As dawn approaches, the anticipation of the next several days wakes me out of a sound sleep. Today our group will continue riding south with our stop being San Ignacio with whale “touching and interaction” tomorrow.
Walking down to the waterfront of the Old Mill Hotel led us past many pieces of the old machinery that the English had used around the turn of the century. Some of the old jetties were also visible along the waters edge of San Quintin Bay.
The restaurant opened for breakfast and from traditional Mexican to American, the dishes delighted all palettes (the fresh squeezed OJ is fantastic).
A bike photo is always a “must do” so we rode our bikes through the walkways and onto the dock in front of the restaurant, the Molino Vieto.
A sea lion was just beyond us on the dock in the bay, curious as to what all the commotion disrupting his sunbathing was.
Back on the road riding south with our next stop being the Baja Cactus fuel stop in El Rosario and the iconic Mama Espinoza’s, open since 1930 when Anna Grossa Pena opened the doors of her home to business. This restaurant is where many Baja racers stop, was the first checkpoint of the 1st Baja 1000 and is on the turn where the road heads inland to the mountains and the next “real” fuel stop in almost 500 kms.
Heading south from this point on the “Devil’s Backbone” to Guerrero Negro there is a small town called Cataviña. This section of Highway 1 and is a great section of asphalt with twist, turns and elevation changes. Be on the lookout for slow moving or stalled vehicles on the steep sections as the road is a narrow two-lane without shoulders in areas. Cataviña has a nice hotel, the state run Hotel Mission Cataviña, and restaurant. Gasoline is available out of a 1 gallon can in the back of a pickup truck. We all stop to look around the hotel and get a gallon of gas.
– Carla and Paul getting gas
There was also a neat little park out in the back of the hotel.
– Carla, Sharon and Melanie
We crossed the border into Baja Sur, crossed into Mountain time and headed to San Ignacio, where we will be staying the night. Our first choice, the Ignacio Springs Bed and Breakfast, which is a yurt village on a natural hot springs, is full. The people who run it, Terrie and Gary, are super hosts and find accommodations for us up on the main road, for about 300 pesos a night, set up our whale watching excursion for us and invite us back in the morning for a fantastic family style breakfast.
Dinner for the evening will be at a restaurant just off the main square of town, Tootsies. The meal is good, but pricey, more than most meals in the Baja. For another option, try the street vendor on the square near the church. She cooks excellent food for a very inexpensive price. Grab a beer from the other corner and sip while munching on your carne asada tacos.
– view from the street vendor
Greg “WANDRR” and Melanie
2WANDRRs 
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