Winds (and Trails) of La Ventana

La Ventana, east of La Paz, and only 45 km away, is all about the wind, the consistent and persistent winter winds out of the north.  La Ventana is one of, if not the, premier kiteboarding and wind surfing spot in all of the Baja, and maybe one of the best locations in the world.  La Ventana is all about the wind, and the bay was packed with kiteboarders and wind surfers when I arrived, it was quite a sight.  But  there is more to La Ventana than just water sports, as there are some of the best mountain biking trails in the Baja as well.  I was there to ride, and not to play with the wind, so I stayed two nights, and it was worth it.

It was a quick trip from La Paz to La Ventana, and I camped at La Ventana, the main campground populated by kiteboarders and wind surfers.  This place was different, had a much more interesting mix of people, from the younger crowd, to older retired folks, all there for the same reason, the wind.  One night I went to an amateur film festival at Baja Joe's bar, interesting, though rude folks who came late and figured they could just stand in front of anyone (including me), who came early to snag a decent spot to watch the videos, spoiled it for me.  I only stayed for half of the videos, as 3 kids (have to wonder why they are not in school, somewhere) stood 10 feet in front of me, even though I got there early to scout out a spot to sit, and watch.  But, even with the rude kids in front of me, it was an interesting night, and the videos, well, more were pretty "amateur", almost like 'home movies of my vacation', though it was still fun.  The place was packed, and this event is now an annual thing, and the whole community, kiteboarders, wind surfers, and others, all showed up.  What a mix of people, young and old, dirtbags and the rich, interesting night at Baja Joe's.

I was not at La Vantana to wind surf, or kiteboard, I was there to bike, and it was totally worth it, even if I avoided the really challenging rides a bit north of town.  There is a great app called TrailForks, and this really helps to find the trails, and trailheads, and to navigate what can be a maze of trails.  I road for over 2 hours two days in a row, and it was fantastic.  It was basically flat, no climbing, but the trails weaved in and around cacti, including some monsters.  The trail surface was great, packed sand, though you had to be careful as soft sand, and a prickly landing awaited if you strayed even a few centimeters off the single track.  This was some of the most amazing trails I have ridden, not for the technical nature of the trails, but because of the beauty of the vegetation adjacent to the trail, it was just beautiful.  The folks who designed and cut the trails did a great job, winding around and under huge cacti, just wonderful.  There are more difficult trails north of town, more technical, with lots of climbing, but I enjoyed the ones I rode, closer to town, and just great rides.  Forget about the wind and water, bring your mountain bike to La Ventana, and ride.

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