Central Baja: (Stage 5)
The next few days I would be riding through the center, about 230
miles until reaching Guererro Negro, where the road meets the Pacific Ocean
again. It was nice to sleep in a bed and be well rested by the morning, only
the roosters could have been a bit more sensitive with calling the time. After
a hearty Mexican breakfast next door, I was back on the road by 9. Efficient
packing is another bonus of sleeping in a motel, as nothing is wet and can be
stowed away rather quickly.
The landscape turned from rocks and dirt to boulders and giant
cactuses as I got closer to Catavina. Basically the surroundings started to be
littered with those Mexican Giant Cardon, or Elephant Cactuses, which are only
found in Baja and the state of Sonora on the mainland. They are the tallest
cacti in the world and can grow to a towering 60 feet or more, with trunks of over
3 feet in diameter. The Cirio tree is also a specie that is unique to the same
area; it as well can grow up to 60 feet, but with a trunk diameter of less than
a foot, that makes it look like a flagpole.
The date for the Baja 1000 off-road race was getting closer and with
this an increased traffic of support vehicles racing up & down the highway
to meet their racecars pre-running the course. This time leading up to the
race, there seems to be no more traffic rules all together, not as there are
too many safety enforcements to begin with. I got to talk to German ace driver
Armin Schwarz for a while, as the crew was loading up his ride. On race day he
broke down with a defect in the power transmission after being in first place
and didn’t make it to the finish line, joining a long line of others. . . .
I was glad to roll into Catavina, a small village surrounded by a
natural cactus garden and more boulders. Sitting at an elevation of 1841 feet,
a very basic campground at the south side of town, with food and water to be
purchased, it was a good place to stock up as I was running out of supplies.
The elevation and morning fog made it a bit chilly getting moving; and with the
temperatures in the low 50’s, an extra layer of clothing had to be put on. The
pretty southwestern scenery continued, although a couple of summits of 2700 and
2200 feet had to be mastered. Again the distance between towns was too far to
ride and another camp in between the cactus had to be setup before reaching
Guerrero Negro. During the last stretch I had beautiful tailwind and a brand
new smooth blacktop road, which made riding a delight aahhhhhhh. . . . Just
north of town is the 28th parallel, which divides Baja North and
South and the time switches from Pacific to Mountain.
The town itself is pretty dead until the tourists arrive to see the
whales sometimes in January - February. There are tours, to see the giant salt
mines, but as I was the only tourist, they didn’t bother, although it is the
world largest salt mine producing 7 million tons per annum.
The proximity of the Pacific Ocean could also be felt, with a cold
wind blowing at all times. This time for once, it was a welcomed wind and from
the right direction as well, catapulting me past the Vizcanio desert, (which is with a landmass of over 55,555
square-miles the largest wildlife refuge in all of Latin America), to San
Ignacio.
The timing was perfect as the Baja 1000 was passing through town in
2 days. I set up camp at El Padrino Campground just outside of town, where
there was a great corner to watch the race pass by.
The extra day I spent exploring the historic site, an oasis with
date palms planted by the founding Jesuit missionaries in 1728. The church
started by the Jesuits was completed by Dominican missionaries in 1786 and is
still the center piece of town today. On race day the first motorcycles started
to come by around 9 pm and this little town was crawling with people now, as
one by one of the racers passed through, although spaced out by about 20
minutes at first. In between, I took a couple of naps throughout the night, as
cars, quads and bikes raced through town. By noon the following day, only a few
stragglers passed by and the crowd had dispersed, returning the place to its
normal peaceful self. . . .
Until next time...
Tony Bike
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