Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur
Breathtaking sunrise was a wonderful way to start the day. It was going to be a longer day to get to my next destination, Guerrero Negro. Grabbed breakfast at Hotel Oasis’s on-site restaurant, loaded Rebel, and was on the road by 9:00a.m.
The terrain and landscape variety was amazing. I rode through a little bit of everything. From desert and cactus as far as you could see, to mountains, to riding along the coast of the Sea of Cortez.
Had to ride through a number of sections of road construction. The hurricane season was damaging along the coast, especially in Santa Rosalia. Road construction involves a detour into the sandy ditches. A couple of times the sand grabbed my front wheel, trying to dump my bike. Grateful that although I had street tires and not knobbies, I was able to keep the rubber side down.
Guerrero Negro Fully Booked?
It was late afternoon by the time I rode into Guerrero Negro. I had tried booking a hotel online the night before but had no luck. Crossed my fingers that I would find a room when I arrived.
I tried four hotels and all were fully booked. Not a room to be found. Apparently there was a dignitary coming into town. It was getting dark and I was starting to wonder if I was going to have to sleep on the ground beside Rebel. My last try was at Hotel Cowboy. Thank goodness, they had a couple of rooms available. I didn’t care how many pesos it was at that point. The hotel room was dated, but very spacious. And I was able to park Rebel off the parking lot and in a more secure area beside the stairs.
Once Rebel was tucked in, and me settled in the room, it was time to go find some food. While walking to the gas station down the block, I noticed a coffee shop, Caprichos Coffeehouse, across the street. On the way back to the hotel, I went over to Caprichos Coffeehouse and ordered a Santa Fe salad and latte to go. The latte was wonderful and the salad was absolutely delicious. A definite must go to when you are there!
The next morning, I was off to San Felipe to meet up with friends. The highway was eerily quiet and there were major rain clouds in the distance. About 45 minutes into the ride, the rain started. Low spots started to have pooling water. Hoping it wouldn’t get much deeper.
For the first time in my entire time in Mexico, I was stopped at a Military Checkpoint. At every other one, they waved me through. It was intimidating because I was alone, and there was a number of soldiers standing around at the Checkpoint. They asked where I was going, where I was from, and why I was traveling alone. After I filled them in on why I was traveling alone, they waved me on.
Highway 5 to San Felipe
The rain finally stopped after over an hour. Thank goodness!! Just after turning off of Highway 1 and onto Highway 5, there were a couple of pick-up trucks selling gasoline and a sign that read next gasoline was 220kms. I had my full jerry can with me, but decided to fill up at one of the trucks. They charge premium prices at that location hahaha.
I stopped at Rancho Grande for a snack and rest break. There is a gas station across the highway which I topped up at.
Highway 5 had a number of large, paved pull-offs. The first I had seen on Baja. I noticed two other riders and bikes at one of the pull-offs. We had a great chat sharing our adventure stories and contact info. Judy and Kurt came from San Felipe and were heading to Guerrero Negro. Two more riders pulled in for a rest and joined in the conversation. These riders were residents of San Felipe just out for a ride.
That pull-off was 70 miles from San Felipe…not too much farther to go…
