My husband decided during a dinner conversation that it was time to take a break, to do something fun and exciting.
I eagerly agreed with the fun and exciting part and asked Glenn if he had something specific in mind.
He said he did.
He suggested a picnic on the East Cape.
The area east of San Jose del Cabo is simply called the East Cape.
It stretches out for hundreds of miles on the shores of the Sea of Cortez.
The cape is scarcely populated, mostly left in its original as designed by nature.
Simply put - it is a nature lover's paradise.
Early the next morning I packed the cooler full of cold roast chicken, cheese, grapes, bananas and lots of water.
A pair of shorts and T-shirts over our bathing suits, coupled with hats and suntan lotion, and we were on our way.
It was another perfect Baja day, bright, sunny and warm.
We drove close to the shore with our windows down to let the warm breeze carry the unmistakable scent of the sea to us.
The sea reflected the vivid blue sky.
It seemed to shimmer with life.
The sea of Cortez indeed shimmers with life, with millions of creatures just below the surface.
Jacque Cousteau called the Sea of Cortez the Aquarium of the World.
The East Cape road is a less traveled, very quiet road.
One can drive for many miles before meeting another car.
The land around us was covered with cactus plants from tender young shoots to five hundred year old giants and they were all in bloom.
As soon as we reached an incline on the road, we stopped the car and got out.
Magnificent white flowers stretched out in front of as for as far as we could see.
We stood motionless, mesmerised by the scenery, deeply inhaling the salty sea air mingled with the sweet scent of the flowers.
Further down the road we were stopped twice by a herd of donkeys leisurely crossing the road in front of us.
We no longer found it unusual.
People driving on this road just have to stop and patiently wait for the donkeys to clear the road.
With the donkeys passing, the road cleared and were on our way again.
A few miles down the road we had our first surprise of the day.
We spotted the shyest, most rarely seen creature on the East Cape - the small desert fox.
He peeked at us, turned his head and in an instant was gone.
Bewildered, I said to Glenn, "I wonder if our friends would ever believe it when we tell them we have seen a fox.
Frankly, I find it hard to believe myself that we really did see this shy creature.
" Soon Glenn turned to the shore, parked the car and stopped the engine.
It was a perfect spot to spread the blankets.
The beach was empty, as we expected.
The only sound we heard was the waves gently breaking on the shore and the crickets in the bushes behind us.
In less than five minutes we were ready for a walk.
Feeling the warm, wet sand between our toes, cooled by the waves lapping to the shore, we walked for a long time.
We enjoyed the sensation of the walk, the sun on our backs, and the occasional spray of the cooling salty mist blown by the wind.
After a long walk we slowly walked back to our blankets.
It was time for lunch.
We noticed more and more whales jumping in the water.
This was the time of the year when they reach the East Cape, coming from Magdalena Bay where the whales give birth to their calves.
They swim up to the East Cape and to the waters around San Jose.
The warm waters are good for the calves and are full of food for the whales.
They spend their time feeding and watching their off spring grow.
The calves must gain their strength before they can cross over to the Pacific Ocean and begin the long journey north to Alaska.
We sat down on our blanket and I unpacked our picnic lunch.
The cold chicken, cheese, and bread tasted so good with the crunchy grapes.
Food always tastes better outside, but this time it tasted even better than usual.
We watched the whales swimming toward the shore, two or three at the time, then turn and swim away.
Soon there were more whales swimming toward us.
This time they swam so close to the shore we could see their enormous backs more than half exposed, twisting and turning, splashing in the shallow waters.
Sitting on our blanket we watched the show, laughing and unsuccessfully trying to count the whales.
After awhile, they calmed down and swam away to deeper waters.
All we could see was spouting water as they came up for air.
We started to pack up but then the show began again.
The giants, one after another, breeched gracefully out of the water and dropped back with a loud splash, creating a white pool in the water.
Some of the braver calves dared to mimic their mothers, but soon thought better of it and gave up.
We sat awestruck, watching this dance of joy, wishing it would go on forever.
Later the whales swam away, leaving us with the gift of a joyful day and an unforgettable memory.
Driving back to San Jose, we talked about our day and how fortunate we were to be surrounded by so much beauty and be able to accumulate so many joyful memories for the future.