Almost at the end of Baja California

December 14, 2018

Restaurant Los Pinos to the desert once more

Dea and I woke up at six in order to get on the road early, knowing that a relatively big day was necessary to get us close enough to arrive in La Paz the following day. I packed up my bike and then unfolded my hi-vis vest to strap on the back, when I got a fright that caused me to shriek like a girl and throw the vest to the ground. In it was a curled up and, on closer inspection thankfully now deceased, scorpion. Presumably, however, it had not been deceased when it had crawled into my hi-vis vest, a hi-vis vest which had very recently formed a part of the pillow on which my sleeping head laid.

We were on the road before most of the others had got up, although after 20 kilometres Jon caught up to us when we stopped for a quick break. Like us he was heavily loaded and relatively slow as a result, causing him to also make an earlier start than the others. His bike even has two sets of handlebars, and perhaps the most luxurious seat I've ever seen on a bicycle:

After 45 kilometres we came upon a gas station and an Oxxo, which is basically Mexico's answer to 7eleven, and we stopped to buy water and eat ice cream while we waited for the others, who we were sure must be hot on our tails. But after 45 minutes there was no sign of them and the three of us pressed on. 15 kilometres later and we found a nice shady spot for lunch, where we were surprised to see Tom already waiting for us. He'd whizzed past us while we were in the Oxxo and, still thinking he might need to get on the ferry to the mainland on the 15th, which was now the following day, he was getting anxious about pressing on. But Ciaran and Nathan weren't with us, and when they did finally arrive they sat down and took their time, free of the time pressure Tom had.

Our lunch spot. Note that Tom is the only one with his helmet on. This is because he rarely takes his helmet off.

We spent the rest of the day riding more-or-less together, on a road that was narrow and far too busy for comfort. Towards the end of the day we turned into the wind and had a climb, and no one was enjoying this workout when combined with the Friday evening traffic at all. When Nathan stopped having found a rare gap in the fence it was unanimously agreed upon that we should stop and camp and continue when the road was quieter in the morning. It was unanimously decided by everyone except Tom, who had raced on ahead, leaving us with a dilemma as to what to do about that. I proposed jokingly that Nathan go ahead and bring him back, but to my surprise he agreed and jumped straight on his bike. A while later he returned, having managed to sight Tom at the top of the next hill and wave him back. All reunited, we made our way through the gap in the fence and down a gravel road to a suitable camping space. It was to be our last night camping before finally reaching La Paz, and the end of our ride down Baja California.

I wish my camera was better at focusing. I get too many blurry shots, sorry.

Three tents and a sleeping bag - Jon, who I might not have told about the scorpion, prefers to sleep outside.

Today's ride: 89 km (55 miles)
Total: 1,400 km (869 miles)

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