It may be hard to imagine that the leg described as "the most challenging ride on the Baja Divide" would become our favorite, and I say that because it's surprising to me, but that's actually how we'd describe the route to Mulege. In spite of the two and a half day journey from San Juanico being extremely strenuous, everything about it was epic. There are a number of reasons why we enjoyed it so much, and none of them are…

As sailors, we are well accustomed to making last-minute travel decisions based upon new or updated weather data. As we sat enjoying ourselves in the oasis of San Ignacio, thoughts of how the threat of rain (yes, we check the weather when we have internet) might affect our upcoming ride across some dry lake beds weighed our minds. Should we stick to our original plan and enjoy a day or 2 off at the Casa del Ciclista, or should we…

As a day of riding draws to a close, one where we're not planning on heading to a motel, we typically have our eyes peeled for a good, no, actually a great camping spot. Even though I wasn't previously aware of it before starting this trip, it turns out that I have a fairly specific set of criteria for what makes a spot great. Water nearby to bathe or swim in (no, not going to happen in Baja), shade (almost…

Vizcaino is, relatively speaking, a pretty big town. We took the bikes out for a ride this morning to explore, leaving most of the heavy bags in the hotel room. Wow, do the bikes seem light and maneuverable when they are unloaded. It's amazing, and so fun to just playfully ride around with no set agenda. I figured out how to make my camera case fit into my Rogue Panda seatbag harness. When not out exploring, we've been taking advantage…

"El agua es Vida," said Raul, one of the two men we found holding down the fort, or rather ranch, at Rancho Escondido. The statement was prompted by my query about the source of water at the ranch (it's a well, and they have two), and also about how frequently it rains in that area (almost never - only in September and October - remember this part for later in the post). While riding through the desert in the summertime,…

In the month that we have been riding the Baja Divide (yes, it's been that long), we have completed just 39% of the route. That is 1062 km. Of that distance, the last stretch, which took us from the Pacific coast at Santa Rosalillita to the Sea of Cortez at Bahia de Los Angeles, has so far been our favorite. Regular readers of this blog may recall that at several times I have made mention of the fun:suck ratio, the…