The greening of Baja

To think all it took was 20 inches of rain in a couple of days to turn our desert landscape into an incredible green wonderland. 

Highway 1 between Mulege and Loreto

We missed the big downpour, but we were still in Baja, just much farther north in Ensenada.  This is the third summer we’ve left Loreto for a break from the heat and a quick trip to the States for shopping. 

Our house on left with new lake out front

At first, I was really disappointed we weren’t here for the big rain event, but that disappointment turned to relief when we saw the photos of the mess that deluge left behind. Good grief, there was one photo of a resident kayaking in the new lake outside our home, which covered the road and all of the area below our house. Our neighbor, Maryanne, said the water was up to her knees when she crossed the Paseo to check on our house and up to the top of the tires on her car. What a mess!

Agua Viva looking south

Then we started getting reports on our house and learned we had some leaks and decided to head home a week early.  Once we hit the Sea of Cortez side of Baja we noticed a big change from our journey north less than a month before. 

All along the highway it was green. Goats were resting on lush green grass beneath beautiful green trees. It looked downright idyllic and totally unlike anything we’ve seen here before. This year there’s plenty of grass to fill the stomachs of all those cows, goats, donkeys, horses and burros that forage alongside the highway. A very welcome change from the usual view of half-starving livestock searching for any little sprout of edible green. I expect we’ll be seeing some happy-looking livestock for the next couple of months.

We arrived home, unloaded our packed-to-the-rafters SUV and started checking out our house. Considering the amount of rain we got in such a short time, the damage wasn’t too bad. And nothing thus far has diminished the pleasure we get from seeing all this green.

Storm clouds roll in over the mountains every day

But there can be too much of a good thing. It's already rained twice since we arrived home Monday and every day the storm clouds roll in and the humidity shoots up. I really wouldn't mind some more rain, but I sure hope it holds off until all our repairs are done. And if you're planning a trip down here anytime soon, be sure to pack the insect repellent. The mosquitoes are out in full force!