As previously pointed out in part one of this trip, Guerrero Negro is the halfway point on the trip to the southern tip of Baja California. It’s a quiet little  one road town with a population of around 15,000. We stopped in for a quick bite to eat but Guerrero Negro was not our final destination for the day, Ojo de Liebre or Scammons Lagoon was.

Ojo de Liebre is a winter breeding ground for grey whales and is a Unesco World Heritage site but to get to it you have to cross a major salt flat. There’s a campground located here but I can’t really say how much it costs as no one ever showed up to collect a fee. It’s safe to say it would not be more than $10 as there were no facilities to speak of and the washrooms were pit toilets. You can watch the whales from the beach but to get a good look at them you really should hire a local guide to take you out. One that comes recommended is Malarrimo Eco-Tours where, for $50, you get a 3 hour tour….a 3 hour tour. (little Gilligan’s Island joke there)

From Guerrero Negro it was off across the peninsula again, this time aiming to camp somewhere around Mulege. The drive across the peninsula takes you once again through stunning desert and wonderful landscapes with a break halfway across at the town of San Ignacio. Like most towns on Baja California, San Ignacio is a one road affair but is a refreshing place to stop for an ice cream or a cold drink and stretch the legs. San Ignacio is a literal desert oasis with an underground river bubbling to the surface and providing water for the dates that are grown here. There’s also an old mission located here and tours to nearby cave paintings if you want to hang out for a few days.

The next town of note is Santa Rosalia, an uneventful town from our perspective although we really didn’t explore much. You can catch a ferry from Santa Rosalia to Guaymas on the other side of the sea of Cortez. A further 50 km’s south brought us into the town of Mulege, another oasis in an arid desert. The town is fed by a stream that drains off from the hills that surround it, allowing for beautiful palm trees and flowers to grow along its banks. We loaded up on a few supplies here at one of the local stores and then went in search of a place to camp on the far side of town.

There were many campgrounds to choose from and we ended up picking one that was sheltered in a little bay. There was no name on it, just a bunch of RVers from Canada and the U.S., but you’ll see a lot of these spots along this stretch of road. Each camping spot had its own palapa looking out over the bay and I would have loved to spend a few days here as it was an ideal location but the draw to head “mas sur” was strong and we had to leave early the next morning. We never did pay for the site as no one showed up to collect any money from us. In fact, we rarely seemed to pay for these camping spots as we were in late and out early. It wasn’t for not wanting to pay there was just no way for us to pay.

As always, we had a late dinner and an early breakfast before hitting the road for the last, and longest, leg of our trip. It was Todos Santos or bust and it was a long haul in the bus. The road follow the coast to Loreto where it climbed high into the mountains and began to switch back until eventually leveling off and heading back across the peninsula towards Villas Insurgentes and Ciudad Constitucion. There is a side trip available from here on Hwy Mexico 22 that heads to the coast and some lovely pristine beaches. While I didn’t take the trip  this time around from what I’ve seen it certainly looks like a worthwhile detour.

It was dark by the time we entered La Paz so we didn’t really have time to look around so we continued south. The highway eventually forks creating a loop that works its way around the southern tip of Baja and back up to La Paz again. The narrow roads, fast drivers and lack of visibility made this stretch of road the most nerve wracking on the entire trip south but we were so close to our final destination that we had to persevere. Within the hour we had arrived at Todos Santos with our final destination being a campground about 10 kms past the town just outside of Pescadero. I’m not sure how we managed to find the turn off but we did and after trudging down a sandy road and past a fence we finally arrived at our destination, a small RV park on the coast.

Not knowing where to park we followed the lights of a fire on the beach and asked some surfers where we could find the proprietors to book a site for the night. The jovial response was, “Duuuude, this place got trashed by a cyclone last year so the owners packed up and left. Park where ever you want….there’s a groovy spot just over there.” That’s what I get for purchasing used guide books but as it turned out this place was ideal. We setup camp and immediately crashed for the night.

The next morning we awoke to the sounds of waves crashing on an expanse of beach that stretched for miles in each direction. The bus was parked on a small rise surrounded on one side by a stream and on the other by some trees. It was perfect and the cost to stay in such a lovely place was $0. We had arrived. We setup a proper camp with a tent for Colin and an outdoor shade structure to cook under and then went for a swim. The water was like a tepid bath and the waves were huge. There was a break here that the surfers made us promise not to tell anyone about.

After getting all our gear organized and unpacked the two of us went back into Todos Santos, a quiet little tourist town that is not obnoxious in its attempt to cater to the greenback. We stocked up on food and rented a surfboard forabout $10 per day. The smaller, more local town of Pescadero had a small store as well for items like ice and beer so it wasn’t necessary to make the long haul into Todos Santos every few days. All in all the location was ideal and we couldn’t have asked for more. There was plenty to explore in the area including some more beaches with great little surf breaks, cantinas and vendors selling food but at our beach in Pescadero all was quiet and relaxed.

On one day we decided to head into Cabo San Lucas, primarily to take care of some banking but also to have a look around and perhaps grab a drink at Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo. We lasted about 15 minutes there due to the constant onslaught of touts vying for our business. Cocaine, beer, weed, drinks, whores. It was all thrown our way.

“Would you like to come in for some lunch?”
“No thanks. We just ate.”
“Then eets time for a driiiiiiiink!!!”

Ugh.

After a week camped out at our little paradise we made our way north again. Having driven only the main highway we had only scratched the surface of Baja California but it was a grand adventure nonetheless. Aside from the resort of Cabo San Lucas we enjoyed every leg of the trip and the people of Mexico were friendly, helpful and kind. The scenery and topography changed often enough that the drive was well worth the time it took and we never lacked for anything.

On our return trip we met one of the most colourful characters on the entire route. He was an overweight local is some small town outside of Guerrero Negro who had a stall on the side of the road. We were looking for a coffee so he put the kettle on for us and dug out the instant Nescafe. He didn’t speak any English so as the kettle came to a boil he asked if the two of us wanted “azucar” for our coffees. Yes please. He then asked if we wanted cream as well. Please again we replied to which his face lit up and he burst out, “Cow or bull???”, and then proceeded to belly laugh for the next few minutes giggling to himself, cow or bull.

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