To the City of Constitucion

January 8th and 9th

A few miles after leaving Loreto you hit Nopolo, and that same nagging Baja question raises itself again. How come it is the American’s that are building resort town’s like this - and not the Mexicans. Don’t get me wrong - I’ve nothing against what the American’s are doing - you really can’t argue that the guy paragliding against azure skies over perfectly manicured golf courses set against blue sea and picture postcard mountains is NOT having a great time. It’s just - why aren’t the Mexican’s providing all this? And keeping the money for themselves. Odd!



However, we are cycle tourists, and these are questions for people other than ourselves to puzzle over….

The ride out of Loreto is truly memorable. The Sierra de la Giganta, and the deep blue Sea of Cortez combine to create one of natures more inspired displays. How many photos can I put in a single blog…

Sue climbs towards layer upon layer of ever more distant blue mountains.



Before descending back to sea level whereupon we finally find a Mexican who wants to do business with us, and out of a sense of profound and selfless duty, we find it in our hearts to stop and support him in his efforts….

Life is sometimes tough, but what can you do. Sue says - fish tacos and a cold one please….



All just fuel for what’s to come really. The Sierra de la Giganta start to live up to their name and get seriously gigantic and there’s no more flat bits for the road to take along the coast. We dog leg 90 degrees as the road is forced inland. And upwards….



All so we can see the Islands Coronados and El Carmen better….



And then up a lot more; round some twisty bits….



You can just make out the Sea in the background, before we move off and cross the spine of the mountain range.

We camp under cactus once more and watch Venus rise….



In stark contrast, the next day’s ride in to the city of Constitucion is along a flat, featureless valley. The road arrows unswervingly towards a distant vanishing point….





Loreto

January 7th

Love Loreto!

In a tranquil; nice place to visit; would get seriously bored if I lived here kind of way… but it is lovely.

Considered to be the home of the oldest settlements on the Baja, and founded as a town in 1697 when the Mission of Our Lady of Loreto was built…



Today it’s a town of around 10,000 very relaxed souls who spend much of their time when not fishing, eating the freshest of fresh fish, strolling along 2 miles of Malacon - the beautiful waterfront boulevard, or playing beach volley ball….



Other than that it’s over to people watching in beautiful tree lined avenues and squares….



The Malacon meanders leisurely past the small fishing fleet which draws a squadron of opportunistic gulls behind….



It’s a short drop off spot for small cruise boats where tourists can visit an interesting little museum chronicling the advance and subsequent retreat of missionary zeal throughout the peninsular….



Otherwise it seems to be a place for Pelicans to fatten up….



And watch golden sunsets….






To Loreto

January 5th and 6th

A short ride out from Mulege, road again meets water as we ride along Conception Bay. Storm clouds lend an angry grey to seas that remain calm for now as they patrol small uninhabited islands.



Whilst distant Pelicans dive bomb unsuspecting schools of lunch….



Around the corner, more fish make an early lunch as villages of free camping RV’s enjoy the catch of the day on Escondido Beach.



One thing that is becoming curious about Mexico is a seeming unwillingness to take up obvious business opportunities. Here are pristine beaches, situated on gorgeous bays between pretty mission towns with a constant flow of tourism heading between Tijuana and Los Cabos at the southern tip of the Baja. Where are the restaurants? The bars? Why are the people offering diving and Kayak tours all American and not Mexican? Three RV camps just outside Mulege are all American owned and run, and I’m not sure why you can still camp here for free. Strange, but don’t get me wrong. These are just idle musings and not complaints. The lack of these things is a welcome and refreshing change to the norm and definitely part of the reason we are here…..

This is where we take lunch, no restaurants in sight - nice…



Am I hallucinating, or is that a giant bunny rabbit etched on the hillside???



We leave the Sea once more and begin to enter the “Sierra de La Giganta”, a range that heads down the coast for the next 100 miles. Hmmm that means Gigantic Mountains. Sounds like a lot of fun. After climbing a few hundred metres, we learn there are some flat bits though. Great big flat bits stretching for miles and scenic miles before the next, distant range of hills….



But we’re back in desert country. And that means cactus. Which means spiky things. Which means holes in wheels. Which means more of this…



At camp and take turns to repair tubes.

Then a rush and a drop and another sea view as we make it to the next stop - Loreto…

Mulege

January 4th

Leaving pretty Santa Rosalia behind, we ride back inland following a narrow strip between the Sierra Agua Verde (Green Water Mountains) and the Sea of Cortez. It‘s a return to scrub grass, cactus and distant blue mountains - big terrain….



And a short 65kms ride to Mulege, complete with plasticky, medieval gateway, entrance, eyesore thingy….





Bit of a far cry from how they used to build round here….



Mulege is a small town with a mission outpost dating from 1705 when the Christians arrived to convert the heathens, mainly by infecting them with Western style diseases.




Built around a palm and mangrove lined oasis, the Santa Rosalia de Mulege was completed in 1766 and proved to be ruthlessly efficient, being abandoned 62 years later in 1828, largely due to the rapidly dwindling population.

Stunning views though…



Now it’s a place where you can dive in the clear blue waters of the Sea of Cortez around offshore islands and kayak along the river. Most operators seem to be US ex-pats charging in dollars and their prices, whilst reasonable for American’s driving across the border, they are still a bit strong for us, so we’ll wait until we can find local operators in cheaper towns further south….

RV parks on the outskirts of the town are similarly US based and so is much of the cliental. You can always tell the American operations, they’re the ones that advertise, use signs to allow you to find them, and have high standard facilities, like laundromats, hot showers and swimming pools. This is luxury camping US style and a pleasant change after rough desert camps….





Santa Rosalia

January 3rd

Today we leave the Desierto Vizcaino behind and catch our first glimse of the Sea Of Cortez having crossed from one coast of the Baja to the other. So it's a disappointment (and a surprise) to wake to leaden skies. Carrion birds add an ominous portent to the dismal scene.



However, passing the shadow of the Volcano of the 3 virgins (?) is like drawing a curtain and the heavens brighten.
And so does the view….



The road suddenly begins to descend - rapidly, as we shoot down the flanks of The Sierra de Santa Lucia as they tumble, tortured and twisted down to the Sea….



The view back towards the distant Volcano is stunning….



And then, suddenly we see it - “The Sea of Cortez“. We left the West coast of the Baja on the 23rd December and after 2 weeks of desert terrain, the horizon morphs magically from brown to blue….



Santa Rosalia is famous for the Santa Barbara Church, originally constructed for the 1889 World Fair in Paris and designed by Gustave Eiffel (think tower). It’s an early example of prefab construction - flat pack on a scale to make the late MFI proud. It was originally intended to help the missions in Africa, but after being stored for 6 years in Brussels it was finally shipped and re-erected here instead….



This is the Historical Mining Museum….



To my eyes, it just looks more like the rotting remains of the old copper works that used to be the main employer for the town. Old hulks of buildings, smoke stacks and slowly rusting machinery decay in a sorry looking scene. Rather than drag it down the authorities have, rather inventively, turned into a tourist “attraction”, where it looms over the beautiful Malecon - a coastal boulevard with views out towards San Marcos and Tortuga Islands. Santa Rosalia is situated in a beautiful setting, with coastal islands, and surrounding hills affording amazing viewpoints. It has a busy, jostling buzz about it and perhaps the finest taco stand in the whole of the Baja so far. Convincing recommendations...

San Ignatio

January 2nd

Then suddenly in the middle of the Desierto de Vizcaino we find ourselves in another oasis. Brown to green, barren to verdant, scrub to lush. This is San Ignacio and yet again we experience the slow speed shock of cycling a transition as we follow date palms lining the route in to town.



To a stunning lake backed by the ominously brooding, if bizarrely named "Volcano of The Three Virgins"



Almost as shocking after the nothing puebolitos and dusty strip sprawl of Guerrero Negro is the beautiful central plaza and impressive mission building. All this the centre piece for a town of less than 1,000 people.



Begun by Jesuits and completed by Dominicans in 1786 it's an unexpected spectacle...



Tucked behind the mission building is a museum detailing the natural history of the area including images of cave painting taken nearby in the Sierra San Fransisco now a UNESCO world heritage site. 3 day tours are offered by mule (as in a slow, uncooperative and uncomfortable horses) to see the caves. We pass and content ourselves with a copy of their photo...



After a leisurely lunch in the square we ride out and begin the gentle climb towards the next mountain range, the Sierra de Santa Lucia....



Find an exclusive camp spot with front row seats....



And watch the light show as the volcano blazes in the sunset...