San Luis Obispo to La Paz (Baja Sur) - March 2024

Enjoy the pics, etc.,

I'll do an overview of the trip highlights and add some of the pictures I took along the way, as well as discuss some of the trip logistics, and bits on navigating the 'intricacies' in Baja - in addition to the actual navigation across the peninsula.

I'll also write about how the taco, and various other bits of equipment performed along the way.

I took off from SLO heading South, of course. - But I'll start my account from around the San Felipe area since all is quite well-known above that location...

My plan for the trip was to take my time and cruise down to La Paz - where my wife and the boys would fly down to meet me.

While on the way, I wanted to scope out spots I had not previously explored, and to visit some favourite spots from long ago. The boys only had a week off from school for Spring Break, so to be productive, mom and the boys would fly to La Paz and we would then focus on visiting the La Paz surroundings and traveling to the East Cape.

My total trip distance (driven) was around 2,600 miles.

Besides wanting to take advantage of this great neighboring adventure asset (Baja), the trip arose as I was looking at chartering a Sailboat (bareboat) to cruise around the Sea of Cortez on the water (this will have to be next time!).

- I wanted to check out the boats beforehand as I did not get great confidence when talking to the folks over the phone...


I spent a night in Ensenada and on the 'real' start of the trip, I went East over the Sierra to the Sea of Cortez.

Ensenada has grown lots. It was not so easy to navigate my way out of town anymore!

Baja is not quite all desert. These (pictured) are pretty impressive mountains. More snow would come to these slopes before the end of March (my return trip). The snow there made for a pretty, and quite cool crossing for me. Spring is not quite 'hot' in Northern Baja. Summer can be too hot to enjoy. I do not enjoy heat.

The Sea of Cortez side is typically MUCH warmer than the Pacific Ocean side of the peninsula.

I wanted to head South on the Sea of Cortez coast-side since I had not traveled on the 'new' (to me) road headed south (This road did not exist when I last traveled Baja!).

I took a bit of a break for Lunch somewhere south of San Felipe. I scoped out the town briefly, as I'd not been in forever. - I lost a bit of time there as I ended up getting a very much-needed haircut... (A clue is when the barber sitting outside his shop yells "hey - do you want a haircut?!")

He did a good job - and I got a bit of local insight for my route south.

I was never quite a fan of San Felipe. It seems better now, but still - I remain happy to drive on...

I found a nice spot for Lunch


I kept going after a quick bite.



Many spots are a live geology lesson...


I'll continue on additional posts...

 

Badass my dude!!!

 

The fuel situation seems a bit better overall - but still you are well advised to keep close tabs on fuel levels and availability, and carrying extra fuel on some routes. - for yourself, or other travelers who may not have planned so well.

Need for assistance while traveling in Baja is not uncommon. The locals will always keep an eye out for folks in need of help. In Baja - it is critical - especially on the more isolated roads. Things can go south, and you can find yourself in a pickle in a hurry - especially when it is scorching out.

I had the chance to help 4 different parties on this trip On various issues.

I would often not see any other vehicles for hours at a time. It seemed I had the whole place to myself!

I hit the fuel station at Alfonsinas. I had filled-up in San Felipe and fuel at Alfonsinas is not always available.

I topped off with 4-5 gallons. This would be the last fuel available for a while as I headed into less dense areas... And especially since I planned to venture off the main roads.

I carried a 5 gallon jerry can for extra fuel reserve. It remained empty as I I estimated that my full fuel tank provided sufficient safety margin for the coming stretch.



My plan for the first night was to wild-camp at a secluded spot away population. While planning, I decided on a remote spot at Punta Final.

I was lucky in finding this great little spot. Very secluded and away from any roads. (off the highway and off a few branches off the main sand track). I would have rather spend the extra time for my haircut here instead of San Felipe, but oh well...
I hope to come back here in the future.


I set-up camp and had a surprise as I started to prep dinner. Space X had a launch at that time. It made for an amazing sight for dinnertime entertainment.



I continued on the next morning after a great night's sleep.

On my way out I ran into a young couple who had ventured a bit too far into the soft sand. They were onto their second day stuck there at that point. they were quite happy to see me.



Their efforts to get themselves out over that time had netted them some 50 feet in the deep and very soft sand.

I gave their light VW Bus a yank out of the latest hole they were in, and then a tow towards more solid ground.

I then had them follow me and I kept an eye on them until they made onto the paved highway which was not that far away.

I was glad to help - but it was a ding on my schedule... Haircut the day before, a rescue this day.

I felt bad for the guy. - To say his wife was not happy is a huge understatement. I'm sure he's still getting an earful...

Some of the scenery from later that morning as I took a track which was a part of the original old (unpaved) road heading south.
It is definitely tough terrain to build a road through:


There are many places (farms, ranchos, mission sites) that remain interesting but are off the beaten path either because they were established before there was a road, or were bypassed as the 'new' paved road took a different route.


I had planned on only driving 4 to 5 hours a day. This, only so I would have enough time to avoid being rushed and casually take detours, meet folks, have lunch / snacks, and poke around interesting places I ran into. - And also to account for any impromptu adventures which you often come across in Baja...

 

More coming shortly...

 

Awesome adventure and awesome pics.

 

Bro! Punta final clear water it’s breathtaking! I still remember that place from my childhood.

 

The roads heading South on the peninsula are certainly not freeways. You need to pay attention as there are potholes at random locations to ensure you remain awake. Vehicles with flats due to hard hits are a common sight.

There are some road segments which were not quite built with the greatest quality control / care. You can see these segments are riddled with potholes - sometimes kilometers at a time.

It is difficult to navigate some of these stretches at more than 5mph! (Worse that an off road track!)
Most of the time you are just swerving like an F1 driver across both lanes to find a line through the potholed mess. Then it improves and you are back at speed...

The road also varies in width depending on where you are. There are some quite narrow segments where even the Tacoma seems massive. Two semis going past each other will use every inch of the road width. Again - all is well as long as you are paying attention.

I heard lots of stories about lost side mirrors...

The spectacular scenery does not help in keeping your eyes on the road! (Sorry for the bug splats!)

This area was pretty green with all the rain over the season and the last couple of years.









At this point (After crossing a long segment of flat and 100% straight road segment through the desert, I am approaching the boundary to the state of Baja california Sur.

This state is the lower half of the peninsula, while the State of baja California Norte is the top half. - You can see how naming can get confusing if you start talking about California in the US. As this would have been "Alta California" (Upper California) back in the day - but now these have areas known as Norther California and Southern California, etc...

 

There are large stretches of unpopulated peninsula at various points. much of it being dry and extremely rough terrain. A bit south of Punta Final, the road heads back inland - west across the peninsula to avoid mountains. It then continues south though a vast flat desert where the road has no need for any turns. It is long, flat & straight.

After quite a few Km of this, the road heads back East towards the Sea of Cortez into more mountainous and more interesting terrain.

My next stop would be San Ignacio which is about half way across the peninsula between mountain ranges. The town is small with a very well-preserved mission and it is located in the middle of a cool desert Oasis.

Some 30 miles before reaching the town (a dry and desolate stretch of road) I saw a (pedal) biker on the road. I ride; so I keep an eye out... And noticed some weak pedaling and then I saw the biker dismount shortly after I passed by. I found an area where I could turn around a km or two down the road, and headed back.

It was a young woman from Germany who had jumped on her bike in Anchorage. ANCHORAGE AK! and was making her way to Brazil.
- As In Rio De Janeiro!

She was doing well - but due to the late time in the day, she was pausing to get her bearings and figuring out where she was in and starting to plan the end of the day and starting to think about finding a place to camp for the night.

She was too far to try to reach any town that day. I had seen a decently clear track heading east from the main road (at the spot where I turned around) and pointed her to that as a good option for getting off, and away from the main road to locate a secluded camp spot for the night.

She was a bit low on water (as I mentioned - this is a long stretch of road with no water sources or population whatsoever.). I gave her some water from my plentiful stash and we chatted for a while before I went on my way.

My drinking water strategy
I carried up to 10 gallons of potable water with me on this trip. 4-gallon capacity in a small pressurized tank, and 6 additional gallons in a jerry-can type water jug stuffed far forward on the bed - passenger side.

I worked mostly out the 4 gallon tank, refilling this at larger towns having a water purifying plant. (A common thing in town centers in Mx) and keeping the water jug as a reserve - in case I needed a shower, for sharing, and urgencies (stay tuned!), etc.
I trust this water much more than that found in the plastic bottles. It is what the local people use. It is fresh, much cheaper, and great tasting (unlike the stuff in the plastic bottles) - AND you avoid contributing to the piles of plastic!

Initially, I thought of managing drinking water and non drinking water jugs for various uses, but since my needs were not that great, I only used potable water.

The campground I chose in San Ignacio was in the town. It was like staying in a high-end hotel! (I do have to say that wild camping in a nice spot, does not leave much to complain about!
-The camp spot had a nice shady & grassy area for me to call home as well as clean bathrooms and showers. I wanted stay close to the main square in this town, so I could scope out the town happenings... My last visit here was some 25+ years before!

I lucked out hugely with my camp neighbors too; - A young woman (coincidentally with SLO connections) exploring Baja traveling alone on her motorbike. She was set-up on one side and had her hammock on two nicely located palm trees. There was also a young couple (both Engineers) from Switzerland who shipped their first-ever vehicle (A Citroen van!) over to Halifax NS, (Eastern Canada) and were making their way south traveling for a couple of years...

Just when you think you are having fun...

We chatted in that beautiful oasis setting, and eventually, we all walked to the square for a very tasty dinner in one of the local restaurants. (The Food was excellent!)

After dinner, while on the walk back to camp, we were tempted to another restaurant on the other side of the square for after-dinner drinks. We were able to to take advantage of the beautiful night while listening to an 80-something year-old crooner who gave the whole scene just the right vibe.

We then went back to camp after that for some birthday cake!

It was a great time.


San Ignacio is quite an old town. The church building was completed in 1786 (San Ignacio De Kadakaaman - post established in 1716.) and was in use only for some 50 years - until the local folks who were not killed by disease - or otherwise, had enough and they left the area.).

After the jesuits abandoned the mission, a community developed at this place which enjoys lots of water and fertile land. This is great location. - A real oasis in the desert.

The town has a main central square / park (with the old mission building at one end) where everything happens.










- A part of the local lore of the town is that people are super mellow here. So to blend-in (maybe also due to going to bed well-past my bed-time!), I certainly took my time getting going the next morning! I could have happily stayed another night there! - maybe on the way back...

 

I love San Ignacio. We try to stop in there every time we’re down that way. There’s a little place just off the square that makes the most DELICIOUS tortillas.

 

I remember that...
I tend to stop at all tortilla shops I run into - corn or flour!

I buy a handful as a snack
Mmmm....

 

ill have to keep an eye out for your truck once youre back on slo! Enjoy your trip!

 

Gimme a yell.
- I often wonder if Taco owners I see in town are on TW.

I'm already back in SLO... Just finding time to write posts while catching-up on things. (And trying to get used to being indoors!).

 

Once I finally got going, I continued south. San ignacio is located on somewhat of a valley and counts on the watershed from this pass in the sierra mountains. We come from this large flat desert on the Pacific side to San Ignacio, and then we head to Santa Rosalia located on the gulf coast.


This is somewhat of an enigmatic town.
It was founded by the French as a mining town. \https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Boleo


After some fits & starts, the mining activities still continue.
I've always made the point to stop in Santa Rosalia for two purposes when passing through.

1.- A stop at the French Bakery - for obvious purposes.
2.- To pay a visit to Mr. Gustav Eiffel. Yes - That Mr. Eiffel.

There is less than 100% certainty, but it is quite likely that the structure used as a church was designed by Mr. Eiffel himself.
More here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iglesia_de_Santa_Bárbara_(Santa_Rosalía)

What is known is that the structure was present at the Paris exhibition, and was later purchased in Brussels by the Compagnie Boleo and shipped to Santa Rosalia where it was erected in the late 1800s.

IMO - A good Article on Santa Rosalia:
https://english.elpais.com/travel/2...city-in-the-middle-of-the-mexican-desert.html

The galvanized iron church:




It is less so today, but I remember the town having more of a European feel back in the day. Still, all the old mining equipment and infrastructure structures and buildings provide quite a backdrop. (It seems to me that at least some of this old equipment has been cleared to accommodate the growth of the town.
I made a note to myself several times to spend time exploring these old iron heaps - camera in hand. - I may have missed the opportunity.)



The old town center (with original wooden buildings) and the Famous Bakery: (now with an english sign aimed at Tourists...)





Heading out of town:

 

Alright - Sorry for the wait... Onwards.

It is some 75kms from San Ignacio to Santa Rosalia. A further 65kms or so brings you to the foot of another mountain range. The runoff from these and other more central mountains provide ample moisture for another spectacular oasis. This is the town of Mulege; the site of Mision Santa Rosalia de Mulege (Founded in 1705).

The oasis looking East:


The spot chosen for the mission is a bluff above the beautiful river (the Mission building is behind me):


This is different than the Town Santa Rosalia founded by the Compagnie Du Boleo which we visited above. Yes - there are several names that are repeated twice (sometimes 3, or more times) along the Peninsula - and even 'Alta' California. It is always good to ensure everyone means the same place when talking about places that use these common / repeated names, as this can give rise to very confusing navigation otherwise...

The distance between missions was based on a day's horse-ride for convenience. So 60-70 kms is the typical interval between mission sites. Of course, not all of them remain active, or close to the path of the main road.

The Mision de Santa Rosalia at Mulege. The rocky bluff is some 100 yards behind the mission building:


And the town across the river - which is well camouflaged in this picture:



I took a quick drive through the town center just to scope it out. Asked about the drinking water plant. It turned out I was only 2-3 blocks away. I filled-up my small drinking water tank with some delicious water, and went on my way... (It took some 3 gallons to fill; rounded-up for a total of 50 - 60 US cents - sure beats the bottles!)



At the mission at Mulege, while scoping out the mission building, I connected with an older Gent who was also exploring some of the routes I had in mind. We chatted quite a bit about our plans, road conditions, interesting spots, etc. Such connections are very helpful while traveling. I often change plans due to such interactions...

Insight gained helps avoid traveling for hours only to reach impassable or destroyed roads, or at least leaves you better informed about what you'll be facing on the way, or once you reach a certain place... you might hear of a certain festival or special event going on... this, you likely will not find otherwise.

He was traveling in a slightly more sophisticated off-roader:


He was also a Toyota 4x4 enthusiast and admired my Taco. He had noticed it parked at the front. (He had also previously owned a 100 Series Land Cruiser). He was also a sailor (- had completed a 2 year sail around Cape Hoorn (the Southern tip of the Americas), on his own boat, with his 2 sons. I also admired his ride. We had lots to talk about.

There are lots of enviable off-roaders cruising around Baja...

 

I recently went to Baja for the first time and fell in love. Obsessed with the surf fishing down there. Appreciate the post, might have to make a road trip like that.

 

Once again on the road South:



Mulege is situated just North of the entrance to Bahia Concepcion. This is a significant bay which resembles a small gulf within the Sea of Cortez.

This bay is full of secluded beaches with blue water, and there are many islands to explore. Heading South, the road heads inland for a few Kms to avoid some coastal mountains, but it quickly comes to the coast again. You come over and down the bluff to be surprised by the view form above of some amazingly turquoise waters.

The waters here are spectacularly clear and calm. As a teenager, I traveled to these beaches many times to spend days camping on these desolate beaches.

Playing on the beach, fishing, and hanging out with one, or a dozen or more other people during school holidays. There was simply nothing there - you only had what you brought with you. Fish were plentiful, I remember. We easily caught enough fish for lunch & dinner daily in the span of only a few minutes!

Speaking with some of the locals, I heard that the fish populations are now recovering after some years of heavy illegal fishing in the area.

Reaching the first beach at Bahia Concepcion: (Santispac)


The famous sand spit providing a two sided beach at El requeson: (Already with some folks in place.)



I saw some permanent structures on most of the easily-reached beaches now. Some offering food, and some even offering accommodation. - It is a bit disappointing, but understandable as I hear that these beaches are becoming increasingly popular.

I stopped only to have a quick look and find some of the spots bringing great memories from long ago, but I kept going. It was great to see these once very familiar spots.

Today was planned be one of my longest driving days - and I had taken my time chatting in Mulege and in the getting going that morning in San Ignacio!





Pretty impressive mountains there eh?? Well, I am actually taking a detour off the main Hwy and headed way up and across those peaks! (I did a double-take on my map!)

There is always time to take the slow route on a parallel off-road track!




This leaves only a short distance on the road to get to Loreto. One of the most tourist-focused destinations Since it has an international Airport.

I duck into the town only to replenish snacks and fuel-up (including filling an additional 5 gal in a jerry can as a reserve. - This can had been empty until this point).

My original plan was to spend the night in the tiny town of San Javier and then continue across the mountain range going down the west side via the off road track that follows the creek bed (when passable) to the west side of the peninsula to continue heading South on the Pacific side.

- I am also considering backtracking to Loreto and continuing on to Puerto Agua Verde on the Gulf coast... Too many cool things to do, and places to see. Decisions, decisions...

 

San Ignacio and Mulege -- two of my favorite towns in Baja, thanks for sharing!

After camping and spectating the Mil in November, my wife and I spent two nights at the classic Hotel Serinidad in Mulegé. Before the highway existed, fishermen used to fly in there (the Hotel has its own strip), fish, attend the BBQ, spend the night, lather rinse repeat. The place has the old Baja charm which new hotels are lacking. The Oasis in Loreto is another classic one which comes to mind.

 

Such awesome views from this trip of yours!

 

The Tires
How did they do??

I am on my first-ever set of Falken Wildpeak AT3w in 265 75 16 (SL). They have run some 20,000 miles so far. I have been very impressed with them - Especially in the snow up in the California mountains, where we spend quite a bit of time.

Having just returned from 3 weeks in Baja (without snow); I will comment on how they behaved on this trip and overall since they were new.

First off, I was very impressed with how quiet they were when I got them. They remain quiet, but they may be slightly noisier now that they are maybe ~45-50% worn. (or maybe it is simply the effect of suggestion since I've read on TW they become noisier as they wear... I really do not know.). In any case, I am still impressed at how quiet they have been up to this point...

I spent lots of miles aired down over sand, washboards, gravel, poor pavement, and rock on this trip. Up steep hills (did a bit of crawling up some rough / rocky hills in 4lo in some of the tracks mostly to avoid bouncing and drama.), and down-hill as well. Some of this terrain was driven while slow-going, some of it was faster running.

I saw lots of potholes, cactus, and jagged rocks, etc. I saw evidence of rock rubs on the sidewall from the abundance of rocks particularly on some seldom used tracks, or while on river beds; - but the sidewalls / tires suffered no damage. Said this; I'll note that I was looking after my truck. I was certainly not bashing or pretending I was driving a Baja 1000 racer. When off-road in remote areas, my intention is to avoid damage and to get to my destination and back without issues.

As this was my first set of these tires, I kept close tabs on tire temps at various inflation levels, speeds, and terrain types. I did not have any punctures, cuts, broken blocks, or any undue temperature increases on the tires.

I travel at various psi depending on use. At the high end, I ride at 40 psi on the (e.g on my way up to Tahoe or anywhere on the US freeways.). On the low end, I am at around 20 psi while on soft sand / large gravel roads. I am at various points in between for washboards, packed sand, maintained dirt roads, wet dirt roads, snow, and potholed asphalt.

I am happy to report that I had no tire issues at all, and that my tires performed very well across the various conditions. I see no gashes, bulges, missing rubber bits, and they are all holding air consistently. Most importantly they are all still round (no bulges), smooth, & quiet.

Traction and braking has been excellent on both Dry & wet roads (rain), on snow / ice (Great!), and also on gravel and soft sand at various speeds. I avoid mud as much as I can - but keep on reading as I traversed some quite challenging soft terrain later in this trip.

Size is one of the biggest discussion topics on the TW board...

Is bigger better? Is wider better?
(My discussion will focus exclusively on Tire size)
Honestly, I believe that a little bit bigger (285s maybe?) does look cool on Tacomas. However, being that Tacos are 'adequately' powered - not having a twin-turbo V8 under the hood; I am weary about tire weight and the related 'suck' on power and MPG efficiency (- impacting range when fuel is in short supply, for example.).

With 265 75 16, I believe I am at the sweet spot for tire-size and width for the Taco while driving - and looks. (But then; don't we all?!).

With this size, I maintain a close-to-spec diameter (I am maybe 1" larger than stock), and I am at stock width - mostly preserving my torque and HP (on the road) rating, and not increasing inertia or rolling resistance greatly.

The Taco's V6 has power in the high-end. It feels strong once you get to those RPMs. - still, I want to be able to allow as much of that power to get to the ground.

Wheels
I used all the tire flex that my 16" wheels allow on rock filled roads, dry river beds, etc. I would not give up the 1" lost to 17" wheels. I've always said that 16" is what looks 'right' on Tacos anyway. 16" is correct on a Taco for off-road duties. The 265 bulge out nicely on the PRO wheels - I did not see any rock hits on my wheels.

I carry a matching spare (which is still new - so a bit bigger at this point...). I did not worry too much about getting a flat... BUT, on some of these remote tracks; I did worry about losing one and then a SECOND tire where tire shops are VERY few and VERY far between.
While traveling in the Australian outback I always had 2 spares.

I'll note that Tacomas are sold in Mexico ALONG with the Hilux - and some dozen other car brands and who knows how many models that are NOT available in the "Big 3 protectorate"... Locally owned Tacomas are popular in Baja, so at least the odds were good that a tire in the correct size would be secured within a day or two in case it was needed.

Load rating
Having SL rated tires and having read the TW board a bit, I figured I'd either be lost in the desert forever due to the lack of E rated tires, or I'd need to buy 2 or 3 sets of tires during the trip as I shredded SL tires every few minutes...

I liked the way that the SLs performed. I imagine E rated tires would not be nearly as compliant as a lower load-rated tire carrying the weight of a Taco, and would require much lower psi to be able to perform. I also assume that this would likely result in increased heat generation...

I believe that going forward, I'll stay with SL load rating on the Taco

SLs seemed well suited for the tacoma for (non-racing) Baja purposes. I would be interested in seeing a controlled-environment test to evaluate the performance of SL vs E rated tires on a tacoma (also for non-racing purposes)...

 

Up into the mountains.
I hurry out of Loreto and head east into the mountains and their steep and curvy roads. I can see how these road climbs are attractive to the local road cyclists.




I pass many cyclists on these narrow roads. Fortunately for them, the traffic is rare around here... The turns are very tight, often blind, with steep drop-offs. Any interaction with cars would be ugly.

I am headed up to San Javier where the Misión San Francisco Javier de Viggé-Biaundó is found. This mission was founded 1699 and the village largely remains (seems to me) much the same - aside from electric power and starlink being available.

The land surrounding the mission is home to some of the oldest grapevines and olive trees in all of the Americas.


Spectacular scenery - all to myself!


Makes you wonder how the local folks traveled up these steep & rough 20kms into the mountains back in the day... It was the native people who pointed out the high and cool valley - with plenty of water, where San Javier sits out to the Jesuits when they realized that the original mission site (Down on the coast in Loreto) did not provide sufficient water to sustain farming.
-The natives should have kept the location secret to themselves!

It is odd that modern folks deemed it appropriate to put a $&@%# golf course in Loreto... (As I mentioned; I liked that part of the world better when it was just beach & rocks - without tourists!)

By the early 1800s, as at other mission sites, the local population had enough of the Jesuits (I can also imagine that situation!) and they left. The mission had to be abandoned.


The top of the sierra:


Looking back towards the Sea of Cortez. - That is the sea in the horizon.


It is quite a climb...
Then the terrain flattens out - and after some tight turns - suddenly, you are on Main Street San Javier. (It seems I arrived at Rush-hour).


The mission is located in a small and narrow valley at the top of the sierra. - it is more of a Pass than a valley. The Mission site is clearly bounded on to sides by tall escarpments.

Some details of the building:



The (whole) village. It was VERY quiet & peaceful. There was not much going on. I only saw a few people roaming around.



I stayed in an orchard where the owners are building a room to add to AirB&B and fortunately had Wifi via their starlink.

They had set aside some spots for tent camping under some old olive trees and this is what I was after. - They actively farmed the orchard and also made and sold wine - which, of course, I tried.

Starlink has become quite popular in Baja due to the remoteness making other options impossible. People would offer Wifi in some of the randomest, most remote places - this was welcome as I expected to be without communication for much longer periods. You'd get the password in exchange for $10 pesos (US$50-60 Cents) and you were on until you went on your way again. I saw antennas on many vehicles. Local and travelers.

The orchard was located 'in town' just on the opposite side of the mission from the village. I set-up my tent in a spot right against what looked like a very old stone wall between olive trees.

I walked into town using an old path along a small (low-volume) aqueduct carrying water to the orchard where I made camp (and beyond), which brought me through to the mission's backyard. The stone wall against which I set-up camp, turned out to be a taller section of the old aqueduct.

The mission's backyard:


Walking back to my camp after dark... It was a beautiful (Spooky) sight! Especially during a brief period when I could not find the path leading back to the orchard in the dark!


The aqueduct:


Looking at the mission building from the side.


The whole village is quite mesmerizing. It takes little effort to imagine how things might have worked in the village 300 years ago.

There are some 100 residents in town today (I read). 1/5th of the population in the late 1700s. I saw maybe a handful of people that evening. Some more were out in the morning.

The altitude made for a nice cooler sleep under VERY clear skies. I asked my hosts for insight as to when the sun would come-up next morning. An odd question, you might think... - I was thinking of the escarpments which made it dark quite early in the afternoon. My hosts understood, as I looked up at the top of the ridge. This was the only night when I set my alarm as I was under the olive trees and the sun would not come close to clearing the escarpments until well past 9:30am!

I went to bed still undecided about my travel plans for the next day...