Sea of Cortez - Mulege

Mex 1 crosses from one side of baja to the other near the center of the peninsula. After another long walk along the beach, and an invigorating, extremely quick dip in the ocean, our first one of the trip, we packed up and headed back to the highway. First stop was the date palm oasis of San Ignacio.

What a place for the Jesuits to try to build a mission, but one still sits right opposite the main square. The walls are made of lava rocks and mortar, and there are three incredible gilt altar pieces inside. We stopped for a quick walk around town, a not so quick bite to eat, and some incredible date pie. Maybe on the way back I will buy a date empanada.


The road continues through the central plain and then up and over the coastal mountains on the sea of Cortez side, arriving at the coast at Santa Rosalia. The town looks more like a Californian gold mining town! than a baja town. Streets are long and narrow, and lined with wooden buildings, despite not having seen a tree in the last 500 miles. Apparently the town was a French copper town, and all the timber was shipped in from Oregon! They still have a famous bakery in town, so we picked up some rolls and pan dulce.


Although we thought we would head all the way to Bahia Concepcion tonight, the last town before the beaches is Mulege, at the mouth of a river. A campground along the river was recommended, so here we are, about a mile's walk from town on a river path. No waves pounding outside the tent tonight, but it is warm, and we can hear the date palms swaying. This is the first night I haven't had on jeans and a warm jacket. We walked into town for dinner, and the town is more norteamericano than some we have been to. But a very nice atmosphere nonetheless. It's been nice to have a mix of isolated places and small towns.