Yucatan Kayak Adventure March 19-26, 2011

My wife Kathy and I along with Paul and Margerite Hara of Walnut Creek joined a group of nine adventurers on the beautiful Yucatan coast about a 3 hour drive south of Cancun, Mexico. We had signed up for a week long stay at Rancho Caphi Ha run by a kayak outfitter, Living Adventure, based at the western end of Lake Superior in Bayfield, WI.  The week had a very laid back feeling and plenty of kayaking opportunities.  The rancho was located on a very long thin island separated by another thin peninsula by a bridge over a tidal river.  With the Gulf of Mexico on the east a few steps from our room and the mangrove swamps/bays on west, it certainly felt like paradise.

A additional attraction for me was having world class kayaks available for our daily outings.  Our week was hosted by Leslie Appling, a premier wilderness guide with NOLS.  She has been working with the Living Adventure Outfitter run by Gail Green of WI., a very capable outdoor leader and co-ower of Living Adventure.  Gail had established the Rancho Caphi Ha destination many years ago as a winter getaway for kayaking and a few other pursuits such as week long focus on art. The week included some very cool snorkeling off the nearby gulf coast, just inside the second longest barrier reef on the planet, second in length only to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia's coast.  We also visited a Cenote, a sinkhole with exposed edges containing very clear refreshing groundwater and did snorkeling there as well.  The Mayans relied heavily on the Cenotes located all over the Yucatan Peninsula.  I hope you enjoy my photos. Rob Grandfield