Oil Field north of San Luis Obispo

On our last long, cold, wet, stretch home before dark, I took this photo in CA. When we were along the coast near Santa Barbara we saw many oil derricks out in the ocean in addition to these oil wells. It seems oil is being extracted everywhere in California. Wind is harnessed too. Geothermal, hydroelectric dams, and solar. Yet somehow we still can't meet our energy needs. What if we lived a little more simply like in ....Baja....???......... Baja is one of the last frontiers. To be enjoyed while you still can.
If you drive right through the northern towns of Tijuana, Rosarito and Enseneda and you come to a more natural Baja that has great vistas and 100's of miles of interesting terrain and towns.
I can't wait to go back. Don't believe the hype about danger. I've traveled a lot and conclude that there is danger in your own neighborhood too. Use your head and be careful. Ride Safe.
This is as good a place as any to end my "BLOG From the Sea of Cortez"!

Always Bring Wire

My bike's rack fell off at La Bufadora. Apparently two bolts had jiggled loose without my noticing. Wire worked until Ensenada, where I found a.....ahem......Home Depot. I thought I would never be glad to see Home Depot in Mexico. But this one time I was.

Over the Counter at La Bufadora

La Bufadora (the blowhole)

South of Ensenada past Punta Banda is a tourist site called La Bufadora. It is a true tourist trap where you park and then are forced to walk through an area of shopping stalls. It all revolves around this natural inlet that forces water through the hole in the rock and blows it skyward like a whale. Fun to watch. We passed right by this on our way down to Loreto, and made a point of stopping on the way home. Avoiding the hucksters is impossible.

Desert Gas station

Get out your funnel. Twice the price.

Sea Lions at Guerrero Negro Lagoon

We swam with the Sea Lions at Loreto underwater. So it was fun to see them above water. Unfortunately we smelled them too. Pee-oooooooo! They bark like dogs. Our boat enjoyed barking back at them.

Whale watching in Guerrero Negro

It was early in the season (January) but there were many grey whale mothers with their calves. A fun experience. There are lagoons at both Guerrero Negro and San Ignacio.

Salt Flats at Guerrero Negro

At Guerrero Negro we stayed at a place that offered whale watching. We also met a group of motorcyclists calling themselves the "Globe Trotters" (five people) headed down to Tierra del Fuego for a very long moto journey. They were on our whale watching adventure. The tour guide claimed that one third of the world's salt comes from Guerrero Negro. He also said that Mitsubishi Corp. and the Mexican Government own the company that harvests the salt, employing thousands and supporting the whole town.

Church at San Ignacio

Not sure if this is a Mission or not, but this old church is in the square in San Ignacio. Much like in California in the United States, old California (Baja) has old
Missions all along its length.

Bahia Concepcion

Headed north from Loreto. We were stunned by the crystal blue waters of the Bay of Conception headed towards Mulege. It was early morning and beautiful and calm. We stopped at the Serenidad Hotel in Mulege for a bite to eat and bought a cap. They have a dirt runway on the Sea of Cortez there like the one in the film Catch 22. But that was filmed on the mainland in Guaymas.

SeaHorse, Jewel Eel, and Electric Ray

More amazing photos from fellow diver J. Ireland. I missed the electric ray, so seeing it here is a treat. Our mission upon leaving Martinez was to make it down to Loreto or La Paz and DIVE. These creatures and sites were more than we could ask for. What great memories!

I could do a mexican hat dance I'm so happy with these photos. Dolphin Dive Center in Loreto is a good dive shop. Would recommend it to anyone. We were there at the coldest time of year and Raphael, our DM fixed us up with double 3mm wetsuits (two suits ea) which made our dive warm enough and not terribly stiff like a 7mm. Water temps were 65-68 degrees F.
Diving is the closest I have ever gotten to escaping life on Terra Firma. Truly magical, like an out of body experience (without leaving your body). I say this because I sometimes have to pinch myself while diving as I can't believe I am seeing what I am seeing. Another fantastic world.

Sea Lion

Another photo of a sea lion that came down to check us out as we were diving in Loreto. We would later have the chance to see them topside in Guerrero Negro after whale watching. Thankfully we didn't have to smell them while diving. They are such graceful, beautiful swimmers! And they bark and nash teeth underwater.

Swimming with the Sea Lions

This amazing photo taken by John Ireland, a fellow diver. That is me in the distance about to be joined by a sea lion zipping around me at 50 miles an hour. What a great photo.

Hotel Oasis (Loreto)

The Hotel Oasis was at the end of the Malecon, and as it turns out a good pick for us even though we found it late at night and only picked it because the woman at the front desk seemed to know how to arrange for diving the next day. Sometimes things work out well. They had guarded parking, large stone porch overlooking Sea of Cortez. 70$ for room with two bed and WIFI.

South of Santa Rosalia

Santa Rosalia

Our first views of the Sea of Cortez were overlooking the town of Santa Rosalia as we rounded the bend from Tres Virgenes. The Sea of Cortez was a dazzling blue color in sharp contrast to the Pacific Ocean. Taking a picture from a motorcycle on those crazy turns would have been the end, so I waited until the quaint town of Santa Rosalia, an old French mining town. Supposedly there is a small church here that MAY have been designed by Effiel. The large wooden wharf structure is a mystery. Supposedly the road used to go under it.

Desert Textures

Tres Virgenes from the South

Stuck!!

The KLR 650 handled better on dirt than the cruiser Shadow, but as you can see here, its not a total dirt bike, its a "dual-sport". Which means it does everything pretty well, but nothing perfectly. North of Santa Rosalia.

Dolphins

Dolphins off bow in Loreto waters

Loreto Musician

Loreto musician

Colorful Sun Light (Catavina)

Emergency Gas

Desert fuel

On Boat in Loreto

Dive boat crew and Erik on way to dive in Loreto

Syringing concoction in sore ear

White Vinegar

I had a sore ear from diving, so I tried the old trick of half alcohol, half vinegar as a remedy. Couldn't find a Farmacia with alcohol, so I used half vodka. It worked!

"Mita Gourmet" Guitarist in Loreto

Fantastic guitarist playing at Erik and Bill's new favorite restaurant in Loreto..."mita gourmet".....great food reasonably priced with funny, entertaining owner.

Dang fuze

Getting Fuses

Getting fuses south of Guerrero Negro. The KLR suddenly woudn't start. We had an extra fuse which got it running, but the turn signals weren't functioning. There were many stores like this.

Desert Cactus

This image is of a tall cactus in the desert near Catavina. After Guerrero Negro there is a 250 mile stretch with no Pemex stations and only one town to speak of (Catavina) which is made up of a hotel, and a few houses among giant boulders. It got very cold riding our bikes in the desert as the sun set.

Catavina Desert Inn

LONG drive through twisties and the desert brought us to Catavina in the center of the peninsula. No gas stations so bought gas from a boy with Milk jugs. Sunset in back of desert Inn, the only hotel.

The road to the ocean and the Old Mill Hotel from San Quintin and Highway 1. The KLR 650 faired much better on this road than the Honda Shadow. It is lighter, and rides right through sandy areas, while the heavy Shadow wants to slide and fall, or spin. The Shadow cruised more smoothly on the road down however, so it wins that contest. The Shadow was more comfortable all around as it didn't vibrate as much as the Kawasaki dual sport. It wasn't an intense vibration, but its there. It's par for the course with the single cylinder "thumper".

Beach at Old Mill San Quintin

We were curious to see the Old Mill Hotel in San Quintin, so we turned down a rutty potholed road towards the ocean and two miles later came upon a charming bay with a wickedly strong current. It was surprising to find so much life down the road from San Quintin as the sign from the road did not reveal what lay ahead. There was indeed an Old Mill made into a bar (currently closed) and a rather empty looking hotel with the owner seated out in front (see photo). A friendly man who gave us the low-down on buying property in Mexico and why his road was not graded smooth. The place had a magical emptiness to it. The lack of people in Baja could likely be due to off-season (time of year)...but it could also be the nasty stories in the news lately about the dangers. We however didn't encounter anything dangerous except for the deep sand at the beginning of the Old Mill's driveway...

Three Virgins Volcano

Tres Virgenes, or "Three Virgins" volcano between San Ignacio and Santa Rosalia.

Broccoli

Broccoli growing near Ensenada. I liked the texture and color.

Hotel Cortez

Where we stayed in Ensenada. Clean rooms, protected parking lot, good coffee. Bill felt funny from eating at the Elkhorn back in CA. Gotta be careful what you eat in the States before entering Mexico.

Casa La Luz and Casa el Faro orphanages near Ensenada

bus at orphanage we visited east of Ensenada