Bahia de Los Angeles & Catavina Mar 29-30

Leaving the oasis we made it back to the car in good time, which had me thinking we'd get to Bahia de Los Angeles with lots of time to spare. Mexico had other plans. We hit the paved highway and drove south, enjoying the silky smooth road...for about a mile. Almost immediately Highway 5 turned to dirt and we were back to the slow grind. I wondered how long 25 miles of driving could really take. We only rarely passed traffic. Road crews were also rare. The regions did pass through some nice granite desert landscapes. At one point the road had a left turn signed for Coco's Corner while the wider road we were on appeared to continue straight. We continued straight, very soon realizing we were driving an unfinished future highway! I tracked our progress on my phone- we were definitely veering away from the existing road but if all went well it looked like we would rejoin in about 8 miles. No road blocks in sight, we drove on. A military caravan approached from the other direction and signaled to stop. I thought for sure they would tell us to turn around but despite the difficulty communicating it was clear they did not want us to turn around. They waved buenos dias and we drove on. The road began to climb the hillside. Within about a mile of the current road rocks blocked our path but a freshly tracked two rut dirt road seemed to branch off in the right direction. This took us to within the view of the road and with a little more navigational effort we rejoined the road and the rest of the cars. The adventure was not quite over with another 5 miles or so of slow construction and then a further 5 miles to the junction with Carretera Federal 1 near Laguna Chapala- what a relief! Highway 1 still was a mixed bag in terms of road quality- a mile of potholes, a mile of yesterday's pavement were interspersed but we now made pretty good time driving through the desert. We turned off on the road to Bahia de Los Angeles, our best road yet and some of the nicest desert.

We managed to make up some lost time so two-thirds of the way along the road to Bahia LA we turned off onto some sandy 4WD tracks for an 8 mile detour to the Montevido pictograph site, which by all accounts is one of Baja's hidden gems. Two miles shy of the pictograph site we encountered a new ranch gate with a large no trespassing sign. At that exact moment we also encountered a large group of hikers that said the sign was less than a couple weeks old, that they hiked past a couple ranch hands that did not seem to care about their presence, and that the pictographs were well worth the hike. We didn't quite budget enough time for a hike and so we turned around. We stopped in the shade of a saguaro long enough to fly the drone around over the expansive forest of saguaros and boojum trees.

Our first view of Bahia LA was stunning, but also disappointing. Numerous colorful deserted islands protruded from a deep blue sea but even at a distance of several miles I could see a heavy wind swell and current. We made it this far so we might as well have a quick look around town and drive to the tombolo north of town where we had planned to packraft a couple miles across open water to Isla Smiths where we would have our pick of isolated picture perfect beaches to camp on. The view and strong wind at the put-in beach said it all: nope! Things were not quite working out in our favor today! We spread out our map on the cobble beach and contemplated our options.

Rather than suffer through some windy campsite nearby, we decided to use some of our remaining daylight to finish off some of the drive back north. We'd try to find a place to pull off somewhere in the desert near Catavina, which is exactly what we ended up doing. Pressed for daylight we camped only 1200ft off the highway, our vehicle partially out of view thanks to the largest saguaro around. The camp was nothing special but served our purpose well.

In the morning we stopped to check out the Catavina cave paintings which were great- colorful, creative, and well-preserved. Then lots of driving! We drove through at least four distinct desert vegetation zones and I enjoyed the changing landscapes. It was a nice surprise to find out a few more cacti and succulents varieties I had in my yard were native to Baja. We passed through more military checkpoints. We had grand ideas of lunch in Ensenada, not fully appreciating how long 100 km could take to drive. Only about 15 miles south of Ensenada we hit a major construction zone with the highway closed for about 30 minutes to opposing traffic before we were able to proceed. At this point we decided we'd try to cross the border this afternoon rather than tomorrow. One of us calculated times at this point and determined we would be back in Riverside by 7p at the latest...We aimed for a food place on the north end of the city but on arrival found out they were basically closed. We drank a smoothie and drove onward along the coastal toll road to Tijuana.

Tijuana turned out to be one of the worst driving adventures I have had. We followed signs and maps to the main border crossing only to find out the way was blocked off forcing us to circle back almost to the coast. For our second try we blasted on past to the Otay Mesa crossing instead. At least here we found the right line easily enough but the line of cars crept just as slowly- about 2 hours to go 1.5 miles. It sucked as expected and was after dark by the time we finally entered US soil. We beelined for my favorite Mexican restaurant in San Diego, the only Mexican food we ended up having on this trip as it turned out.

Oasis de Santa Maria Mar 28-29

I was looking forward to this one and it easily exceeded my expectations. While initially planning this Baja road trip I carefully scanned Google Earth for places of interest and came across this remarkable oasis. Further internet searching pulled up a few accounts, mostly of people visiting it as a day trip from the end of the Santa Maria mission road ("one of the roughest in Baja") and a couple doing it as an overnight trip down the canyon. The photos of the oasis looked stunning, the canyon below also very scenic- it looked to be a true Baja natural gem. Given our route, time constraints, and that I had no intention of rock crawling, I instead came up with the plan of an overnight out-and-back trip from the canyon mouth on the east. This would require a 4 mile drive off the pavement and then a 5 mile hike up a sandy wash that would gradually turn to bedrock scrambling. Accounts I could find were not very detailed and I did not know much else about the spot. Was it likely we would run into other groups? How easy would the road be? How slow would the rock scrambling section be?

Leaving Guadalupe Canyon we drove back north through the Laguna Salada, east around Mexicali, then south along the Gulf of California. San Felipe seemed like a laid back resort town. I was surprised by the number of developments (and dreams of developments) on the coastal dunes south of town. The further south we went the more commonly we saw large Baja saguaros. Leaving San Felipe environs the road rapidly deteriorated to surprising levels. A major storm at the start of the year had took out nearly all of the highway, forcing us to slowly jostle along a rough grade adjacent while road crews worked to rebuild countless bridges and culverts. We debated stopping at Puertocitos to check out the hot springs but we were a little behind on driving and I was perfectly happy to continue driving open road rather than interact with people. South of Puertocitos was one of the most incredulous stretches of road I have ever driven: a brand new modern highway with yesterday fresh pavement but extensive rockfall on the road and more than half of the bridges with big gaping holes in them requiring long elaborate detours. You'd be cruising along the highway at speed only to notice a few large rocks deliberately blocking a bridge. Dirt tire tracks would be the only indication of the detour, which would take you down, around and then back up onto the road at the other side of a collapsed bridge. This stretch of road took forever to go 60 miles but was certainly entertaining. The new hints of construction suggested no improvement over the engineering that failed in the previous rain event. 

Eventually we made it to our nondescript turnoff and slowly clanked across sandy alluvium darting around mature ocotillos. The road got sandy towards the end but we were able to make it to my best case scenario parking spot. There were no other cars around and only moderate recent use of the road evident. Although we had done some pre-packing at Guadalupe the night before, I made final choices in the shade of the one tree around. I shouldered my pack and delighted at the light weight despite ample water and luxuries like a hammock. We locked the car and hiked up the resistant (sandy) wash. 

I followed my nose along a faint trail probably jointed created by cattle and hikers which tended to traverse older alluvial surfaces rather than the modern wash. These surfaces had spectacular cacti forests- some of the most mature ocotillos I've seen, senita old man cacti, and cardon saguaros. The further up the canyon we went the more prevalent the patches of afternoon shade, which were much appreciated. After only two miles we began seeing palm trees and the first patch of following spring water filtering into the sandy wash. I had not expected to see water for another mile or two so this was a welcome sight. Though we were in a hurry to get to our destination before daylight ended, a quick touch to the water revealed wonderful temperatures should we stop anywhere along the way. The water was a beautiful green that formed a great contrast against the creamy granitic rocks.

The canyon narrowed, twisted and turned, and the walls increased in height. The mixture of sand and boulders allowed for pretty easy routefinding around the water to keep feet dry. The pools became deeper, the vegetation lusher. We made good progress. I thought the hike would just be a slog to get to a cool destination but was pleasantly surprised at the changing desert scenery.

The last 1000ft before our destination bedrock increased in the channel and the terrain slowed us down some. We scrambled across a fresh bouldery rockfall, bypassed a few deep pools, traversed a few nice bedrock benches, and contended with a couple upclimbs (including one pack pass). I knew we were close on the final stretch when we encountered great dipping slabs of jointed bedrock as I had seen in a few photos. Because of the dense vegetation, approaching the oasis pool came rather abruptly. It truly was a breath taking spot.

I dropped my pack and worked to make the most of the last light of the day. Scouting a spot for the tent, kitchen, and hammock. Snapping photos from a few vantages. Checking out the native succulents growing through cracks in the rock. Wading across the pool to climb up the oasis' waterfall to view it from above. 

Tent pitched and dehydrated meal eaten I settled in for a relaxing evening of hammock, stars, and amphibian chorus. We even had a ringtail cat climbing along rocks overhead, watching us with curiosity. The frogs were evenly spaced a few feet along the entire shore of the pool, croaking away. We had a lazy morning as I wanted to ensure to see the oasis with direct light. I went for a brief swim and also went for a long barefoot traverse above the pool. This was my first upclose look at some of the decidely alien boojum trees, an upside down carrot of a tree related to an ocotillo. I wish I could have stayed longer (and in hindsight given we would be blown out of our kayaking plans probably should have) but wanted to get the hike done with maximum shade and minimum heat.

The hike back was straightforward now that we had the best route down. It took us a little under 2.5 hours get to back. Thankfully we found the car as we left it. We drove on south for more Baja driving adventures.

Guadalupe Canyon Mar 26-28

It's a big world but some places are worth repeat visits. Guadalupe Canyon is a wonderful place for its beauty and relaxation. Though a private campground it is well laid out so each campsite feels apart from the others. Their strict "no music" rule is a good one too. After stocking up on provisions at the Mexicali WalMart, we drove across the Laguna Salada flats and then turned towards the steep western escarpment. We drove through a weird movie set in progress, onward up the rocky road into the canyon. We got situated in our campsite El Sol easily enough which had a castle-like palapa and commanding views of the palm oasis and Cerro Rasco upcanyon. A neat stairway led just below to the private hot pool sheltered against some young palms. I fiddled with the plumbing to be sure it would be suitably warm by the evening. 

After setting up camp and snacking we decided to hike up to see some of the waterfalls. We took an indirect way through the camp along the creek before joining the trail across the high terraces. The wildflowers were excellent and I probably saw over twenty varieties. We passed one couple and their dog and saw no others. The going was a little rougher than I remembered. With care I was able to keep my feet dry. The trickiest part is probably just below the third waterfall. I had been up above the third fall the last time and knew that this was an obvious place to hang out on the rocks before returning. We braved a quick swim in the cold pothole of the second waterfall before heading back to warm water! On the way back I found some nice pictographs beneath a large boulder. The rest of the evening was spent enjoying the comforts of our camp. Overnight the winds became near violent but the temperatures were pretty comfortable. 

        First waterfall

        Second waterfalls

        Third waterfall (Pool of the Virgin)

Obnoxious dove calls started the morning. Our second day there I opted for a rare relaxing camp day rather than a rough and tough ascent of Cerro Rasco. Despite over 30 campsites with private hot pools and it being spring break, the camp was near empty which was nice. I lounged in the hot pool and hammock and walked around camp checking out all the empty campsites for future favorites. In the afternoon we walked to the first waterfall for a quick swim. The another nice evening in camp. I can't remember I time I took it so easy...it was nice if unsettling!

We got an early start on the third day aiming to make some considerable miles to hopefully get to an out of the way oasis. A missing rubber bushing caused considerable noise on the car as metal bounced against metal. Despite two attempts for a repairing fix I could not get it to stay and so we limped on.

Palm Canyon Mar 25

Finding some free time before I needed to be in Mexico I was looking for something to do between Riverside and Mexicali. Between the warm day, the "superbloom" craze, and the fact that it was a weekday, it seemed like a good opportunity to go to the canyons on the land of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, which I had not been to since a kid. We started off with the one mile loop trail at Andreas Canyon. The alluvial fan provided great views of the San Jacinto Mountains and were completely floored with at least a dozen varieties of wildflowers. The shaded creek beneath the palm groves with mylonitic cliffs towering overhead was a delight, especially considering the lack of people. The creek temperature was a little cold but pleasant enough to wade through.

We then drove on to Palm Canyon, first taking the short stroll to the West Fork Falls before walking up Palm Canyon itself. The falls were nice but what was really impressive was the mud coating on boulders 30+ feet above the canyon floor indicating the extent of a relatively recent flash flood. Palm Canyon was not that crowded at this point in the day but unfortunately we did not have all that much time to hike before the canyon closed at 5p. We hiked through the dense initial palm grove, past the warm spring and across the creek to where the trail deviates down the dry trough of the east fork. Here we chose to boulder hop and wade our way up the wet gorge instead. Canyon tree frogs were everywhere, the water temperature was comfortable. We only had time to go about 1500 ft up the gorge before needing to turn back but it was far enough to see some nice waterfalls and sculpted rocks.

We arrived at the parking lot 5 minutes to 5p, late enough to have the ranger complain but left before several other groups. After Palm Canyon and a dinner in Palm Springs we improvised a plan to camp closer to the Calexico border crossing. I had been curious to check out the Pumpkin Patch, a multi-acre field in the center of the Ocotillo Wells state vehicle recreation area where concretions to two feet across weather out of old Colorado River silts in proliferation. We camped nearby and walked among the concretions in the early light. They were nicely spaced to play an easy game of "the floor is lava." I've seen bigger and more interestingly shaped and textured concretions but the density was unlike I had witnessed.We drove on through the border crossing, stocked up at Calexico's Walmart, and then drove on through the Laguna Salada to Guadalupe Canyon.