Day 2

Santo Tomas to Bahia de Los Angeles

I woke up to realize my back wasn’t as healed as I thought. Glad I brought the meds. I don’t think I told this story. A day before I was going to leave I was moving things and lifted something that really bothered my back. I joked with friends that I must almost be turning 30. Before I left I was feeling fine but now climbing on the bike told me I wasn’t better yet. Once I was on the road and moving I was fine.

The road continued south past farms and more vineyards. They are repaving the road a few miles at a time so twice we had to use off-road detours. My bike was so clean from the fresh paint and new parts but this stretch of off road riding took care of that. Now it looks like it’s on an adventure.

I stopped for lunch in San Quintin, one of the larger towns in the area. I was looking for a taco stand that looked busy and finally found Fish Taco Marshall. I made the right choice. The fish, the salsa, the cream and spices were perfect. And only $1.25 each! There were no open seats but a guy offered to share his table with me. Surprisingly he spoke perfect English and he grew up in Mission Viejo, a town just a few miles from me. He was here to go to university to become a teacher. We chatted for a bit and then I was on my way. Before I left he assured me these were the best tacos around. He risked being late for class to come have them.

 

I heard that the town of Bahia de Los Angeles was a great place and so I decided I’d check it out. It was further south so I had to charge to get there before dark. I passed through the town of El Rosario I saw a sign that said “next Gas 318km” I quickly turned around a filled up. With my added aux fuel tank that is plumbed into the main fuel system I can get about 180 miles. The gas stations in Mexico are government run and pretty efficient. Almost all of them are full service so I just pull up and tell the attendant “lleno por favor” (fill’er up please)

 

Highway 1 heads inland and through the mountainous Parque Naturale de Desierto Central. As I made my way south clouds formed and hid the sun and it quickly got cold. My Icon Patrol jacket and gloves kept me warm as the winds picked up. The cold crosswind off the Pacific was pushing my bike, if only it was a tail wind.

There were almost no other cars on the road. The only thing I would see beside the desert were small homes and tire repair shops. In the small town of Catavina there was a guy selling gasoline from jugs. I didn’t know how much the wind was effecting my fuel efficiency so I got a gallon just in case.

 

Bahia de Los Angeles is 66km east off of Highway 1. As I was riding on this road I saw two wild horses ahead of me by the roadside. I pulled over to take a photo and they instantly bolted. With the light from the sunset hitting the desert mountains in the background it was a beautiful sight.

I rode into the town and looked for a hotel. The first was full. I saw a sign for hotel with wifi, hot water, and breakfast so I followed the sign. It led me up a rocky dirt road and then no more signs. I wasn’t looking forward to turning around on a rocky hill. Sure enough as I made the turn my front wheel got stuck and over the bike went. (She was tired from a long day of riding I guess) A guy came out and helped me get the bike up. So thankful he did, I’m afraid of what my back would have done had I tried to lift by myself. I was over Hotel Princess and their crappy driveway. I went back the main road and found a hotel that looked more expensive than I wanted to pay but I was tired and didn’t care. I got my room and unpacked the bike. I went to get dinner but the only place open was a small mercado (market) so dinner was a Coca Cola and a bag of Tostitos nachos. At least the fish tacos at lunch were amazing. The hotel had wifi and I tried to call friends and my mom on the app Viber but the signal was too poor.

The technology we have for trips like these is makes family and friends never seem that far away. With my Spot GPS tracker people can see where I am on a map at any time. When I have wifi I can update instagram, Facebook, and check email in a instant. With the phone apps Viber, Whats App, and Skype I can talk and chat with friends around the world.