Baja Nomads take a desert tour from El Rosario

The squarecircle, Surfer Jim, Bob H, Hook, Frigatebird, Santiago, Baja Nomad, Nicolita, Neal Johns, follow David K and Baja Angel on a drive into the Baja desert.

El Cardonal : 30°8.09′, -115°33.68′(WGS84)

At the site of an abandoned ranch next to a large cardón forest, we mix it up.

The Baja ladies are chatting (Audrey H and Baja Angel).

The cardonal a few miles east of the El Rosario bridge, near where Arroyo San Juan de Dios joins the El Rosario river valley.

BOOJUMS!

Nothing quite is like a boojum tree for letting you know you are in Baja!

CUESTA LA VIBORA

The one steep 4WD grade is called ‘La Vibora’ (The Rattlesnake). Hook is doing very well with that big camper on a hairpin turn, in the distance!

Beer Stop

Santiago checks the caravan. ..

More great cactus gardens… GIANT BOOJUMS (Cirios) and CARDONS!

The La Vibora road runs along the mountain ridge between two large arroyos. Here is the view north to the El Rosario/ Los Mártires arroyo canyon. The view south is to the Arroyo San Juan de Dios.

One of several casual stops along the way.

EL SAUZALITO : 30°5.95′, -115°21.94′

Our caravan arrives at the former copper mining center, just a few miles north of Highway One.

The main building seems to have been the mess hall…. Kitchen chimney still stands. Small sleeping rooms were nearby.

El Rosario Festival: Industrial Expo

Examples of local industry products were on display at the Baja-Rosario Cultural Festival ’05.

The squarecircle’ samples the exotic sea food while a young man is looking at the photo displays.

Baja Style Dinner

We join Bob H, Hook, Baja Nomad, Baja Cactus, and their families for dinner Saturday at ‘La Bocana Beach Restaurant’, located in front of the Motel Sinahi. Excellent food…

Sunday Baja Nomad Breakfast

Antonio (‘Baja Cactus’) invited all the Baja Nomads who came to the festival for a special thank you meal served in his motel lobby. Photo of David K & Baja Angel from Baja Andy.

Baja Nomads enjoying a special meal at Baja Cactus Motel.

Nomad Group Photo at Baja Cactus

Connie and Dave of the Ensenada Gazette also joined us.

Petrified Forest Tour!

One of the many activities during the festival was a guided hiking tour (with a van ride to the trail) to El Rosario’s petrified forest.

The pieces kept getting bigger the further we hiked!

The petrified forest is inside Diamante Del Mar property. But, they kindly invited festival guests to visit the site (with a local guide).

Baja Angel and I really enjoyed this hike. The petrified wood was everywhere… Please take only photos, so it remains so.

Baja Cactus Motel, El Rosario

Ultra modern accommodations at the edge of the central Baja desert! http://www.bajacactus.com/ Tuesday morning we head east, across Baja…

Side trip to Agua Dulce

The historic spring, on the old Camino Real is only 2 miles from Highway One. The photo shows the pre pavement main Baja road heading south and my truck on the access road coming from Hwy. 1.

AGUA DULCE : 29°52.98′, -114°49.42′

Elizabeth at Agua Dulce… Turn north from Hwy. 1 between Km. 160-161 (29°51.56′, -114°50.35′). Go 1.4 mi. to old Baja main road (previous photo), turn left for 0.3 mi. then right 0.3 more. Hike into gully.

Coco’s Corner

We leave Hwy. 1 at Laguna Chapala and turn northeast towards Gonzaga Bay. Coco’s Corner is a traditional ‘must stop’ to have a beer with Coco and sign his guest book.

The road north to Puertecitos is graded and easy to drive… There are some rocky sections, but nothing to stop any pickup truck.

An attraction at Cowpatty’s Cantina, just north of Puertecitos… some kind of “historic site”!

We set up camp on Shell Island, and have a beautiful sunset across the full lagoon and behind the Baja mountains.

Wednesday Morning

We have the entire island to ourselves!

The Sea of Cortez is warm like a bathtub, day and night… today it was smooth as glass.

From the top of the sand dune, you can look to the north end of Shell Island… Laguna Percebu is on the left.

We drove into San Felipe and found this four wheel drive ‘cantina’ serving alcohol on the beach… We had a Coco Loco… Mexico, what a country!!!