We have been so lucky to spend the last three days riding through a green desert. That rainstorm that rolled through a few days ago has set the desert to bloom! We have had some more unique experiences along the way, including camping behind a 24-hour tire store and cafe, and an amazing wild campsite in the desert.
We also hit 6000 miles!
There are about 225 miles of isolated road between the towns of El Rosario (where we last updated) and Guerrero Negro (where we are now). Originally we had planned to take four days in this section, but we ended up doing it in three because of the placement of small towns for resupply.
Looking out at the desert. Pre-bloom.
A cactus on our first climb – in the fog.
Our first day out of El Rosario was tough. There was a steep, long climb that we tackled in the morning despite the persistent fog. The views from the top had us exclaiming in delight for quite a while, until the following climbs stole our breath back. We are still leap-frogging with Antonie and Tyler, which has been very fun. On this day Antonie found one of Jason’s sandals that had fallen off his bike and landed in the middle of the road. With a groan, Jason turned around to search for the other sandal. Miraculously, he found it only a mile back, and about 15 feet off the road. Phew!
The boulder fields of Catavina. Huge!
I swept off our sleeping spot with a ‘broom’.
We spent that night in a very small town without an electrical grid. We asked the police-officers in town about a place to camp, and the owner of the 24-hour tire store offered the grounds behind the shop. We set up on a cement pad among barking dogs, but they quieted soon after. It was one of our most restful nights in Mexico yet! Somehow, despite Jason’s near-miss with sandal-loss, I lost my sandals here. They fell off at some point while I fastened and refastened my bags for carrying more water. Drat drat drat!
Our free campsite behind the 24-hour tire store.
The next day was even better. We awoke to a heavy mist that had coated our tent. Because we had left the rainfly off, the water had gotten in and dripped onto our sleeping bags too. No worries, at lunch we hung everything to dry on the guardrail of the road. In the desert sun it dried in under an hour. The days riding was wonderful: we had no idea the desert could be so full of life. Flowers, cactuses, plants sprouting from every crack. We saw vultures, hawks, and hummingbirds. A few photos:
The stunning, green, road ahead.
Super giant cactus.
Um, I’m not sure this is really a desert!
Yet another valley.
Our desert campsite. Complete with vulture.
That night we camped off the road next to one of the giant cacti. We were careful to stay away from the many spines surrounding us! We took showers in the desert from our water bottles, and cooked dinner as the sun set. Just as we were getting ready to eat there was a big ‘splat’. Uh oh. The vulture that had been on the cactus above us had pooped! Of course, I (Daisy) got hit by it and Jason didn’t. What luck! Our final day out of the area was half interesting and half boring. The last 35 miles were on the straightest, most boring road you can imagine. The scenery on either side was flat and completely devoid of plant life, but we powered through and arrived at the town of Guerrero Negro. We like our camp spot here (clean bathrooms and showers), and are looking forward to our next stop on the Eastern side of the peninsula. There have been rumors of great beaches and camping, so we will see soon.
The view for miles and miles today. Mind-numbing.
A few more photos for the road:
All our stuff drying while we eat lunch.
Spot the real kitties.
Dad wants to know if you saw any whale bones by the lagoon in Guerrero Negro?
Saw whale bones in front of some restaurants and such. None on the beach/lagoon – but we didn’t get a close look there.
Yay, 6000 miles! Looking good. Daisy sure is ‘lucky’. Who else can say they were pooped on by a vulture? ;)
The best part (if there was such a thing) was that just minutes earlier we had discussed how the vulture was way up in the cactus above us, and if it decided to poop it might hit us…
Time for new sandals. Vaya con Dios. Enjoy the Beach.
Got new sandals today!
Congrats on your 6,000 miles!!
That is awesome!
I can’t believe you guys have PEDALED for 6000 miles. We are going to DRIVE only 800 miles to Maryland tomorrow and I’m tired before we begin! Those cacti are huge! Are they 30-40 feet tall?
Some are at least 30′!
Those cacti are humongous — I’ve never seen them that big! Love the photos. Congrats on 6000!
Thanks! The desert has been so, so amazingly green.
6000 miles. Whoop! Can’t see the vulture in any of the photos. Darn! Can’t believe Daisy has a WHITE shirt and that it still looks so clean! Glad you got new sandals. Incredible cacti. WOW! Millie
Those cacti truly are amazing. Lucky vulture poop Daisy! Also, never imagined a desert could be so green. And those boulders were also impressive.
Hey. I’m stationed in Mazatlan till saturday (10/25) then planning a trip to copper canyon. Any interest? And if you arrive in Mazatlan before the 25th, I have a place you can crash. My mom put me up for a week in a resort. The place is huge – kitchen, dining room, living room, and bedroom – and the couch turns into a double bed.
Very cool! We are going to be coming to Mazatlan on the ferry on the 26th, so unfortunately we’ll miss you at the resort. I assume you are biking to Copper Canyon, yes? Looks like we’ll miss you, but hopefully catch up a bit later… we’re planning to head to Guadalajara then east, north of Mexico City.
Thinking about it. Not yet commited. The ride will be grueling; through the canyon itself on mostly dirt track. Banditoes a real concern here. Also, my front hub is in bad shape. In it’s current condition, it may not survive the ride.