Mexico Day 24: Time to head to the city

San Cosme to La Paz //

We have no idea what’s on the docket today. During sunrise we hash out the pros and cons of three options and decide that it’s probably time we get to La Paz and see what info we can gather about booking a ticket for the ferry over to the mainland. This means we have a long day of driving ahead of us.

The first hour and a half of the drive is spent climbing the long, narrow, rough, and winding road up the mountain and back to the highway. The very first hill we have to climb is probably the steepest grade we’ve ever climbed in Baja. On roads like this, I always think to myself how our hobby of exploring Colorado’s remote mountain roads over the last fifteen years was the perfect primer for the roads we’re most drawn to in Baja.

The day’s drive is broken up by a lunch stop in Ciudad Constitución. Last year we discovered Casa Rafael, a restaurant that serves some pretty good American fare and so we decide it’s worth the stop to enjoy the kind of food that we rarely get here in Baja.

After departing Ciudad Constitución there’s two and a half hours to go to get to La Paz. This turns out to be the busiest two and a half hours of highway driving we’ve ever experienced in Baja. There are far more people on the road than we’re used to and many of them are eager to get wherever they’re going. Passing and being passed both require attention. Between all the potholes and the small margin for error on the narrow highway, it’s an exhausting drive. We’re all relieved when we arrive at an RV park on the outskirts of La Paz.

Now that we’re situated less than an hour from the ferry terminal we’re one step closer to getting answers to the many questions we have about the process of booking a ferry ticket and getting ourselves to the mainland. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day for us in the city. For now it’s time to work our way to sleep amidst the background soundtrack of barking dogs, street noise, music, and very close neighbors.

…