Days 26 And 27: Guerrero Negro to San Ignacio

We finally said goodbye to Guerrero Negro and set out towards San Ignacio.  Fueled by less than five hours of a sleep, a hefty tailwind, 100+ degree weather, and the promise of palm trees, we ended up biking almost 150 km across the Vizcaíno desert to arrive in San Ignacio shortly before sunset.  The Vizcaíno desert is a strange mix of desolate desert with majestic sahuaros and pockets of cultivated land that pop out as emerald lakes amidst the dusty brown landscape.

We almost ended our day here just 25 km before San Ignacio... luckily they ran out of beer so we decided to keep pushing on.  We met some hilarious characters here while we took shelter under the shade.

And then a vision arises out of the desert as you crest over a small hill... lush date palm tree groves and a beautiful little town greet you as you descend into the valley to San Ignacio.

Gonzalo races down the road to the desert oasis.

While we normally prefer wild camping, the allure of direct river access brought us to a campground on the outskirts of town.  For just 70 pesos (or about US$6 for both of us), we had our own private campground at the Don Chon RV trailer park.

The first order of business was to go for a swim and cool off!  We didn't even bother to change into swim suits, opting instead to jump right in.  The water was the perfect temperature...

Sun sets in purple and pink over our campsite.

We set up our hammocks and tents, and headed off to the market to buy some fresh produce, cheese, and beer to supplement our dinner.  It was so nice out that I decided to just sleep in my hammock and drifted off into a blissful sleep halfway through my second beer.  We woke up to croaking frogs (I think... they were so loud, but my best guess is they are bullfrogs of some sort) and headed into town to get breakfast, find a cheap place to stay since Gonzalo had some follow-up work to do, and do a little sightseeing.

Loving the stickers on the menu board of our breakfast joint.  The guy who worked there had a lot of tips for us for the road going south.

The Mission at San Ignacio on the town square.  This is the first town in Baja that we've visited that has the traditional Spanish town model.

It's hard to believe we are technically in the desert right now!

San Ignacio has a wonderful quirky small town feel... it's one of those places that is quiet and unassuming that just makes you feel at ease.

We also made a stop by the Sierra de San Francisco Rock Art Museum.  The real thing is a day trip that costs a lot of money and requires permits and guides and things.

Photogenic flowers and the Mission.

I don't know why, but I love facades like this that show their age.

Our awesome little cabaña.

Whenever we stay in a town, I make sure to take advantage of the local fruit and veggie market to make an epic salad dressed with lime juice and hot sauce... here, dates are plentiful and dirt cheap so I bought a bunch of those, too!

Armando, the guy who owns our cabañas, invited us to a small party he was hosting for his classmates.  They had just finished a course in leatherwork and were celebrating.  It ended up being a party that lasted from the afternoon well into the night, complete with carne asada, a sound system blaring ranchero music, dancing, local wine from the Valle de Guadalupe, and the obligatory beers.  One of his classmates, Sonia, invited us the next morning for a delicious breakfast of pozole and coffee, which we gladly accepted to fuel the next leg of our trip.

This is how you know you are getting truly local wine.  It's very sweet, which is considered a good thing here in Mexico, probably best for making sangria.

Best beer cozy ever.

Rocking out some ranchero with Campito.

The gregarious Sonia, who you just can't say "no" to... she also makes a mean pozole.

A handmade gift from Armando that he made in his class. [Edit: Gonzalo would like me to clarify that Armando gave this to Gonzalo who then gave it to me.]

A few travel notes for cyclists:

• There is very little in the nearly 150 km between Guerrero Negro and San Ignacio.  There is one major town, called Vizcaíno, which has everything you need including a supermarket about halfway between the two towns.  We saw little else other than the little restaurant we stopped at about 25 km before San Ignacio... I'm not sure you can get much here other than basic Mexican fare and a soda or beer.

• You could probably wild camp in the date palm tree groves in town, as Gonzalo did when he toured here back in 2006, but after cycling through the desert, we found paying a couple bucks was completely worth it to have direct river access.  We were told that if the owner of a campground isn't there when you arrive, just go in, set up camp, and settle up later.  It's how things work around here.  

• San Ignacio is just big enough to have wifi internet and some nice supermarkets due to the whale watching tourism industry, but my understanding is that there is no bank here, so bring enough cash to get you through to Santa Rosalía.   

• San Ignacio is also the place to organize cave tours from... the INAH office where you pay for all the permits is here, and there is a tourism company on the main square that can arrange for transport to San Francisco de la Sierra.  It's US$100 for a van that can carry up to 10 people.   

• The cabañas owned by Armando are a little way down off the main square, you can ask anyone where they are.  They are decently priced, impeccably clean, and it is obvious Armando has put great care into building them.  They boast refreshingly large bathrooms, hot showers, high ceilings, and are nestled in a little palm grove.