Baja Divide: Vicente Guerrero to Bajia de los Angeles
Day 10 – 29 Miles / +1645 ft gain
We arrived in Vicente Guerrero knowing there was an inch of rain in the forecast. This much rain can saturate the usually dusty roads creating a thick mud which resembles sticky peanut butter. The mud will quickly accumulate on the tires and immobilize the bike. We really didn’t have an option other than to wait for the rain to fall and then the roads to dry.
We realized there was another town 29 miles away on what the guide called “mellow dirt roads” (a phrase never used in this route), so we decided to try to make gains before the rains and push to San Quintin.
As described, the route was mellow as we passed acres of farmland which we learned is where Driscoll berries are grown. By noon, we had made it to San Quintin. As luck would have it, we stumbled upon Hotel Real del Cora which was 600 pesos / night for an adequate space to wait it all out. As nightfall came, so did the storms, and we watched the downpour from the comfort of our room.
Days 11 – 13 – 0 Miles
We spent 3 0-mile days doing a whole lot of nothing. About an inch of rain fell within 12 hours, but then the sun resumed shining and drying out our route. Jeffrey, who we met at the border, caught us in San Quintin. Not much to say about these days other than watching movies, internetting hard, and being antsy in our pantsies to keep riding.
Day 14 🎄 – 38.8 Miles / +2562 ft gain
We were more than ready to resume riding, so we headed out on Christmas morning. Our route took us out towards the Pacific coast on a ride through the salt flats. We saw a few avoidable puddles, but overall the route was rideable. Eventually we arrived at Mision Hotel right on the beach. Here we filled up on water for the next 65 miles and started riding directly on the beach.
Next the route took to the hills as we slowly ascended through miles of dirt roads through acres of tightly packed cacti. Eventually we saw some standing water and thick mud we did our best to dodge. We each took a turn riding through mud we shouldn’t have. Thankfully we were able to clean it off and keep moving, but it was a clear sign that we definitely made the right choice by waiting. Several times we had to dismount to walk around mud puddles playing a weaving maze game through all the cacti.
As we gained elevation, the flora changed to a bit more shrubbery than solely stabby plants, though we did spot our first several cardon cacti. We ended the night by a bog as the frogs sung us to sleep.
Day 15 – 45.1 Miles / +4090 ft gain
Our day began with a hike a bike uphill. A lot of the morning was spent with short stretches of riding followed by hike a bike. We crested a hill to find 2 abandoned bikes with no riders in sight. A quick inspection indicated their bikes were clogged with mud indicating the riders had no choice but to walk out about 30 miles towards the highway. We rode downhill pondering their impossible decision.
A super steep stretch filled with boulders brought us to the high point for the day. We were a little discouraged that we had only covered 17 miles by 11:30 am, so we kept our break short and pressed on. We had another half mile or so of hike a bike, but thankfully the terrain changed to rideable.
Slowly more and more cirios trees dotted the landscape accompanied by giant cardon cacti creating a whimsical backdrop for our ride. We were nothing but joyful to be cruising at a gentle downward slope. At one point I caught myself singing the Mario star power theme as I glided through the desert.
After lunch, we resumed our ride with some rolling hills on a wide desert road. We pulled over for an oncoming truck who slowed down. “Quiren cervezas?” Now that’s some Spanish I do know. Giddy, we had a road beer and pressed on. Another truck passed about 15 minutes later and handed us each a Gaterade.
Around 4:00, we arrived at the intersection with the highway and a roadside truck stop. Our route guide indicated a small store and restaurant, but what we found was a picnic table and a nice man with a few cold drinks for sale. We sat outside and ate our dinner, and he offered to let us camp there for the night. We graciously accepted and went to bed pleased with our 45 mile day.
Day 16 – 45.2 Miles / +2425 ft gain
We began our day at sunrise with a brief 6 mile stretch down the highway. We resumed riding on dirt with a little confusion about where the route was headed. A nice gentleman saw our struggle and pointed us in the right direction, assuring us it was ok to pass through the private property sign.
The road was chunky but relatively flat with a few pointless ups-and-downs (PUDs). Most of our day was spent with little elevation change as we crossed a wide valley between mountain ranges.
Day 17 – 19.7 Miles / +975 ft gain
The first few miles were littered with rocks creating a slow and bumpy ride. Suddenly, we crested a pass, and our route turned into a pleasant ride surrounded by the various cacti biosphere and rounded boulders. We weren’t quite ready for our backcountry ride to be over when we arrived at the highway 6 miles north of Cataviña. The off route resupply was essential for the next section so we headed to town. We decided to spend the night in a hotel to clean up our gear and get ready for the next section which included 126 miles between water sources, the longest dry stretch of the trip. We loaded up each of our bikes with 11 liters of water and 2 full days of food + a few extra snacks for the ride.
Day 18 – 58.4 Miles / +3802 ft gain
At sunrise, we began retracing the 6 highway miles back to the route. We hit the dirt and happily resumed our ride through the fascinating flaura specific to the region. We were both giddy with those “I love bikes” feelies as we glided through the desert. We came upon a shaded picnic area and made some cold instant coffee to drink with cookies excited that we had already covered 22 miles by 9:30.
We continued our ride and found another picnic area at 11:00 am and decided to take an early lunch, pleased with 35 miles complete. After our break, we resumed riding towards the coast. The route diminished into more of the rule of the Baja than the exception we had experienced earlier. We enjoyed a break on the beach and then set off on a series of steep and rocky ascents and decents. We found a campsite tucked near a grove of Joshua trees and settled in for the night pleased to have covered 58 miles.
Day 19 – 51.5 Miles / +2763 ft gain
Our day began with an explosion of color at sunrise as we rode near the coast. Our ride was a series of stretches of coastline followed by ascents to plateaus on bluffs, then back to the coast as we followed a series of surfbreaks known as the Seven Sisters.
At one point, we saw that our route was totally flooded. We searched for an alternate route which led us into deep mud coating our bikes, shoes, and morale. We probably spent an hour navigating a half mile of terrain. Que será será.
After scraping as much peanut butter mud off of our bikes as possible, we resumed riding the same pattern of bluffs and beach decents. After a break for lunch, we turned onto a new road and were suddenly riding a consistent pace. We gleefully flew down the wide gravel road passing increasing numbers of vehicles. Late in the afternoon, we came across a sandy dune with around 40 vehicles so we stopped by to check out the scene. We found dozens of surfers enjoying their winter holiday camping and catching waves. Kristin spotted us and greeted us with coconut water, a perfect refreshment for our ride. After a break we rode for a few more miles and called it a day.
Day 20 – 55.4 Miles / +2634 ft gain
We continued following a wide road out of camp towards Santa Rosallalita with some sections of washboard, erosion, and chunky rocks. It was a great feeling to have 20 miles done by about 9:00 as we entered town. The surf village had 1 restaurant who made us a vegan version of chilaquiles (breakfast nachos) which we ate while staring at the surfers. As we left town, we passed a final group of surfers and enjoyed about a 10 mile stretch of mostly mellow riding coast adjacent.
After a quick snack break, we headed east towards the hills on a super chunky road. It was a mostly rideable 7 mile stretch, but holy heck. We reached the highway and headed shortly northbound towards the small town of Rosarito for a 1 day resupply before continuing on our route. Leaving town, the road was washboarded but the landscape was awe inspiring as cirios trees reappeared with a backdrop of square top mountains in the distance.
Day 21 – 44.7 Miles / +2166 ft gain
We took off at sunrise under a mostly cloud covered sky towards Mision San Borja. This church was built in the 1600s in the middle of the desert near a spring. We ran into a couple from Utah on a road trip through Baja and also met Angel, the Mision caretaker. With the clouds looming, we decided to make our stop brief as we wished to reach Bahia de Los Angeles before the rain.
The road varied from chunky rocks to deep patches of sand and some washboard, but was almost all rideable with the beautiful cacti biosphere in front of a mountainous backdrop. We crested a pass and began a downhill ride towards a highway that would lead to town. At 12:15 we hit the highway leaving only 12 miles to go. The final 8 miles were all downhill as we sped joyfully into town. At last we got our first glimpse of the Sea of Cortez. We were enjoying beer with incredible views in the early afternoon still logging nearly 45 miles for the day. We tucked ourselves into a hotel before the rain hit, which was thankfully short lived. Somehow we’re nearly halfway through this incredible ride.
Vicente Guerrero to Bahia de Los Angeles
- 8 Days Riding + 3 0-Mile Days
- Miles Ridden – 387.8
- Miles / day average (without 0s) – 43.1
- +23062 ft gain
- +2562 ft gain / day average (without 0s)
Total Stats
- 18 days of riding + 3 0-mile days
- 734 miles ridden
- 40.8 miles / day average (without 0s)
- 34.9 miles / day average (with 0s)
- +51919 ft elevation gain
- +2884 ft gain / day average (without 0s)
Infinite Geography 
Another riveting episode in your amazing adventure! So many great photos that all deserve “likes”… but there are no “like” buttons. I loved the Tecate trail magic! So smart to put feet up and let the mud dry… mostly.