Polly's Trip Journals & Photos: May 2021

the amazing fantastic Copper Canyon

blooming ocotillo

cardon cactus

This trip was originally planned for April 2020, but Covid-19 put everything on hold. So, one year later...

04-24-2021 SATURDAY We arrived in Cabo late afternoon (Alaska Airlines) to a delightful breezy 75 degrees day. Our hotel is Quinta del Sol where we stayed on our previous trip. Walked a few blocks to La Guadalupana, a homey family restaurant. Ron had machaca, a traditional spicy dried beef dish that has been rehydrated. He loved it. I had mole, my favorite go-to Mexican dish. Stopped at OXXO (Mexico's version of 7-11) on the way back for water and snacks.

Quinta del Sol, Cabo

04-25-2021 SUNDAY We ate breakfast at an outdoor table next to the pool. We had generous portions of fresh fruit, granola and yogurt, then huge platters of eggs and chilaquiles. This is my favorite Mexican breakfast dish: corn tortilla pieces fried, cooked in salsa, sprinkled with cheese.

After stuffing ourselves, we walked to the marina. It was a nice walk even though it was right on a busy road, about three miles round trip. Street vendors were selling hats, bracelets, sunglasses-typical tourist stuff. The marina was surrounded by shops and restaurants, from high end to food trucks. The yachts were amazing. Lots of opportunities to go out on any kind of tour imaginable. We got back to the hotel early afternoon. Swam and napped and read by the pool. That evening we were picked up by Maria Elena Muriel, our guide. We met our travel companions who were also staying at the hotel. Bob and Peggy from Arizona, and Dan from Portland.

Peggy & Bob

Dan

Maria took us to a local family restaurant for Mexican combo plate -- tostado with guacamole, chiles relleno, enchilada with spicy green sauce, and beef steak. Everything was authentic, fresh, and delicious.

04-26-2021 MONDAY This was our marathon day, 5AM to 9:15PM. We drove to Todos Santos, about an hour drive NW of Cabo San Lucas. Our driver, Joanne Moreno, is another guide from Birding Los Cabos. She is an excellent driver and birder, with a friendly yet shy demeanor.

Joanne

Our first walk was through a residential area looking for the Xantus hummingbird in particular. The hummingbird showed up on que. Additionally we saw cactus wren, hooded oriole, Scott's oriole, Bullock's oriole, gray thrasher to name a few. Bougainvillea spilled over every fence in red, yellow, orange and pink. So many flowers that the dirt road was littered with blowing blossoms.

Zucchini was blossoming alongside cornfields. The mango trees were dripping with fruits. All the locals were zooming by on their way to work. One guy was holding onto the reins of his donkey as it trotted alongside his truck. We all laughed. We birded a small portion of a local ranch. We ate breakfast at the ranch's popular restaurant, Loncheria "La Garita". Our birding and photo optics were spread across the tables. Menu choices were empanada, burrito, or quesadilla. No wrong choice! Delicious coffee, chips and five different salsas of graduated "heat" came first. Plates were served with grilled cubes of Mennonite cheese, salty mild and chewy-soft.

Empanada, beans, Mennonite cheese wedge

Ubiquitous chips, salsas, guacamole

Grilled Mennonite cheese

Coffee!

We drove back to the marina in Cabo for a short boat trip out to the famous rock arches and beaches. These include Lover's Beach, Divorce Beach (separated by a narrow archway) and the most photographed iconic arch. We drove around the southernmost rock of the Baja peninsula. We were delighted to be flashed by whale tails and backs.

Famously photographed arch

Last land of Baja Peninsula

Next was the flight out of Cabo across the Sea of Cortez to Los Mochis, Sinaloa. The airport was small and peaceful, surrounded by flowering mapa trees. We packed into our van and started the two hour drive to El Fuerte, where we stay two nights. Along the way we stopped for dinner at a chicken restaurant. Maria had ordered ahead, and our feast was served immediately. We didn't realize how ravenous we were until we fell on our food like vultures! Platters of sizzling grilled chicken, fries, salad, and beans. We arrived at Rio Vista hotel after 9PM.

murals everywhere

04-27-2021 TUESDAY Adrian, our guide for the morning, took us on a birding boat ride on the Rio Fuerte. Along the way we stopped for a tour of petroglyphs. We learned about the meanings of the different symbols. This sacred place was guarded by a gracious old man. Along the path we saw a poisonous spider that lived in a cactus plant, tasted a cactus bud (it was similar to an apple), and ate a seed from another plant.

Adrian

We were also introduced to the biting midges, or no-see-ums. We all ended up with itching welts that lasted the whole trip. Bob suffered the worst. Ron's arms were bloody. The rest of us wore long sleeves but still had welts all over our hands, wrists, necks.

ouch!!

We continued our river trip into town. We drove to a local house with a small ranch. We were taught the process of tortilla making, from grinding the corn and making the batter to forming the dough and slapping it on a pan over an open fire. Of course, our attempts looked like wet lumps compared to the perfectly formed, flipped, and roasted tortillas of the master tortilla maker, Bartola. She makes tortillas all day long, every day. She served us beans, cheese, meat, salsa, and lemonade. Adrian taught us about the ceremony to come. Our host is a shaman and revered performer of the sacred ceremonial dances. He was accompanied by two drummers.

After this we returned to our hotel for breakfast. Even though we had filled up on the delicious rustic food at the ranch, we were hungry for eggs and coffee. We had fresh fruit plates, tortillas, salsa and Mexican eggs. It was pleasant lingering in the open air dining room. We had up close views of birds coming right up to the windows on tree branches, and we could see the river and valley in the distance. After our siesta time we walked down the road to the town square for drinks and salsa at Restaurant El Meson del General. We enjoyed snacking on guacamole and chips and rating the different salsas. Had a few beers. We were entranced and entertained all afternoon by the various hummer feeders and many hummers. Ron and Dan were in heaven photographing the birds. We had the patio to ourselves. Two hours later we walked next door to El Texano restaurant. The specialty is stuffed baked potato: sizzling hot foil packets of oozy gooey cheese, meat, and potato chunks. More chips, guacamole, salsa, and beer just made it all the better. Our bug bites were revealing themselves in a big way by then. Swelling ankles and fingers, itching red welts. The walk back to the hotel was refreshing.

original timbers from the fort

original bricks from the fort

04-28-2021 WEDNESDAY Awesome day! Felipe, this morning's guide, led us along the paved riverfront boardwalk. The walkway was busy with dog walkers, bikers, runners and walkers. We were looking for the bare-throated tiger heron but he was too shy to show himself that day. We walked back to the hotel for another delicious breakfast, featuring pancakes and quesadillas with a fruit plate and coffee. We left at 9:30am for our train ride on Chepe Express. We were upgraded to the first class car. We had our own porter/concierge, server, and private dining car. Our seats were roomy, with drop down tables, charging ports, and huge windows.

We were allowed to photograph between the cars at certain points. The scenery was the focus, stunning once we started to climb in the mountains. We enjoyed our lunch (Mennonite cheese and chopped mushroom quesadillas & barbacoa meat tacos). Our stop was at Bahuichivo three hours later. We were driven to Cabanas San Isidro lodge, up at about 6900 feet elevation. Our host, Mario, is the owner, shaman, spiritual guide, bird guide , driver, and server. He is a wonderful storyteller. Also made us killer mezcal margaritas. He led a walking tour of the ranch, taking us to a vortex point ("powerful spiritual properties that can be highly conducive to spiritual activities like prayer, meditation, and healing ,bring feelings of peace, harmony, balance, and tranquility personal reflection, promote deep insight, and a clear mind" ) that overlooked an immensely deep canyon , the walls studded with caves.

Mario at vortex site

The dining hall was cozy, warm, and fragrant from the sandalwood burning in the wood stove. This is where killer margaritas were introduced. Dinner was simple and perfect: vegetable soup, fresh tilapia, rice, beans, and bananas in crema for dessert. We each had our own log cabin. The interior had hand-hewn walls and log furniture. The beds were piled high with colorful hand-woven heavy wool blankets. However, the first thing I noticed were the amazing windows. They were made with recycled colored bottles laid horizontally, bottoms on the insides, and openings on the outer window. Gorgeous with the sun shining through them.

inside view of window constructed with recycled bottles

outside view of window

dried peppers we added to everything

There were hand-painted murals on the walls. Each cabin had a saying painted on the outside. Ours read " Hay lugares donde uno se queda y lugares que se quedan en uno", translated to "There are places where you stay and places that you stay in". As I was trying to fall asleep I heard scratching noises in the walls. I had to investigate the next morning to solve this mystery!

04-29-2021 THURSDAY So, first thing I did was go outside and look at the log walls, behind where the headboard would be. I saw row upon row of acorns stashed into holes drilled by the acorn woodpecker. A tiny nocturnal thief has been busy raiding this stash! We had a lovely 6:30am breakfast of cinnamon French toast with jam, sliced pears and watermelon, fresh apple juice. As if this wasn't enough, the next course was made-to-order omelets, salsa and tortillas, and heavenly coffee. Mario drove Maria, Dan, Ron and I to Urique in a 4-wheel drive SUV. It was a spectacular drive, from 6000 feet to almost sea level. There was some smoke in the canyons, creating eerie photos. We stopped along the way and did some walking.

Met various oncoming vehicle traffic, including a road crew doing yearly maintenance. We stopped at a cave that used to be someone's home. Now it is a small shop that is run by the former owner. In fact, we had seen her hiking up the dusty road with a loaded pack on her back. We bought some trinkets from her. She allowed us to take photographs of her cave. We arrived in Urique, a quiet farming town along the river. We have been learning all along the trip about the Tarahumara indigenous people. They have developed a running style that is unparalleled, choosing to run in their rubber-soled thong-style sandals. They can outrun about every athlete, in fact, they excel at long-distance ultra-marathons around the world. What we had precariously driven down in a few hours, they can run in much less time. We drove along the river bottoms. We walked for a mile or so, followed by two days old kittens. We ate a delicious family-style meal of sesame chicken, guacamole & chips, Spanish rice, salad, salsas and tortillas. This was lunch!

We walked from the restaurant next to the town square across a pedestrian suspension bridge over the river. We were met by a young man who explained about the river eco-system. We birded for about a half hour on one flowering tree that was really active. Best birds of the day were peregrine falcon, military macaw, elegant trogon, and gray silky flycatcher. After leaving town we stopped at a scenic overlook. We walked the suspension bridge to a viewing platform that hung out over the canyon. It had see-through flooring, gulp!

We arrived back at San Isidro late afternoon. Most people attended Mario's healing sweat lodge ceremony.

04-30-2021 FRIDAY Started our day off with a plate of pancakes, bacon, fruit, juice, and coffee. We all made sure to write in the guest log. Mario gave a talk on the Race. Lots of stories about the famous runners, their life-style, race-organizers, death on the trail, and how it has impacted the local people's lives. Raoul, another local guide, also came to talk to us before we left. Mario's nephew drove us back to Bahuichivo where we hopped on the bus.

It was crowded but the seats were comfortable. The road led through some spectacular mountains. It was a mere two hour ride to Creel.

our boutique hotel in Creel

town square outside hotel

Creel is situated at 8000 feet elevation, a mecca for adventure sports and tourism. After settling in our rooms we walked around the town plazas (there are two, one right in front of our hotel). We ate dinner at La Cabana, a nice café. Our dinner was carne asada, Mennonite fried cheese melted in a mini-skillet, garlic mushrooms also in skillets, guacamole, "salsita" and chips. All served with warm corn tortillas and cold beer. The upcoming presidential elections created lots of competing political rallies and parties. The music stopped around 11pm.

05-01-2021 SATURDAY We grabbed coffee and fluffy Mexican pastries from the hotel lobby at 6:30am. Gustavo, our mestizo guide for today, was an interesting guy. Although he is not Tarahumara he was very involved in the race culture. Besides being a runner himself, he was a race course engineer and coordinator. He drove us to a beautiful spot along the river.

It was an easy, sometimes rocky, one mile walk through the river canyon. The sun was just rising above the hills and it was a bit too chilly for most of the birds. Ron and Dan had some great photography opportunities. Hiked through the hundreds of empty vendor stalls to the waterfall. There was enough water to make the falls quite spectacular. (note: Man vs. Wild Mexico 2007 Bear Grylls filmed a segment climbing down the rock walls of this waterfall, Gustavo climbed with him also). As we were hiking out the vendors were arriving. Many pencils were distributed to the kids by Dan and Peggy. When a bird called earlier in the canyon it was identified as a wild turkey. Ron heard it calling again just above our heads. He knew it was not a turkey. Then a mountain trogon, a lifer for us, flew back and forth a few times, flashing it's red breast and black and white striped tail. This was one of our target birds on this walk. Gustavo says the Tarahumara name for this bird translates "The bird with the red heart". The walk back on the trail was alive with birds since the sun was now warming up the canyon. We saw red- faced warbler, painted redstart and white-breasted nuthatch. We drove to a lake for breakfast but the restaurant owner had the time wrong. and was not there. Maria took us back to Creel to La Cabana where we had tortilla soup for our meal. We visited Sebastian's Caves situated in a lush farming valley.

Sebastian's cave

The family opened their home to the public. Many artisan crafts displayed. Our next destination was The Mushrooms and Frog Valley, natural rock formations. Another array of vendors selling pine needle baskets, woven items, trinkets. All of a sudden, a clear beautiful young voice singing haunting folk songs resonated off the rocks. A young boy about 12 years old was singing for tips. He sang two or three songs. We took the requisite photos of "holding up the rocks" over our head.

typical artisan crafts

We hiked among another set of rocks, with anatomically correct names. Back to Creel for dinner at Dos Marias. We ate delicious honey-glazed tuna medallions, salad, and beer. We were the only diners in the beautifully decorated restaurant. From the outside it was simply a non-descript door that you would not look twice at. Much less discover a charming homey eatery. Another win for Maria!

honey-glazed tuna & quinoa salad

More presidential candidate inspired partying in the town square until around 11pm.

05-02-2021 SUNDAY This morning started with coffee and donuts in the lobby. Juan Carlos is our driver and guide today. He took us to Catalina's cave. She met us with a big smiles, butter-soft leathery hands outstretched to help us down the stone steps to her home. The cave was cozy and neat, heated with a wood stove. Her teen daughter was very shy, her face downcast as she sat on the floor. Her cat slept near her on a wooden pallet bed.

pallet bed

Catalina & Maria

Little items were stored in niches in the rock walls. Cooking pots, utensils, and pantry items were neatly stored on wood shelves. The most amazing feature was her deck, built over the canyon. Imagine waking up to the sight of the Copper Canyon, deeper than the Grand Canyon, right outside your door! We bought some baskets from her. Ron picked out a turquoise and black woven bag for me. Caterina gave us hugs as we left, the only openly affectionate indigenous person we had met. From there we went to the Mistika Museo (rock museum) where we met Montserrat.

Polly Maria Montserrat

Maria had given us her backstory: the daughter of a Tarahumara woman and an Apache father, she was given up for adoption at a tender age. Years later she was found by her half-siblings who had searched for her. Reunited with her mother as an adult. She spent many years traveling and collected enough mineral specimens to open this interesting tiny museum. She demonstrated the rain stick (a hollowed out stick filled with hundreds of tiny pebbles that sound like rain when tumbling down), explained how she came by a huge local blue diamond, opals, copper and meteorites. She was thrilled to open her museum for the first time in a a year.

opal

However, we were on a timetable to catch our train so we needed to leave. At Hotel Divisidor we were seated at a table that hung out over the Canyon, giving the feeling that you were on the edge of the world.

We were only bites into the most delicious chilaques dish when we were alerted that the train had arrived. We had thought we had another hour, but we managed to stuff in a few more bites before running out to the truck for our luggage. We had to run up the block, up a staircase, through the station. We were so grateful to Juan Carlos for grabbing our bags and running alongside us. Soon we were seated on the train, breathless, and laughing. Dan thought he lost his ticket (it was right where it was supposed to be), then he realized his tripod was still in the truck. Maria ran outside and tried to call Juan Carlos, who already started the drive back. She was able to contact him with help from a train attendant. Tripod was delivered about five minutes later, Maria was triumphant, back in her seat, and the train pulled out. We enjoyed the seven hour trip back to Los Mochis. There were short stops along the way: San Rafael, Bahuichivo, Temores, El Fuerte. We ate lunch on the train, sitting in the dining car for about an hour.

We departed the train at 5:30pm. Our driver took us Hotel Fenix, large and modern and cool. We walked a few blocks to a large family style restaurant and bakery. Their specialty is a grilled chicken plate. We were very hungry and all enjoyed the delicious meal. Dan stopped for beer on the walk back and we drank it in the lobby for our nightly bird list countdown.

05-03-2021 MONDAY This busy day started out walking to the Benjamin Francis Johnston Botanical Garden with Carlos our guide.

Carlos & local guide

There were guards at the entrance. The park was alive with joggers, walkers, boxing and yoga classes. We were the only birders. We birded our way through the various eco-zones demonstrated within the park. Walking through the fledgling butterfly gardens we saw zinging hummingbirds and streak-backed orioles. The next zone we birded was dubbed Lovers Tunnel, named for the tunnel effect of the graceful trees overhanging the pathway. Carlos says it is popular for kids playing hooky. We strolled through the palm gardens. The park founder was a collector of palms back in the 1920's. He had 92 species brought in from all over the world; today there are 12 species remaining. The cactus gardens were my favorite. Lots of plants were flowering, and the blooms created a splash of color in the greens and grays of the desert plants. An iguana darted out of sight among the spines. On our way out we were suddenly splashed on all sides by the sprinklers coming on.

We arrived back at the Fenix for breakfast, eating the usual regional breakfast plates. We checked out and Maria drove us to the harbor. We were thrilled with another ocean boat trip out into the bay and around Bird Island. For the next hour and a half we saw so many birds we could not keep up! My favorite was the black vultures nesting atop the cactus. Other highlights were magnificent frigatebird, American oystercatcher, breeding plumage double-crested and neo-tropic cormorants, yellow-crowned night heron, roseate spoonbills. Dan and Ron were in photo heaven.

"Yes" to the crab tostados!

boat for Bird Island trip

Maria then took us to her favorite beach restaurant for her favorite food: crab tostados. She initiated us into the "correct" way to eat them. First, you scoop some crab onto a chip, drizzle on mayo and squeeze lime and hot sauce. Them pop it in your mouth and start another one. It was the best lunch! Dueling mariachi bands were fun to watch. We sat with beers and more chips and salsa for another hour. Alternately birding and watching the little girls playing in the sand in their ruffled dresses and hair bows. Reluctantly headed to the airport for our flight back to Cabo. Not done with the day yet! Joanne picked us up. Stopped at the clinic for our Covid tests, the straight to dinner. Barrazul had stayed open for our farewell dinner party. We started off with margaritas, finished with sizzling chicken fajitas. Back at Quinta del Sol we said our farewells.

05-04 TUESDAY We walked to the Covid testing site to get our results. Of course, they were negative. Had a nice relaxing breakfast at the London Bistro, across from the hospital. We made arrangements for Joanne to drive us to the airport tomorrow at noon. I enjoyed chilling out on a lounge chair in the shade at the pool. Ron did not feel well so he stayed in the room. We walked down the main street to Estaban's for dinner. Typical Cabo bar and restaurant specializing in seafood. Ron ordered a margarita, did not like it so I drank it. I also had a beer and Ron had a rum and Coke. Ron ordered the "pescado del dia" (catch of the day) which was delicious. I ate mackerel and shrimp chile relleno.

05-05-2021 WEDNESDAY Ron was sick off and on all night, hardly slept. We tried to sleep in but there was lots of activity outside our door. I did eat breakfast poolside but Ron decided to fast all day. Joanne arrived promptly at noon, wearing her Shibori shirt I gave her. She looked fantastic. We checked in smoothly, had all of our documents. Once we got upstairs at the gate, Ron decided his Covid test paper was missing. He went back to check-in. I waited and waited upstairs. I checked his money pouch once more and found his paper right where it belonged. Then I discovered that he had taken my boarding pass, not his own. I got one of the security guards to escort me back downstairs where we found Ron. He was being helped by a very nice customer service agent. She was in the process of having Ron's Covid test results sent to her phone. We got that straightened out and were soon back at the gate. This is why we always like to be early! Our flights back were short and smooth. We got to our hotel in Junction City, OR, by 11pm.

05-06-2021 THURSDAY All of a sudden at 6am we heard knocking at our door, or so we thought. Dozed back to sleep. Then we heard loud banging on our window. Our ground floor room backed up to an alley. We have seen foot traffic there on previous stays, did not think too much of them before. Now, we were on alert! Another loud bang. Ron stuck his head out the drapes and yelled "Get away from here!" . There was a black car with tinted windows idling, and a young kid of about twelve was at our window with a metal bar in his hands. He was startled and scared, said "sorry mister" and ran to the car. I called the owner upstairs and he said he would take care of it. He probably just went back to sleep. We just packed up and left soon after.

AND NOW FOR THE BIRDS, THE STARS OF OUR TRIP!