Loreto here we come

Once upon a time, there was a little blue Prius that loved to take its owners out for adventures.  On Saturday, March 2, 2013 the Prius packed it's owners and their suitcases in and headed to LA where it planned to put the couple on a plane to Loreto.  For those not familar with the geography of the Baja penninsula, Loreto is on the eastern side above La Paz.







  









Along the way the Prius decided to take the couple down route 101 so they could marvel at the giant redwood trees.








 





 Not wanting to tire the driver, the Prius stopped in Cresent City, CA and then again in Santa Cruz to give the couple a nights rest.  This was good as it left them happy and refreshed when they arrived at their cousins in Woodland Hills, CA.  Their cousins took them out to a nice dinner at Roy's.  It was great fun!  

The Prius then took the couple to a Marriot Courtyard where it agreed to wait while they flew to Loreto.

 Alaska air whisked the couple down to Loreto where they stayed at Villa del Palmar about 45 minutes south of the town.  They loved the view from their balcony looking out over the pools to the Sea of Cortez.  The resort is nestled between the mountains and the sea.  It has lovely grounds and pools and hiking trails into the surrounding hills.




The couple enjoyed hiking up into the hills and looking back at the resort.  It looked so small from far away.  

The resort had nice pools and an aqua aerobics class.  There was a gym next to the spa.  There were kayaks and paddle boards which could be used in the bay.  Their room had a kitchen and was almost just like home with the exception that there was daily maid service.

 

What more could the couple want?  Maybe just to see the surrounding area.  Wild Loreto offered several tours.  The couple decided to take the tour to Mission San Javier.  The Jesuits branched out of Loreto and built the mission church of San Javier between 1744-1758.  The site is on oasis where the Jesuits taught the natives agriculture and built irrigation aqueducts.

       
The Jesuits introduced olive trees to the area along with other crops and livestock.  The town of San Javier today is a small village that continues to farm the fertile land.  The couple saw onions growing in a field surrounded by olive trees. 







 They even had their photos taken by a really old olive tree.


 

The resort hiking trails led up and along the shore and offered great views of the islands and bays.  If you look hard, you will see a group of kayakers paddling out of the cove.

Maybe the couple will come back some day and do a kayaking tour.