Open for business

We officially opened for the 2007-2008 season on Saturday, and, just like clockwork, the wind arrived along with our first guests. We still haven't received all our equipment yet (the first bicycles arrived late last night) but we had enough gear rigged for everyone to enjoy themselves. I took a quick break mid-day to get out on the water myself. I was nervous, as I haven't sailed since leaving Los Barriles last Spring, but I jumped on a brand new Starboard Kombat, matched with a new NP 6.2 Hellcat on a skinny carbon mast, and quickly found myself cruising way too fast out into the Sea of Cortez. I even managed to complete my first jibe attempt!

This past weekend was the annual Carnival in Los Barriles. Each town in Mexico has its own holiday. Workers were scrambling to finish laying concrete on the main street, which is named 20 de Noviembre after the festival, and it was quite amusing to see the last bit of the street being laid out amidst all the food vendors and carnival rides late in the evening. The ferris wheel, a rickety old structure run by a tractor engine, was the center of attention. We all feasted on tacos al pastor made by a family from Ensenada that makes the annual trek down to the East Cape this time every year. And nothing beats a bag of fresh, hot churros after a big meal.

I am glad to announce that the mountain bike trail system is open for business. I spent one long day cutting through the cholla and cardon cacti, moving quite a few trees out of the way, but the singletrack is all rideable. The rain from the hurricanes left some huge ruts down the middle of some of the trail, but it will get filled in soon enough. The riding is very technical and hard for most folks. A nice full suspension bike helps smooth it out considerably. Just the way I like it...

The Vela center is looking great. We have a nice new concrete store to display all our t-shirts, hoodies, rash guards, and other retail merchandise. Finch has installed a loud stereo so we can all listen to music when hanging out on the beach. You can even hear the tunes when you are out on the water sailing, kayaking, or snorkeling. The hotel has a new deck and bar upstairs by the cafeteria, and everything is running smoothly, so far. It has been great seeing all the regular guests again. Many of the other "locals" have been arriving in town, and everyone is looking forward to another fantastic season in this special part of the world.