The shoulder seasons in Colorado aren’t very fun. It gets too cold to hike or bike but there is not enough snow to go skiing. I have spent two winters as a ski bum, some summers as a hiking bum, but I had yet to be a beach bum! So I decided to drift down to Baja Mexico for November and December to get a taste of that life. My adventure buddy and van-lifer, Amanda, was heading down to work at a kiteboarding shop and her friend, Daniel, jumped on the trip. We caravanned down the peninsula.
Day 1: Border to Puertecitos
I slept on some BLM land about an hour from the border and five minutes after I hit the road, I got a flat tire. I had just bought new tires THREE days prior at Costco. Since my spare was buried beneath my camper platform and ALL of my stuff, I figured it would be easiest to plug it and hit the Costco in Calexico near the border. Amanda and David met me in that town and after that small hiccup delayed out start, we hit the road!
Subie with new shoes and outfitted for Baja Adventures! I stashed my mountain bike, skis, and winter gear in Las Vegas and will retrieve after Baja before heading to Lake Tahoe for skiing.
The border crossing was pretty painless, then we exchanged some USD for Pesos and got Telcel SIM cards in Mexicali. It felt good to finally get out of the city and be on the open road, flanked by mountains and surrounded by cacti. We refueled in San Felipe as the upcoming stretch was no mans land; no gas stations, no cell service, and rarely any sort of town. We arrived at Puertecitos at dark and it was a weird gated community full of abandoned looking houses. After paying the steep 600Mex$ fee, we spotted the van-lifers at the camping zone and set up. We went straight to the hot springs which were too hot as it was low tide. Timing is important as the cool seawater needs to mix with the springs. When we got back to camp it was insanely windy. So much so that our neighbors took down there tent and left.
Sunrise view from the Puertecitos Hot Springs
Day 2: Puertecitos to Guerrero Negro
We were up early and walked back to the hot springs for sunrise. The water temp was balanced and perfect for a morning dip. We then checked out a shrine and some of the adandoned structures. Like much of Baja so far, it was hard to tell if the places were abandoned halfway through construction or abandoned long ago and are decaying.
We drove down the coast and stopped at Punta Bufeo where the road turns away from the water. We wanted to go play in the sea. There were whale bones scattered about and lots of trash that we decided to pick up. It was a nice stop but it looked like rain was on the way so we continued the drive south.
It went over the Baja Divide, XXX feet above sea level, and the biome changed drastically. There was suddenly a massive forest of cacti. We got to a gas station just north of Guerrero Negro and researched campsites for the night. We decided on a beach near the airport as it said it was quiet, easily accessible for 2WD, and not near a massive salt mine. It was just crazy windy. We arrived before sunset and cooked up some food in the van then watched a terrible Netflix movie.
Day 3: Guerrero Negro to Mulegé
I got a lot of work done when I woke up as the long stretches of no cell service got me behind. I then did some yoga and Daniel showed me the massive piles of seashells he found. We planned to drive about two hours to San Ignacio and then get breakfast. The road was hit hard by hurricanes and long sections of the raised roadbed were washed out. The temporary dirt roads on the side were bumpy and slow going. However, we got to our destination, enjoyed a quick meal, and listened to music as the town was setting up for the Date Festival.
More driving, ping-ponging back to the Sea of Cortez side of the peninsula. We went passed the Volcan de Tres Virgenes and pulled over to discuss hiking to the summit right quick… but it was a seven mile hike with 4,500 feet of gain which would be a pretty steep and rough day hike. Maybe on the way back to the US. We bought water, gas, and food in Mulegé and then our planned beachside campsite was thwarted by a washed out road. So we checked out the Misión Santa Rosalía de Mulegé just as sunset arrived and hundreds of vultures flew overhead. It was beautiful and a little eerie at the same time.
