"The Devil's Road" Main Expedition, Day 38

April 7th (La Paz again)

This morning we met two marine biology PhD students for an interview. We were an hour late! Both JT and I were not aware that BCS plays the "spring forward, fall behind" game, changing their clocks for daylight savings, and I felt like a fool. Michelle and her husband Marco were very understanding and gave us a great interview anyway. Michelle is studying gray whales and attempting to prove that while they are in southern Baja to calf and mate, they are also feeding. This, if proven, could change how Mexico protects their breeding habitat. Marco, on the other hand, is studying the bottlenose dolphins that frequent the La Paz bay.

They both gave us a great insight into how Mexico is working to restore our marine habitats and what may be in store for the future. Thank you both for taking time out of your day to talk with us.

During the afternoon, we negotiated with a local panga captain to take us to El Mogote so that we could walk around to film. We walked around the complex and was surprised by how finished and bustling one part of the project was. We had heard rumors that the project was gaining momentum to be completed, and we certainly saw evidence that workers were on site and attempting to finish parts of the buildings.

We were then able to find the same location of a few of Goldman's photos of the La Paz waterfront so that we could do a "then and now" series of comparison shots.

La Paz on this Friday was alive with action. It seemed that all the vendors were out, the Malecon was bustling, and there was a flurry of activity everywhere. Spring break is here, not only for Mexico, but for the States as well. A major beach volleyball tournament was also being held on the Malecon and the stands were full of spectators. JT and I walked downtown during sunset to get some tacos for dinner.

"The Devil's Road" Main Expedition, Day 37

April 6th (La Paz)

Today we intended to drive out to a resort community on a spit of land in the La Paz Bay called El Mogote. This place is shrouded in controversy. On the peninsula is a 1,700-acre resort called Paraiso del Mar. It was planned to have 2 golf courses, over 3,000 homes and condominiums, a marina, a town plaza, and other amenities. The developer did not receive the proper clearances and approvals from the government prior to beginning construction, and abandoned the project in order to flee criminal prosecution. So, this "resort" sits with partial occupation and no means of access, except via water taxi. The "road" is notoriously sandy with a depth and texture that will swallow most 4x4 vehicles.

Our attempt to get there was denied about a mile into the section along the dunes. The sand kept getting deeper and the sand patches got longer. I dumped my bike once, which gave JT the chance to film how to right these heavy beasts. Then it was JT's turn. He attempted to turn around and found his bike chain deep in sand with no way to get out. We took this opportunity to film the procedure of getting unstuck. It all went well and we were both pleased to turn a bad situation into a good one. The swim in the bay helped, too, since we were sweating in the heat of the Baja sun after that ordeal.

The El Mogote has another story that needs to be mentioned. There are a number of shark fishing operations and is also a sea turtle nesting site. The turtles come to this peninsula to lay their eggs and the locals have instituted a "Protect and Release" policy. Forty-five days after the eggs have been laid, the babies hatch and the locals help get them to the water.

We met a wonderfully interesting man tonight named David from Alaska. He is riding a bicycle along the Baja Divide trail (the length of the peninsula). We had a beer and several tacos together as we swapped stories. We had seen him several times in multiple places along our route and were glad to get his story and comments on film.

"The Devil's Road" Main Expedition, Day 36

April 5th (La Paz)

We made our way back to La Paz and without much trouble found our hotel. We had reservations for three nights in a small hotel just three blocks from the water. It was clean, had a shower, and was a safe place to park the motorcycles—in the courtyard of the hotel. We had to take off the panniers to fit the bikes through the doorway, but our host insisted.

"The Devil's Road" Main Expedition, Day 35

April 4th (Punta Conjeo to El Triunfo)

Everything was wet when we woke. The dew was so strong it seemed as though it had rained during the night. But, within an hour, most everything was dry. We had found a cool camp site tucked in under some low growing trees and had a great night’s sleep. Our next move was to head to El Triunfo. We had a day to kill before we needed to be in La Paz, so the decision was made to bypass La Paz and film El Triunfo.

Getting through La Paz has always been a problem for us and is notorious for other travelers as well for having very poor signs. We got lost again. One dead end road after another had me frustrated. I flagged down a passing motorist to ask him where the road to Cabo was and he began to stumble as to how to give us directions. After a few puzzling seconds, he said, "Just follow me." This nice man took us three miles out of his way and took us to the right road to Cabo San Lucas. Only in Mexico will you find that kind of hospitality. Thank you!

El Triunfo is an old town with a storied history. At one time 11,000 people lived and worked in this gold and silver mining town. Now only 500 people make it their home. The mining operation is in ruins and restoration work is in place to save the 70-meter smokestack that was designed by Gustav Eiffel. We were met by an interesting fellow that said he was a tour guide and asked if he could show us around. We agreed and he set about to tell us things like, "This is the machine," and "This is the quartz," and "This is the cow." In the end he asked for a propina, or tip, and continued to give us a blank stare when we asked how much the usual tip was. When I reached into my wallet and pulled out a bill, he seemed to not understand what I was doing. Or, was it his way of saying that it was not enough? We were perplexed.

Most of the land surrounding this community is private and well fenced, so we decided to head for Los Barilles to spend the night on the beach. The 30-mile ride was a wonderful mountainous and curvy ride that made the trip out to the beach that much more pleasant to be camping on.

"The Devil's Road" Main Expedition, Day 34

April 3rd (Punta Conjeo)

Back on the highway and heading south, our next stop was the town of San Hilaro, only a few miles off the highway. Nelson and Goldman described it as a small village within an arroyo with a small stream of good water flowing. A few palm trees lined the banks and they stayed for several days to water their horses and gather a few specimens.

Now, there is only a single ranch at San Hilaro. The water still flows, but I would not say was "good." There are a few palms growing in clumps, but mostly the area along the arroyo is a tangled mess of mesquite and acacia. The stock runs free and the ranch was not very inviting so we turned around and headed back to the highway.

Ten miles of dirt road stood between the pavement and the sandy beaches of El Conejo. We thought it would be nice to camp on the beach, dip our toes in the water, and see a part of the Pacific side we had never been to. If you surf, this is the place to be. It is a perfect left point break without crowds. There were four vans parked on the bluff overlooking the waves, all huddled to protect their camp at the center from the wind. They had stacked rocks, laid out surfboards, and strategically placed driftwood to keep the 20-knot winds from blowing sand into everything they owned.

These four groups (three couples and one single guy) were all traveling separately but found themselves in a similar location with a similar mindset: surfing. One couple was just starting a two-year journey to South America. Another was from the Pacific Northwest and was escaping the snow and bad weather, while the last couple didn't have any plans and was not sure where they were going next.

It is not a bad place to be or a life to live when you can walk down the beach to the fishermen and buy lobster for dinner, "showers" are available at the ranch nearby for 50 pesos per person where there is a water tank elevated and a PVC pipe that dumps cold water. This is private property and a guy comes around every morning to collect your name, logging it into an account book.

"The Devil's Road" Main Expedition, Day 33

April 2nd (Puerto San Carlos to Mission San Luis Gonzaga)

In May of last year, JT, Greg and I had the pleasure of meeting and spending the day with Julio Solis of the Waterkeeper Alliance (the Bay Keeper at San Carlos). We had a wonderful day and he gave us a great interview. His interview can be seen in our Isla Magdelena episode on our website. We wanted to check in with him to say hello and see what, if any, changes have happened since we last saw him.

The drive to the bay is not that exciting. It is a straight and well paved road. We did see a few clumps of the Creeping Devil's cactus here and there. Julio, unfortunately, was not around. Disappointed, we drove around town to see if there was anything to film that we had missed last May.

We are officially part of the "biker community." Now, we have been embraced, acknowledged, and other bikers actually wave to us. In San Carlos we drove by a restaurant with 8 or so motorcycles parked out front. It looked like the perfect opportunity to sit and meet some of our fellow riders and eat some good food. We were acknowledged by a biker gang from Ciudad Constitucion called Reyes del Camino. These guys were well decorated with leather vests and biker paraphernalia, but didn't give us much thought and kept to themselves.

As they were leaving, one of the younger members nodded at us his and quietly asked where we were from. His English was good, so I took the opportunity to "break the ice." As it turns out, these guys were tame and very interested in our project. We gave out stickers, which immediately most found a place on their bike to proudly display it. I gave a bandana to the leader and with honor he tied it around his neck. The bikes were a rag-tag display of Yamaha, Suzuki, Harley Davidson, and several unknown brands, even a dirt bike. In Mexico, anything goes! You can’t help but admire it.

Looking at the map and our planned route, we were still several days ahead of schedule and had nothing else to film in the area, so we decided for a side trip to see the Mission San Luis Gonzaga. The twenty-mile dirt and gravel road was not too bad. There were a few thin sandy spots, but they didn't give us any trouble. This mission sits in a shallow arroyo with a stream running through the bottom. Palm trees line the stream banks and as usual, the cows, horses, mules, and donkeys ruled the town. They run freely and leave their "calling cards" everywhere.

San Luis Gonzaga is another small community centered around the mission, it's water, and the livestock that can be raised. It was quiet with many buildings in ruin and we walked around taking pictures uninterrupted. That took all of about 45 minutes and we looked at each other as though we were both asking, "What now?" Since Nelson and Goldman did not come through here, we took the drive to get "B" roll shots and visit a place we had never been. That night we camped in the desert a few miles out of town.

"The Devil's Road" Main Expedition, Day 32

April 1st (Ciudad Insurgentes)

Today was a down day for us (riding and filming that is). The bikes stayed parked for the day and we both caught up on our much needed work. Two ladies had a taco stand across the street from the hotel that we frequented. The coffee and empanadas were good in the morning and the chivo (goat) tacos were some of the best we’ve had all trip. Well worth the 50 feet of street to cross to get there.

Reflections on Reaching the Halfway Mark of the Main Expedition

There are stretches of bad road so intense they take your full concentration to navigate. You need to keep your vision focused at a permanent 10 meters in front of you, like a rattlesnake locking on to its prey, entranced by the heat signature. Your brain adjusts to this viewpoint, the constant blur of dirt and rock flowing under you. When you finally look up at the unmoving horizon, an optical illusion is created. It looks as if the background is shrinking, forever receding in front of your eyes. The goals of our expedition behave uncannily like this illusion.

"The Devil's Road" Main Expedition, Day 31

March 31st (Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos)

This small fishing village has a history of changing its name. In 1905 when Nelson and Goldman came through it was know by three names: La Soledad, Matancita, or Santo Domingo Landing. It is here that they boarded a sailing vessel owned by the Chartered Company of Lower California for a trip to Isla Magdelena and Isla Santa Margarita.

Today, it is officially know as Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos, named after one of Mexico's former presidents. The town survives on commercial fishing and whale watching. The bay that fronts the village is one of the major breeding and calving grounds for the gray whale. JT and I jumped on a boat with a very nice couple (he is American and she is Australian). They wanted someone to split the cost of the boat and the captain assured us that there were still three mothers with calves in the bay.

We had a good trip and motored alongside one mother and her calf for about an hour. They did not want to engage with us and kept us at a distance the entire time. We were able to get some other footage of coyotes, herons, frigate birds, and fishermen cleaning their catch on the island shores.

Both of us were in bad shape and needed showers in the worst way. When you can't stand yourself, you know you are affecting those around you. So, we secured a room in Ciudad Insurgentes for two nights to charge up all of our devices, download and copy data, and get a shower. We are also spending this time to go through footage and gear and get a feel for what we may need during the next month.

Note from the Crew, Re: Expedition Blogs

The Devil's Road crew would like to note that days 31 through 38 of the expedition will follow, out of order, starting after day 47. We apologize for the mishap, but hope you'll enjoy nonetheless! 

Sincerely, 

The Crew