Puerto Vallarta sunsets

Adios, Puerto Vallarta

/ Curt Mekemson / 37 Comments
Puerto Vallarta has always produced pretty sunsets when we have visited. Sometimes they have been spectacular.

“Postcard pictures” is how my dad used to describe sunset photos somewhat dismissively. He was a serious landscape photographer and considered them less than desirable as a subject. Yet, when he passed away and I was going through his photos several years ago, what should I find? Sunset photos. Lots of them. I just smiled. Who can resist a beautiful sunset?

Peggy and I wrapped up our timeshare and said goodbye to PV this fall. I know we will miss the city with its friendly people, culture, great food, beautiful art, interesting wildlife, scenic settings and camera grabbing sunsets. I know we will be back some day, but for now, like the cowboys and cowgirls of yore, we are going to ride off into the sunset!

Every day, this fellow would ride by on our hotel’s beach.
We rarely missed an evening of sitting out on the beach with a glass of wine or beer in hand to watch the sunset over Banderas Bay. And were rarely disappointed.
Some days, when there was limited cloud cover, the sun just seem to fall into the ocean. There was almost always a sailboat in the Bay somewhere. When our son, Tony, had gotten out of the Marines, he had actually sailed a boat with his future wife, Cammie and our nephew, Jay, from San Diego to PV.
When clouds were around, the sunset would linger however, often turning the clouds into almost unbelievable colors.
Pelicans, graceful frigate birds and leaping dolphins often added to the evening’s show.
As the sun sank into the West, it would often leave a gentle reminder on the waves and beach.
Our palapa always provided a convenient viewing location. And a sunshade.
While I always enjoyed and took full advantages of sunsets, I am more of a mountain man. Peggy enjoys the mountains, but she loves the ocean and beaches.
Thank you Puerto Vallarta for your many years of joy. We will return someday. It’s a promise.

NEXT POST: South on the PCT into the Carson Iceberg Wilderness

The Beautiful Sunsets of Banderas Bay, Puerto Vallarta

/ Curt Mekemson / 22 Comments

Sunset over Bandaras Bay, Puerto Vallarta. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)

Palm trees and sunsets seem to be made for each other. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)

My father, who was a talented landscape photographer and painter, always discussed sunsets with a certain disdain. “Post card art,” he would sniff.  When I sorted through his thousands of slides after he passed away, however, what did I find: dozens if not hundreds of sunset photos. Apparently, the old fellow had been as addicted to sunsets as I am.

Scenic sunsets beg to be photographed… even more so when warm tropical breezes and palm trees are involved. Peggy and I found ourselves out on the beach every evening in Puerto Vallarta waiting for the show to start, and we were never disappointed. I’ll let the photos tell the story.

Palm trees outlined against the sky in Puerto Vallarta. Photo by Curtis Mekemson.)

I caught these two palms outlined against the sky with just a hint of color in the clouds.

Puerto Vallarta beach vendor outlined by setting sun. Photo by Curtis Mekemson.)

After a long day of work, a beach vendor heads home just as the sun drops behind the horizon.

Clouds always add drama to sunsets. We watched as this impressive cumulous cloud changed from white, to golden, to pink. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)

Clouds always add drama to sunsets. We watched as this impressive cumulus cloud changed from white, to golden, to pink. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)

Cumulous cloud in Puerto Vallarta. (Photo by Curtis Mekemson.)

Cumulous cloud in sunset at Puerto Vallarta. (Photo by Curtis Mekemson.)

Our grandkids Ethan and Cody joined us in downtown Puerto Vallarta to catch the sunset. (Photo by Natasha Cox.)

Our grandkids Ethan and Cody joined us in downtown Puerto Vallarta to catch the sunset. (Photo by Natasha Cox.)

Sunset along Malecon in Puerto Vallarta. (Photo by Curtis Mekemson.)

Another shot from the same perspective looking down Puerto Vallarta’s beach front across Banderas Bay.

Puerto Vallarta beach sunset. (Photo by Curtis Mekemson.)

I took this photo with my camera inches above the sand. Think of it as a crab’s perspective on the sunset.

Sunset photo capturing sand, sea and sky in Puerto Vallarta. (Photo by Curtis Mekemson.)

Another view.

Puerto Vallarta sunset photo on Banderas Bay. (photo by Curtis Mekemson.)

Sea foam adds its own twist to sunset photos on the beach.

Sometimes the colors of a sunset are so vivid they seem unreal. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)

Sometimes the colors of a sunset are so vivid they seem unreal. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)

Palm tree view in Puerto Vallarta. (Photo by Curtis Mekemson.)

Just for fun, I’ll conclude this post with a non-sunset photo. I gave you the sea from the perspective of a crab. This is a palm tree from the perspective of an iguana.

NEXT BLOG: I will wrap up my Puerto Vallarta series with a few photos I couldn’t fit into my posts including a whale and one small boy catching a very big fish.