Beautiful beaches of San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico...

There's a saying about San Felipe that goes something like, "Where the desert meets the sea," and it's a true statement, as all any visitor to San Felipe has to do is look to the east to see desert, reaching up the alluvial fans toward the distant Sierra San Felipe mountains, and look to the west at the azure blue waters of the Sea of Cortez. San Felipe is set in truly beautiful, breathtaking surrounding!

Photo: How's this for a beautiful sunrise? At 0615 in the morning, on October 2, 2008, the temperature is already 79 degrees and humid, but a sunrise like this is worth waking up to.

There are hundreds of miles of accessible beaches along the Sea of Cortez, but I doubt that there is any more popular stretch of beach than the 2 mile stretch of beach that stretches south from El Macharro, known as "Diamond Head" of San Felipe, on the north side of town, to the commercial fishing harbor to the south of town. The center of San Felipe's beach activity is a 6-block stretch, along the street appropriately named Av. Paseo del Mar, along San Felipe's beautiful malecón, or walkway along the beach.

Photo: This photo pretty much sums up life on the beach at San Felipe, as it shows sport fishermen in action, a couple of guys relaxing on the beach, and two beach vendors in action.

Photo: This family was enjoying the beach on a Thursday afternoon, and later I got to watch them enjoy a fantastic boat ride.

San Felipe has as pretty of a beach as you'll ever see, as the water of the Sea of Cortez is a deep blue, the beach has clean, white sand, no rocks, and the beach slopes gradually to the water. Shady palapas, made of palm leaves are spaced strategically along the beach, to ward off the hot sun. At the south end of Av. Paseo del Mar, the malecón features public restrooms which offer fresh water showers for a very nominal fee. The beach at San Felipe is truly a place to soak up the sun, swim, and just relax.

Photo: The girls don't seem very interested, as this beach vendor attempts to make a sale.

Photo: One of the highly modified four wheel drive trucks used by sport fishermen to launch their pangas. This guy spent a good deal of the day driving up and down the beach; note is aired-down tires and the panga, with a group of pelicans as its crew, in the middle background of the photo.

Besides the usual beach actives of relaxing and enjoying the water, San Felipe's beach offers some of the best people-watching in Baja California, boat rides, parasail rides, and more, and if you are enjoying the beach for more than about five minutes, no doubt that you'll be approached by a friendly guide who will offer to take you sport fishing in his panga. You'll also find beach vendors, who sell everything from handcrafted jewelry to roasted corn... and everything in between.

Photo: Dad and his three children enjoy the clear, clean water of San Felipe's beach. Unlike other towns, San Felipe doesn't dump treated wastewater into the Sea of Cortez; as they a plant inland. San Felipe is serious about keeping the water clean, as much of the local economy is depended on tourism and sport fishing.

Photo: This gentleman knows how to relax on the beer, as he enjoys a ballena of Tecate beer. Ballena means "whale" in Spanish, and I assume the bottle of beer got its name due to the large size.

I have to admit that my favorite activity at San Felipe's beautiful beach is to sit under a shady palapa, pop a top on a cold Pacifico beer, stick my toes in the warm, white sand, and just watch the birds, the girls, the ocean, the blue sky and the puffy white clouds... You get the idea, as San Felipe's beach features relaxation, at its finest!

Photo: Sport fishermen call it a day, and relax on the beach with family members.

As the saying goes, "Life is a Beach," and the beach is life at beautiful San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico.

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