May 25, 2016 (Day 10)
The day was long and mostly full of driving. We left Mulege after a good night’s rest and headed north. Our first stop was Kenny’s taco truck in Vizciano. The best fish tacos in all of Baja! He graciously accepted our offer for an interview on camera as we stuffed a few tacos into our mouths.
Kenny suggested we park the boat in his yard while we headed for the Sierra de San Francisco and the world heritage site of cave paintings. It was a long and slow drive to get to the town of San Francisco. The community seems to survive on raising goats and cows, and providing a guide service to the cave paintings. This is a high altitude community with a permanent water supply. Nelson and Goldman came through here and stopped at the settlement of Santa Ana in October of 1905. Then it was a small, unoccupied ranch along the old El Camino Real.
After some very uncomfortable wanderings about, Greg was able to find a guide to take us to the cave paintings to film. Refugio—a well-seasoned man with gnarled fingers, a slow gate, and a cowboy hat slightly tilted atop his head—was our guide. We drove the mile back down the road to the Cueva del Raton (or Mouse’s Cave) where a chain-link fence with razor wire prevents access unless guided by a local with the key.
The large paintings stretched out on the ceiling of the cave, maybe 20 to 25 feet above the floor. Figures in red and black were spread on the rock; a puma, deer, and humans are clear to see. This site has evidence of human occupation dating back 10,800 years ago.
We retrieved our boat at Kenny’s house and continued on our northern drive to Punta Prieta for the night. Just after sunset as we slid into a grotto of cactus and rocks, pushing it a little harder to get to this near-perfect camping spot in the middle of the peninsula. A roaring fire and one of Greg’s famous dinners was highlighted with a good bottle of red wine from the States.