Baja Sur

After a few days off in Guerro Negro, I was eager to get riding again. I had skipped a few sections of the Baja Divide on the north section but I was determined to do the entire southern section. The motivation carried me on another 100 mile day to San Ignacio where I reconnected with the route.

I rode past a cyclist taking a nap on the side of the highway. He awoke to me walking over to say hey. He is a French cyclist named Alexis. He has been cycling for nearly 6 years and was super cool to meet. His bike was heavily customized and I thought it was beautiful so I took a photo of it. We planned to meet at a Casa De Ciclista in San Ignacio to share beer and travel stories that evening.

This wonderful place was setup by a local family with the help of some cylists about 7 years ago. The family was so kind and have allowed cyclists to camp and have access to a shower and wifi in a safe space.

People from all over the world have traveled here.

Alexis and I had a nice evening drinking some beers and sharing tales of the road. He has a wealth of experience biking around the world. If I recall correctly he has cycled through 50 countries. I had made dinner the night before so here Alexis is making a delicious breakfast.

There were lots of cute cats around.

Grís testing out my ride. She was very friendly and wouldn’t leave my side.

Riding into the center of San Ignacio I witnesses my first old mission church. There are a lot these old mission sites that I would be riding through in the coming two weeks.

Looking down the road in San Ignacio.

Leaving San Ignacio it was back on some very quiet roads which I was missing greatly after my few days on highway 1. I noticed some trees here that reminded me of Joshua Trees. They are yucca trees and are close relatives.

A cute little church in a small town. I really like the way buildings are painted here in Mexico.

Riding out to the coast was pretty flat and fast.

I am, thank you :).

Some osprey have claimed this unfinished telephone post as their own.

Riding on some dry lake beds near the coast. This was really fast and felt like riding on pavement it was so smooth. It would be a huge contrast to the path that was to come.

Camping outside of El Datíl. A small coastal fishing village where I got my final supplies for the crossing coast to coast. The topography I saw in my GPS app had me excited about what lays ahead.

Leaving the coast.

I had ran into my Canadian friend, Erica, again! She had gotten a day ahead of me when I took an extra day off in Guerro Negro. We would ride together on and off from here to La Paz.

Here we are heading deeper and deeper into the canyon following the river which involves many rough and rocky river crossings.

Erica loves horses and would react to them the same way I react to dogs. One of these horses was covered in cactus quills but Erica kindly helped removed them.

This cobbled road makes for some slow and bumpy riding.

The scenic views make it worth it.

Each curve of the river introduces a more dramatic canyon than the one before. When the riding is like this I feel extra power to ride harder and longer, fueled by a desire to see what is next.

Hoping to cross coast to coast in two days, we ride late into the sunset. Each extra kilometer today means a shorter day tomorrow.

With the final minutes of light we find a nice spot on the river bed. It was a challenging day. The road is continuously climbing and each river crossing usually involves a lot of hiking through sand and cobbles stone. The challenge was welcome and the rewards were great.

As we ate our beans and tortillas by the light, this little toad hung out with us. He figured out all the flies and bugs were attracted to my light. He enjoyed a nice easy meal.

Some wind and clouds welcomed us to the new day as we woke up and got ready for another challenging day.

The sky cleared quickly as we rode into what was my favorite part if the canyon. The cliffs got more dramatic and larger. We never rode more than a few kilometers without having to cross the river.

Around the corner in the photo, there was a little ranch house. The owners called us over and we welcomed with some coffee and snacks. It was such a warm and kind old couple who have lived here for over 30 years. They have embraced the cyclists coming through and it’s great for everyone. They help support us and we help support them.

I wish I had some photos of them and the house to share but I don’t like taking photos of people because I don’t want to make them feel uncomfortable. I personally get very uncomfortable in front of the camera so I don’t like to do it to others. I want to learn to do it in a respectful way so I can share these beautiful moments with you all.

The Baja has surprised me in so many ways and riding up a river was one of these moments. I had pictured the Baja to be an arid desert and what I was experiencing could not be more different.

I had lost count of how many river crossings it was. The abundance of freshwater helped relieve the stress of knowing where the next place I could refill water was.

More dramatic canyons. I took a lot of photos of every bend and it was hard picking my favorites.

Palm trees and canyons.

Getting close to the top of the climb.

This day had more hiking than any yet on the Baja. Sometimes my bike takes me amazing places but sometimes I have to take it there.

Finally the decent has arrived after two days of climbing. The rock forms were getting noticeably different than at the beginning of the river. Here they were much sharper and dark in color.

This was one of those sections where you can’t help but to stop every second and take in the views. It was so beautiful.

The contrast between the lush greenery and sharp rocks.

I’ve said it’s beautiful so many times I sound like a broken record, but boy did it just keep getting better.

A nice deep spot in a different river where Érica stopped to take a dip. As much as I love riding near water, I can be like a cat and don’t like to get in as much as I should.

The sun was setting behind us as we ride the final kilometers into Mulege. The last hour was a bit of a slog was we were exhausted and riding into strong headwinds. The thoughts of Margaritas in town acted a nice carrot on a stick in front of us.

The town of Mulege was a lovely little town that had a lot of tourist traffic. It was the first real touristy town I had encountered yet. Baja Sur was much different than Norte in that regard.

Erica and I treated ourselves to hotel rooms and a nice meal in town. We also planned to rise a nice easy day along the coast. It was going to be our first time seeing the Sea of Cortez so we were excited.

It only took us about 20 miles to find a spot we wanted to camp at. This part of the sea was covered in rocky outcrops with small sandy coves. Sadly, most of these coves have been converted to RV parks, which I cut out in this photo. They just aren’t that pretty.

There was a nice peak right next to the campsite and the sun was about to set which could only mean a sunset summit was in order.

Watching the sky change colors from a high vantage point.

A paint of Mary on the path.

Erica found a fishy friend. I thankfully was able to keep her from attaching it to her bike.

A few months ago it was hard for me to get out of bed before 10am. Now it’s hard to stay in my tent past 7am.

A short paved section was welcome after the cobble that came before.

Cutting back inland from the sea, it was time to start the Mission road. This segment connected a few mission sites between rugged sierra riding.

I was back to riding alone now as Erica had dropped some stuff and had to turn back while a little behind me. We were able to communicate with satellite phones which was pretty cool.

I rode hard all day and camped somewhere on the side of the road an hour out of San Isidro. I got to the overlooking view of the mission town town below.

I restocked on water in the town and then hit the road towards the next mission town about 40km away.

I arrived in San Jose after some good climbing and beautiful riding. It was here I made the decision to cut off the Divide route so I could get back to services quicker. In Mulege, I was unable to get more cash because the ATMs had recently shutdown, so I was left with a small amount of pesos to survive me on my few days riding the mission road. I was pretty much out at this point and it would have been a real struggle to make the last day and a half ride through San Javier and to the next city.

I opted to descend this quiet paved road down a river valley to get to services a bit quicker. I was sad to miss San Javier, one of the prettiest mission sites, but I really needed to get more food.

I made it to Cuidad Constitution a day later and promptly ate myself a massive meal. I was pretty much surviving on only tortillas the past few days. I took a day off here to walk around the city and enjoy some lazy time.

Erica ended up catching back up as well and we would ride the last section to La Paz together.

From the city, it was time to head to the Sea of Cortez for the final ocean ride to La Paz.

A nice old church in San Luis Gonzaga. Another old mission site that didn’t have a store or anything but a nice family offered to make us some burritos and refill our water.

It was flat riding for a bit as we headed into some camyons.

Some plateaus were starting to pop up. It was nearing the end of the day and I was looking for a good place for us to camp for the night.

I stop and wait for Erica in front of this plateau because it looks super easy to climb up and would make a great sunset summit.

We put our bikes down and started the bushwaking to the base of the plateau. There was a perfect little ramp up to the top we scrambled up.

The views from the top were magnificent.

Erica enjoyed the view as well.

Some goats were hanging around us as well.

Erica enjoying the view.

Watching the sky change colors.

Climbing down and walking back to camp. We bushwhacked back in the dark with our lights to our bikes near the road. We setup camp and enjoyed our daily tortilla and bean dinner.

The goal today was to make it through some more canyons and get to the coast.

It’s hard to tell but there’s a little white church right above the road.

A nice family welcomed me in with the promise of fresh lemonade and an egg breakfast. There’s no resupplies out here so this family’s warmth was critical to keep on going. They had a lot of animals, including this big turkey which reminded me Thanksgiving was just around the corner.

After my nice breakfast with the farmer’s family, I had a challenging climb up. It got pretty steep and I hiked up a few kilometers. When I got to the top I was overwhelmed by an expansive canyon view.

These canyons were the last obstacle to navigate to the coast.

Descending into the canyons.

This region featured beautiful red and blue colored rocks. I have no idea what causes this to happen but it was really pretty.

That’s tiny Erica down there on the road.

It was more challenging riding but the views kept any signs of struggle from my mind.

Climbing over the pass it was now a long descent to the ocean.

The day was long and tough and we were exhausted. We made it to a small fishing village, San Eviristo, where we got some delicious fish tacos. It was getting late and we wouldn’t have enough time to find a campsite so we rented a cheap a cabaña the restaurant owned.

Some cute rooftop dogs that were full of love and energy.

Sunrise in San Eviristo.

Why not get some breakfast as well. It was delicious.

Now for the last 100km we ride mostly coastal to La Paz.

I love this Baja Divide route because it’s the perfect mix of mountainous riding and then coastal riding. Every day is something different and new.

The views and road were perfect. There was even a strong tailwind the whole way.

We wanted to find a nice spot to beach camp for the last night camping in Baja. The next day we would ride to La Paz and mark the end of riding my bike across Baja. We found this nice little spot.

We gave ourselves a few hours of sunlight to explore the beach and enjoy the ocean. There were loads of little sand crabs that I recognized from my time in Florida. We would go out on the beach at night and see countless sand crabs who came out to feed.

A dolphin skull. I know it is gross but I took a few of the teeth. I have some sea shells on other things that I want to make a small bracelet out of to put on my bike to remember my time in Baja.

Another day and the final campsite sunset. This is about when I mentioned to Erica that this was our final night camping in Baja. We both didn’t realize it until that point and it was pretty tough. Camping here has been amazing, some of the best I’ve ever had. It’s so easy to find a remote and beautiful spot.

Sunrise.

We were riding past some beautiful painted rock. The canyons had this vivid stripes and there were still lots of turquoise rocks about.

The last 40km were paved. It was like a victory lap to La Paz. The last 20km were a grind as we left the beach and hills and it was a flat and boring ride in.

We arrived in La Paz on the 25th and were planning to stay at a hostel and ferry to the mainland on the 29th.

My time in La Paz was amazing. It is such a beautiful city that has everything you could need. I didn’t take many pictures so I don’t have much to show from it, sadly.

My birthday was the 27th so we celebrated the best way I know how in Mexico, by sharing a bottle of Mezcal on the beach watching the sunset with good friends. I met so many amazing people in La Paz as it is a destination people travel from all over to.

It was here in La Paz a magical thing happened and a dream came true. I ran into an old cyclist friend who had managed to find a guy sailing across the Sea who needed some help with the crossing. They were sailing together and invited me to come along to help and learn the ropes. I have been dreaming to sail for years now and I couldn’t be more thankful this opportunity arose.

I’m writing this post from the sailboat right now as we ride away. We will spend a few days exploring nearby island before making the couple day crossing of the Sea. I’m planning to take loads of pictures and will probably make a post just for this sailing adventure.

It’s hard to describe the emotions and feeling I have felt this first month in Mexico. All I can say is I’m in love with life and everything and everyone around me. There’s nowhere I’d rather be and nothing else I’d rather be doing. I’m so happy to be able to experience this beautiful world and all it has to offer. Baja was amazing but it’s time to see what’s along the horizon.

Wishing the best for all of you reading, peace and love to you all.