Well I just lost the last post that I was working on because I ran to take a picture of the parade that was going by. Today is a Mexican holiday (sorry I don't know which one and don't have access to google), so the town is pretty much shut down today. I'm writing this on Friday morning at breakfast in the center of Santa Rosalia.
Back to the ride, we rolled out of Mama Espinosa's at 7:30am. We turned left out of the parking lot and immediately started seeing the Baja that I've been dreaming of. There was no traffic, we hit some amazing mountain twisties, then got on some long straights. While in the twisties it was nice and cool, but when we got into the desert straights it heated up VERY fast.
On the way to our lunch stop, we pulled over on the side of the road and got gas out of a barrel in the back of a guys truck. It was awesome!!!
We stopped in Guerro Negro for some fish tacos out of a taco truck on the side of the road. Joe said they were the best fish tacos that he'd ever had and I have to concur. Those tacos were incredible!! The fish was breaded and the seasoning was amazing. I was a bit concerne that I would get sick due to my dietary restrictions, but it ended up being fine, so the tacos were well worth the risk!!
After leaving Guerro Negro, we headed towards the San Ignacio mission. Before you get to the mission there is a small oasis with a volcano set in the background behind it. Stunning is the only word you can use to describe the view. I wasn't able to get a picture of it, but I will see if I can borrow on of the guys pictures that was able to snap a pic. The mission was incredible and there was a service going on while we were there, so I didn't go inside to take pics, but I snapped one of the outside.
On our way out of San Ignacio we lost one of our Johns when he took a wrong turn as we were on our way to the gas station. We looked for him for quite a while before half the group headed up to the hotel while a few stayed behind to look for him some more. When we rolled up to the hotel, there was john sitting on the front porch waiting for us!! He had taken a wrong turn and just kept going instead of turning around. We didn't lose John!!
So the main group got to the hotel and we checked in and got settled. When the other guys finally showed up it was already 7pm and we were all starving. We decided to head out to dinner in the main square at 7:30pm. Half of us headed out on our bikes while the other half took taxis so they could enjoy a few beverages. The square was packed due to the holiday, so the policia helped us park so we could eat. We sat down to eat and there was a huge crowd across the street, so a few of us went over to check out what was going on. A local acting company was putting on a live show with a bunch of Disney medleys. All of the children in the entire town must have been there and they were LOVING the show! It was awesome.
So we ate dinner, headed back up to the hotel and I tried to sleep, but I was wired and couldn't sleep. When I went to set the alarms on my phone, both phones were reading 12:00 so I panicked thinking that my phones had reset. I frantically tried to work the TV to see if there was a clock, but it was some fancy programming and I had a tough time figuring it out. After about 10 min I got to a local channel and sure enough my phones were right. I set my alarms for 6:30am and then tried to fall asleep. No go. I think I finally fell asleep around 2:30ish.
My opinion on the bikes after day 2: we had these bikes at top speed for hours on end in 90+ degree weather running through the deserts and we have had no problems with them. These things are champs. I also have my first bike that I can move around without having to get on it and duck walk it. I am feeling so comfortable on this bike and am falling in love. The more time I spend on it, the more I appreciate it. It continues to impress me with the build and quality. I have nothing but praises to sing about this bike right now.
Oh, and I supported a local artist in San Ignacio and have officially "girlified" my bike now. Flowers on the mirror.