Back to the source...

Yesterday, we drove from Loreto back to the pacific side, zigzagging our way south. Early evening, we arrived in Todos Santos, un pueblo magico filled with art galleries, bookstores, and outside cafes fit for smoking cigarettes and planning revoluccions!!! 

 First things first though, we drove to the beach to check out the waves and search for a campsite. As it turned out, we found neither of the things we were looking for, but we stumbled upon something even better. We met some fellow Americans at the end of the dusty, two mile stretch of washboard road to the beach who asked us if we wanted to release fresh hatched sea turtles into the ocean. Ummmm, let's see, YES YES YES!!! Who wouldn't want to do that?  We met up with their friend, a local woman who assists in La Liberacion de las Tortugas (the liberation of the turtles) each year. She had a bucket filled with about 60 adorable little guys all squirming eager-like, itching to make their way back to the source. First, we had to rub our hands with sand though to be sure all of our natural oils were off our skin so that one day, if all goes well, they'll make their way back by scent to the very same beach to lay their eggs. For the same scent-on-the-sand reason, you can't just huck them in the water to give them a head start either.  We had to release them about 20 feet from the surf (that's got to be 2 miles in baby turtle distance) and then cheer them on from the sidelines as their tiny half-inch flippers made slow and awkward attempts to hoist their bodies forward. Amazingly enough, they all made it!!! Hooray Tortugas!! May you have a safe journey- Stevie