The Colors of Los Gatos

Puerto Los Gatos is a medium-sized bay located at the footsteps of Sierra de la Giganta – a scenic mountain range composed of colorful layers of rock.

This bay in particular formed on a layer of red sandstone, making it quite unique. Check it out on this post.

<This is the fourth and last in a series of four posts I have been publishing this week covering our passage between La Paz and Puerto Escondido in Baja California. Click here for the first post on the series>

We arrived at Los Gatos on a Thursday afternoon. There were another two yachts anchored there, and that was about all the population on that place, for the bay is surprisingly inhabited and undeveloped.

We dropped anchor in the southern lobe of the bay, after negotiating the dangerous reefs that lie inside of it.

This is such a scenic place that I will tell the story straight with pictures – there you go:

 

We left Isla San Francisco early in the morning to ensure we arrived at Los Gatos with plenty of daylight time left. S/V Coastal Drifter led the way:

 

We watched  her getting smaller and smaller with the distance until being dwarfed by the dramatic backdrop of Sierra de la Giganta:

 

It was then our turn to raise anchor and make our way through the San Jose Chanel:

 

Adriana prepared lunch along the way so that we could enjoy the rest of the afternoon at Los Gatos. Accordingly, lunch was served as soon as the anchor hit the bottom. Unfortunately, a sentinel bee became aware of our food and, most notably, water. By end of lunch we were swarmed by bees – outside and within the cabin. It took us more than an hour to gently convince them that Pesto was not a source of resources for their hive:

 

When we could finally take our attention away from the bees, we saw Mr Manuel motoring by with his Panga. We hailed him and traded fresh fish for a few liters of gasoline, some pesos, and a beer:

 

We then went to the beach, where we watched the local Pelicans do their evolutions:

 

It was in fact dinner time for them, as evidenced by the multiple attacks to the fish swimming close to the surface:

 

That evening, the kids convinced us to stay on the beach, do a bonfire and make s’mores. Debra brought an iPad, and so we had a most pleasant evening watching the driftwood burning slowly, the kids slurping the melting marshmallow, all to a great soundtrack of an 80’s selection.

Before going back to our boats, we all lay on the sand watching the perfectly clear sky, the stars, constellations, shooting stars and the occasional satellite. Bliss.

 

But the main attraction of Puerto Los Gatos is the red sandstone formations, and it was there that we headed for the next morning:

 

Upon arrival to the beach, Raquel is always on the ready to support the landing procedure:

 

The erosion from the rocks tints the sand of the bay, creating a beautiful visual:

 

But undeniably the main attraction are the rocks themselves:

 

It’s not only their color, but the shape and texture … is it just me, or do they indeed look edible?

 

We stayed there for most of the morning. Climbing …

 

… enjoying the view …

 

… taking selfies …

 

… and watching Raquel show off her abilities:

 

Before going back to Pesto, and considering the name of the place – Los Gatos (“The Cats”) – Adriana made a pretty, environmentally friendly recognition for our beloved cat, Tom, who left us recently after 13 years living with us.

 

Back to Pesto, we got our swimming gear and went snorkeling at the larger reef that protrudes into the bay:

 

I expected more fish, and attributed it to the ongoing attacks from the Pelicans, or maybe even Mr. Manuel. But Debra later told me the area she snorkeled had more fish than the one we did. Anyway, the little we saw, was pretty:

 

These colorful starfish earned the kids’ accolades for the day:

 

In the afternoon, Mr Manuel – the fisherman – brought some lobsters that he had just catch. So a second bonfire was arranged:

 

And while we were there, this spectacular sunset started to take shape, tinting everything around us on a palette of colors:

 

We left the next morning, reluctantly for the beauty of the place. But we had to get going – Adriana had a flight scheduled from Loreto just a couple of days away.

What we didn’t know by then is that we were in for yet another visual treat …

… but that is already the subject of a different post.

Thank You for following us on this passage !!!