By Jacquelynne Garner
CONTRIBUTOR
For me, this is always the most beautiful season in Baja. The most magnificent skies and sunsets, the beaches never more beautiful, the birds migrating, the whales and dolphins coming
South, the tides changing the beaches, making sand dunes great for dogs to run around, pulling sand out to reveal rocks for the winter, the air crisp and cool and just warm enough.
The beaches no longer one person per square foot, each leaving trash behind, the weekends quiet and contemplative both inside and out. Days you can spend entirely comfortable, nights not too cold, and even a tiny bit of sprinkling from the skies from time to time.
Face it, in Baja, the weather is always the most important thing of all. And in these months, it’s enthralling enough to spend all your time just enjoying it.
Lobster is in season – during the “r” months: September, October, November, December, January, February, March and April. You can eat at Puerto Nuevo even on the weekends sometimes without parking problems or lines, with no feelings of guilt, and lobster almost guaranteed fresh, maybe even, if you bargain, for a price that doesn’t leave you feeling terrified at what you have just spent during these still tight times.
And now the kids are back to school, hotel prices and just about any prices start being negotiable, a win-win situation for all.
It’s also by far the best time for daytrips. Olives, grapes, apple and nut pies are everywhere and wonderful in the Valle de Guadalupe, and a trip to San Antonio de las Minas is guaranteed to be as beautiful a landscape as any of Cezanne’s. Artists are painting now for the summer sell season, always hoping, as we all do these days, that money will at last start returning to the world, and trickle down to Baja. Traffic is much less scary and everything is easy going again.
Road trips south are comfortable now – the sun is never too hot, the skies are never grey, and you can drive for hours without sweating or stopping every few minutes for a cold drink.
And everywhere you go, the birds, the whales, the dolphins and the people are there to greet you, magnificent and intimate at the same time.
Whole herds of pelicans fly over your houses, the red, golden, Multi-grey and brown and grey wild finches show up in your gardens to keep the hummingbirds company. The winds are rarely wild and today, I am sure, is telling me that the sometimes daily drastic weather changes of the last two years are calming down, ojalá!
Those who have homes here as well as on the other side, come more often, as it is the most welcoming time of the year. And those who love a serene weekend in a wonderful hotel, come more often, too.
This is the time to forget your troubles, to bond with nature and a good meal. This is autumn in Baja.
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