Best ever...

Luca and I just got back from a trip to Baja California, where we went to ride our bikes, kayak and hike along the cliffs.

The trip was so awe inspiring that we realized we could actually make a list of seven "best ever" experiences.

Here it is:

Best view of a pelican.
We visited several tiny islands, moving from one to another on our
kayak. As we came around the fourth island we found ourselves in the midst of a pelican colony. Because the kayak is so quiet we were able to get up as close as I've ever been to a pelican. There was tension in the air. They looked at us suspiciously. The only sound we could hear as we stared at them and they stared at us was the occasional flapping of their wings and the plunk sound of one diving into the water.

Best whale watching.
We've been whale watching six times (maybe more) but we've never seen so many whales so close on a panga so small, not even in Alaska.

Most technical bike ride.
Nothing screams "live in the present and don't think about anything
else" like a really sandy, really rocky, really pebbly road with
abundant prickly plants along its fringes. Which leads directly into
the next item.

First time I've ever fallen off the bike.
I live in fear of falling and I did and lived. My arm, leg and hip are bruised and scratched. I look like the brave warrior that I am and show off the scars to my coworkers.

Best view from a hotel terrace.
From the terrace of the hotel we could see scraggly mountains, desert and tall Cardones (that look like Saguaro but aren't); then deep blue water dotted with islands. Having the desert meet the sea is really an excellent idea.

The best sunset I've ever seen.
It was 360 degrees of streaked red, pink and orange sky. A few people said it looked like the Aurora Borealis. If I'd photographed it, you'd think I used filters. If I'd painted it, you'd scoff and say such a
thing cannot possibly exist in nature.

Best starry night. (Sorry, Vincent.)
In my entire life, I have never seen a night sky like the ones we saw.
The curvature of the Earth looked multidimensional, multilayered and velvety. We lay on our backs on a cot on the terrace and with binoculars checked out stars, constellations and nebula. I decided I would go back to school to study astronomy. (I'm over that now, but it sounded really good at the time.)

Best fish tacos.
Not only the best I've had but most likely the best I'll ever have. A
cook from Ensenada Blanca made them, and I don't think I'll ever have fish tacos again because it will be impossible to come close and I'd be setting myself up to be disappointed.

I've already raved about Backroads on the first trip we took with them so I won't bore you with that again. I'll only say there is no other way to travel. Plus, you get to meet really cool people, Kevin prepares a picnic on the beach and Tony never forgets the towels, sunscreen and beer.