baja, part 1

la paz to el cien (100km) to cuidad constitucion after our first of many uncomfortable nights in baja's sweltering august heat, we awoke in the dark to start our first of many rides on the peninsula. not 10 minutes into the ride we faced our first of many tijuana road signs, indicating it was a long, long way to the border, and then passed through our first of many military checkpoints, where our panniers were searched to make sure we were not trafficking weapons, drugs, or people. soon after the checkpoint, we began our first of many tough climbs over the sierra la giganta, battling our first of many strong headwinds. in short, in a mere 2 hours we experienced much of what baja would be for the next several weeks: an expanse of heat, tough mountain passes, barren desert hauls, blistering headwinds, and military checkpoints. awesome.

with little to distract us on the road except cactus, we were making good time to el cien (so named because it is 100km from la paz) when bridget got a stubborn puncture at kilometer 97, delaying us in excruciating midday heat. in el cien, as we attempted to cool off in the shade provided by the village bus shelter, on impulse we flagged a passing bus, which carried us to ciudad constitucion. it was only our first day of riding in baja and already we were boarding a bus to escape the extreme temperatures. not good.

ciudad constitucion, in the llano de magdelana (magdelana plains), is the "agricultural corridor" of baja sur, but we were hard pressed to see anything growing other than desert shrub. we arrived at 3:15pm, when temperatures were raging in the 110s, and found an RV park, locked and deserted (after all, only idiots visit baja in the summer months), but the shopowner next door seemed confident the owners would return later in the evening. we jumped the fence and made ourselves at home in the shady compound (shade!) and when the family returned hours later they were more shocked to see we were cycling in august than that we had invaded their property.

ciudad constitucion to puerto escondido (121km) leaving constitucion we continued through the magdalena plains for 50km, heading east and back again to the sierra la giganta, which we'd have to cross again to gain access to the sea of cortes. it was on this particularly barren stretch of desert that we encountered our first touring cyclists in over 2,000 miles. out of nowhere, on a horizon blurred by heat waves, appeared four german cyclists--fools like us-- cycling their way through baja in august. motivated by the sight of other cyclers, we continued our pass of the sierras, which ended with a 12km winding stretch down to the sea. made stoic by the heat, we cranked out a last 20km of coast and arrived in puerto escondido and, desperate for shade, we set up camp on the grassy lawn of an RV park office. in the late afternoon sun the jagged ridgeline of la giganta was cast in a warm, pink glow, giving sudden life and beauty to a mountain range that is otherwise menacing in the white heat of the day.

after another uncomfortably warm night we woke ready to bust out an easy coastal ride, 27km to loreto. along the way we watched the sun rise over the water, perfectly still in the calm, early morning except for large patches of ripples from whatever marine life grazed underneath. we stopped in loreto for the day--too early into our baja ride to be taking a full day off, but resupplies are hard to come by on this peninsula and it was too late in the morning to push on in desert heat. and besides, we needed to talk strategy for tackling the next 1000km in sweltering heat. after assessing our bus, hitch, and even rent-a-car options, we chose the most economical and determined solution: a heavy and bulky 6V spotlight. the flashlight cost us 2-days worth of food but it would allow us to start our rides 2-3 hours earlier in the cooler, pre-dawn hours of the day. loreto, it turns out, would not be the last time we seriously considered aborting baja altogether on account of some combination of intense heat and environment or debiliating fatigue. but for all its wicked inhumanities, the desert pulls you in, sucks the life out of you, and somehow leaves you begging for more. and so the ride goes on...

loreto to playa el coyote (108km) out of loreto, a rolling terrain took us slightly inland to cycle the wild and rugged peaks of la giganta, again. with several desert rides under our belt we knew the importance of pushing hard in the cooler morning, and for 3 hours, uninterrupted by conversation or even thought, we rode hard. after some strong climbs we finally saw the southern shores of bahia concepcion--we aimed to camp for the night on the northernmost beaches. at noon, please to have knocked down 90km with "only" 18km more in our day, we took advantage of a rare peice of shade on a high bluff overlooking the many blues of the bahia. what suckers we are! forget view, shade, or calories--it was a mistake to stop and those last 18km proved to be one of our most difficult sets yet. at 1pm we climbed up and down the sierras, which run in a steeply frantic ridge right on the water's edge. bridget, who was losing it fast to inexplicable fatigue that would do on for days, had to be coaxed most of the final leg by abby, stronger than ever despite heat and incline. but if ever there was a place to encourage serenity and recovery, the cool and breezy blue waters of bahia concepcion at playa el coyote is the one. after cooling off and setting up camp we entertained the inevitable stream of visitors, usually men, who approach us out of curiosity. in loreto, as we camped out on public beach, it had been 3 friendly (drunk) americans from portland. this time our visitors included the military, led by peter, who was tickled we had so enjoyed his home state of oaxaca, and next manuel, the area green angel who we first met in passing on the highway but who now came to our campsite with gifts of a gallon of cold (!) agua pura and trident gum. also camping nearby was an outgoing and comedic group from tijuana, who had been fishing off bahia concepcion all week. to rudy and "salsa" , if you're reading, thanks for the much needed dose of U2--bono is still in our head so many kilometers later. perhaps we'll see you for a bullfight in tijuana.