La Pastora is situated on a large arroyo, just north of Todos Santos.  Considered Baja Sur’s big wave spot, Pastora is home to a handful of travelers escaping the northern winter months.  The beach filled with surfers each morning and evening, providing us with a show far more entertaining than a television could ever provide.  It was great getting to know and making fast friends with the temporary locals, all here to surf the big winter swells.  The campers at Pastora were minimalists who loved to bask in the sun while in deep conversation about philosophy, politics, and everything in between. 

 

 

 

Big swell is exactly what we saw when pulling into Pastora for the first time. We have been scoring awesome surf all the way down the peninsula with clean, waist to shoulder/head high waves.  This break was a big step up!  Heavy and overhead, like nothing either of us had ever seen in person.  

 

 

  

 

It took some time for me to get my courage up enough to paddle out that first day, but I eventually did and had a fun, adrenaline filled session.  I mostly just paddled, heart pounding out of my chest and into my throat, trying to dodge the huge, thunderous waves rather than actually surfing them!  On the way in, relieved to be escaping the ocean’s mighty blow, I quickly learned the meaning of “Pastora foot”, scraping my feet open while scrambling up the rocks lining the shore.

 

San Pedrito is an absolutely beautiful beach, situated on a large arroyo just south of Todos Santos.  It’s picturesque coastline is surrounded by mountains that seem to always be some perfect shade of purple, filtered by the ever present sun.  The surf here is similar to Pastora, breaking over cobblestone, large and heavy.  I found I preferred the break at Pastora, although I was never completely comfortable with either!  

 

The camping community at Pedrito was much bigger and had a completely different feel than Pastora. The occupants spent the sun filled days landscaping their area with rock structures and plants, many even built palapas and privacy structures.  A fun and interesting group of characters escaping the winter up north.  We made a lot of fast friends on these two beaches, instantly feeling a connection of Baja adventure. 

 

 

 

As the first of March rolled around both beaches pretty much emptied out.  On Pedrito all of the palapas and structures were burned, I was told this was a tradition, clearing a clean slate for the next winter’s residents.  The beaches soon changed character, travelers from all over the world passed through before moving on to destinations further down the line, perhaps even another continent. We also met many people traveling in rental cars with tents for a two week holiday. 

 

 

 

Each evening we would share a campfire with a new, eclectic group of people.  We learned of different places in the world, different ideas, different beliefs, and tried to look at it all through new eyes.  These experiences left us feeling rich with blessings and lessons learned.

 

 

Dry, 80 degree days and 50 degree evenings made for a fabulous climate with practically zero bugs.  Todos Santos supplied us with whatever we needed, reasonably priced, complete with many luxuries when we felt the need to splurge.  Quite an easy place to live, commonly delaying travelers with its allure, maybe even permanently…..