Baja - ride report to Cabo...and back!

[CockyRooster]

It's 130 miles from La Paz to Ciudad Constitucion - the next gas station available before turning west to Magdalena Bay. I filled up at the last gas station in La Paz but from there the bike was running horrible - slow, powerless, vibrating, and popping. It feels good to be on the road again, but the gutless performance from the little mule is unnerving. It was about 20mi. from Ciudad Constitucion when braaaaaaaap pop pop braaaaaapppp. With the terrible performing gas, my millage dropped from 40mi. a gallon on the Pemex to about 28. The gas tank is split in half by the frame so some fuel was trapped on the other side of the tank that doesn't drain. I lean the bike over onto its side to splash the remaining liquid gold over onto the usable side and party on down the roadarty

...for another 10 miles, braaaap. I empty out my two camping canisters of gas into the tank and make my way into the gas station Yaaaay

And I make my way to the bay.

 

[CockyRooster]

At one time the wind was blowing and these birds all lined up to face the direction of the currents and they looked like they were lined up to catch the opening of a Star Wars movie

You had to be there


The town itself was rather ominous and dilapidated looking.

I wanted to take more pictures, but these were peoples homes and I didn't want to be too rude.

The bay was not that impressive to me. It was flat, looked dirty, I saw no whales, and it smelled like fish. I guess you get that in a fishing town I think I'll just move on to Loreto but do the math; one hour of day light left but at least two hours of riding, bad gas = bad millage with no gas stations past the Ciudad. Time to look for the hotel in town instead.

 

[CockyRooster]

The one operating hotel in town.

It was getting very cold being by the bay with mild but incessant winds, and I was looking forward to cozy shelter.

Aaaahhhhhhhhh..........

It looks like you can bring your closest 50 friends or so.

Now there's what I'm lookin' for!

So I find the front desk to check in. Wait...what...huh??? No rooms available???

 

[CockyRooster]

No rooms available as it is whale watching season. All the people were still out on the boats sightin' the whales and would be coming back soon. I did not have a plan B other than camping, but I did not feel very comfortable here not to mention I was already cold.

I explained my plight to the people and they found me a room in the back of his uncle's house These turned out to be the nicest people I have ever met in my life - ever. They showed me the way back to my digs for the night buried deep back in the town and I settled in.
I even had my own baños

After cleaning up I went back to the hotel for dinner and the family was so hospitable. Afterward I just cruised about the town and the people were so friendly and happy waving and smiling as I rode by. For all of you that ride here in the states you can imagine how bazaar this attitude was to experience

During the night music was played very loud around where I was shacked up for the night with lots of dancing and laughing that I could hear. I never heard anything hostile or negative - just fun My first impression of the place was wrong, and these people were the happiest people I have ever met anywhere

This is a shot of the main boulevard in town the following morning.

That's the bay in all of her glory from the shore. To properly see the whales you have to rent a bout tour to go out into the open waters. Considering what I've already seen whale watching wise I decided to skip the tour and head off to Loreto

 

[ThumperX]

Please don't stop really enjoying this

 

[jrbruin]

+1 Keep it up, what an adventure! Awesome stuff so far

 

[WHOisDAN]

I would be too scared to explore Mexico with the drug wars going on.

It looks like an awesome trip. Poor dogs!

 

[CockyRooster]

Thanks for the props I will keep it coming in the short blocks of time I have these days. I figure we are about half way through and many of my favorite parts have yet to come

But just as a teaser ~ for those of you that have been to Coco's Corner. He was 17 days away from having his good leg amputated. The man's spirit is an inspiration.

 

[CockyRooster]

My trip to Loreto was uneventful but for this little drama along the way. Sometimes you just wake up and find cars flipped along the side of the road

But I made it safely to lunch

And my view...

The price was a little steepish ($50) for not much more than fancy tacos and a beer, but I guess you pay for the view. The food was just ok.

It turns out that Loreto is a popular destination for sport fisherman. I will find out when I go shopping for my room Everything was booked up - even the camp sites!

I went from hotel to hotel looking for a room, and while it's a bit of a pain when your tired after a day of riding, these little treasure hunts take you into exploring a town in different ways than you might normally do.

 

[CockyRooster]

I finally settled on the last room in town. It had no hot water, very little cold water, and was a nice $95.

It's a big, long box on the very edge of town, and I would venture to guess that it was the original major hotel in town and left in the dust as others sprang up closer to town center.

The beach was gravel

And the beds were old and funky (not to mention the t.v.)

But get a load of the full moon from my bed.

And the sunrise. I didn't even get out of bed for these photos.

Aaaahhhhh.......

 

[CockyRooster]

The early morning bay.

Time to roll up and move on and roll down the road. My packing sytem became super efficient as I could go from this...

...To this in a matter of just a minute or two

Here I'm stopped at the ATM machine on the edge of town to grab some pesos before heading to the Bay Of Concepcion.

 

[ThumperX]

Thanks

 

[CockyRooster]

And here was my home for almost a week on Santispac beach as I used as a base to explore the area.

This was my bath tub.

This is a warm spring/lagoon just off to the right of my camp spot. It used to be a hot spring but some time ago until the government did some well drilling/testing looking for a geothermal source to use in energy production. The well was a bust for their needs and I was told it ruined the pool as a hot spring, but the water still had a little warmth to it.

And here is the funnest restaurant on the peninsula here. I was camped a 1/4 mi. down the beach so having the was super handy

My morning view the first morning.

Frank and Teddy were the sweetest neighbors anyone could ask for. He was a retired truck driver and they lived in Ensenada. They came down to camp to "get away from it all."

I would sleep in my hammock, and while I was bundled up in my sleeping bag she would cook me breakfast and juice as I lay snuggled up.

 

[CockyRooster]

The evenings at the restaurant were more lively than anywhere else on the peninsula for the slightly over 30 crowd.

After dinner the dance floor would open up and people would come crawling out from under every tent, RV, rock, cactus, or shot glass. I have no idea where these people came from, but they did. No pics of all the smooth moves on the dance floor, but Bob here was the DJ, and his wife Sue would usually get things started on the floor.

The little mule holding court and representing. Dinner time was always a blast because I would come across so many retired desert racers that love the area and live here. It was so great to hang with kindred spirits. We are not far from where Malcolm Smith lives.

Someone taking a break from the festivities.

Zulema, the bartender, keeping the security force well fed.

Russ is the owner of Anna's restaurant, and one of the coolest cats you could run across.

And we have the morning coffee.

It's hard to tell if people went home or not.

 

[CockyRooster]

Some things are beyond description for me. I can show you the pictures, but I can't express the pleasure of waking up, snuggled in a hammock with no where to go, and just watch the sun rise.

 

[ThumperX]

Some things are beyond description for me. I can show you the pictures, but I can't express the pleasure of waking up, snuggled in a hammock with no where to go, and just watch the sun rise.

...and that right there is the meaning of life son.

 

[HiggyB]

...and that right there is the meaning of life son.

+1 on that.


And thanks for keeping up with all the photos and story telling. It's all great inspiration for rides near and far and it's great to travel vicariously through you (and great material for future ride planning).

 

[CockyRooster]

Time to some trails and check out the little town of Mulege itself.

Hmmm....I wonder what's up in those hills

After carousing the country side a while I stop off back in town for some lunch, check/send email, and explore. The town is built lengthwise along a riverside that feeds into the sea, so it's only a block or two wide but stretches for some distance.

Once your in you can't leave (unless they let you)

Some of the old buildings were great.

Ye ol' church

Could we get those bells a little higher please...

The the town square across the street. In the evenings many young locals could be found socializing and making good use of the park benches

Presumably before finding themselves back across the street in short order

 

[CockyRooster]

Just after town the road hugs back along the river with the sea just beyond the bend. Notice how the trees block the wind coming from the sea by the effects of the smoothing water.

Looking back up towards town. As you can see ~ it is quite a little oasis. You can see a hotel nestled into the bushes on the left.

Said hotel.

And here the river meets the sea. A lot of fisherman who hate crowds love Mulege.

Time to hit some trail and head back to camp


Off the beaten path I run across 20+ buzzards piled together. As I stopped to take a picture most them flew off uncovering this little fellow. Life can be tough in Baja for some.

The birds scattered before I could get a picture, but they didn't go too far.

 

[CockyRooster]

It's been an incredible week of fun and adventure. I made some good friends in Mulege but it is time to move on.

San Ignacio is less than 100 miles up the road North, and that is my next stop on the trail. I pack up early, enjoy some coffee with friends, and motor off on my way.

San Ignacio is a small town built around a geothermal warm spring - the very one that flows out to sea past Mulege. From the highway you would be hard pressed to even know the place exist. It is tucked away from view, but once you make the departure an incredible oasis opens up in the middle of some of the toughest desert you could find. The place was beautiful.

Camping was available in the area, but I suspect some heavy mosquito action, so I sought a bed indoors asap. I found a cool set-up of a bed and breakfast operating out of yurts

This was my home for the night.

This place was the best run accommodations that I have ever stayed in. Ever. The owners, N. American expatriates, absolutely love what they are doing and it shows. All the little details like super fluffy clean towels, a fresh robe, a pitcher of fresh water, fresh fruit, and I had my first cup of real coffee that I've had since being south of the border including the fancy hotels. The personal touch was impressive.

Oh sweet Jesus...rather than a tiny bottle of water, a pitcher of the fresh stuff with an orange slice I can't tell you how refreshing that was after some

The view from my door. The water is naturally warmed to about 70 degrees.

The bathrooms/shower or of "community" style, and were super clean, well lit, and well built. There were multiple showers but you felt like you had your own private space. Well done.

After settling in it was time to explore the town itself.