In Guerrero Negro

Day: 72

Mileage: 244.5

Total Mileage: 3,518

Money spent since last update: $59.50

Its been a tough few days of riding, no doubt. First of all, the weather has been a little crazy. It has been VERY hot, dry and windy. I feel like I am riding into the mouth of a blast furnace. Secondly, the terrain has been very challenging. It is extremely mountainous with constant climbing and descending on the same, winding two lane road with no shoulder. The road conditions are hit or miss as well, with portions that are very well paved and other sections that are incredibly rough with potholes so big that if they filled with water, i could swim laps in them!
Once you get south of Ensenada, all traces of American influence vanish, which is nice. After I left San Quitin, I began climbing into the mountains that run through the middle of Baja Norte. These are some really challenging climbs that are made doubly treacherous due to the constant traffic that you have to always be on the lookout for. Once I got up into the mountains the riding got a bit easier but also much more windy. Thankfully the road is winding, so it was not a constant head wind, but at times just a crosswind or occasionally even a bit of a tail wind.
Dehydration has been a constant threat, as well. Riding under tough conditions climbing constantly in hot weather requires a lot of fluids. I have been consistently drinking about three gallons of water a day, and a few extra sweet drinks here and there too. Each day there is at least one point where I get light headed and start to have tunnel vision. It is not easy putting down kilometers out here. I load up my bike with two gallon jugs of water, plus all five water bottles and that is usually enough to last a day, then i refill to get me through the night and next morning.
Fluids have really impacted my budget. I spend a lot of my money each day on liquids to keep me from passing out while riding. When you are dying of thirst and you finally come across a little road house out in the desolate desert mountains that has a few Fantas in a bucket of ice (at a buck fifty a pop) you thank your lucky stars and down at least one of them. Its tough to stay hydrated when your water it so hot it feels like it is nearly steam.
After San Quintin I hit a little town called El Rosario, then there are really no sizeable towns until I got to Guerrero Negro which is a good distance south. I survived on the occasional road house I come across and the odd little village. Most of these don't even have electricity apart from the occasional generator, some don't even have running water. You take what you can get in terms of food and drink. My diet has consisted of pretty much beans, tortillas and the occasional piece of fruit. It is a bit of a surprise, but i have not been able to eat any cheaper here than in America. Most things cost just about the exact same, and when you factor in three gallons of water a day (which cost about 3 to 5 bucks total) plus the occasional cold drink where i can find it, i am actually spending more here than in the states on just the basics of food. Hopefully that will change once i get into some cooler climates.
Aside from the challenges, I am really enjoying Baja. It is a wild place, and i sure wouldn't want my bike to brake down in most of these places, but it really gives you a sense of freedom. The little road you ride on is just a ribbon of blacktop that runs through these vast, open spaces, or that winds its way up through really rugged mountains. You go hours without seeing any buildings at all. There are nearly no fences either, which I love. It gives you a sensation of openness and of being out in some of the wilder parts of the world. It really is beautiful out here too. Its funny, as a kid, I hated driving through the desert, but now traveling by bicycle, I have really come to love it. There is a lot you miss in a car and the desert has a beauty to it that you can only come to appreciate after spending some time in it.
When it comes time to sleep out here, its as easy as pulling off the road and finding a flat spot out of sight from the highway, laying down your bag and clsoing your eyes. I have been sleeping really well too. Partly from exhaustion, and partly from such a sound feeling of solitude.
There really are nearly no people out in the highlands. There are no critters to worry about either, at least no big predators. I have seen foxes, coyotes, eagles, humming birds, snakes, etc. but they all leave you alone out here. I have to say, i like it. I enjoy the sense of freedom and the personal responsibility that comes along with it. Out here, you have to look out for yourself, but I am fine with that. The people are pretty much universally nice as well. I have not had a single bad encounter, knock on wood. Most people are genuinely kind. It reminds me of the American south here, things are slow and they go without a lot of the things Americans take for granted, but they rely on one another to get by and are very friendly.
Well, I need to hit the road to get out of town before dark. One last note, I bumped into a group of Americans driving down to Cabo and they were super nice. We talked a bit and they had never heard of cycle touring and thought it was a pretty cool way to travel. We have passed each other a few times as we have gone south, as they camp on the beaches as they go, and i roll along on the bike. Speaking of beaches, it blew me away the first time i came to a big, beautiful beach here with great waves and NO ONE in the water surfing, no one even on the beach apart from three fishermen. It was crazy, a camping trip down here would be heavenly.
Until next time!