March 4th – March 14th
1,000 Miles Down. 1,000 Miles Back Up.
Baja California, Mexico
Highlight Video
We wanted to start by showing a super edit of our trip to Baja. This is a combination of cell phone video and go-pro video so the quality isn’t the greatest. If you don’t have time to read our whole post, please check out this video. We think it gives a pretty good view of what Baja looks like.
Thanks for watching! Now, to the post for the details.
For this post, we start in the touristy town of Loreto, work our way South, and then return North. Did we mention we did all of this in just two weeks?
Long Drives and Tourist Shops
After having an amazing time in Mulege and on its beaches, it was time to pack up and continue our trek south.
When driving on the roads in Mexico the biggest hazard besides potholes seems to be livestock. Free range means that the livestock wanders where it wants to.
Still an arid landscape of few towns, and few people.
Finding a coffee shop in Loreto is a welcome sight. We were a little coffee deprived for a few days and this was a great spot to get wifi and connect with the motherland.
This is the Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó
Loreto has a fairly large airport so it is a major tourist hub for Americans. With that comes tourist gift shops. The shop owners are very interested in helping you find what you need. Are those luchador(Mexican wrestling) masks?
Laura poses by some hedge arches in the historic town square. Time to head out to La Paz!
Free-range mules!
Short Stop in La Paz
Welcome to La Paz! It means peace in Spanish, but this bustling city is anything but peaceful. We stopped at the Wal-Mart…yes, Walmart, to stock up on things you can’t find in the mercados like peanut butter and sunblock. All of our guides and recommendations say to be wary of the police in La Paz because they are a bit more corrupt and aggressive than most. We passed many police blockades stopping cars going the opposite direction but thankfully were not stopped.
El Sargento
We made our way a few miles South of La Paz to the town of El Sargento. We found quiet beaches, lots of “ex-pats”, and windsurfers from all over the world.
Pelicans Everywhere! They were constant entertainment for us as they ariel dive for fish.
This is a Puffer Fish. Sadly, this little guy is not alive, and there were several of them along the beach.
Even a rubbish boot can become a home to marine life. But seriously Camrin, you don’t have to pick up everything you find on the beach.
On the other hand, if you could keep finding money, we could be rich.
Our free and very humble campsite below the cliffs of mansions.
We spent our second day in El Sargento relaxing and watching the windsurfers and kiteboarders. This area is known for its wind, so its the perfect spot for these kinds of sports. We’re not really adventuring sports kind of people, but we really enjoyed watching. Especially the kiteboarders who can do all sorts of jumps and tricks high in the air above the water.
Goodnight El Sargento.
Cabo Pulmo
We made it all the way down to the Southern tip of Baja. 1,000 Miles! Cabo Pulmo is in the middle of a National Park. That means we’ve been in a national park in Canada, the U.S., and now Mexico!
Hey Pelican… Did you follow us from El Sargento?
Making friends with another pup.
Awesome street art in this tiny town.
Exploring another beach. And again Camrin, do you have to pick up everything you see? That’s a dead crab!
It’s a pretty rocky beach, but still, a fun place to walk and explore.
Because this place has a national park that means there are several trails to hike. Surprisingly a sign in English, but who named these trails?! Nasty Loop… Haha!
After several days of mostly sitting and relaxing, we were super excited to get in some hiking.
View of our beach and the surrounding landscape.
Our hike took us high up into the cliffs and along the coastline surrounded by wildflowers and amazing views of the water. We kept our eyes out for whales, but no luck.
A little bit of color in this desert landscape.
Back in town, the aloe plants are flowering.
Our shower set up! The tarps are mostly to block the wind and keep us slightly warmer as we try to clean up.
Our beach campsite is only a half mile walk to the center of town. So, we enjoyed a few beers after a day of hiking.
And its Camrin’s birthday!! So a celebration is in order.
View of our bar/restaurant. This place is nothing but laid back.
Walking over to a nearby restaurant we passed by this old truck. Thought it looked cool.
The Coral Reef Restaurant sits above a Dive Center. There are only six restaurants to choose from in Cabo Pulmo, but this one called to us.
After January, it becomes the offseason for most of Baja. We had this place to ourselves. Our waiter was excellent! We tried our best to place our orders and ask questions all in Spanish, but our waiter took pity on us and just spoke to us in English.
Finally a photo of Laura.
This is Camrin’s birthday dinner. This is Ceviche! A popular dish in Latin America. It is made with raw seafood that has been cured by being soaked in lime juice. It sounds weird, but it is a wonderful combination of flavors.
We don’t go out to dinner much, but we’ve had a few chances to experience local foods from all over the U.S, Canada, and now Baja. This place is hands down the best food we had on our entire journey. Plus, there was a legit chef preparing our food, the place had a friendly laid back atmosphere, and it was so cheap. Well worth the 1,000-mile journey.
With town behind us, we walk the beach back to our campsite.
What a place!
Seriously!
Now, time to make our back North
The long deserted Transpeninsular 1 (Hwy 1).
Enjoying a break with fellow tourists.
At this little rest area was a coconut stand. We had to try one!
First, they cut off the top and put in a straw.
Then you have to drink all of the coconut water. Very refreshing on a hot day.
Then you hand back the coconut and they scrape together the meat and add a little lime and zest. Then with a toothpick, you can enjoy the sweet and savory flavors of the coconut meat.
Fun roads to drive.
Back to Mulege and Playa Escondido
Camrin wanted to stop back at this coffee shop for a sweet treat.
Playa Santispac just one beach up from where we stayed.
Made it back to our favorite campsite just in time for another beautiful sunset.
The next morning Camrin got up early for a little fishing. No luck catch anything, but she’s getting a lot better at her fly casting.
Relaxing under our homemade canopy. Just a cheap tarp, two tent poles, and some rope extended off the Jeep.
We’re from Wisconsin! We’re not used to this kind of sun!
Our camp neighbors let us borrow their paddle kayak so we could see what’s its like out on the bay.
Nice View 😉
Back on dry”ish” land. Trying our luck at catching some fish… no luck.
Exploring the beaches some more. Found a little hermit crab. Look, he’s waving at us!
Walked over to a nearby Mangrove Tree forest. How cool!
Starfish!
WHALE SHARK!!
One of the best highlights on our entire trip so far was seeing a whale shark in the bay in front of our campsite. We just happened to be swimming in the water when Laura noticed a huge shark fin swimming behind Camrin. It was pretty terrifying at first, but another camper told us it was a Whale Shark… the slow and gentle kind of shark. And then if we weren’t lucky enough our camp neighbor invited us on their boat to get a closer look. We were in a boat that was 18 feet long and this whale shark was at least 10 feet longer than the boat. Apparently, this shark was only a baby. They can get even bigger than the one we saw. We paddled right alongside the shark and even got to touch its dorsal fin. So Amazing!
Gonna go see this Whale Shark!
Our new Canadian friend and boat master. Thank you so much for taking us strangers on your boat so we could see the Whale Shark too!
Look at how close we are!
Ahh… We love this place!
This beach also gets bioluminescence at night. Tiny critters that glow when they get touched. They were really hard to photograph, but you can see Camrin dancing in the water and making them light up.
Still can’t get over how awesome this place is!
Back on the Road
What’s up Cow?! We’re from Wisconsin. We know all about you.
“We got cows!” 😉
A very typical roadside sight throughout Baja was seeing shrines. We’re not sure if they are memorial to someone who passed away here or just a place to say a prayer. They are everywhere along the way. This one was pretty small.
And this one was huge!
And here are several mausoleums that we passed by on the road. A place to entomb loved ones, honor them, and visit them.
Getting gas in liters, using Pesos, and having a person pump gas for you while trying to communicate in Spanish. Getting gas in Mexico was stressful!
This is what a pretty typical town looked like. Cement structures. Lots of bodegas and small open-air markets. Beware of the poorly marked speed bumps as you go through towns. We nailed a few speed bumps pretty hard and damaged our shocks a bit.
The best bakery we found in Baja! We just happened to find it when looking for an ATM in Santa Rosalia. Established in 1901 we had to make a stop.
Conchas or Churros. Both are so good. How to choose?
We choose churros!!
Another long driving day, but we made it to a camp spot with enough time to relax for a bit.
And back to driving the next day. The Three Virgins Mountain range in the distance.
This had us cracking up! We passed by this man selling gasoline out of drum for probably way too much money. This is on a stretch of highway that has no gas stations for over 200 miles. This guy was clever and hand painted a sign that said “Pemex” which is the state-sponsored gas stations, although, we’re pretty sure this guy’s stand is not state-sponsored. We had to give him props for trying to be clever and giving us a good laugh.
Going through another military checkpoint. We know they’re necessary for cracking down on drug smuggling, but they’re intimidating. We especially didn’t like seeing the man with a giant gun watching us.
Real Cowboys!
Back to Celito Lindo for our last night in Baja.
Saying goodbye to Baja beaches.
Being from Wisconsin we love cheese. We couldn’t pass up a chance to try Chorizo with Cheese from Cielito Lindo’s restaurant. A popular Mexican appetizer. It was the perfect combination of warm cheese and spicy salty pork chorizo.
Driving back through Baja wine country.
Hold Up! Is that a Costco?! We must be getting closer to the U.S. : /
One last bite to eat in Baja. Make it count!
What an adorable place! We opted for breakfast burritos. Delicious!
Goodbye Baja!
Getting our passports ready. Time to cross the border.
Now we just have to get through this line. The border wall is on the right.
Baja was super chill and relaxing. We spent most of our time on a beach and did a lot of reading, but there was so much we weren’t able to fit in. We will definitely be returning someday with a truck that has better suspension, mountain bikes, kayaks, and hopefully the ability to speak better Spanish.
Thanks for reading our blog! Up next… The crazy, wild, free, Slab City, California!
