On the flight down to San Jose del Cabo, and on the way back to California, I was naively amazed that I could see across the entire Baja California peninsula, from the Pacific coastline across to the Gulf of California. When you look at Baja California on a globe, you know it’s skinny, but perhaps you don't realize you don’t have to be too high above to see it all. I was surprised, but really thrilled, and on the way back home I tracked my position via GPS on my phone, comparing what I saw through the plane window with what I saw on the map.

Moonrise over the northernmost Gulf of California.

It was amazing to me to see the shape of the Gulf on the flight home. In the picture above, I captured the entirety of the northern termination of the Gulf, along with the Mexican mainland shore.

The vistas aren’t a surprise if you pay attention to basic geometry. Taking into account weather and atmospheric conditions, from a cruising altitude of 37,000 feet, you could theoretically see around 240 miles away. Looking at my pictures and a map, I could effectively see about 150-175 miles away on that clear day.

Heading south toward Cabo, looking west to the Pacific toward Punto Colonet.

The Baja California peninsula is between 25 and 150 miles wide. You can read about distance geometry calculations in this Quora discussion.

More from my Cabo trip

Marquis Los Cabos

Baja Boat Ride

San Jose del Cabo