Day 148 to 153
| December 1st to the 6th, 2007 |
On the way to San Ignacio and Mulegé.
December 1st, 2007.
So, we decided to push a little and take Mexico 1 to reach San Ignacio tonight.
We get off the trail near Vizcaino.
Guess it was true when folks told us it was unusual to get rain here...
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El pompistador! (Price of one litre of regular: $0.67) |
The good thing about riding on the road is that you get to see all kinds...
We finally get to San Ignacio in total darkness. France notes that the tail lights
are'nt working on the trailer.
"Normal, says Marc, I did'nt plugged them back after the other days crash. That
way, if it happens again, we won't break the wires...Anyway, we fit perfectly in the crown
that way, half the cars have no tail lights either!"
We look for the Rice and Beans all over town. Our friend Jim recommended we should eat
there. The place is'nt very easy to find in the dark and with so little indications. After
asking a guy (who only spoke Spanish, of course...) for some directions (Yes, yes, guys
ask for directions too...When their spouse is insistant enough...), we finally find the
place. It was worth it! Not only is the restaurant nice, the also have rooms!
"How about a warm night, out of the wind, Honey?...That'd be cool!"
As we shut the engines, we hear someone shouting:
"Hey! Hi there! You're the 2 Canadians that are riding their quads from Canada to
Cabo, right?? We heard about you in Kingman, Arizona! Welcome to Mexico!"
Inside Rice and Beans. Think they dig the Baja race?
It's a done deal for tonight! (Pic was taken the next morning).
December 2nd, 2007.
San Ignacio is an oasis in the middle of the Baja desert.
We were surprised by this environment...Just a couple of miles before, it was nothing
but cactus and rocks around us.
The San Ignacio Mission was established by the Jésuites in 1728 but, we owe this
beautiful chuch to the Dominicains who build it in 1786. With lava rock walls over 3 feet
thick, it is still in such a great shape that masses are still celebrated here, every
Sunday.
Click here or on the church to see
inside.
Nice little "downtown".
Under the trees of the "Zocalo" (central place).
Leaving San Ignacio, we ride on Mex. 1 to Santa-Rosalia, where someone said we should
check out another pretty special church... We share the road with the cars and trucks that
drive hammer down. Fortunately, speed limits are pretty low (80km/h)... We keep a steady
pace at 50mi/h, and with a strong side wind, every oncoming truck throws a load of sand
and gravel to our face... Minnie does'nt really appreciate, but , she stays put, on the
seat, behind Mommy... Gooood Puppy.
It's not the trips most exciting part. It just comes with the Adventure...
The "3 virgins volcano", far left, in the background.
This the "side road" we could use...Trust us, not as easy as it looks...
We travel across the mountains via Mex. 1. The curves and very very steep hills up and
down this road turn it into a challenge for the travellers. One of those hills is called:
"Hells' hill"...
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Mexican Road service. |
We have the utmost respect for Mexican truck drivers. Earning your life on such a
road (the only road around...) is quite an accomplishment! here are sections of the road
that are still only 9 feet wide and the trucks are 8.5, not counting the mirrors!!! Every
day, travelling on those steep hills and around these sharp curves, they play with their
lives. Hats off!
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Welcome to Sta-Rosalia... |
| UNRELATED:
Do not hurt the panels??? |
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Here, in Baja, there are hundreds of tire repair shops, you see all kinds.
Here's one along side the road coming into Sta-Rosalia. |
The Santa-Rosalia zocalo is ready for Christmas.
And here's the church we talked to you about earlier.
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A pre-fab church! |
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Designed by Gustave Eiffel (yes, yes, the same Mr. Eiffel), built and put
on display in Paris in 1887, it was took apart, shipped here and rebuilt from 1895 to
1897. |
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Inside. |
Santa Rosalia was waiting for us...
One last look over our shoulder to Sta-Rosalia. Normally, a picture never renders
justice to the beauty of a place...Here, exceptionally, it's the opposite...
We set-up camp just a few miles south of town. It's the San Lucas RV Park. There's no
beach here. People come down mostly for the fishing. Many Gringos are here for the winter.
We'll be safe here!
Polaris
Industries - Canada
Polaris Industries - USA
December 3rd, 2007.
We continue south towards Mulegé trying to find a route along the beach. Note that the
wind still did'nt die down...
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''Come on, Minnie, don't stay there, those birds will invite you for
lunch..'' |
Soon as we're back inland, the wind lifts the dust pretty bad.
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It's a little strange to see those cows through the cacti !! Not quite
the way we thought the desert would look like. |
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''What's wrong Minnie? Don't worry, Marc should be here soon... I wonder
what's holding him...'' |
After a short potty stop, Marc jumps back in saddle and starts his engine...Well, he
tries...He turns the key and...Nothing...
"Ah?!? Euh...Is it in neutral?...Yes...Maybe if I squeeze the brake?...No, still
nothing...Hummm..."
He tries, again and again, nothing. No lights, no speedo, no juice nowhere...And he
sees France going away...
"Maybe I touched the emergency OFF switch without noticing
it...ON-OFF-ON-OFF-ON...Still dead...Shit! What if I try to hold the switch between the ON
and OFF position? One more try...Yesss! It works! YOUHOU!!!"
Soon as he lets go of the button, it dies...
"Oh Oh... I have to hold the button in between the ON and OFF position for it to
work..."
He finally makes it to where France is waiting for him. He explains the situation.
"This might take a while to fix. It's pretty serious. I don't have a spare switch
so, we're going to have to fix this one, and I have no idea what the interior of it looks
like..."
At least, we're not too far from Mex. 1 so, if worst comes to worst, we could pull the
quad (and the trailer) back to where we were this morning.
Marc begins to take the switch bloc apart and...Crack! The switch breaks in two...Oh
Oh...That's not good...
As soon as he opens the switch bloc, all kinds of tiny springs, metal balls and
electrical contacts fall on the footrest and in the sand...
"Whoa! Not sure this was a very good idea anymore...Even less sure I can put all
that back together...Provided we find every part back... Who knows where they all
go??"
"At least the problem's obvious. Thanks to all the extra electrical equipment we
added, a plastic holder overheated, distorded and the contacts did'nt touch anymore.
"
After 3 hours of looking for tiny parts in the sand and many tries at putting the
puzzle back together, we try starting the quad and...
It works! YAHOOO!!!
Even better, the lighs and the override button also works!! COOL!!
"I never thought we could find all the parts, never mind putting them back
together!"
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Here's the cluprit. |
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The contacts are put back in place and held there with silicone since the
switch is broken. We only hope it will last...
2000 miles...
to Yuma... |
 
Yeah ! A successful repair !
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But will it last?? 2000 miles??? |
| Bof... |
Pavement, pavement and more pavement... |
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A change of plan. To make sure the silicone hardens completely before we hit Mex. 1
again, we head for a safe place for the night.
Punta Chivato, a millionnaires' paradise on the sea of Cortez.
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How to loose hours looking for a campground...
Follow the arrow...It will take you straight to some millionnaires' home, where you will
get dirty looks from rich folks that don't want to be bothered...But where's the
campground? |
Here's the campground!! At least it was worth looking for! A very private spot, on the
beach!
December 4th, 2007.
A super nice sunrise after a super windy night (another one...). The tent and
everything else is covered with sand... Sad...This could have been a really nice spot...
But the beach is so much less appealing when it's cool and windy...
Back on the road across the mountains again. Each time we start Marc quad, we wonder:
Will it start? Will it not?? (since the repair).
...And here we are in Mulegé. We set-up in a campround, under the palm and date trees.
Mulegé is another oasis in the desert. A river is a rare sight in Baja.
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Date trees are beautiful trees. |
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Date season is ending soon. The trees are full of them. |
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Minnie is so exhausted she falls asleep like a baby in Marcs' arms. She
too, does'nt sleep too well when the wind howls all night... |
Tonight, a romantic dinner at the El PATRON. A place recommended by our friend Jim.
Incredible how this guy knows all the cool places. Great food, great margaritas,
unexpensive!
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The Notre Dame de Santa-Rosalia de Mulegé Mission. |
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A great deal of Baja's history revolves around those Missions. |
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This church also is still used today although it was built in 1766. |
Mulegé surprises us by it's cleanness.
Its' narrow streets were'nt made for large vehicules. We feel right at home on them
with our quads.
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Unrelated:
"Come on! throw one more on there, there's still some room!!! |
We liked the El Patron so much, we had to come back!
Still cool but very different in daylight.
A nice ocean side lunch.
Yessss! Finally! The wind died down! After over 2 weeks of chivers and sand between the
teeth, we have nice weather!!
...T.B.C...
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