The first stop was Ensenada. Nothing remarkable here normally but when I arrived Baja 1,000 racers were in town preparing for the race that was due to start in a couple days. There were quite a few "trophy trucks" around getting ready for an epic 1,000 mile off road competition. I had a chat with one of the racers hoping for a podium spot and he got me excited to see a part of the race. I thought he told me it would be starting the next day so if I headed south I would catch it.
I headed down to El Rosario after one night in Ensenada. It's a quaint little town near the Pacific where I had heard of this cool little roadside motel. Sadly, when I arrived all the rooms were taken by Baja 1,000 teams prepping. Luckily right next door there was a perfectly adequate motel called Mama Espinoza's. They even let Charlie stay in the room, which I had been told is rare in Mexican motels. He'd had to sleep in the car quite a few nights due to me sleeping in friend's homes where someone had allergies and a lack of pet friendly hotels. Luckily, Charlie is pretty low maintenance so as long as he gets good exercise in the day he doesn't mind a little car camping. Once settled in at Mama Espinoza's I ran a few miles, showered and went to dinner. The most noteworthy thing that happened in El Rosario is the enchiladas I had at Mama Espinoza's restaurant next door to the motel. They were hands down the best enchiladas I've ever had and of course they only set me back about $3 and were served with rice and beans. If you find yourself driving through this part of the world, don't miss the food from the place.
I left the next morning expecting a stop in Catavina which I was told would be an excellent vantage point to see some Baja racers but before I left, one the racers' support crew told me they wouldn't be reaching that point until late the following evening. I had the day wrong and was actually a day ahead of the race start. When I reached Catavina I momentarily considered staying overnight to catch the action the next day but there is next to nothing to see or do in the miniature town and I would be waiting for close to 36 hours if I wanted to see anything. I decided to keep moving to get to an oasis pueblito I had heard good things about.
Although the town of Catavina has little to keep a traveler leisurely occupied, the terrain surrounding the town is a site to behold. Out of the rolling, stark baja desert, huge boulders begin to appear, between which are some of the biggest cacti I've ever seen. It's quite dramatic and I took advantage of having an SUV with 4wd by going off road for a bit and navigating around some of the boulders on the actual Baja race course.
Next stop was the oasis of San Ignacio. Got in a little late and quickly saw a sign for a B&B with yurts for accommodation. It is run by a kind Canadian couple, and although it seemed overpriced at $65 per night, I was tired and hungry and they were pet friendly so I took it. After a six mile run I sat down for roasted chicken, salad, and other yummies with the B&B owners and the large group of Canadians on a motorcycle tour that were staying there. They were interesting folks and it provided an evening of pleasant and interesting conversation.
I next planned a stopover in Loreto. I think this is a good time to talk about the kindness of others that I've been experiencing. Full disclosure here: I don't have a whole lot of faith in people for the most part. I know it sounds negative, bit I feel like people let you down more than they should. I choose the people in my life very carefully and keep a pretty small number of friends, and don't expect much from most. This trip has helped me getting an ever so slightly sunnier outlook so far. After letting friends know of my plans to drive to Central America and posting about it on Facebook I have been overwhelmed by the kindness and support I've received. I was offered a place to sleep in Northern California by an old friend I barely ever talk to or see, I was offered a place no questioned asked for a couple nights in LA, and I had three places to sleep offered to me by people in San Diego. I've also been offered a bed and local support in both Guadalajara and Mexico City by people I've met on the road.
One of the most heartwarming events was a message I got from a Portland friend shortly after I left home. It said that one of his wife's previous employers had seen that he "liked" my post about driving down Baja. They told him that they had recently purchased a home in Loreto and that if I needed anything at all, including a place to stay, that I should contact them directly. The morning I left for Loreto, despite my tendency to do everything in my power not to put people out in any way, I did just that. Tim and Sherrie met me in the town of Loreto where they were attending a party at a local microbrewery. After the party died down they had me follow them to their beautiful home in an expat community called Loreto Bay. I hadn't had dinner and it was late and nothing was open so Tim made me tacos and gave me a beer. After staying up and talking for a while I was led to my comfortable guest room where they even let Charlie stay. When I woke we had coffee under their rooftop palapa looking over the ocean. They had some previous plans so they told me to stay as long as I liked and allowed me to do my laundry before I left.
The kindness from these complete strangers really felt amazing. They were friendly and fun and didn't make me feel uncomfortable at all in accepting their help. I knew they were just good people happy to do something good for someone else.
Okay, this post is starting to feel a little rambly to me so I'm going to wrap it up here. After Loreto I went to La Paz where I spent two uneventful nights. I watched the Cotto VS. Alvarez fight at a local bar and tried to practice a little Spanish with some of the rabid Alvarez fans (He's kind of a national hero at the moment). Other than that I went to a beach, and ate tacos at least twice per day while waiting for the 23rd to arrive when I would pick up Kerry at the airport and get my first glimpse of my home for two weeks in Todos Santos. I'll try to get a post up about all that in the next few days.
Route from San Diego to La Paz
A Baja 1,000 racer in El Rosario
Catavina Boulders and Cacti
Charlie on a Beach Near La Paz
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