San Pancho and reflections of month uno on the road

 Firstly a few photos of San Pancho and the surrounding area 

Always need a good sunset in any news

A Taj like building in San Pancho

My walk to school in the morning

Reflecting on the first month of this trip what really stands out is the, helpful, friendly, wonderful people I have met. I thought this might be a good time to talk a little about some of those folk.

Loreta Baja - I literally limped into town after having had a wipe out on a road that afternoon. Apart from feeling beat up I had also lost a rear axle nut which usually leads to disastrous consequences as rear axles when they detach from the bike tend to cause untold havoc.

One local man ( who went by the name of Santa) took me all over town on the back of his ATV trying to track down, to no avail, anything close to the 26mm axle nut. I then met up with a group motorbike riders from Seattle, all riding KTMs who were down there for their annual Baja desert ride. The “ Born to Ride” guys - Cory, Todd, Thomas, Dave, Jason, JD, Julia and Bill were fantastic and tried everything to come up with a way to get my bike back on the road. It was Cory, who after a strong margarita suddenly had a flash of brilliance - “let’s cut the one rear axle nut that you have in half”( this was possible as they are made from aluminum) With just a hack-saw blade and the use of a vise in the hotel’s workshop this was done in no time at all. Not only this but when I went out to supper with the group that evening they insisted on paying for my dinner and beers

Bahia de Los Angeles Baja - I was in a camping spot on the beach, under a palapa when an older gentleman who had been cleaning his fish nearby stopped by and asked if I would like a camp chair as I looked awfully uncomfortable sitting on the ground. He returned 10 minutes later on his ATV with a chair and a cold beer!! Just told me where his house was so I could return it in the morning as he would not be there. - hope I put it on the right porch.

On the ferry from La Paz to Topolobampo I got talking to a guy who was with a group of off-road enthusiast who had spent a week racing their vehicles around Baja. Arnulfo Navarro was very concerned for my welfare while in Mexico and insisted I take the extra SIM card he had so I had cell phone coverage. He has been checking in with me from time to time to make sure all is well.

Guadalajara: After leaving my bike off at the KTM dealer for repairs I was trying to get to a rental car company which I had been told was “just a few blocks from here” ( it was over 3 miles) I decided to catch a local bus that seemed to be headed in the general direction. Like foreigners in every country in the world I was fumbling for the right change when the man who had just got on in front of me paid my fare.

San Pancho. In December when I was down here I met a man who asked about my “ Roof of Africa” hat. For those not in the know the “Roof” is a premier international off-road motorcycle race held in the mountains of Lesotho, Southern Africa every year. And btw organized by my brother Peter. Marcus van Geffen is a very enthusiastic KTM rider and local home builder who has been a big help to me with getting repairs done on my bike, lending me tools and being a wealth of local information.

Anyway that is just a few of my everyday heroes