Cycling Down the Baja - Breakdown of my Return Home

As my Baja trip was coming to an end I felt a touch of melancholy rise up in me. This was it. Mission accomplished. Now it was time to head back home. After such an adventure, this was the last thing my inner child wanted to hear. Instead, I wanted to keep going. Further and further, until the very end of this world. So my adult mind had to negotiate with him, that there were still a few days left, with a few more stops to go, where interesting things could happen.

Back at the hostel in San José the melancholy of leaving was exacerbated by being a returning guest, who knew the staff by name, and felt a bit like at home... though at the same time on the brink of leaving, this time for good. I set out early the next morning, even though my next stop Cabo San Lucas was only about 30 km away. Still, I wanted to make use of the earliest light before it got too hot.

San José and San Lucas have virtually grown together. Whatever space there might have been between the two cities, is filled up with hotels, resorts, and golf courses. So the highway too was smoothly paved, four-lane, with an immense shoulder. It was not surprising that I arrived at around 8 a.m. just when the city was waking up - or going to bed, depending on the lifestyle. And it became abundantly clear which kind of lifestyle this city favored...

Bars, clubs, and strip joints everywhere. Pharmacies advertising Viagra and other legal drugs, while street dealers offering street drugs. Girls constantly calling for massages, making me wonder if they want to give me a massage, or if they want me to give them one. Though in the end, I guess it doesn't matter, the result would be the same.

Why did I have to come to San Lucas to begin with? For one thing, there was no alternative. Or rather, the two alternatives were not feasible options. There is one freeway bypassing the city, but bicycles are not allowed on it. The third route would have been a dirt road through the mountains, which I was totally done with. Plus, I wanted to get my own impression of the place also known as Cabo San Locos. And that I got, more than enough, in the first few hours. This was the end, in every sense of the world. The very tip of the Baja. The end of the world. Now my inner child could also see it clearly, and he also just wanted to go home. No more melancholy. This was the other good reason to come to San Lucas.

I spent most of the morning in a café online, and most of the afternoon at the hostel in the shade. It was fun, but nowhere as nice as in San José. So I did not feel any regret when at 5:30 the next morning I rode out of the city I never wanted to go back to. I only had one more stop before returning to La Paz, which was a WS host in El Pescadero, about 70 km further. Little did I know what a wonderful piece of paradise I would stumble into.

Since I left so early, it was still late morning when I arrived in this small beach town. My hosts were a retired couple from the States, living in a super cool house, both in appeal and temperature. Though the cyclist network is called Warm Showers the most welcome and refreshing thing upon my arrival was a cold outdoor shower. Then, since I had most of the day, I thought I would go and explore the town, and take more pics and videos.

"You can take a look at our agri-hood," my host Jill offered. "I can show you around and we may even meet our gardener..." An agri-hood? I was immediately enthralled. So I took my camera, and followed Jill outside, who showed me what was growing just behind their house. An agri-hood is something between a community garden, a food forest, and a suburban landscaping project. It is pretty to look at, but not exclusively ornamental. It grows a lot of food, but mostly perennials, to reduce work and water needs. Also, instead of trying to cover all the basic food needs, it is mostly a supplementary garden, offering a huge variety of fruit. That means, neighbors can pick limes, papayas, dragon fruit, or luffa, whenever they need any. The project is only about five years old, so it is expected to grow bigger, shadier, and more abundant in the future.

This garden fascinated me so much that I spent the rest of the day taking close-ups of all the different plants, and then having a proper sit-down interview with Jill. I couldn't believe my luck! Only a few days before I thought I couldn't get any good material on the southern tip of the Baja, and then I happened to find two. This project was really the cherry on top of my trip.

Once again, I set out early the next day, to complete the loop back to La Paz. I still had 100 kms to ride, though the highway was supposedly good. In fact, after San José I could not have a word of complaint about either the shoulder or the condition of the pavement, and this would continue all the way to (just outside of) La Paz. There were also no major hills to climb, so it was a straight shot. The only downside was that it was literally a strait shot through the desert. An endless road with no change or variation.

The only diversion I gave myself, was the last minute decision to go through the town of Todos Santos. There was supposedly an Earthship, but I was not about to look for it. It is also the place of the famous Hotel California, but at 7 a.m. it was too early to even have a coffee there. Instead, I had my coffee break at a small Mexican eatery, where I also could buy an apple and two tangerines. But most of all, I could say that I saw more than just an endless highway all day.

Arriving in traffic chaos of La Paz in the heat of the afternoon was the toughest part. I returned the sleeping bag I rented but barely used, and checked in to the hostel I had stayed in before. Arriving is always the sweetest moment, especially in a place where you are known. So leaving it the next day would be again a bit sad.

I really didn't feel like riding those 20 kms to the port of Pichilingue at 3 p.m. to be on time for the ferry. The temperature outside was about the same as inside my own body, and I felt lazy to say the least. The first third on a beautiful bike path along the malecón. Then, through various industrial port installations, and eventually a coastal desert highway, albeit with a good sized shoulder. But only 2.5 km from the port I noticed the obvious last task: I had to fix a flat. I pulled over in a shadeless rocky patch, and attended to my bike's needs. The valve was okay this time, but I a piece of wire found its way through my tire, and pierced my tube. I was glad to have found the culprit, and removed it right away. Then I rode the last bit to the port, filled up my water, and entered the ferry terminal.

It was not easy to find the proper way up to the ferry, which was seemingly unprepared for that gray area between motor vehicles and pedestrian passengers. But after several frustrating encounters my bike was finally secured safely downstairs, and I was free to enjoy a beer on deck, and pose at the fake helm, playing a bit of Pirate of the Baja. This boat would take me to Mazatlán on the mainland, where I would meet my wife, and after a few days of vacation go back to
Mexico City. Flying together would be nice, but since I am taking my bicycle, it is economically smarter for me to take the bus, which I am already familiar with.

Thank you Baja California, it's been a great ride. And I know I will have to come back some day. After all, I skipped over the greatest part of you!

Take a look at the rest of my Baja Ride here!