Run for the Border

Boulders and cacti of Catavina, Baja California.

After finally getting my van back, fixed (hopefully), and after a making a quick stop at Cabo Pulmo, I felt it was time, time to head north, make a run for the border.  I needed to get back, and cross the border before the idiots in charge of the USA did something really stupid, like close the border.  Plus, I really wanted to spend some time at Joshua Tree National Park in southern California before heading east.  The trip north, mostly along Mex 1, would be pretty uneventful, mostly lots of driving, though the boulders and cacti of Catavina were very cool.  I was sad that I did not have more time, as there were a few places which I had hoped to visit but I just ran out of time.  I was not ready to leave the Baja, such a wonderful place for an adventure.

I left Cabo Pulmo, bounced back to Mex 1 (again, part of the road to Cabo Pulmo was pretty crappy, so I did literally "bounce"), blew past Los Barriles (one of the many places I wish that I had time to visit), and headed back to La Paz.  I camped at Campestre Marantha west of downtown La Paz, very well-kept place, very clean, including the bathrooms, with great showers, some shade, and a pretty good deal at $300 pesos per night.  Plus, I ran into Kirk from Colorado again, for the fourth time.  It is just amazing how you seem to run into some of the same people, even when nothing was planned, all just travelers in the Baja.  Kirk's trip to the Baja was just a shake-down cruise, as he was planning a grand adventure, one which would take him to areas I explored in 2016-2017, including Peru, Chile and Argentina.  Check out his blog when you get a chance, not much there now, but expect much more as his South American adventure begins (www.impactoverland.com).

The next day was a long one, for both of us, me and my van, traveling northwest on Mex 1 from La Paz, though Cuidad Constitucion, then east across the mountains back to the Gulfo de California, before heading north along the coast to Loreto, fighting a brutal wind much of the way.  I stayed at the Rivera del Mar Trailer RV Park in Loreto, nice, even if pretty cramped, with nice bathrooms (with hot showers), working Wifi, and within an easy walk to the malecon and the water, and downtown.  Loreto is a great little city, lots of shops, restaurants, and the Mision Neustra Senora de Loreto adjacent to a small square right in the center of town.  Next, it was back on Mex 1, up the coast, along the Bahia Concepcion, past Mulege and Santa Rosalia, before climbing back up the mountains from the coast heading west towards the Pacific.  I stopped in San Ignacio for the night, Rice and Beans Oasis, where I ran into some acquaintances, another Canadian couple I met at Playa Santipac along the Bahia Concepcion weeks ago.  They were also starting the trip back north, though they were pulling a big Airstream trailer, oh, can't imagine how tough that must be, especially climbing mountains and fighting the wind.  There are other places to camp (at least one), closer to the small village that is San Ignacio, with a small square and the Mision San Ignacio, a few shops and restaurants, but they looked deserted and not really well-maintained, so I opted for Rice and Beans, with a bar/restaurant, small swimming pool, and hot showers.  There is actually another Rice and Beans Restaurant in San Felipe, the original one, but after eating here, at Rice and Beans in San Ignacio, I would not be interested in checking out the original Rice and Beans, had the worst tacos of my trip. 

From San Ignacio, it was another long, windy day, through Vizcaino (which I drove through before, looks like a nice, small city), Guerro Negro, and back into Baja California.  I continued north on Mex 1, past the turn-off for Bahia de los Angeles, the turn-off for Rt. 5 (which eventually wanders into San Felipe, the way I came south initially), and all the way to Catavina, with amazing boulders and cacti, including the cirio or boojum trees, endemic to the Baja.  Catavina was cool, I really had fun scrambling among the boulders and numerous cacti, taking a ton of pictures, exploring for hours.  I camped at Rancho Santa Inez with a group of Canadians (yes, the Baja is full of Canadians) in their RVs who also drove up from San Ignacio.  I even ate at the little restaurant there (and I mean little, two picnic tables, open air, and maybe four item on the menu), fish tacos and a beer, $100 pesos (or just over $5US), good, worth it compared to cooking myself, too tired for that.

At this point, heading north on Mex 1 the next day, things changed significantly the closer I got to Ensenada.  There was much more development from San Quintin north along the Pacific cost to Ensenada, more people, more traffic, more trash, just more development.  I did not enjoy this stretch of road in the Baja.  I somehow missed the turn-off for Erendira just north of San Vicente where I had planned to stop, maybe distracted by the only real scenery along the route, a superbloom of wildflowers in progress, coating the hillsides along a couple of less-developed stretches of Mex 1.  I also had to endure an almost hour delay for road construction, but was able to pass the time sharing a beer with locals parked in front of me.  I stopped south of Ensenada to camp, at Villarino RV Park and Beach Camping out on Punta Banda west of Maneadero, nothing special, though they do have a small store which is part of the campground, plus nice bathrooms.

And finally, I woke early, chatted with my neighbors, two Canadian couples traveling south in their VW vans, headed for Ensenada, a big city with big city traffic (and potholes!), before heading back over the mountains, east towards the Sea of Cortez yet again.  I had to deal with four, yes four military check-points east of Ensenada (though did not have to actually stop at the last one), totally annoying, before getting back to San Felipe and Campo Uno, where I really started my Baja adventure.  My Baja adventure was almost over.  I was already missing the Baja, but it was time.  I would stay at Campo Uno for three nights, enjoy some time on the water (thanks for taking us fishing Billy), eat some more tacos, drink some more beer and too much tequila, and get my van organized for the border crossing and a return to the US.  I also met another interesting guy, Yuri, a Czech, who had paddling a small sea kayak all the way down the Colorado River from the Hoover Dam in the US, to Campo Uno, amazing, and even a bit crazy.  He also has a blog, which is also not really up-to-date since his time on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2018, but check it out if you get a chance anyway, he has some nice photographs (deckhanddiary.wordpress.com). 
 
​After three nights in San Felipe, I headed north on Rt. 5, retracing my route to and through Mexicali to the border crossing, just east of the city center.  It took 1.5 hours to cross, including lots of time just standing around, but I made it, made it back into the US after an amazing adventure in the Baja.  It was a great trip, even with the unexpected and extended stay in Cabo San Lucas.  The scenery is often spectacular, the people are great (including all the Canadians), and the food is marvelous.  And while I have never lived in the desert, I love the desert landscapes, with so many species of unique plants, especially cacti, there is lots to see, and photograph.  And while the roads can be challenging, and it is windy down there, the Baja is a special place, a beautiful peninsula flanked on one side by the Pacific Ocean, and on the other side the Gulfo de California.  This is a place you need to visit if you get a chance, you will not be disappointed.  Viva Baja! 

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