If you are ever driving down the #5 Highway from MexiCali down the coast of the Sea of Cortez, keep your eyes peeled for really cool dunes. We pulled off for a while to play on our drive south. On the way back north, we were treated to a small sandstorm with winds blowing sand and dust clouds across the road.

Our friend Ming made us reservations at a palapa campground in San Felipe called Kiki’s. It was a beautiful place to hang out on the beach, explore the nearby rocks and pools, catch a fish, cook Thanksgiving dinner, and gather wild clams for a pasta dinner.

Valle de los Gigantes (Valley of the Giants) is home to 1,000 year old, absolutely gigantic cacti, and is well worth a visit. It doesn’t appear to see much traffic and on the day we went, we were the only ones in the reserve.

Puertecitos Mexico, Population 41, is located a few hours south of San Felipe and is home to excellent natural hot springs. You’ll need to time it just right, as most of the pools are covered during high tide and gradually emerge and rise in temperature as the sea recedes. This gives a nice layered effect, allowing bathers to move toward or away from the sea until they find the temperature that is just right for them. We had a great time with friends just stacking rocks and lounging in the warm water. If you’re ever there, the only restaurant in town has the best pozole we’ve ever had.

Somewhere along the way back from San Felipe, there is a neat salt flat. We spent a little while here in the pretty landscape, just enjoying the views.