This seems to the year of little wind. Once again as we got up early to do a weather check, it was let's pack up and paddle. One of the places that we had always liked to visit 30 years ago was Los Dolores. Los Dolores was and still is an oasis along the shore. Back up the arroyo is a mission that was built in the 1600's due to a natural water supply called the ojo de agua or eye of water. A bubbling spring at one time irrigated an orchard of fruit trees. There are only ruins of the mission now, but the irrigation ditches that were carved out of the rock to carry water are still used. A couple lives at the ranch now, raising goats and care taking the ranch. Around the next point is a large house that now controls the access to the arroyo of the mission. We were told that one could ask permission to hike up, but decided to continue on as the weather was still good for paddling. We rounded Punta Nopolo and paddled past a small fishing village. We were ready to make camp and pulled into a beach with a wooden sign. We smiled when we read the sign that stated that this beach was part of a Natural reserve. An organization has bought up some of this coastline and is protecting it from developement. Behind the beach is a beautiful arroyo, too thick to hike thru, but beautiful for a back drop for our camp tonight.

Sign declaring that this is a Natural preserve