Hot Hot Heat

After such a positive experience with Warm Showers, we decided to set up an account on Couch Surfing, which is the original reciprocal hospitality site, and, as we found out, has many more members.  We got in touch with a fellow living  just outside of Vincente Guerrero, BC and was courteous enough to accommodate us with his family who work as missionaries down here in Mexico.  Jake, our couch surfing host, gave us the grand tour of the small community, Los Molinas, and for our 3rd dip in The Pacific since leaving Vancouver.  A wonderful home-cooked dinner was prepared by Jake's mom, we watched a little tv, and hit the hay.  

Farm fresh eggs and potatoes fueled us to our next destination of El Rosario with the sun still high in the sky.  We just had to stay at Mama Espinoza's, a small motel and restaurant made famous as a stop on the Baja 500, and of course, home of the original lobster burrito.  Mama Espinoza, who from all accounts is pushing 105 years old, was in fact home, but we unfortunately did not get a chance to meet her.  

The alarm was set for a ridiculously early 4am wakeup in an effort to pound off as many kms as possible before the hot desert sun began to fry us.  We made it to a small ranch about 30kms from our campsite for some refueling and a siesta.  The final stretch of the day was a hot one, but some cold Tecates were waiting for us at the small family-owned grocery store in Catavina, BC.  After rehydrating, the fancy-looking hotel across the road provided a nice end to the day with a plunge into the cold water of the pool.  Feeling only a little guilty after seeing the 'for guests only' sign, we had one more beer before heading a km. down the road to a dusty old ranch where we set up camp for the night.

Knowing that tomorrow we would again encounter the same heat, we once again got up at 4am to try and beat it. We were on the road before 6, biking hard and fast in an attempt to get as far as we could while it was still cool. Our plans of ending our day early soon became crushed as we came upon 10 kms of gravel with some sections forcing us out of the saddle for an unpleasant push.  The afternoon hit with us still on our bikes with miles of road still to ride. Eventually we found some shade and took a long siesta to let the daytime heat past us by, and as the sun hit the horizon we got back on the road to finish the day.

Day 3 in the desert started once again at 4am, but with clouds in the sky, it looked as though we might just catch a break.  The road south would soon bring us back to the coast where we longed for that cool ocean breeze. The ride itself was noneventful but for one military check point (our fourth of the trip) where the solider was very thorough in his search of our smelly gear. With no weapons or drugs found, we packed up our bags, had a quick photo op with a passing trucker, and caught a tailwind across the state border to our end destination of Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, a happenin' town known for its sea salt production and whale watching tours.  After some unsuccessful bargaining for a cheap hotel room, we paid the price for a much needed wash after 3 days of primitive desert camping.  A local taco vendor stuffed us with cheapest and best tacos of the trip before we retired for the evening.

Our stay on the coast would be a short one with the road heading back into the hot Vizcaino Desert. We treated ourselves to a nice 6am wake up knowing we had a shorter day ahead. The wind was to our backs and strong. With the road as flat as a pancake and straight as an arrow we flew through the approximately 80k or so in about 2hrs and 15minutes. I know fast eh! Sure felt fast. Now with the rest of our day to kill we are hanging in the shade with a few beers listening to some tunes.