Down the center

After leaving San Quintin in the morning, we had a long day ahead of us. We wanted to get to Guerrero Negro and beyond, which meant several hundred miles of travel. This stretch of mex1 crosses over the coastal mountains and then mostly straight down the inland Sonoran Desert landscape. If we thought it was barren before, there is really nothing in this area but low scrub, and lots of cactus. It is called the "Valle de los Cirios" as the tall. Dr Seuss looking Cirios cactus rise up all over. Looking a bit like burned out timber from a distance. Up close they have succulent little leaves amidst vicious thorns. They have a tiny bit of flowering fuzz at the top.

Soon other cactii were joining them.  That tall one in the first  photo is a Cadron cactus. There was also the beautiful red barrel cactus; the red shoots felt like hard plastic pieces. Everything that grew out there had thorns.

We stopped for lunch at a great little cafe in Catavina. There are cafés in most of the tiny settlements along the main road, but they are not many settlements on the way, and no gas for about 200 miles. But this place was wonderful. A nice looking kid served us and I asked if he was from there. No, from Ensenada. Just finished school and had some months off and came down here. Wow. It's a halfway point for tour buses that go to see the whales, so I guess they get a lot of business, but not exactly a resort.

 However the area around there was beautiful, it was all landscaped by hills of boulders, with the Cirios popping out of the cracks in the mounds of rocks. There were miles of this just north of Catavina. To the south, there was another mountain made up of darker rocks. Where did it come from? Around San Quintin there is a volcanic arc with 6 volcanoes, but I couldn't tell what formed the landscape here. More things to look up at some point.

We eventually ended up at Bahia Asuncion out on the coast. It's a little town with two fishing co-ops. Apparently the jobs pay well as it feels like everyone is driving a new truck. We are camping just a few yards from the beach at camping Sirena. Really just a patch of sand, but there is a toilet and a shower. But go to the beach and set out to your left, and you can walk forever, maybe 20 or 30 miles. Unfortunately, the wind is still picking up in the afternoon, making it cold and a little uncomfortable on the beach. But the morning are perfect.

We ate at a little taco stand in town. Ask Richard about the chicharron. Not the best choice. But the chile rellenos were excellent.