The original plan for my three-week holiday was to drive down through Baja over to the mainland and cruise through Central America. Reality set in when I looked at a map and realized just how long Baja is.
I think my riding buddy, Don Wiens, grew up riding trail, trials and road bikes—he is a very smooth, competent rider with a vast amount of miles under his belt. A number of weeks prior to to leaving for our trip to Baja, he had returned from a solo ride that took him up north, over to Labrador and Newfoundland, and then back to British Columbia. I, on the other hand, have been riding for only six years. I took a riding course and had started off with a Honda Gold Wing.
After I modified the seat of my 2000 BMW 1150GS so that both of my tiptoes could touch the ground at the same time, we were ready for our trip. Since we were unsure of the weather, we trailered our bikes to a friend’s place in Lake Havasu, Arizona, and used it as a starting point. Arrangements had been made with a local bike shop to install a set of Continental Knobby tires on my bike and on Don’s bike—a 1998 1100 GS.
Let the good times roll
Our objective was to ride to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, camp along the way and experience Baja. Equipped with tents, an expedition sleeping pad (sleeping on the ground was a major concern for me) and—one of the coolest additions—a Spot Satellite Messenger, we headed off and decided to cross the U.S.-Mexico border at Tecate.
It was a bit of a surprise to discover that we had crossed the border and were in Mexico. We wanted to get away from the border town as fast as possible, so we booted it south; for our first night, we stopped at an RV park that was located right on the ocean. We pitched each of our tents on the cement site pad and tested the local Tecate beer while taking in a wonderful view of the Pacific Ocean. It was a terrific way to start our trip.
Meeting new people
The next morning, we were up early to beat the heat and make our way over to San Felipe. From the city of Ensenada, we followed Highway 3 and went over to the Sea of Cortez side to connect with Highway 5. We were surprised when we encountered our first army roadblock and discovered that it really isn’t a good idea to ask them to smile and take their picture—but they got over it.
The road was good although it was narrow, but we had no issues. We headed to San Felipe while taking in wonderful views of the ocean. Looking for a place to crash for the night was always interesting, and at San Felipe we drove through town to an RV park on the ocean. We decided to do some exploring and got bogged down in the sand. This was my first Baja experience and I found out that sand bites. I got out and we did some more touring, then we went back to the RV park and got a pad that cost about $8 for both of us. It was a concrete pad that was close to the beach and it had a thatched roof.
We were next door to a retired couple who spend most of their winters there; they were a great source of information. We visited with them as another day came to an end. Our neighbours were excited because it was the Tuesday special at the Hotel El Cortez and they were going to meet a bunch of folks there for margaritas and a steak dinner. They invited us to join them, so we all went for a 15-minute walk along the beach and ended up sitting with 12 locals and listening to them tell us about the area. A local musician serenaded us with his excellent voice and awesome guitar skills. The folks we had dinner with were from Mexico, the U.S. and Canada, but some of them now live in the Baja full time. We enjoyed good food and had interesting company.
A fascinating side trip
I had done some research at home about the road from San Felipe that leads down the coast, through the famous Coco’s Corner. I wanted to try it, although I was skeptical about my riding skills. We got up in the morning with the intention of following that road until it got to be a challenge—well, if it got to be too much for me.
At the beginning, it was interesting looking at all the properties for sale. Most of them had massive entrances that were very impressive and some pavement that led to a bunch of white property stakes and For Sale signs, but there was no recent construction. The coast was beautiful all the way to Bahia San Luis Gonzaga. The pavement turned into gravel with lots of wind-blown sand (my favourite).
There were gas stations, though a couple of times we had to wait until they opened, which was around 9 a.m. All of the gas stations took cash and not credit cards; usually the prices were advertised as well as the exchange rate for the U.S. dollar.
The road down was an adventure—and precisely what the Knobby tires were designed for. It was a hot desert and an interesting place to ride. We saw a few bikes and a couple of serious dune buggies that fit right in with the terrain. Don was a little more adventurous than I was and he rode on a road that was parallel to the gravel one I was on. It looked pretty cool until his road ran out of, well, road. And down he went in the sand.
I parked and went over to give him a hand. He was able to get the bike up and ride it out in a cloud of flying sand—this was most impressive. We drank a jug of water each and decided to sit for a while in the shade. The only shade, however, was from the shadow cast by his bike. It was quite the feeling, sitting in the sand and leaning against a BMW 1150 GS in full riding gear, feeling sweaty and dirty and sipping on warm water. It couldn’t get much better than that. I was doing the Baja.
My bike got tuckered out a couple of times and laid on its side for a bit of a rest, but those bikes are indestructible. We made it to Coco’s Corner, which is one of the reasons why a person should ride this road. Coco’s Corner is surrounded by a fence that is decorated with beer cans. It was a welcome haven for us and the ice-cold beer was the best. I suggest Googling Coco’s Corner to learn more about Coco.
After taking a short break, we reconnected with the pavement of Highway 1. From there, we carried on to the Gulf of Cortez and found another beach campsite at Bahia de Los Angelos. It was lovely there and we secured another pad with a thatched roof right on the ocean. We were the only folks on the beach, as it was still early in the season for tourists. A stone's throw away was a bar and restaurant where we could take everyone’s advice and concentrate on staying hydrated. With a couple of ice-cold Tecates and a couple of plastic chairs, we sat at the water's edge and watched the birds. Later, we pitched our tents and had a great dinner at the bar.
Taking in new sights
The next morning after an early start, we backtracked and took a secondary road made of sand and gravel and headed to the mission of San Borja. We were the only visitors at the mission and got a tour with a fellow who lives there with his family. It seemed like the mission was in the middle of nowhere, but we found out that there are five springs in the area. Furthermore, at one time 3,000 people lived there and we also learned that mining was once a major factor. It was quaint and isolated there and the mood was only a little tainted when the guide brought out his smartphone to show us the people who were at the mission for a festival the week before.
We carried on, travelling through Rosarito then pressing on to Guerrero Negro. With some daylight remaining, we continued on to San Ignacio. I had forgotten that portions of our route followed the same course as the Baja 1000. It was interesting to find that the Pacific side of the Baja was cooler and there was much more dew and moisture on our tents in the morning.
San Ignacio was a pretty place with a quaint town centre. We chose to stay at a hotel that was closer to the main highway and it also had a restaurant. We were able to secure a spot with a waterfront view by camping on the swimming pool deck. The bar and restaurant were covered with Baja race posters and memorabilia, because the race crews usually stay at the hotel during part of the race. There, we enjoyed good food, clean bathrooms and lots of hot water for showering.
To read Part 2 of the story, click here.
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