Photo Gallery    Most recent to past pictures!

Fall 2011 - Winter 2012

Arrive in Puerto Vallarta - November 18, 2011
                                              
Reflecting on the 750+ mile sail, we experienced many more challenges than before but glad we now can relax!

Chacala Bay
                             
Beachfront palapas   Pangas for fishing  Den rows into shore   Peaceful pelican  Lovely colors abound
              
Chacala is one of my favorite spots; families swim, peaceful beaches with clean aqua water.

    
Den checks the lines before we leave at sunrise.

Club Nautica in Mazatlan
             
Club Nautica anchorage, but no fuel! View of anchorage and our trip to get diesel in the famous VW cab!

              
This used to be a great anchorage spot, but the cleaning crew left years ago to work at the fancy marinas!

           
Pura Vida was clean and happy here!

Crossing the Sea of Cortez to Mazatlan
                           
Storm clouds behind us, then sprinkles, wind gust to 30 knots, heavy rain soaking the bimini, and high seas over the bow.Whoooeee!

Los Frailes
                  
The winds were 25 knots on our nose, but this guy wind surfed out to our boat! Amazing!
                                       
Leaving Frailes & Baja Coast  at sunrise        We were 20 miles offshore and this bird hitched a ride for a short distance

Ensenade del Los Muertos
         
Giggling Marlin restaraunt and sunset at Muertos

La Paz
                                    
Malecone walkway   Great to see recycling-organic & inorganic    Pura Vida in marina       Windmill running water

Leaving San Carlos to Agua Verde and San Evaristo
                                  
15 pound Dorado into the cooler!  6-8 foot seas overtaking boat   Agua Verde        Lynn at helm          Rock by Agua Verde

                    
Den in Agua Verde  Pelican visit us    Lovely cove          Leaving at sunrise and seeing Firefly on our way

     
Sunrise and sunset are the best!
Halloween! Trick or Treat
                              
Kara and her mom trick or treat along the dock. The family lives and sails the world together!
             
Our wonderfull grandchildren and their friends came to  the docks to trick-or-treat! So FUN!

    
Siena, Andrea, Valentina, Gabrielito and their friends entertained us on the dock for Halloween!
Too many projects!!
         
It is a good thing Dennis is slim-he manages to squeeze himself into small spaces to repair the engine
and the autohelm.

Lively San Carlos!
Mark Mulligan Concert to Benefit Castaway Kids
     
Becky and the kids go out on the boards
       
Gabriel after the fishing tournament!


Trip to San Carlos from Eugene, Oregon
San Francisco with Cam and Amanda
       
Carol Jennings,  Raul and Kellye Serrano-celebrating Den's birthday! 70!!!!
                
Carol at home     Kellye & Raul        Celebrating Dennis' 70th Birthday' everyone paid tribute to him!
Arriving in San Carlos: Becky's Triathalon October 8th.

         
Becky's teamates swim, bike and run in the triathalon. They came in 2nd in the team division.
 

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Winter 2011 - Just Hangin' Out
Activities in San Carlos and local  communities.

Bike Group's Last Ride for Season
              
Den's bike group & wives rode to San Jose, the cactus garden, then Empalme for lunch and back
to the Guaymas airport - 20+ miles. Great!

Ligo de Arte - fun to get back to artwork!
                          
Acrylic painting of Gabriel  Watercolor pelicans.  Abstract sailboats. Sure need to practice!

              
Wonderful class with Peter Darvas-note how unstructured he starts and what evolves! I learned so much!

Sailing with the Vejars! Fun!
                        
Becky sailing!         Valentina steers   Gabrielito steers    Grampa teaches sailing  Drawing below deck

                       
Gabriel joins us      Gabriel relaxes     Valentina & Andrea   Gabriel is curious     Valentina plays
on Reel Steel!

Finally! We got to go sailing.
           
Ralph, Jen, Art, Lexi,Lauren, and Arty joined us for a day on the water March 20th.
              Click to watch video
After sailing for 4+ hours we joined a huge pod of dolphins and sailed in the middle of their group. They played, jumped, and welcomed us to their journey. We stayed with them for more than 20 minutes.
                            
Kids draw or eat when not looking for dolphins Dinghy Capt.   Eating at Ralph & Jen's.

Trip to Copper Canyon and Alamos- March 2011
                   
El Fuerte Gazebo         Posada Hildago Hotel       Hotel Patio and Pool       Hotel is site of birthplace of Zorro!
                
Lynn enjoys train ride as we cross rivers, enter the many canyons, cross bridges and arrive at the Posada Mirador station.
                        
Posada Mirador Hotel sits on the rim of Barranca Del Cobre - Copper Canyon, but there are 6 other major canyons in the area.
                            
Copper Canyon is 7,545 ft. deep -zip lines and a gondola help view valley farms.  The Tarahumara live in caves/houses on the side of the canyon -see the contrast between our hotel and their homes!
                                             
We were escorted down a trail to visit the houses below our hotel; the people were beautiful and allowed us to walk through their home-site.
                       
All women wear bright colors and long skirts they hand stitch. Their loom work and baskets are intricate and lovely.
                                          
Happy children, proud mom!  The mountain is home; note the sandals.  Baskets are beautiful and sold wherever tourists are.
                                       
Overlooking Creel is the statue of  Christ.  We stayed at the Creel Lodge, but Tarahumara live in cave dwellings surrounded by farmland.
                       
This elevation is 7,000ft so caves provide shelter from cold or heat. The Monks rocks and Mushroom Rocks  are interesting landscape.
                                   
Farms adjoin cave homes. Sun, earth, moon on church.    Boarding school.         Boys play with cars; few families have one.
                         
The Museum helped us to understand the Tarahumara.  Their history, philosophy, games, and clothing displayed.
                      
Paintings and photos of Tarahumara families, men, and celebrations.
                                       
Hiking down to the bottom to the Hot Springs - beautiful canyon walls and a steep cobblestone trail.
                     
The bottom of the canyon yields a wonderful hot springs and pools. Cared for by Tarahumara.
                                 
The water comes out of the canyon walls into the pools then is routed to the river below. Lynn ends hike.
Alamos
                    
Alamos welcomes people to this historic and lovely city.
                          
Market square is busy while residential streets are quiet; people from US & Canada buy and refurbish old mansions.  Theater offers music/opera.
               
Mercado in Alamos     Foosball is popular     Sunday Market outdoors     Native dancers raising funds for local charities
                         
Jorge, the hotel owner, is an excellent artist and shows his work during the annual Art Festival in Alamos.

Revisiting the San Carlos Challenge Route- February 2011

                                            
        Biking the San Carlos Challenge route and hiking back to the palm lined canyon in  February and March.
                             
Lynn at the end of the trail, Dennis rides out to main trail, and Tetakawai in the background.


Tetakawai Mountain hiked in January
                          
View from top of Tetakawai Mountain - 1,250 feet up and through a crevice in the rocks.

                        
Pelicans are so interesting - they dive straight down to get the fish and are always looking for a fisherman for hand-outs!

                                     
Valentina and Gabrielito learn to ride bikes without the training wheels while Grampa fixes the bikes

                                     
Becky won't be racing on this bike!    Motley talks when Valentina and Gabrielito come spend the night on the boat. Fun Fun!

                                         

                     
Abuelo, Andrea, Siena                Gabriel & Becky             Rosella, Gary, Azusena
                            
Marina San Carlos                        Bahia Beach & Channel           Boats in Bahia
                                        
Den at Pancho Villa's Guaymas Catholic Church   Downtown Gazebo     Guaymas Carnaval   Welcome to Carnaval

                                   
Carnaval Rides             Sponge Bob!              Riding inside Globe      Guaymas Musical Fountain

 

Our trip from Eugene to San Carlos:  San Francisco January 2011
                                                   
Amanda & Cam at Breakfast          Den, Lynn, Cam, Mandy wine tasting    Cam & Amanda's New House

                                                       
Cam's Listing                       San Francisco Center for Art         Academy of Science diver             Fish at Academy's aquarium
Phoenix

                                                                    
Thanks to Kim and Edgar, we saw javelina's and                          As always, we enjoyed staying with Carol and seeing the
enjoyed great hospitality.                                                                                     Serrano  family
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Hurricane Jimena - August 2009
                                              
Water running down dock       Winds at 60mph           Tractors on road          14 boats went ashore       Dry dock was flooded

NOAH thought the storm was on the other side of the Baja, but it was sitting directly over San Carlos for many hours. More than 30" of rain in a 24 hour period created major floods, lost home, lost boats, and significant road damage. Power was out for 3 days, phone service out for longer, but  the power, phone, and local town volunteers were out as soon as the winds died down and fixed systems efficiently. We were impressed with the young men who climbed into pick-up trucks to volunteer to clean streets, dig out roads, and repair  bridges; it was a  community effort. Our daughter and her friends took hot food to those who lost their homes.

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Returning to San Carlos - March 7 - 21st 2009
            
     Sunset activity in Chacala- anchorage & Palapa                                       Dolphins  cris-cross under our bow - fabulous!

        
    Whale breaching           Isla Isabella Mona         Isabella beach & birds     Isabella reef & rocks       Snorkel time!

       
        Our bird escorts (2) that flew from Mazatlan to Baja with us!               La Paz beach front          Boardwalk (Malecon)

           
Cathedral     Mural in plaza   La Paz Town plaza & gazebo     Palmira marina        El Gato anchorage  Looking for shells at Gato

        
                               Red rocks along the shore in El Gato and Toro Bays

 
   Agua Verde turquoise waters at the anchorage.                     Fishing pangas and village of Agua Verde Bay.

          
        Agua Verde landscape includes fossils, bay with split and pelicans that look like statues.

          
Captain!          Manta rays jump out of water and spashes back - then underwater by boat     Sea Lion lays on back

      
  View from cockpit by Loreto - a pod of dolphins approach and pass us on the way.                       Whale dives in distance

     
San Juanico Bay with islands, snorkeling and great anchorage.                  Leaving the Baja Coast towards San Carlos

     
Siena & Andrea           Valentina, Andrea & Becky      Gabrielito is growing so fast and is so fun!

Enjoying Banderas Bay - Yelapa and our Friends

        
        Alicia                            Carol                       Karen, Jane, & Meana          Water aerobic group        Marie & Don Irvin

           
  Yelapa  anchorage & bay                           Yelapa waterfall and viewing platform                  Butterfly in rainforest

  
     Lynn, Eddie, Den       Wild Women on Wine!    

Guadalajara in February 2009
        
 Deluxe bus ride              Foot rest on bus        San Francisco Motel lobby        Breakfast buffet          Cathedral in City center

               
Guadalajara Plaza       Circle of Influence           Dennis & Oscar            City Street     Plaza de los Fundadores

       
Guadalajara Plaza         Painting done in wine          Horse drawn buggies      Children on plaza           City Mercado - 4 floors

                     
Mercado food court             Metal chair & man    Den on sculpture   Imolacion de Quetzalcoatl  Tonala Church  Tonala street vendors

         
Mirimba player   Guitar tuning               Donkey crosses street     Stained glass store        Glass window

        
Chapala bus                      Chapala fountain               Chapala pier                  Lake Chapala                 Panga boats

       
Food options on street       The Gossipers             Cute cows          Kids cars                  Loom in Chapala

       
Crane on panga              Colorful storefronts         Sculpturist in Ajijic       Storefront scene           Street graffiti

       
Carmen Miranda??         Lake scene      Eating in Tlaquepaque     Great food for both of us!

2009 - January in Puerto Vallarta   
                  
     Perfect walking beach               Olive Ridley Turtle                      Turtle Poster                            Baby Olive Ridley turtles            Turtle eggs under sand

                                      
            Bird on Turtle              Rub hands with sand before touching turtles     Babies ready to be released           Letting baby turtles go to the water

                   
              Eddy & Janet                  Back channel of marina             The African Queen steamer   This is one of our neighbors!!    Fajita Republic Cafe' along channel

           
 Carmen, Jim, Jane           Janet, Chris, Dennis        John, Eddie, Sonia         Obnoxious consumption       Their dinghy!!!

               
Welcome to Circus               Opening scene                                Foot juggler                      Balance act                    Horse riders

                   
Great  juggler                    Trapeze girl                              Wire Walker                 Riding Elephants                          Elephants perform

            
    Fun Bike to Ride                                White Horse                               Walking on hind legs                   Bow for applause                U. S. Import

November and December in Puerto Vallarta - 2008

                         
Dolphins at Swim pool                Lin & John Hoskins          Lin & John sailing              Let's float in the ocean!                  Watching for birds

                             
      Dinner at Marisio's                       Richard - Banderas Bay Bash               Den tries to catch water-balloon              Sunset at Skybar

                         
  Music on the bus to town                    Our favorite taco stand in PV                  View of Den fixing, fixing, fixing!      Pura Vida with dirty bottom!

                     
         Worn Paint                           Casa Iguana pools        Best Restaurant                          Dinner                                        Dessert
 

                
 Den has trouble with his horse       Lynn rides through stream             Pedro                         Bridge over waterfall              Ed Eden waterfall

                     
   Mismaloya centro                         Mismaloya Playa                               Night of Iguana Restaurant                   Pangas waiting for tourists

               
   Don Crispin Distillery                       Newly painted bottom                              Freddy and Anna

Thanksgiving with Cameron and Amanda -2008

                        
Amanda fishes off dock                     The casual sailor                Cam & Amanda watch dolphins

             
Drinks at sunset in cockpit              Cam & Amanda at Philo's                                        Dancing at Philo's                                 Breakfast makers!

                                   
Amanda and Cam swing over trees           "Ya sure this is safe?"         "A kiss for good luck!"                           Repelling down from the trees

                           
     Dinner at Mark's Grill                    Best team  for beach volleyball                Sunset at the beach                           Breakfast at Estudio Cafe

Our Anniversary - November 20, 2008

                          
                                                                     Surprise for our 20th Aniversy!         Great food, great service! 

Paradise Marina and Puerto Vallarta - Muy Bueno!

                           
Paradise Village Marina                     Breakfast at Vallarta Yacht Club             Pura Vida at Paradise Village

                   
Sliding down an Alligator?                     Rather drink by the beach!              AVP tour stop? Let's play!                 ahhh, the lap pool...yes!

                           
Swim with dolphins                        Lovely walkways                     Malecon beach                         "Millennium" Statue          Dolphin family

                     
Isle Cuale shops              Malecon beach                       Palapa restaurant                                              Washer woman statue

                     
Cuale River through town                 Ballet de Folklorico practice                 Jarretaderos Marketplace 

San Carlos to Puerto Vallarta - October 2008

                            
Pura Vida is ready!                              Jesus watches                                  Starting latitude                             No Wind! Calm seas.
                                                          and cares for our boat

                 
Storm to starboard               First Dorado on a fly!            Filet Master!                     Dragging along.

                    
Sunset before Topo                               Pura Vida at anchor                           Gabriel's office                              The Port of Topolobampo

                                        
Shrimp boat                                          Don Chuy's house                          Lunch at Don Chuy's                       Taking panga to see the dolphin

                  
Gabriel & Siena         Father & son on beach               Siena, Valentina & Becky                  Dolphin greets family!                Don Chuy pets dolphin

                             
 Gabrielito is not happy!                             Refueling at daybreak              Shrimp boats everywhere                   Anchored by fish village

                         
Pt Piaxtla Lighthouse                                      Go Obama!                                     Marina Mazatlan                        Mazatlan has  650,000 residents

                                     
Mazatlan Cathedral                            Olas Altos Beach                                       Machada Square                      Outdoor theater for Cultural Festival

                                     
Art School                                            Outside dining                                Interior of a shop-great water feature        Dinner with Canadian friends

                        
Isla Isabelle Panga village                     Frigates get left-over fish                         Pangas ready for work                 Isla Isabella Preservation

                        
He's waiting for a reply!                   Inflated chin or ego? He's ready                 Graduate student housing                   Trail to see Frigate nests

             
Pura Vida at Isla Isabella                       Daybreak at Isla Isabella           2 Pilot Whales blow and dive          Pilot whale waves his flipper

                               
  Relaxing at Matanchen Bay            Pura Vida at Isla Pena             Isla Pena beach & old restaurant             Guayabitos Bay and Beach

        
Approach to Banderas Bay           

                                 Past Trips

          Baja Ha Ha Crew and Preparations

                                      
Alison at the helm and               Paul is always ready       Carol prepares menus.             Our trusty Mascot
helping us with our tasks           to lend a hand!              She is with us in spirit.        Motley Crew (girl friend-Parrot Hilton)
                                                                                                                             

                                               
Checking Batteries              Solar panels installed               Hauling the boat out             Examining the keel.

We are on our way - Cabo here we come!

Pura Vida History

This site was last updated 11/19/11