Diving in the Desert
I have long held the stereotypical image in my
head of Baja California being one long peninsula of
dry, arid desert. That stereotype was shattered
last spring, when I drove through emerald green
fields and hiked through lush canyons on my trip to
Mike's
Sky Ranch. This weekend, that stereotype
further crumbled with a visit to the oasis of
Guadalupe Canyon.
The long, dry, hot and dusty drive there
certainly fed the expectations of arid desolation.
Upon arrival, however, I felt like we'd arrived at
the beach. Groves of palm trees shaded the white
sand underfoot. Pools, hot tubs and palapas dotted
the landscape. The only thing missing was the
ocean. Instead, boulder-strewn mountains rose up on
either side. Far above, a long, thin finger of rock
jutted out, vaguely resembling an outline of the
Virgin of Guadalupe, hence the canyon's name.
Despite its remoteness, this hidden oasis serves
as a desirable getaway for those in the know.
Consequently, the weekend rate for a mostly
primitive camp site can exceed $300 for holiday
weekends. This visit, however, we took advantage of
a free stay in exchange for four hours of work
cleaning up the canyon. We hit the trail early on
Saturday morning, five adults and four teenagers
equipped with a bucket of paint, trash
bags—and a bag of snorkeling gear. I carried
the latter on my back.
In the canyon above the camp sites, several
waterfalls feed swimming holes. We set up shop at
the first of these. While the others started
picking up beer bottles, soda cans and other trash,
I donned my wetsuit and snorkeling gear and jumped
in the water. Here I was, in the middle of the
desert, working underwater like I do almost every
day of the week. I spent the next couple of hours
pulling trash out of the pool and clearing out an
overabundance of swamp grass. While the others
sweated in the heat, painting over graffiti and
filling their trash bags, I got to work in the cool
mountain spring water.
We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in
the hot tubs. From all I'd heard about Guadalupe
Canyon, my expectations were high. But the lushness
of the canyon and luxury of the mineral springs far
exceeded them. I can't wait till I return with my
Total Escape pals in December,
when we'll have the added treat of a meteor shower
to entertain us.
©2003 Michael
Strickland ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED
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