Desierto Central

December 28th and 29th

Proper desert now...



Hot by day, freezing by night now we've climbed to around 1300 metres and it gets breezy too - all that flat terrain with nothing to stop a build up in air movement. Most of the vegetation attacks on sight. We budget on 3 punctures a day. It's all a state of mind and budgeting on 3 makes you feel quite happy when you only get 2. Conversely 4 doesn´t seem so bad. Previously the forth puncture of the day had me throwing things round in a demented rage, where now I can be quite mellow, and serene.

The road goes on....



Snaking up and over the next hill....



With occasional vegetation standing stark against a bleak backdrop....



Then suddenly, out of nowhere, there is an oasis, a real shock as everything had faded to washed out shades of brown. We camp in amongst soft grasses. Hummingbirds flick and feed between shrubs flowering briefly after their Christmas present of a storm deluge....



As an aside, hummingbirds are the most demonic of all creatures! They bait and tease and I follow clumsily with my camera poised, sluggish, in slow motion. They can teleport you see, and are faster than a tripping shutter. I have many blurred images of vanished birds where you can just faintly make out ripples in the air as it rushes back to fill the space of a disappeared shape. It makes a faint popping sound and I have heard it.
Demons.
Obviously.

Anyway....

Back to the road....



Nothing as far as the eye can see in all directions....
Anyone care to explain this....



We finally roll in to Guerrero Negro and it really is a bit strange. 12,000 people here - by far the most we've seen since Ensenada 10 days ago. Having made 45 dollars last 6 days we can finally get to a bank and re-supply. I feel a binge coming on....