We left last night right after putting the kids to bed. It’s the second short passage in a row that we’ve done this way, and to be honest I wish we could make every stretch over twenty miles this way. The kids sleep like logs and Ali and I are free to enjoy the quiet starry night for as long as we are able before waking the other up for some sound sleep.
About an hour in it was getting dark, the lights of town were receding, and we were getting ready for bed and night watches. Ali was downstairs washing up when I stuck my head in the door and got a whiff of her. Every guy knows that smell—the smell of their wife scrubbed all clean for the night. We use the same soap and toothpaste—with me it has no odor, while she somehow makes the whole house smell fresh and clean.
The smell gave me a flashback to long passages on the catamaran. Sailing or motoring across a smooth ocean I’d be sitting in the captain’s chair right outside the door as the sun started dropping down. I’d poke my head inside the door and Ali would be standing at the kitchen sink washing her face. Five minutes later she’d sit her soapy smelling self down next to me and we’d watch the sun disappear for the night.
Literally thousands of these Mobula Rays were gliding past underneath the boat as we cruised east. Just huge schools of them in perfect formation with their fins flapping side by side. Jumpers were everywhere. Each school seemed to have a couple. If I saw thousands of these from the front of the boat slicing through the water for ten minutes, I can’t even fathom just how many there actually were in the area. Pretty amazing.
Closing in on land as the sun starts to lighten things up.
Look at those two fresh-faced kids who slept like the dead as the engine rumbled them across the Sea of Cortez. We did get a tiny boost from a sail once the sun came up.
In the picture above are the twin peaks of Cerro Tetakawi which are sort of the central focal point on the natural beauty of San Carlos. So what did they do with that natural wonder? Sold it to the highest bidder of course. And it appears the winner was a developer whose previous work can be seen in the Tucson, Arizona suburbs. Or the St. Paul, Minnesota suburbs. Or maybe Naples, Florida. Ghastly. Right when I saw this I knew this was a place I was going to have a hard time liking.
8 Comments on “The Arizona Suburbs”
Curious why that new main never gets used? is it dangerous around the kids?
The main just doesn’t do us any good when there is so little wind. At least no more good than the big head sail which is made of a much lighter material and can actually fill up with only five knots of wind. No danger to the kids. 🙂
I was trying to figure out what the title of the post had to do with the content until I saw the twin peaks of Cerro Tetakawi. Then I knew… San Carlos!
Love. Thanks for sharing the jumping rays and the beautiful red headsail.
Thanks. Those rays are pretty amazing. The sheer numbers of them makes you really think of just how bountiful the oceans are. Amazing to think that man still manages to wipe out entire species down there.
This is a lovely post.
Thanks Lisa.
This was a great post. They are all entertaining, but this one is a ” repeat read. I have read it several times now over the last few days.
keep on!