Oh what a beautiful morning! (guess we said that yesterday) One can just assume that if you are in Baja the morning will be beautiful. Decided to do a longer run to see what was just over the next hill. Had a good view of the salt operation. Last year the salt flats were stopped from expanding. A good thing for the whales, not so good for the people of Guerrero Negro. The balance between employment opportunities and the environment is becoming a major issue. Once again we decided to venture out on the dock when we returned from our run. Today there was a whole flock of American Avocets, a beautiful black and white bird with a turned up beak, eating sardines. Most of the birds that we identified yesterday were also foraging in the tidal zone. Time to leave our little spot of paradise. The wind has mostly been cooperative so being content here has been easy. Another added bonus was before we left we were able to take hot showers. As we left the side road we had to smile at the whale advertisement. It was doing double duty. It was advertising a beer company and also the gateway to the lagoon. We plan to return to the town of Guerrero Negro to buy groceries, wash our clothes, wash the car and a high priority is to visit the panadaria(bakery). Driving into town we are able to check our email and are a bit surprised when one of us and perhaps both of us are offered a contract to work for NOLS. It fits into our schedule and we accept. This is the first time we have spent much time in this town and have more of an appreciation of it. We even went to the bakery twice. Good thing we did a long run this morning. On the way out of town we see another stilt and several western Grebes. Our original destination for the night was San Ignacio, but having spent more time in Guerrero Negro we opt to stop at Vizcaino. Four years ago we had spent the night here with Ryan and friends when they were on their motorcycles. We hardly recognized the place as it has had some major upgrades. Parked next to us in an eight foot camper are two adults and two dogs. This past year they sold everything and what they now own is with them except for a couple of boxes with some relatives. They are planning on heading to South America and perhaps back, but then again they may find a place that they want to put down roots. So far this is the oldest couple we have meant who are doing such a trip. Before we pulled into this town, we were a bit saddened to see both sides of the road lined with power poles. Again it is quite the improvement for the folks living here, but does distract from the beauty of the landscape. The once quiet towns that we drove thru in the early 80's are now a beehive of activity.
