Saturday, November 24, 2012

Baja Sur - Into the fog!

Speed bumps take on a whole new meaning here in Mexico, they aren't just a deterrent to speeding like they are in the USA. They actually stop cars from speeding by tearing the front wheels clean off the vehicle if you hit them going too fast. We got to see this first hand, outside our hotel, as somebody didn't heed the "no cell phone while driving" sign and didn't notice the speed bump until the front end of his truck was throwing sparks as he slid down the street! The speed limit on Hwy 1 is 80kph max which is about 50mph, and we have been cruising along at about 55mph which really slows things down and let's you look around. We were pretty thankful for the slower speeds this morning as we could see a dense fog bank looming in the distance as we crossed the peninsula. It was like riding into a giant white monster who swallowed us whole! Visibility dropped to about 100 yds and water started to collect on the windshield. The temperature dropped quite a bit and we stopped to waterproof ourselves. As soon as we got going again, we came out of the fog and the temperature went up to 82 degrees. We stopped again to drop some layers and vent. Perfect riding weather after that as the scenery began to dazzle! First we passed Volcan de las 3 Virgenes (the volcano of the three virgins), which looked massive as it was the only relief for miles and miles. All of a sudden we rounded a corner and started to descend into a large lush valley overlooking the ocean ahead. We rolled into Santa Rosalia at about noon and stopped at a taco stand where we saw the local police gathered for lunch. It was and excellent choice and we ate three different kinds of tacos: pork, beef, and tongue. All of them were excellent, with many different salsas to dress them up. The cook explained the salsas as medium, a little bit hotter and muy fuerte! I went for the hot stuff and it was perfect! We ate next to an old steam engine locomotive parked in the town square and our cook was very friendly. When we first walked up he asked me if I spoke English and I replied that I did in Spanish and we proceeded to talk to each other in Spanglish for a while. Heading out of town we cruised along the coast line filled with turquoise waters and sandy beach coves. We ended up stopping at one for the night and we are feet from the shore in our tent with a very bright moon overhead. I feel like I could use some sunscreen its so bright! The waves are great to fall asleep to! We think that we will make La Paz Saturday then have to wait for Monday or Tuesday to get a ferry to Mazatlan. Guess I'll have to go scuba diving or something to pass the time while we lay on the beach and drink beers for the weekend! I already miss my wife. It sure will be nice to have her join us in Argentina! It has been an amazing trip thus far and we have barely scratched the surface. The roads have been in great shape and there has been very little traffic with perfect temperatures and gorgeous vistas. The Mexican people have been very nice, even the military checkpoint guys - we are mainly just getting waived through the checkpoints with a smile!













1 comment:

  1. I just drove down to Bahia Coyote...where you spent the night. The glass cross in that shrine has been broken. I paddled my ducky out to Isla Cyote...that you can see in the lowest picture.

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