Day 4 or Dia Cuatro

i must be honest, this was one of my favorite days and you will see why.



i'm getting smart in my advanced age. i brought the bike to the bottom on the stairs to load. oh that's right, ye insists i use the right pronoun and say what i mean so what i really meant was. . .i parked the bike at the bottom of the stairway so *ye* could load it up, strap it down and prepare it for my departure. i think that's closer to reality. ;-)






we decided to head out to laguna san ignacio (aka scorpion bay). we'd read about it on advrider and wanted to check it out. lonely planet described it as:

The road from San Ignacio has deteriorated in recent years; most passenger cars need at least two hours to cover the 40 miles (65 km) to La Fridera fish camp (assuming no rain has fallen recently) without wrecking their suspension. The first half of the road from the village is spine-wrenching washboard, but the second is notably better.

hmmmm, not thrilled about that description as we'd found lonely planet to be pretty reliable, i was riding with that dented rim and cabo was still quite a distance from where we were.

what the heck, let's try it.

road signs and directions are few and far between in mexico, you really have to pay attention because if they are along the highway, they are probably professionally printed, but once off the main highway, they can be hand written, tucked behind a building or simply non-existent. the gps, although not always 100% accurate, was extremely helpful in these situations.







we found our way off the main square and ye lowered the tire pressures for the next 20 miles.










after only about a mile, we decided we'd have to bring dirt bikes back to take this road. i began wishing i had a different bike to make it out there. i began looking at what other adventure riders had chosen as their weapon. it just killed both of us not to go forward.







lonely planet says that mulegé is the prettiest town in baja california, but i have to disagree. san ignacio is my absolute favorite. it's like an oasis in the middle of the desert and i absolutely LOVE the town square. here are some pictures. . .









i took this particular picture because it shows how truly strange things can be there. nothing should be unexpected. this is a picture of a vendor cart selling some type of food, tacos or ice cream, but strung through the tree is an extension cord so they can watch television while they wait for that next customer. funny.









the colonial atmosphere of the central plaza is shaded by these beautiful laurel trees. it is just part of what makes this town so magical to me.



the huge laurels keep the plaza shaded all day. it is a great spot to park the bikes and take a break. there is a beautifully preserved mission that sits on the west side of the plaza.




this sign is in the plaza itself.












different view from the plaza looking outwards. it gives you an idea of the colonial influence in the architecture. simply awesome.












Misión San Ignacio - from lonely planet:

with lava-block walls nearly 4 ft thick, the former Jesuit Misión San Ignacio de Kadakaamán is one of Baja's most beautiful churches. It has been in continuous use since it's founding in 1728. . .

some interior shots of the mission. they have a lot of alters, gold paint and statutes. an interesting contrast to the poverty right off the mission grounds.



























a pulpit hanging off the wall for some reason. the doorway to this balcony looked to be about 18" wide.





we left san ignacio and headed south.



This is a photo of Volcan de las 3 Virgenes (the volcano of the 3 virgins). It is located near the E coast of Baja California, a region not usually noted for being volcanic. Volcan de las 3 Virgenes erupted last in the late 1700's. There were various old lava flows obvious from the road and sprinkled the area.








another telephoto view











from here it was back on the transpeninsular and southward again. next stop, mulegé. we rode through mulegé a couple years ago on pedro's whale watching excursion, but things got in the way and we weren't able to really check out the town. this time i had a couple things i wanted to see.





the roads in this town are very narrow and so most are one-way with a row of street parking and that's it.















we actually parked between the telephone pole and the fenced in lot. it was *just* large enough for the bikes to be parallel parked.









notice how the at the end of the block the road goes right up the side of the mountain? that is the road that leads to the museo.
our plan was to have lunch somewhere and then see the museum and local mission.

after gassing up and parking, we got off the bikes in search of some food. one place that looked interesting did not open until the next day, say what?!? so we head down the street. there was a pizza place. uhm, no.

we rounded a corner and didn't see anything but outdoor taco shops. normally not a problem, we felt like unwinding a bit. we found a gringo looking gentleman carrying a sink down the street and asked for a recommendation. one place was for hamburgers, not a good choice for us, the other was a mexican food restaurant. now you're talking! the place he suggested we later learned was also mentioned in lonely planet. we had a delicious lunch then headed to find the museum.

wow, trying to navigate on those roads was something else. once you are off the main thoroughfare the roads are single lane, bumpy, rutted, dirt roads with numerous blind corners. we had to pull over at a wider section to let cars through going the opposite direction.



these next few pictures are various shots from up at the museum. the museum is on the side of the mountain and used to be the federal prison. all but the most serious felons were allowed to leave from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. the others were housed in the inner compound.








the views are magnificent from up here. but i found myself antsy to leave even before we went in to see the museum. just kinda creepy.















another awesome view










this is a view of the walkway surrounding the inner compound. it all looks so tropical and nice in the picture, but in reality the hairs on the back of my neck were at full mast. it was dirty, there were pigeons flying in and out of those little "cells"

yuck.










doorway to one of the inner cells. i'm guessing being a prisoner in the 1700's was not desireable. i wouldn't want to be a prisoner there today!








i'm not quite sure what this creature was, it looked to be some kind of bird. . .but i think the resemblance between it and ye is uncanny, don't you?!?














and this picture right here is reason enough to stay a vegetarian!











i couldn't quite figure out what the steps in the back of this cell had to do with anything, but by this point the smell of pigeon droppings, things flying out of every door, window and hole in the place had me on pins and needles.

i could not wait to get out.





i do have to say though, it was quite sad in that they had several very interesting artifacts from the town's history housed here and they were on display on tables and counter tops throughout a couple of rooms. they are literally open to the elements, the dry air, damp air, dust, no protection. they will not last nearly as long since they haven't been cared for properly. not that i think that chicken-thing should be. :-P

once we navigated that horrible one track road, we were in the heart of town. ye made a beeline to a couple of adventure bikes that were parked in front of a store. soon, a couple came out to mount up. there was no getting away from us, we wanted to know who, what, where, when, why and how.

this couple had been on the road since november. dang! he was on a klr, she on a drz 400 with the big desert tank. they had also stopped to see coco and had their own amazing story. this was the couple that coco recognized the husband was there with another woman, some couple years earlier. amazing memory that one!

she was from washington state, he a transplanted canadian. they had seen our bikes parked while we were having lunch and were keeping an eye out for us. a little more chit chat and we took off to find another mission.












and this is Misión Santa Rosalía de Mulegé








and this is the main alter. i was a bit confused by this as the small cross with Jesus is above the much larger statue of mother mary. that seemed to be a theme so maybe it's something uniquely mexican?











another shot because i wanted to make sure i got it right. ;-)














and here's Jesus off to the side. . .




they also had a glass coffin with what appeared to be Jesus laying in there but i just couldn't take a picture of it. it seemed so wrong.


so off we rode. . .we were going to santispac, the beach of my dreams! now remember, it is mexican spring break. . .when we rounded the corner, it was PACKED. there wasn't an empty beach front space anywhere. i was so sad. but i consoled myself that we were supposed to find a different adventure and that obviously was down the road a bit.

we rode, further and further from where we were "supposed" to stay this night. i just kept telling myself that there is something better. finally, we rounded a corner and saw another piece of almost deserted beach. woohoo! this is it! this is our sign!!!







and it is also proof that i made a clothes line out of bungee cords! those are our shirts, socks, etc. hanging and drying in the ocean breeze.










look at how blue and pretty this bay is. there is some sort of critter or critter body that makes the water this blue.









and now one of my favorite times of the trip, the true adventure. we pulled out tent out right there on the beach. the wind was pretty strong so we really had to struggle to keep it up. we were both getting a little frustrated but working together we finally managed to get the windows unzipped to the darn thing didn't act like a sail in the middle of a hurricane.

well, wouldn't you know it, one of those stupid poles was not going to cooperate. seems it was a bit weak anyway. . .but not to worry, ye can fix it in no time with the DUCT TAPE!!!!

now the fun begins.




i honestly thought i was going to wet myself when i saw this finished fix. i'm quite sure i hit the ground and rolled around, quite literally ROTFLMAO.

we're not in kansas anymore. . .

the ywr's in baja, there goes the neighborhood!






and again, just so i could have something to look back on with fond memories, yet another shot. :-D this still cracks me up!!! to top it off, the tent was full of mold. seems it wasn't properly dried the last time we camped and it was packed away wet. poor me!!! seems i'd have to stay in hotels the whole time, with hot water, clean sheets, scented soap. . .silly me.









so we took some shots to prove we were here. . .















is this the most gorgeous shade of blue you've ever seen?











look at that shoreline. just beautiful!















this is what could have been. . .







as we drug the tent to the trash can, there were people there plucking off whatever usable poles and attachments that were left. it was then that we heard the semi coming down the hill. . .his nice big engine braking with a horrendous "d-d-d-d-d-d-d-ddddddddddddd, d-d-d-d-d-d-d-ddddddddddddd, d-d-d-d-d-d-d-ddddddddddddd" goodness!

it was clearly time to move on.


off we headed toward loreto. we'd never been this far south so from here on out it was all new to us. obviously we took the transpeninsular right in to loreto. as we approached the town, ye began recalling the map he'd scanned miles before and he remembered we needed to turn in sooner, rather than later to find the main drag that led to the malecón. unfortunately we turned too early. instead of stopping and asking for directions, we decided the best plan of action was to pick someone and follow them. we were in the heart of the residential section following a van. he really knew where he was going because we dodged detours and came out on roads that obviously only a local would find. we took a road where there were houses on one side, complete with barking, rabid, dogs and absolutely nothing on the other before making our final turn up a desolate road and right. . .up to the guy's driveway!

we didn't want to hang around while he called the authorities about two crazy, biker gringos sitting in his driveway, so we made a rather hasty retreat.

we milled around until we finally found the main drag and down to the malecón. we were hot, tired, hungry and thirsty by this point. so we whipped out lonely planet to look for a recommendation:

Baja Outpost: Cabañas don't get much more deluxe than those at Baja Outpost, and the hotel-style rooms are almost as slick. The former are small but cozy, and cushy queen beds dominate the rooms. best of all, it's right off the malecón - great for those evening walks. The rates include breakfast.

i only needed to hear the first 8 words of the description and i was sold. we got our bearings and headed to check it out. baja outpost was a misnomer. it should be named baja oasis as an oasis it was with its whole tropical and relaxing atmosphere.





this beautiful little area was just one of many different conversation settings that contribute to the overall oasis feeling.












the hammocks hanging from the coconut trees were too much to pass up. we tried each of them out and then laughed at ourselves and each other struggling to get back out.









this gentleman was on staff at the outpost. his name is curiously enough, Loreto. look at the head of hair on that guy! ye was jealous, but loreto made up for it by being a wonderful guy. we "chatted" back and forth, he spoke no english, we speak very, very poor spanish. but somehow we got through. clarita, his wife, is the breakfast cook and does an amazing job with eggs.





this is leon. he's the brazilian born owner of the baja outpost. the guy is ALWAYS busy doing something. he told us how he had retrieved and planted all the different trees on the property (there were tons of them!) in the day when loreto did not have a back hoe or flatbed truck. he has enough energy for 6 ye's so that tells you something. ;-)






this is a view of our room's ceiling from the bed. there were about 10 palapa cabañas that were just wonderful! extremely clean, wired with electricity and all the little things you would not expect in mexico, including WASHCLOTHS! i was in heaven.









This is a shot of the bathroom area. notice the 2 rolls of toilet tissue, again a luxury, and towels hanging from a towel rack. oh how we take civilization for granted in this country. you can also see our clothes soaking in the sink. :-) the closet center was made out of cactus wood. i'm sure it was all custom as well. and it was beautiful.








although the bathroom sections had hard walls, the palapa itself was made of woven leaves. this shot gives you an idea. it doesn't work too well as a sound barrier so we slept with earplugs.










each cabaña was individually decorated by leon and he did an exquisite job!










notice the cactus wood headboard. the bed had a step stool so you could reach the top of the bed. ye didn't have any problems, but i definitely needed the help to get in the bed.













cactus wood cafe doors on each cabaña. such wonderful memories.







before we leave loreto, i wanted to give you a hint of how odd life can be. the homes are wall to wall. most do not have a side lawn at all. the front of the houses are gated in all the way to the road. this gives them a place to park their vehicles that is secure. i had also noticed on the way in to town the cemetery off to one side of the road. the grave sites were actually little houses built over the grave site and looked strikingly familiar and in some cases better, than the homes some residents lived in. the grave houses had sliding windows and arched windows. why would someone need a sliding window on a grave site? it just struck me as extremely odd.

we spent the evening talking with loreto and a couple of english kids that had come over for holiday from mexico city where they taught in an english school. fascinating lives really.

it was to bed for us, we were heading south in the morning ever closer to our goal of cabo san lucas. . .