Snow, wind, freezing rain, ice falling off the Narrows Bridge, highways and schools closed…the pictures of winter for most.  Some chose not to participate in those pictures and took off for Baja California where the pictures were sun, sand and surf.

Los Cabos was discovered in the mid 1500s but it wasn’t until the mid 1700s that a mission was established in the town of San Jose del Cabo.  US Marines occupied the port in 1847 during the Mexican-American War and in 1917 an American company established a floating platform to catch and process tuna.  This was the start of what would become a world sport and fishing industry.  In the 1930s the first vacationers started to arrive and by the 1950s Hollywood found a new playground.  Commercial flights did not start until 1977 with the international airport opening in 1986.

The beautiful thing about Los Cabos is that it hasn’t lost that uncrowded, peaceful feeling.  It now has luxury hotels, paved highways and an international airport, which make it easier and more comfortable to experience what was found so many years ago.  There are still unspoiled stretches of white sand beaches intermingled with spacious golf courses, luxury resorts, and shops.  Historic homes now house restaurants and galleries.  A Thursday night Art Walk opens up the market square and surrounding areas for exploration; or an afternoon can be spent perusing shops to bargain for resort clothes, handicrafts, pure vanilla, bakery items, jewelry and so much more.
We stayed at the Grand Mayan Resort, an oasis next to the sea.  Condominiums all face the sea with glorious morning sunrises and spectacular sunsets.  Whales frolic just off the shore on their way back to the Pacific Northwest.  The Brio Spa has every type of massage technique you could ever want.  Lounges next to the expansive pools have umbrellas for when you wish shade or use a cabana bed to take a siesta in the afternoon.  Play bingo, learn to cook or mix a drink, do a little in-pool exercise, paint your own ceramics or while away the day with a good book.

If too much leisure is not for you then a taxi or the city bus can take you down the playas 18 miles to the city of Cabo San Lucas.  Choose a day when the cruise ships are not in port and you can enjoy wandering the streets.  This is no longer a sleepy little fishing village but a city of amazing restaurants, marvelous shops and fun around every corner.  Go to the Office where you sit in a chair in the sand to enjoy your marguerita and watch parasailers; have a luscious Caesar salad at Romeo and Juliet’s; disco at Cabo Wabo.  Walk into the back streets and see the workings of the city where the real life of the people takes place.  Visit the churches, look into the courtyards and think about a time gone by.  A beautiful picture to remember when once again you find yourself in snow and ice and wind.  Maybe you will want to run away to Los Cabos.

For information on more Senior Adventures call Linda Finch at 253 927 8207 or get on the email list at linda.finch@gmail.com.