Rancho Escondido -> Las Animas // It’s another exquisite day in the desert. No wind. Dry, temperate air. After both trucks are all packed up, we continue our trek through this mostly uninhabited expanse that makes up southern Baja Norte. We have 85 miles to cover with an estimated 5 hours of travel time. Less than an hour in to our drive, after cresting a mountain pass and beginning our...
Rancho Escondido // Birdsong fills the air this morning. It’s still cool enough for a down coat but since we’re in the desert I expect the temp to rise noticeably along with the sun. Meals are available here at Rancho Escondido so we sit in the pavilion that is a few steps from our camp and order breakfast. Though we’re not entirely sure what it is we’ve ordered from the few options that were...
San Ignacio -> Rancho Escondido // San Ignacio has been an absolute delight. This year it has grown to become one of my favorite towns in all of Baja. While we’ve decided to pack up and continue north this morning, I already look forward to our next visit. An hour long drive on Highway 1 takes us to a town whose name I’ll never remember (After consulting the map I can tell you it’s...
San Ignacio // This campground is so wonderfully mellow, even when it’s full of campers. For the majority of our two days here we remain near our campsite while lots of coming and going happens all around us. 75% off the campground departs in the morning hours until a handful of hours later when it fills back in with new arrivals. Part of me wants to go ask everyone where they’ve been and...
A spit in the middle of nowhere -> San Ignacio // A steady howling wind accompanies us throughout the night. It comes as no surprise as we’re camped at the end of a three mile long spit with ocean surrounding us on three sides. I don’t imagine anyone is going to want to hang out this morning. When I step outside to ask Mark if we’re packing up, Josh, who is tucked in tightly against the wind...
San Juanico -> A spit in the middle of nowhere // We wake to a thick, wet layer of fog. Everything is soaking wet and the sand sticks to every surface like glue. There’s no desire among the group to stay so we pack up and begin our 70 mile journey through no man’s land to San Ignacio Lagoon. Not without first getting breakfast, of course, at our favorite restaurant in San...
The desert above Agua Verde -> San Juanico // Even after four nights here it’s still hard to leave this morning. I don’t know how long it will be before we’ll be able to enjoy this level of silence and stillness again. An easy drive south on Highway 1 takes us to Ciudad Insurgentes for groceries and water and then a leisurely 2 hour drive north on Highway 53 takes us in to San Juanico. ...
The desert above Agua Verde // The day kicks off with a FaceTime call with a potential client. I rearrange the camper to look as organized as possible and then sit down and turn the camera on only to see my weathered face and wonder why I even offer the option for video calls. I decide to trust that a smile and kind heart is better than the makeup I’m not wearing and go on to have a...
The desert above Agua Verde // I’m going to just come right out and say it. I’ve been hormonal these last few days and it’s been sucking the fun right out of our travels. I’m old enough and wise enough to recognize that this is why I have no interest in life and that the feeling will pass in a few days time but it’s still a bummer. So this morning, when I realize my apathy has passed...
The desert above Agua Verde // It felt really good to wake up in the desert. So good that I immediately got to pondering what it is I want from our final weeks in Baja. I’ve come to realize that lately I’m not feeling drawn to the ocean. There’s a stillness and majesty to wild mountainous landscapes like where we are now that has always comforted me. The ocean on the other hand oscillates...
