Baja California yBaja California Sur Abril 2019

This is a recap of our trip to Baja California last spring. I'm working o inserting the pictures which did not come with the "select all" option.

Baja California y Baja California Sur Abril 2019

After a much too short of a visit to our home in Flagstaff, I'm peeling out on the BMW for the fun side of the wall again. I'll meet Mark, my old high school friend in Tecate (of the Mexican beer fame) tomorrow at immigration and we'll head south for a two wheeled adventure down the peninsula of Baja California and Baja California Sur. As we readied our bikes and properly wrapped our heads around what it is we're getting into, we've kept in touch along the way. At one point last week I texted Mark to check in and he said that he was fighting influenza while his wife, Kirsten was headed to surgery in the morning for kidney stone removal. He said that they were pretty lucky to be getting these things out of the way! I replied that I hoped like hell he had that great attitude when we were 100 KM from a cold beer fixing a flat down some dirt road. Well, only a day behind the regular scheduled departure date, Mark loaded K into the truck still reeling from the effects of general anesthesia and left Seattle. Tougher than I am! 

I'm sure that I'm forgetting something very important, but I know it's not my passport, bike papers or driver's license. I also double checked the underwear. OK, good enough, now let's get this show on the road. 
 

  Day 1, Saturday April 6th has me on the road medium early, but I'm fine with letting it warm up a bit. Still froze all the way to Yarnell, 3 hours from Flagstaff. Knowing that I wouldn't need warm gear for the Baja peninsula, I've opted for a windbreaker under my mesh gear as my only layer. It was a long morning, but I had a ball. I got to use my new Yamaha Champions Racing School skills and really enjoyed the difference in my approach to the road and surroundings. No more "hoping" through the blind curves. Thanks Nick. 
 

Made it to Los Algodones, BC and Maria's statue factory and hotel. I just love the ingenuity here. A fully functioning factory that stays busy all day and really nice rooms alongside of the work shop behind the show room. If I could load one up and haul it around, I'd get a nice fountain or park bench while I'm here. I went to Los Poblanos for tacos al pastor and a beer at the Gallo de Oro. Man, that's livin'. Los Poblanos was pretty busy and a Mexican guy sat down at my table. We shared tacos and language learning tips. His was to take one thing, his cigarette lighter for example and move it around. Like this; pone este aqui. Pone este alla. Pone este arriba de la Mesa, su cabeza and on and on. He said I would be fluent in a week. I'll let you know. 
 

Day two Sunday April 7th and I'm headed for Tecate on highway 2 through some onion fields. Nice and cool and pungent! Huge sand dunes too. Went through the bottom half of Mexicali and didn't think that it was too bad. Traffic rules and customs are way different from home and add being on a motorcycle into the mix and it makes you pay attention. Only 3 hours and I've made it to Tecate on time to catch Mark at immigration.

Hold on. Missed the turn and pulled a U-turn straight into an oncoming Policia Municipal with his lights on. Wrong way on a one way! $1000.00 pesos at the station later, I do meet Mark and the trip officially begins. I told Mark about the sweet stretch of highway 2 that begins at La Rumorosa and goes up and over a great mountain pass. After lunch we decided to go back and run it again. It's a perfect motorcycle road with new surfaces and 2 lanes for passing the whole way. And it's divided so you get two runs for one! The summit was 1200 meters and nice and cool. No tickets this time either. Back to Tecate for a room, dinner and cervezas.

Day 3 Monday April 8th: Ensenada. Well now, where to begin? In the morning I suppose. Mark has a Baja California guidebook that told us of a very famous panadaria (bakery) here in Tecate. The selection was overwhelming and people were filling large bags with all manner of baked goods. Bonus, good coffee! Not always the case here. After fueling up ourselves, we fueled up the bikes and left Tecate to find the Compadre Trail heading south and covering 70 or so miles of dirt to Ojos Negros. This was a wonderful, beautiful and challenging run. We estimate conservatively that we both dropped our bikes around 8 times. ¡Arena profundo! Deep sand! We got pretty good at navigating sand with a bottom, but the deep stuff kicked our butts. Enough whining! The scenery, when you could look, ranged from granite monoliths to desert meadows to Ponderosa Pine. Everything is green and lush with desert flowers blooming their brains out like everywhere else in the Southwest. We took frequent breaks to recoup and arrived in Ensenada around 5.

One of my more “spectacular” crashes of the day below.

Our route is behind the spire.

My bike, Mark’s foot.

Since Mark and I are both micro brew fans, we thought that we would take in a couple of the local artisanal beers. We hailed a cab and things went really south from there. The first guy, Juan had a leaking tire, so we stopped at a tire shop so that they could swap his spare. I guess he could tell I was grumpy so he called another cabbie, Octavio to take over. Octavio took us where Juan had recommended and it was closed. Frustrated I told Octavio that we just wanted to go back to the hotel. Once there I gave him a tip and he said that no, I owed him $10.00. I said for what? A 40 minute tour of tire shops and closed restaurants? 'I'm calling the cops then". "Go ahead" says I. We'll be in the bar getting our dinner and beers. You can guess how this will end. The cops come, make a show of sort of listening to my side, interrupt me and ask are you going to pay? No! I didn't get much more out than that when I was on the hood, cuffed and put in the back seat. I then watched as Octavio played good cabbie to the young cop's bad cop. Octavio comes over to the car and gives me one last chance to pay, only now it's $20.00. Guess what I said. Here's $20.00. They all played their parts well. Mark says it was a classic case of when you’re wrong, you’re wrong and when you're right, you’re wrong. Lesson learned at the end of a very long day.. 
 

Day 4 Tuesday April 9th:  Mark, it turns out left his credit card at the restaurant in Tecate the night before last so back we go. A small blessing in disguise since we rode the Ruta de Vino through Baja California's wine country. We never made a stop at a winery, but both decided that this area is worth a return trip to enjoy the roads and some of the 200 that are in the area. 
 

Enroute we stopped for gas and water. Once fueled, I parked at the end of the parking lot furthest from the Federales who were there. Call me jumpy, but I'm hoping that I've had my quota of police interactions for this trip at least. There we met Manuel who also was avoiding the cops, since he was on a motorcycle with Arizona plates that weren't valid. I know this because I asked where he was from in Arizona. He isn't and lives on a ranch nearby. The tags came with the bike that he bought from a Taliban guy in California who sells the old CHP bikes. There's a longer story here but I'm not sure how to retell it! He invited us to come to the ranch, but we’re just leaving and wanted to get some miles under our belts. Anyway I gave him my number and hopefully we will hear from him again. Update! I got an email from Jesus Manuel Espejo Rodarte yesterday afternoon. Looks like we have another future riding partner.

The credit card was there, just like they said and after lunch on the square we boogie for the coast and a room on the beach. The drive was kind of surreal as we left the high desert of Tecate and approached the coast, a marine layer of fogginess or something chilled us down with humidity and high 60's temps. I told Mark that I'd rather not stay in Ensenada again and he agreed that I should be spared the trauma of reliving last night's fiasco so soon. We stopped just south of La Mision before Ensenada and got a great room cheap, right on the water. A short walk down the beach brought us to dinner and a moonlit walk back to the room. It's still cold here! 
 

Day 5 Wednesday April 10th: Back through Ensenada and East, bound for San Felipe on the coast of the Sea of Cortez. I thought we were headed for the desert and so put on my evaporative cooling vest. Brr! We climbed and topped out at a pass for lunch in San Martir. The dogs greeted us with threatening barks until we got off the bikes and talked with them. The owner’s son, Benjamin came out and we chatted about the area and how his folks had been selling burritos in this same spot for 18 years. He's a livestock inspector for the state and had grown up in San Martir, pointing out the grade school that he went to and his house behind the loncheria. Another great interaction. San Felipe is a nice town that's just big enough to have almost everything you would need. The Malecon is very beautiful with a long and wide beach. We had tapas of a sort, starting off with clams and octopus at the La Vaquita, an unfortunate choice of names since these small porpoises (?) are being killed to extinction being caught along with the fish they eat. After that we stopped at an asadero for a grazing of tacos al pastor, carne asada and pollo. There are 2 other BMW 1200gs parked at our hotel. 
 

Day 6 Thursday April 11th: We met Eric and Alfred, the other riders who are from Germany, but Eric lives in British Columbia. They are headed north, then over to Sonora. Good guys with good road condition information. On the way south we're getting a great view of the coast and non-stop beautiful beaches. We stopped to take a break and along comes this lone GSA rider. Along with everyone else that goes by (there must be some unwritten code here in Baja California), he stopped to see if we're ok. Claudio ended up riding with us to Bahia de Los Angeles and sharing his wealth of knowledge gleaned from many years of off road racing. He makes riding a 600LB BMW 1200GSA look easy. Along the way it’s getting time for some lunch, but it’s kind of desolate out here. Claudio sees a propane delivery truck leaving one of the campos and stops the guys for a suggestion for someplace to eat. Of course says the driver. Just down the road in the direction that we’re headed is La Poma. Go 10 Km and look for the sign. We find it and the road takes us to a great, small village of sorts where Gringos have made a little home on this great stretch of beach. The restaurant has some of the best fish tacos going and really nice folks. Good find Claudio. Once in Bahia de Los Angeles we spied a hand made sign declaring “Bikers Welcome” and go to investigate. We stayed at the princess hotel and "Babe", our 80 year old host was very welcoming and shared good stories and a snort of tequila. It also has the best view in Bahia de Los Angeles.

Day 7 Friday April 12th: Claudio say that there is a good ride south to a small fishing village called San Francisquito. The route went through the largest Cordon cactus forest I've ever seen. Yesterday we stopped at the “Valle de los Gigantes” a makeshift tourist trap that shows off these Cordon cacti for $10.00 US. Today we’re in the middle of them for free and it’s an enormous forest that covers many square miles. More blooming flowers and crazy tall Ocatillos. Huge valleys, mountain passes and desert washes gave us nonstop scenery and challenging riding terrain. The road was good, relatively speaking, but the distance out and back was daunting for me and Mark so he and I turned back at 51 kilometers. Claudio pressed on after we said we would try to meet in Guererro Negro at the end of the day. Mark and I made it there at around 5 and checked into a hotel. After talking to the young man at the front desk, we discovered that there were a couple of bars with "artisanal" beers. We called a cab with some reluctance on my part considering our last cab ride didn't end well. Our cabbie, Francisco was cool though and set us up in a nice place with a good selection. Halfway through the first beer I looked out the window and saw a BMW GS coming down the street.  Hey! I know that bike! Claudio had cruised through the hotel parking lot and found our bikes, so stopped at the desk to see if they knew where we were going. It was a warm reunion where we slaked our thirsts with the first IPA we'd had in a week. Claudio had a full day and regaled us with his adventure with IPA's in hand. A swim in the Sea of Cortez, a spill in deep sand that required a winch for extraction and finally a flat tire to repair on the side of a road in which, at least for Mark and me, had no one on it. One last stop at a llantera for an extra patch in the tire and he was still only 1.5 hours behind us. Animal! He earned that beer!

Mark and Claudio on the road to San Fransicuito.

Day 8 Saturday April 13th: We left Guerrero Negro and headed south. Stopping for Birria tacos we whipped out a map to see what we could see. A short confab with two fellow diners helped make our decision to see Punto Abreojos! Back on the Pacific coast down a fairly good road with the ubiquitous Mexican highway surprises. Horses and cows, of course, pot holes, construction on blind curves with some rocks in your lane just before as a sort of warning. So, if you know that all of this is out there waiting for you, are they still surprises? A chat with another local guy about road conditions and distances gets us a favorable report on the road back up the coast to Bahia Asuncion. "25 miles and no sand". Well 64 miles and several sections of deep sand later, (the last of which was around a football field in length) we hit pavement again. Strangely enough the busiest section of the road was at this last sand trap and every driver to a man either offered or exited their vehicle and helped right my bike. Gracias Señores. Running a little behind schedule we opted to save Bahia de las Tortugas for the next time around, turned from the coast and headed for San Ignacio. At Vizcaino after riding in a fierce crosswind we opted to stay and recoup with cervezas, Bacanora and tacos of the Al Pastor variety. All in all this was a great day through more cacti, salt flats and views of the coast rarely glimpsed by those who don't leave the pavement. I would do it again! 
 

Day 9 Sunday April 14th: We parted ways with Claudio at the hotel this morning as he headed back north and we south. We all hoped and Mark prayed that his rear tire that has seen much better days, will get him home. A more competent all around rider you will be hard pressed to find, but his kindness and patience, at least with this neophyte is what I will remember about him most. On to San Ignacio for Mark and me and what a lovely surprise it was. Truly an oasis in the desert and a charming pueblo. A few days ago we were wondering out loud how the old Padres chose a location for the next mission. Clearly this was an easy choice for at least one lucky priest. We went to see the mission on the classic shaded square just as the Palm Sunday service began. Mark said he wanted to go in and I wandered around the garden and read briefly about the church and its history. It was taking a while so I took advantage of the shade in the square as well as the not always available phone signal. Ok, Mark is still in the church and it's getting to be time for a little breakfast. Finally he emerges and says “how do you pick the right time to walk out on a service?” You’re asking me? Both of us really liked San Ignacio and if the fates take you to Baja California Sur, stop and see this true oasis. Continuing on we reached the coast of the Sea of Cortez once again at Santa Rosalía. This is where you can catch the ferry to Guaymas on the mainland when it's running. We checked into a hotel overlooking the sea and relaxed for a few hours. I know, I know, we're on vacation but it has not been a relaxing few days. Mark read by the pool and I tightened some stuff on my bike after a swim and a beer. We caught a taxi to the square and had some more seafood and walked around town. More services at the church here which has a whole different history than the missions. Designed by Eiffel and displayed at the world's fair, this pre-fab metal building was bought by the mine here and erected for the miners. Mark did not go in to see this service.

I don’t know what this one is, but they were very abundant in places and really tall.
 

Day 10 Monday April 15th: Great riding weather this morning while driving through the Sonora desert that looks remarkably similar to Arizona's version only trade out Cordon cacti for the Saguaros of home and add one sweet coast into the mix. Only a short drive later we arrive in Mulejé, another oasis with a large river running through the town into the sea. A little breakfast here, then gas and on to Loreto along another gorgeous coastal drive. Families are out in force for Semana Santa and the party is in full swing all along the way. Once we arrived in Loreto we made a lap and stopped for lunch at separate taco stands. Mine being mariscos and Mark going for the 1/2 pollo at the asadero next door. Here we met Gerardo, the proprietor of the Hotel Diamana while he picked up his pollo para llevar (to go) in his 3 wheeled moto. Not sure how, but he lost his legs and gets around in this thing with his wheel chair attached. He was a big motorcycle fan owning a few in the past and actually considered getting a Ural with a side car before he decided the Piaggio “taxi” thing was the ticket. I got his card for the return visit. We're coming back to Loreto later this week to meet Kirsten and so decided to press on and stay in Ciudad Constitucion, making the drive to La Paz, or wherever, a bit shorter tomorrow. The drive there was on some more great motorcycle mountain roads and way more fun than the bus ride on the same route last year. Leaving the mountains the road straightens out for the most part and so we make some good time on good, wide surface. The Oasis Hotel was nice and we met and talked with Soren, a young man from Denmark. He and his partner were riding mountain bikes from Cabo San Lucas to Calgary. On dirt roads no less. It's hard to even imagine an undertaking of this kind and to say that we were impressed is an understatement. I gave Soren my information and told him to find us in Flagstaff if they came that way. I hope they do. 5/7/19 Update; Soren and Kamilla are coming to stay with us on Friday.
 

Day 11 Tuesday April 16th: La Paz. Another stretch of good road and we arrive in La Paz and have planned a layover day. The whole day I keep seeing that the cow signs have been altered slightly in Baja California Sur’s own style. In New Mexico they have the flying saucer sticker on almost all of the cow caution signs. Here they have given the cows boots. Now, you have to imagine that the amount of cow caution signs down here is pretty substantial as are the number of cows on the road. Now just think about putting boots on every cow sign you can reach (some were too tall and I was actually surprised that the “vandal” didn’t bring a ladder along). The number is staggering and I had to admire the tenacity of the guy/folks who took this project on. I finally got a picture, but had to wait for a safe pull out near one of the signs. So, yeah, somebody took their life in their hands and stopped on the highway and dressed the cows for their comfort and our entertainment with hundreds of boot stickers. Cool, huh?

Everybody’s crazy for a sharp dressed cow!

Our hotel is conveniently located near the Malacon in an old hacienda style ex courthouse. Put the Angel Azul on your list if you come this way. The garden is quiet and the staff as friendly and helpful as we’ve come across. Here's a small world story, a couple was checking in and as they sort of caught their breath we talked over drinks from the honesty bar. It turns out that David and Gail are from Taos and are jewelers. Of course I had to ask if they remembered Moby Dickens Bookstore, mom and dad, and played the "who do we know in common" game. Yes they knew Art and Susan and were friends with friends of ours. A fun serendipitous encounter. After a stroll on the malacon we had a little seafood and beers and then settled in for the night. 
 

Day 12 Wednesday April 17th: Mark and I go to the Docecuarenta coffee shop a couple of blocks away and get a little something for breakfast along with a fine cup of coffee. Mark is headed for the water and a tour of the bay and a swim with the local Whale Sharks. Rae and I did this last year with BajaEx and thoroughly loved it. I hope he has as much fun as we did. I wander the malacon, talk with some local guys and soak in the relaxing not too touristy vibe of La Paz. We didn't get a lot of time here last year and so I'm getting a better feel for it. I can see spending more time here in the future. 
 

Day 12 Thursday April 18th: This morning as we loaded the bikes an interesting thing happened. I was talking to a young couple, she from New York City and he in the Army on leave. At one point she asked me if we were married! This coming from a New Yorker who I'm guessing has a pretty good sense of gaydar. I suppose that we have been traveling around together long enough that we're looking like a couple to some people! I told her, no that we have been hanging out since the early seventies in high school but are both happily married to Rae and Kirsten, both being women. We left La Paz and went south along the coast to La Ventana, Ensenada de los muertos and a taste of the dirt road that, if followed, will bring you all the way to Los Cabos. It seemed very doable and will need to be explored another time. As it was we pulled into San Carlos on Magdalena Bay at 7 this evening since we were trying to get closer to Loreto so we can meet Kirsten's flight tomorrow. We're only 2.5 hours away now and should be fine. The San Carlos of the Baja California Sur and of the Pacific persuasion is a pretty cool place. Grey Whale watching is the big draw here from December through March. Now it’s a sleepy, friendly town to ourselves.
 

Day 13 Friday April 19th: Mark and I get to Loreto with time to spare, which is just a little bit weird because usually once we've landed somewhere, its shower and cerveza time. Today is a little different since we have to behave ourselves in order to pick up Kirsten on time and preferably sober. I'm reasonably sure that she would greatly appreciate that. Cold drinks of the non-alcoholic ilk at Mike's Bar while we wait and I find a room. The Diamana was full and so I'm in the Plaza, which tickles Mark. While not as "ritzy" as the famous Plaza Hotel, it's just fine with custom motorcycle parking and smack across the street from the town plaza and all things happening in Loreto. Since we did behave ourselves and stayed sober, meeting Kirsten came off without a hitch and she gets to begin her Baja California vacation with a well deserved Margarita at the Zopilote brewery and restaurant. 
 

Day 14 Saturday April 20th: Starts with a very nice relaxed pace. I cleaned the poor GS of it’s caked on layers of bugs and dust mix and found a lovely machine underneath. Now we're ready for a reapplication of the same. I emailed Bruce and Gayle Walker knowing that they were in Loreto for a kayaking trip. Just missed them! They’ll leave La Paz on Monday morning as we head south and arrive there in the afternoon. Que la via bien you two. Next time. Mark and Kirsten meet me later at the Zopilote again and then dinner. It's been nice not having to pack up and move on a daily basis.

Day 15 April 21st, Easter Sunday. Fin de Semana Santa. It will be interesting to see what if any changes to traffic and the beaches occur after today. Mark and Kirsten roll out and up to see the mission at San Javier outside of Loreto and said that it was a lovely ride and a cool mission and location. I packed up and moved to the Loreto Bay complex where they are staying in a very nice condo in Gringolandia. The only Mexican folks that I saw here are the security guards. We'll fix that soon enough. Mark returned to the pollo asado in Loreto and picked one up for dinner. I grabbed some salad fixin's and we had our first "home cooked" meal since leaving home. 
 

Day 16, Monday April 22nd: With a 5 hour (without breaks) drive ahead we opted for an early departure. Anticipating a warm day, we rolled out to a nice cloud cover and as we climbed into the sierras it cooled of considerably. Mid sixties is a good temperature for me, but surprised poor Kirsten and so we made a stop for more layers, then on to Mark's favorite Mexican coffee shop in Cuidad Constitucion. Three of these Black Star coffee shops are arranged on the main drag of town and you can recognize them by their logo which is suspiciously similar to you know who’s in Seattle. The coffee and pastel de zanahoria kick butt, so I for one can look past the infraction. The day remains pleasantly cool and reminds me of our trip to La Mision from Tecate way back. Marine layer? Cold front? I'll take what can get. Back to good old La Paz and the Angel Azul. Unbeknownst to me, Bruce and Gayle have been staying here for the past 10 years on their mostly annual kayaking trips. Esther, la Dueña of the house greets me with "I now know all about you". It would seem that the three of them talked at length about how we met and some of our various adventures together. So not only did I miss Bruce and Gayle, I missed the chance to defend myself from what I'm sure were slanderous lies! Really sorry to have missed you two while we were all in Mexico again. Love, 
 

JB 
 

Day 17, Tuesday April 23rd: While getting my caffeine to its proper levels this morning and pouring over maps and a Lonely Planet guidebook, I hatched a possible plan for today's ride. I threw it out for Mark and Kirsten and they agreed. We'll do the loop around Los Cabos and come back to La Paz for another night here in Angel Azul. Docequarenta for a breakfast of zucchini muffin, chocolate croissants and the ubiquitous cinnamon roll, then south to land's end! Yet another day with visits to both coasts of Baja California. Unless you're traveling on the roads less traveled, Baja California 's paved options give you a nice mix of long straight stretches and mountainous twisties. Today is no different and as we top out in Todos Santos. Todos Santos however is not on the coast but remains perched above on the side of the mountain. Hay muchos gringos aquí. It’s still a pretty little town with a great central plaza and is probably worth a return trip for a more thorough investigation. Leaving we get yet another great view of the always impressive Pacific Ocean. Now, Los Cabos. What should I tell you about Los Cabos? Let me start by saying that I never really had a desire to go there except to see Land's End, the furthest point south on the peninsula. Now that I have that experience under my belt, I can safely say that unless Rae has the desire to see it, I hope to never return. Cabo San Lucas is a blight on this otherwise beautiful stretch of coastline. This is simply another Scottsdale or Las Vegas on the water in my opinion with the accompanying shopping opportunities and extreme resorts and the added bonus of nasty, aggressive driving. My apologies to those of you who love it here, but be comforted in the knowledge that you will never have to share it with me. San Jose del Cabos I hear is a little more old school, but we blew through it escaping the mayhem.
 

North again and on to Los Barriles which is the next stop on the Sea of Cortes. Along the way the weather has warmed up again. Home made dragon fruit nieves! A sort of sherbet which was delicious and refreshing enjoyed in the shade of the young man's make shift structure.  We stopped again at Los Barriles to get some cold water in us and take a squint at the beach. A few wife beaters and atv's aside, this is a very nice, sandy beach. We may come back for more. The route to La Paz from here takes us through more great motorcycle mountain roads, but it's been a long day and would have been more enjoyable had we been starting out fresh. So my idea was workable, but turned out to be a wee bit grueling for a day trip. IPA's and tequilas help revive us as well as one last ice cream from El Fuente to round out the day.
 

Day 18, Wednesday April 24th: I threw out another idea for K&M to chew on. After yesterday’s fiasco I’m not sure that they’ll listen, but I broach the subject anyway. If we were looking for some beach to lay about on, why not stay here avoid the hotel searching schlog and explore one near here? Amazingly they agreed and after a short walk to the Malecon we found our own palapa with IPA's and Margaritas nearby. Swimming, reading and napping. A pretty good idea if I do say so myself. That was pretty much the gist of the day with the last of my mini Bacanora for a nightcap.

Day 19, Thursday April 25th: Kirsten has a flight out tomorrow from San Jose del Cabo. Not too early, but not late enough to stay one more day in La Paz and make her flight with a comfortable margin. So it's back to Los Cabos. The good news is we found Baja Brewing co. near our hotel. San Jose del Cabos is indeed a little more civilized and we lucked into Thursday art walk very near the hotel where we are staying. Free entertainment! Bonus!
 

Day 20, Friday April 26th: Kirsten opted for an Uber ride to the airport and so Mark declared an 8:30 departure time for the two us to begin our "blaze" back to the border. I thought our end date was flexible but found out recently that Mark has to meet with his daughter and be back by the 2nd of May. Happy to be leaving San Jose del Cabo, we enjoy some cool weather for a little while and the excellent roads that take us back to La Paz. Today’s ride starts us out fresh and the sinuous road is a pleasure. Lunch, gas and water for hydrating our cooling vests here as it has become a hot day. Mark noted 97° F at one point. More fun roads mixed with blaze friendly straight stretches get us to Loreto one more time. Rattlesnake iPA's at Zopilote brewery and some Camerone al mojo de ajo for me to keep away the vampires.
 

Day 21, Saturday April 27th: 8:30 leaving the Plaza once more and heading north through Mulege along the coast of Bahia Conception. The crowds of Semana Santa revelers has dispersed and these beaches while not deserted, certainly have plenty of private space for someone to homestead and do some very serious relaxing. We stopped for gas in Santa Rosalía and I asked about the ferry to Guaymas. No go. Under repair, whatever that means. I won't be short cutting using this route on my way home. We stopped for a snack in San Ignacio and to enjoy some shade. It's getting hotter and Mark said that it should be getting cooler as we get further north. Because I'm that kind of guy, I told him to check Phoenix's weather, it's north (98° Murican, I believe). There we met Cher. She's traveling Baja California with her dog Wookie (Star Wars fan I suppose) in her vintage Westfalia van on her own. I had to admire her moxie and told her so. We end up in Guererro Negro again and meet Rob and Richard both on GSA's. We also met George the Vietnam vet who was hauling his fishing boat back towards San Diego. He was also going to the VA hospital to get checked for Agent Orange exposure. We talked motorcycles and he said he’d had to quit riding since his mobility was failing him. He walked with a cane, but was still doing Baja California and had some very good advice; “Don't slow down”. Good luck George. We went back to the artisanal beer place in Francisco’s cab with Rob and Richard. Rob is from California and Richard from Florida and was a very interesting guy who regaled us with motorcycle stories from around the world. Ship it, no problem!

Day 22, Sunday April  28th: This will be our last day of riding together and it's a good one. Our plan was to go up Mexico 1 back to Ensenada, but Mark changed our minds and I was very glad. He had gleaned from another traveler that the road, while near the coast is not on it and the scenery is unspectacular. It’s a road we haven’t traveled and we hate missing one, but instead we decided to come back up Mexico 5 to San Felipe. This road is full of craziness. Last season a hurricane hit Baja California Sur and dumped 24" of rain in 4 hours, or something crazy like that. Resulting in numerous bridges damaged or totally destroyed for miles. The road is still open, but has been routed through the washes that the bridges were previously spanning.

On our way back to Flagstaff Rae and I stopped in Banámichi where I met and spoke with Tom, the owner of Los Arcos Hotel. He told me that driving Mexico 5 would be an adventure ride in itself. Now I get it. The tractor trailer rigs were still on it, albeit pulling each other through some of the rougher spots. A great day of adventure riding with a return to La Poma for fish tacos and Mark had a swim. Later that night he told me that he couldn’t understand why he felt extra crusty tonight. Oh, a salt water swim and hot road miles. Yeah, that’ll do it.

Day 23, Monday April 29th: Both headed north to the intersection of Mexico 3 to Ensenada and to Mexicali where we part ways in fierce crosswinds. Que le via bien mi hermano. I get some relief once I come to some mountains, then turn east for El Golfo and Puerto Peñasco. More new and crazy landscapes as I traversed the upper end of the Gulf of California. Barren, flat sand blown desert that goes on for miles, then the coast pops up again with cliff views. My bike needs its 12k service and I made an appointment for this Friday morning in Phoenix. This gives me some extra Mexico time and so my goal is San Carlos to meet our friend Ramon who has a house there and have the best tacos in Guaymas at Takuchos. I tried calling him a couple of times, but I keep getting a recording to try again later. At least that is what I glean from the Spanish message. After a long fulfilling day with the most miles accrued yet (427) I make it to Santa Ana between Nogales and Hermosillo. I tried Ramon again, but still nothing so I texted his wife, Cecelia to see if his phone is even working. She called me back and what do you know? They're in Tucson on their way back to Montana! Dang! 
 

Day 24, Tuesday April 30th: I have a choice to make; I can either boogie on home and go back to Phoenix on Friday, or I can head on down to San Carlos anyway and do some visiting and catch the Wednesday morning riding group at Rosa's Cantina. I miss Rae, but she encouraged me to take the time and enjoy the trip. On to San Carlos it is. Dinner with our friend Phyllis and to bed early for the ride tomorrow. 
 

Day 25, Wednesday May 1st: Met up with the Lemmings riding group of San Carlos this morning for the weekly ride. Good bunch of guys who were tolerant of me and the big 'ol GS. Took off south behind Guaymas and Empalme through the desert on pretty tame roads. I rode with these guys quite a bit while were in San Carlos last winter. Daniel, the lead lemming (?) rented me a little 200cc Italika when I would join them. The difference in bikes is pretty amazing. Daniel rode the GS and couldn’t get over the power and the long legged 1st gear. Everything was fine until, of course the 3rd or 5th patch of deep sand. Mitch realized I was not behind him anymore and came to help me pick the bike up. Thanks Mitch. And thanks Bob for the initial first aid assistance with the road rash. I peeled out early to scrub and bandage my left arm, get a nap and a shower then went to dinner with our friend Gary. He had some fresh yellowtail tuna. We grilled it with a mango salsa. Mmm. Got to bed early again for the return to the good old USA tomorrow.

Day 26, Thursday May 2nd: I took the long way back to Tucson via Naco, Sonora. It's an easier crossing than Nogales, but does add many extra miles and hours to the trip. The good news is there are twisty curvy roads. Some of the surface was pretty rough, but it was a good ride. At the crossing I asked the U.S. Customs guys where to park for my walk back across to return my FMM tourist card. They were telling me when one guy said “put the bike in that handicap spot”. VIP treatment! Once back on the US side these guys wanted to talk about Baja California. I pulled out a map and we BS’d about the Cabos. One of them asked me how I liked Cabo San Lucas and I told him it was a zoo and that I never wanted to go back. He laughed and nodded. The other guy’s dad had a place outside of San Jose del Cabo and I agreed that after the second visit, I had warmed up to it. All in all one of the easiest and enjoyable crossings I’ve had yet. On to Tucson and the interstate and traffic. Arrgh! I had dinner at our favorite Ethiopian restaurant, Zeman’s. I thought I’d stay in Tucson, but the traffic was miserable. I swear that the drivers in Mexico and especially in Baja California are more aware and respectful of Motos. I drove on to Eloy, AZ where my buddy Gazzer tells me there is on old joke that goes like this; Someone wins first prize in a contest and gets a night in Eloy. The second prize was two nights in Eloy. Hey, I just needed a bed and got one. I also discovered the 24 oz cans of Negra Modelo at the Circle K there, so not a total loss.

Day 27, Friday May 3rd: Slept great and left Eloy at 7:30. My appointment isn’t until 10:00, but maybe they’ll get me in and out. I arrive at GOAZ Motorcycles in Peoria and unload the bike for the second to the last time for this trip. Once they open, I have breakfast and coffee there surrounded by an amazing collection of sweet motorcycles. Moto Guzzi’s, KTM’s, BMW’s, Triumph’s, Aprilla’s Ducati’s and more. They’re willing to let me test drive one of whatever, but after all those great roads this past month, the idea of riding around the grid that is Phoenix just didn’t seem that inviting. All done by 1:00 and I’m out of here. 2 hours will get me home on I-17, but I can’t bear it. I opt for a roundabout route past Lake Pleasant to Wickenburg, up Yarnell hill to Prescott and then to Jerome and Sedona. Yeah, it took and extra 2 1/2 hours, but it sure was a nice way to end the adventure that began so many days ago. Rae is waiting for me and is it ever good to see her. Absence does make the heart grow fonder! And how lucky am I to have a sweetie who is willing to let me go on, no encourage me to go on an adventure like this one? Pretty darned lucky I would say. Thank you Rae. So, to wrap this up it’s been 5,249 miles from the house and back, untold memories with good friends old and new to be remembered for a lifetime and one less thing to regret not having done.. Thanks for coming along and I’ll keep you updated on the next adventure.