay of L.A. for a net controllers party. These isolated islands are teaming with sea lions, birds of all varieties, lots of beaches, hiking, snorkeling and incredible sunrises and sunsets. The perfect venue for us to continue learning our Spanish and bridge!