Part II
(Day 2 = Mike’s to Alfonsina’s — ~188 Miles
We will depart Mike’s the same way we came in and head out on the pavement for Gonzaga Bay and Alfonsina’s. We will stop for lunch in San Felipe (boardwalk by the water). After lunch we will head out on pavement to Alfonsina’s. This section will be a mix of improved and unimproved pavement. Watch out for the Vados! Along this section we get exposed to some of the most beautiful scenery on the gulf side! Alfonsina’s is located on the beach in Gonzaga Bay!)
I think the bikes by the pool made for a great picture:
The interior of the dinner hall for Mike’s was pretty darn cool. There was all kinds of stuff in the room, it made for some good reading.
The rooms/beds were decent and the shower was very welcome after that long day. I think those last 31KM were some of most difficult for me, as I was really stiff and worried about it.
Heading back down the next day was EASY! It had dried out great deal over night, and having the light sure made things look very different. The water crossing that had me worried was simple and fun in the daylight.
The views on the ride down were great.
Even waiting for the support truck was made fun:
We came up on some horses in the road. If you look at the right side of the image you can see them.
At the end of the dirt road, we meet up with another tour group heading up to Mike’s. So there was introductions and talk of the various mishaps the groups had experienced on trips.
Next up was Lunch in San Felipe, some more wonderful fish tacos and bacon wrapped cheese stuffed shrimp… my new favorite food.
One of the scenic stops on the way to Alfonsina’s
We made it and it was totally worth the ride, no surprise there. The whole trip was worth it. I wouldn’t trade a single moment of it.
Not a bad view:
The view from the room was just about as good.
Day 3 = Alfonsina’s to Bay of LA — ~110 Miles
(Today we will make our way out of Alfonsina’s where our first stop will be the famous Coco’s Corner. Coco is a legend in Baja and his place is visited by thousands of traveler’s every year. After a coke or water at his place, we will make our way to the highway and head to the Bay of LA. When we arrive at the Bay of LA we will have a choice of stopping and relaxing for the day, or riding up to the Mission San Francisco de Borja)
The next day as we were all gassing up the bikes, we meet up with a few more people from CO. You know why I had to take this picture, right?
Next up was the infamous Coco’s Corner. Yes, he asked me for my underwear… no he didn’t get it. LOL.
Yes, there is a theme here:
I thought the view of the water coming into Bahía de los Ángeles was amazing:
I chose to play in the pool and relax. Little did I know that I would slip on the stairs and bust my ass. Not the only injury I received on the trip, but it was the only one that made me bleed. I smacked my arm into one of the stairs and slid on it down the other two. I ended up with a cut on my wrist and elbow, with a large red scrape connecting the two.
Wasn’t quite sure of what they were going for with this sign:
One of the cute young girls who worked at the hotel. She wanted a picture with me and the bike. She was surprised to see a women riding with the guys. She was so sweet that we let her sit on the bikes and used her phone to take pictures of her on them.
Day 4 = Bay of LA to San Ignacio — 207 Miles
This day will be mostly dirt as we wind our way out of the Bay of LA through the coastal gulf mountains and along the gulf coast. We will stop along the way in San Rafael to see old whale skeletons and have a cold drink. From there it is back on the dirt where we leave the coastal mountains and head into the desert. This ride is fantastic and the desert terrain has a harsh beauty that is better experienced than described. Once we hit the pavement we will make our way to the gorgeous and quaint town of San Ignacio.
We made our way from Bay of LA to Valle De Los Cirios Natural Protected Area (San Rafael) to see the coastline and all it had to offer. I noticed that as we moved away from the town areas there was always less trash. Around the towns, it appeared to be a common practice to pick an area and just dump all the trash between there and the town. Really, quite sad, as the views are great and the land is so pretty.
Yes, there was a fair amount of sand to deal with… I think I’m getting better at it, but I still don’t like it.
There was some great packed sections of road too.
Some really different terrain to cross. I didn’t get pictures of them, were these large rock clusters buried into the road where there had been washouts, that were wrapped in wire. The first one I came up on, caught me off guard. I was likely going just a bit too fast, at that point. It was hard not too, in sections.
We made it to the Mission later in the day after a long day in the dirt.
Our resting spot for the next two nights.
I ended up with a new friend who wanted to go with me. But she was fickle and when I didn’t give her the proper attention she went on to the next bike.
