Biking South through Baja: Thoughts, Notes, and Stories

After successive days at the sea-side towns of Camalú, Vicente Guerrero, and San Quentin, I rode back into the mountains with my companion, Andre, for what would be two days of difficult and slow mountain riding. Leaving San Quentin, back roads adjacent to huge farms eventually led to the beach where we rode for several miles over the damp, compact sand alongside the Pacific Ocean. After several miles of easy riding on the beach, we returned to the back country roads and continued to Ejido Nueva Odisea where we stopped at an excellent Cocina Michoacana to grab a meal before sojourning into the looming mountains. I admit that I was not terribly excited to go back to the place where my bicycle would struggle the most to traverse but almost a week in the country had given me the confidence I needed to tackle the challenge. Our goal was to spend two nights camping in the mountains and slowly make our way back to Mexico Highway 1 where we would ride the rest of the 78km to Cataviña by paved...

The last two days have both been tough. Yesterday was tough and despairing. Today was tough and hopeful. A strange dichotomy where the mood can swing up and down just like the climbs and descents of the trail. I'll start with yesterday. The initial 10 miles were, once again, mostly pleasant and quick with the exception of the steep and sandy climb out of Santo Tomás. After a bit of hike-a-biking, the ride became more predictable as I passed through more abandoned and somewhat abandoned cattle ranches (saw some cows with tagged ears so someone must be watching for them?). While the road was a mix of compacted dirt and corrugated rock, I moved fairly quickly across the farmland and between some peaks I was happy to not be climbing. Sooner than I thought, I got my first sight of the Pacific since leaving San Diego! I had a nice lunch of cookies and crackers. Little did I know how dour the mood was to become. Descending down was, once again, a challenge I'd rather not of had to tak...

Tough ride today from Ojos Negros to Ejido Uruapan. After having a fantastic night of sleep in a local motel, I felt ready to go and the ride started great as compact dirt rides made for a fairly easy and enjoyable 20 miles out of the valley and into the mountains. I rode with my friend Andre who is a much better and experienced cyclist than me and also had the advantage of actually having tires big enough to ride somewhat more comfortably. We entered another mountain range and the climbs became very steep and tedious to navigate. We climbed for about 2.5 miles to an elevation of around 4100 ft. Aside the steep incline, the ground turned to sand and jagged rocks and I fell over a few times trying to make it to the top. Usually, finishing a climb means there is a nice descent to enjoy; while there was a descent it was not nice or relaxing. The trail down the mountain required some serious technical mountain biking skill, which I have none. I spent a lot of time walking the bike ...

Day 3 started with some pretty sandy track that my skinnier tires found difficult to navigate through, but eventually the ground became more compact and I found my rhythm. I started the ride with me new friend Andre, from Quebec, who is retired and does a few cycling trips a year. He is on bigger tires and so he was able to ride a bit more quickly and went on ahead when we began to climb some initial hills along the way. Eventually, we reunited at the top of those few climbs and then began a glorious descent through some old ranch land nestled between the mountains that we had been summiting the day before. While there were a few more climbs during the day, the story of the ride was one of pleasant descents as we slowly made our way down from 4500 ft above sea level to about 1000 ft. More sandy track on the descent required caution on my speed and braking but I still managed to enjoy fun, fast, and easy descents. I also ran into an actual stream and used my water filters to fill u...

Day 2: Into the Land of Doubt and Despair Day 2 was without a doubt one of the most difficult days of effort of my life. To put it in perspective, over the course of nearly 9 hours of either riding the bike, pushing the bike, or resting, I only made it 20 miles. You can do the math. It's not good and it's real slow. A nice and easy downhill to start funneled me into an ancient river bed where the ground below me was either sand or jagged rock. What was initially flat-ish riding turned into steep climbs (talking 10-14% gradient. That's pretty steep). I was constantly dismounting the bike and pushing it up these climbs as I made my way into the mountains and into higher elevation. While I was not pleased with how much time I spent pushing, I resolved to carry on. After what was a pleasant but small descent into some wide open ranch land, I soon had to contend with another climb up a mountain. This climb was 3 miles long and ascended over 1600 ft. I was hot and already exha...

Good news! After three days on the trail, I can say that I am surviving! Barely. I'll get to it, but to put it one way, there is no bunny slope when it comes to cycling this country. Without further ado, a recap! Day 1: Tecate to Cañon Manteca I could tell I was a bit nervous as I tried to maneuver to correct building that housed the immigration office. My wonderful hosts in San Diego, Joe and Taylor, had driven me to the border where I was to set off. After finally going back and forth between immigrations and the bank across from it (where I had to pay for the tourist visa) I finally passed into Mexico. The trip had started and if there was ever a time to turn back, it was now. I did not start well. Almost immediately after turning onto the first busy street in Tecate, my sandals which I had lashed to one of my bags flew off. I had to double around (safely) and then wait for a break in the cars to grab them and re-lash them to the bike. After a few busy streets, Tecate made sure ...

For the last time for at least a month, I envelope myself in the comfortable embrace of a warm bed, in the land I was born in. Mexico awaits to be trodded not by my foot but by my wheel; if only I could maintain a veneer of the triumphant confidence of that phrase. In reality, I have sensed creeping fear prickle my skin and shiver my imagination in an ice-bath of anxiety and nervousness for the unknown that awaits me tomorrow. The truth is that I am prepared as best as I could hope to be. I gave this endeavor great thought and time as I planned these past two years. I understand the challenge that biking Baja California presents, yet the trepidation I feel burrows inside the marrow of my bones, betraying the confidence and strength I have tried to groom. Dramatic? Perhaps. The rational side of me, that slow-thinking System 2 that understands reason and fact and knows that dozens of people, if not more, travel the length of Baja every year without incident, struggles with that e...

At the heart of this entire experience is the bicycle, and so I put much thought and research into what I wanted to ride the Baja Divide with. While there are so many options that I could have selected, I ultimately chose the Tout Terrain Outback Xplore to serve as my home for the next 30-40 days while I traverse the entirety of the Baja Peninsula. Tout Terrain is a German company which specializes in touring and adventure bicycles which are sort of the perfect combination of mountain bikes and road bikes. The frame is made of steel to support the kind of weight that must be carried on long distance tours around the world. The Outback Xplore's frame is particularly unique in that the rear rack, on which my sleeping gear and the rear saddlebags are hoisted upon, is pre-built as a part of the frame. This feature ensures I won't need to worry about the frame falling off (as attached frames are wont to do if not secured properly). The most attractive feature, however, and t...

I arrived in San Diego two days ago, having survived what amounted to be a pleasant cross-country trip by train. One thing was certain: I could not wait to get a shower and get the real or imaginary train grime off of my body. I am lucky to have some great friends in the San Diego area who have been propping me up for the past few days (shoutout to Teresa and Eric!) and I have been eager to unpack my things and re-pack the bike in preparation for the trip to Baja. All of the boxes I had forwarded a few weeks ago from DC made it to San Diego and so yesterday I spent the morning and afternoon packing the bike and tinkering with different configurations to try to get the weight and balance just right. I am concerned that my pack weight is a bit heavy (I believe I'm somewhere between 70-80 lbs worth of gear) so I spent some time cutting down on superfluous gear (goodbye coffee mug and French press). Today, I paid a visit to REI to grab some of the remaining gear necessary for the...

I survived the first night in coach reasonably well, managing to sleep off and on, finagling myself into various contortions to try and find the best position of comfort from which to sleep. If my head was comfortably placed, then my back was just slightly twisted, giving off the sensation of annoyance like a fly that won't buzz away. But all was well during the morning as I ate my oats and strawberry yogurt for breakfast and prepared to pull into Chicago. About 20 minutes prior to the station, this passenger, who I suspect is deliberately nomadic, pulled out what was either a trumpet or French horn (I couldn't see) from his jumble of army green travel bags and began to serenade the cabin. He was neither a virtuoso or a novice, but for a few brief moments the conversational noise of the cabin subsided as the other passengers just listened. I met with reasonable temperate weather at Union Station in Chicago and was very pleased that I was able to store my bicycle and bags ...

As I write this, I am seated at Seat 49 on the 51 Cardinal Amtrak to Chicago, departing Union Station in Washington, DC en route to Chicago, the first stop of this three-leg journey to San Diego. The true skimping starts now as I prepare myself mentally, emotionally, and physically for nearly 72 hours in Coach. Maybe I should've upgraded to first class and squeeze out the last privileges of civilization at the behest of my own comfort... Yesterday was the first real moment of anxiety as the reality that I was set to leave fell over me like a heavy rain. Not to say I was depressed, but the induced motion of my plans finally lurching forward into action like the lurching of the train forward into the tunnels beyond Union Station. Time and anticipation are funny in that you start to miss the people and things you haven't yet left, simply due to imagination stretching out into a soon-to-be realized future. I miss Papa, our Pug, and Van Gogh, the cat. I miss the friends I...

       For those in my inner circle and for many outside of it, y'all may be aware that I have been planning a bicycle trip for nearly two years.  In a flash, two years have passed, and the time to make good on my wild proclamations of Choose Your Own Adventure: The Bicycle Addition, has come at last.  While many of my original plans (more on this in the future) were ultimately amended and compressed, I am pleased to announce that I will be embarking on a 1,700 mile trip through the Baja California, Mexico by bicycle in just a few short weeks.  The trip will begin November 22, last between 30-40 days, and will traverse the length of the Baja Peninsula and the deserts, mountains, and beaches that it comprises.        I've never written a blog before.  Never thought I'd start one.  Don't really care who does or doesn't read this.  I wanted a method of chronicling this trip, from the planning to the execution, and m...