Loreto and San Javier
After two nights on Playa Requesón, I cycled the 100 km or so to Loreto, which flew by quickly. In fact, it was my highest average speed for a loaded day of cycling the whole trip. I was feeling rested and strong, and had a bit of a tailwind, so on some of the flat sections I was cruising along at 35-40 kph. Some beatifully rugged desert scenery, with plenty of large cacti and interesting rock formations, as well as some very nice views of the bay as I passed the southern end of it and started climbing.
One thing I've noticed here in Mexico is that I'm having problems with dogs chasing after me, acting very aggressively. If it were just the dogs, it wouldn't be so bad, but often the dogs are combined with overtaking traffic, so I have to worry about avoiding the dog without being run over by an SUV.
I've also noticed that approximatly half the traffic I see on the highway has US or Canadian plates. Mostly California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, but I've see a few from places as far away as Alaska, Québéc, New Jersey, and even Switzerland! The US might not have been successful in annexing the Baja in the past, but it seems there is a definite invasion of American retirees at present.
The gringos seem to be much less friendly than the Mexicans. Most of latter give me a friendly honk or wave if they are in the oncoming lane. Some of the truck drivers are especially enthusiastic, honking, then waving with their whole arm hanging out the window, a big smile on their face. Although I did also get a similar reaction from a couple of surfer girls from California, who then even turned around and chased me down to offer me a cold drink and ask about my trip.
After arriving in Loreto and wandering a while, I went into a small bar near the water advertising a half-price drink happy-hour special. Pretty empty when I first went in, but it quickly filled up with older North Americans. Once again, I spent more time talking in Spanish with the two Mexican women staffing the bar than I did with the gringos. Both of the ladies were friendly and helpful, answering some of my questions about Spanish, and recommending restaurants and other things to see and do in the area.
Today was a rather grueling day on the bike, even though I left most of my gear behind. I cycled out to the Mission San Javier and back, about 75 km, nearly all of it on bumpy, unpaved roads. Much of the afternoon was spent grinding up hill in my lowest gear. But the scenery was spectacular: narrow and rocky canyons, towering mountains, innumerable tall cacti, verdant canyons filled with fruit trees along streams, a waterfall, and even a cliff face with a few prehistoric pictograms painted on it.
All without having to worry about high-speed traffic. Or much of any traffic really. Probably only saw a dozen cars the whole time.
The mission was also interesting, and the church was still in good shape, even though it had been completed in 1758. I wandered the grounds for a while, then talked to an old Mexican woman in the church who lived close by, before having a quick lunch at the only restaurant in the small village. I then hurried off to make it back to Loreto before dark, bouncing down the bumpy road as the shadows lengthened, wishing for once that I had a full suspension bike.
One thing I've noticed here in Mexico is that I'm having problems with dogs chasing after me, acting very aggressively. If it were just the dogs, it wouldn't be so bad, but often the dogs are combined with overtaking traffic, so I have to worry about avoiding the dog without being run over by an SUV.
I've also noticed that approximatly half the traffic I see on the highway has US or Canadian plates. Mostly California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, but I've see a few from places as far away as Alaska, Québéc, New Jersey, and even Switzerland! The US might not have been successful in annexing the Baja in the past, but it seems there is a definite invasion of American retirees at present.
The gringos seem to be much less friendly than the Mexicans. Most of latter give me a friendly honk or wave if they are in the oncoming lane. Some of the truck drivers are especially enthusiastic, honking, then waving with their whole arm hanging out the window, a big smile on their face. Although I did also get a similar reaction from a couple of surfer girls from California, who then even turned around and chased me down to offer me a cold drink and ask about my trip.
After arriving in Loreto and wandering a while, I went into a small bar near the water advertising a half-price drink happy-hour special. Pretty empty when I first went in, but it quickly filled up with older North Americans. Once again, I spent more time talking in Spanish with the two Mexican women staffing the bar than I did with the gringos. Both of the ladies were friendly and helpful, answering some of my questions about Spanish, and recommending restaurants and other things to see and do in the area.
Today was a rather grueling day on the bike, even though I left most of my gear behind. I cycled out to the Mission San Javier and back, about 75 km, nearly all of it on bumpy, unpaved roads. Much of the afternoon was spent grinding up hill in my lowest gear. But the scenery was spectacular: narrow and rocky canyons, towering mountains, innumerable tall cacti, verdant canyons filled with fruit trees along streams, a waterfall, and even a cliff face with a few prehistoric pictograms painted on it.
All without having to worry about high-speed traffic. Or much of any traffic really. Probably only saw a dozen cars the whole time.
The mission was also interesting, and the church was still in good shape, even though it had been completed in 1758. I wandered the grounds for a while, then talked to an old Mexican woman in the church who lived close by, before having a quick lunch at the only restaurant in the small village. I then hurried off to make it back to Loreto before dark, bouncing down the bumpy road as the shadows lengthened, wishing for once that I had a full suspension bike.
posted by Matt at 20:34
1 Comments:
That sounds like a brilliant day Matt. It's interesting to see how other travelers will react to you. Nice to see California Girls are keeping up their pleasant reputation!
- Molly Ann
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