Topolobampo south to San Pancho

The night in the town of Topolobampo proved to be just fine. After a few moments of panic thinking it would be a night on the streets I was directed to the Marina Hotel which was an oasis.

Hotel Marina- Topolobampo

Recently remodeled, spotless and a mere $35/night it was a steal.

Riding south from Topolobampo for about 400km was a farmland, not unlike the Central Valley of California but due to the heat and haze it was not that interesting. There were however trees in full spring bloom - maybe some astute botanist can identify them

 I was pleased to get into the town of Mazatlan which has a beautiful Malecòn along the bay but other than that the town did not have a lot to recommend it. 

From the Malecòn Mazatlan

My next stop was San Blas which is known for it’s beach, surfing and the mangrove swamps surrounding the town. I did not take the mangrove boat ride as I had done so a couple of years ago. I can attest to the huge number of species of birds that can be viewed and the size of the salt water crocodiles that can be seen sunning themselves on the banks.

The central square, like so many towns in Mexico is dominated by a church as well as on old bell tower, immortalized by Henry Longfellow in 1882

The church and bell tower in San Blas

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/50628

The Los Cocos campsite was fantastic with just one drawback - the mosquitoes, no-see-ims, and dogs all made successful attempts at biting me.

Los Cocos

The camp dog was a very pleasant Yellow Lab which seemed calm and friendly and we had exchanged greetings earlier in the day. When I came back to the campsite later that evening, el perro ( the dog) barked once and then came up to me wagging it's tail. When I but my hand out, the f***** bit me! It then walked off wagging it's tail, quite satisfied with having fulfilled it's very important role as protector of Los Cocos.

Anyway as you can see Winnie the Pooh came to the rescue so all is well

Now spending the next three weeks in San Pancho ( San Francisco) living in a really cool Airstream caravan and attending Spanish school in the next town of Sayulita

Traveling further south in Baja was a mix of dirt road and paved with some long days on the bike but the beauty of the desert was astounding. 

From Mulege I had a long ride down to Loreto which is a beautiful town and the largest in Baja so far

Riding west of the city into the the very rugged Sierra de la Gigante mountains brings you to the mission of San Javier that was built in about 1750

Coming around a corner on this twisty road I suddenly came to a water crossing that when my front wheel hit the slippery, algae covered concrete it slid out and I took my first big wipe out of the trip. My shoulder got a little banged up and the pannier on the left side of the bike needed a bit of straightening. 

I decided to return to Loreto and spend the night rather than pressing on further that day. The Junepero was a local hotel that reminded my of the film “The Best Marigold Hotel”

Another day’s ride brought me to the port town of La Paz where I met up with Shari and Nicki Rodriguez. Shari is Maggie’s cousin and has lived in Las Cruces, just outside the town for many years

The next day after a lot bureaucratic mumbo jumbo and having to post a $400 bond for a temporary import permit ( which will be reimbursed when I leave Mexico - yeah right ! ) I caught the ferry over to the mainland. 

I guess I should have paid a little more attention to what the arrival time was as it was my understanding that it was an overnight trip when in fact it got in to the port of Topolobampo late at night. Having managed to find a quite corner on the ship and fallen asleep I was awakened by a deckhand and found I was the last passenger on the boat. I went down to the vehicle deck to get my bike and it was confronted by mayhem as the dock workers were removing containers from the boat. The noise was deafening with exhaust fumes billowing out from a myriad of exhausts and the clanging of metal grates as the trucks drove over them - a very rude awakening!

The next trick was to find somewhere to stay in what looked like a medieval town late at night and not knowing really where I was -more next time.

Leaving Colorado last Friday was both exciting and extremely sad. Leaving family and so many wonderful people who have supported me over the past year and encouraged me on this adventure was tough, to say the least. I spent many of the first miles counting my blessings and wondering what this next stage of my life was really going to be about and why I had been given this amazing opportunity. I am sure all will be revealed if only I can be open to understanding that there is a purpose to life and that  I truly do have a role to play.

The first couple of days riding through Colorado and Arizona with overnight stops in Naturita and Flagstaff were uneventful and it was about trying to stay warm as my body was asking what the hell I was doing subjecting it to 8 hour days in the saddle. It takes a little while to build up the calluses. As much as possible I plan on camping but with temperatures below freezing I resorted to hotels and cabins in campsites.
Here was my first campsite north of Yuma in the Kofa National Wildlife refuge. The only wildlife I saw was a 3 ft rattlesnake so I decided to sleep in the tent rather than "cowboy camping"

I crossed the border at Mexicali and headed headed south down the Baja peninsular with few stops as the first hundred miles or so until arriving in San Felipe really does not have a lot to recommend it, just hot and dusty. A stop at this roadside cafe provided lunch of a very good tamale and a long talk

with the proprietress who was wearing a plastic shopping bag on her head - who knows what that was about.

The desert is in full bloom after very heavy rains in the last month with purple flowers giving way to vast stretches of orange and yellow. The most incredible thing is the smell of the pollen that is so strong as it wafts across the the road. The cacti ( I think that is the plural for cactus) are also getting in on the act as some of them have small leaves that are bright yellow that make them look luminous This truly is a magical place

I have made overnight stops at Bahia San Luis Gonzaga and Bahia de Los Angeles and watched incredible full moon-rises over the water to be followed what seems a few short hours later by a magnificent sunrise in the same spot.
I was camped at Dagetts Camp at Bahia de Los Angeles and after having spent some time sitting on the ground under my palapa an older man came over and enquired if I might like a camp chair to sit on. I thanked him and said that would be most kind of him. Ten minutes later he came back on his ATV with a chair and a beer - there is so much kindness in the world.

Coco is one of the legendary old reprobates in this part of the world and holds court in a little cafe/shack in the middle of no-where. The ceiling was adorned with many a pair of women's underwear.

I had no idea it was Saint Patrick's day until I walked into a bar in Mulege and everyone was wearing green ( as luck would have it I was wearing a green t-shirt ) and they were serving corned beef, cabbage and potatoes. A great end to a day of hard riding which included over 200km ( I have gone metric) on dirt that made me realize that my bike when fully loaded and with both tanks full of gas is just not as nimble as it should be.
The dirt part of the riding is fun but the main roads is where you really need to pay attention as small shrines can be seen on any sharp or "peligroso corner"

Just a couple more photos and then that is it for now