Day 243 - 31st January, El Liano - La Paz, 39.9 km

Day 242 - 30th January, El Cien - El Liano, 53.88 km

Day 241 - 29th January, Santa Rita - El Cien, 58.09 km

Day 240 - 28th January, Villas Morelos - Santa Rita, 55.62 km

Day 239 - 27th January, Ciudad Insurgentes - Ciudad Constitucion - Villas Morelos, 80.91 km

Day 238 - 26th January, El Juncalito - somewhere on the plateau before Ciudad Insurgentes, 60.62 km

Day 237 - 25th January, Loreto - El Juncalito, 29.23 km

Day 236 - 24th January, Loreto, 19 km

Day 235 - 23rd January, El Rosarito - cca 15 km before Loreto, 53.14 km

Day 234 - 22nd January, Bonaventura - El Rosarito, 31.77 km

Day 233 - 21st January, Mulege - Playa Bonaventura, 46.62 km

Day 232 - 20th January, San Lucas - Mulege, 49.7 km

Day 231 - 19th January, Vulcan Las Tres Vírgenes - Santa Rosalia - San Lucas, 49.58 km

Day 230 - 18th January, San Ignacio - Vulcan Las Tres Vírgenes, 42.78 km

Day 229 - 17th January, San Ignacio, 31.84 km

Day 228 - 16th January, Vizcaino - San Ignacio (cca 20 km before), 74.14 km

Day 227 - 15th January, Guerrero Negro - Vizcaino desert (cca 20 km before Vizcaino), 74.7 kilometre

Day 226 - 14th January, Guerrero Negro

Dnes oddychujeme u Marisol a Carmen, píšem Blog a nahadzujem na Picasu fotky, Baška vybavuje korešpondenciu a čítame si na Facebooku šialené Johnove príhody z jeho cesty po USA.

Today we worked on blog, pictures and emails, red about crazy  adventures which John posted on his Facebook and had a day off at Marisol & Carmen's house.

Day 225 - 13th January, Villa Jesus-Maria - Guerrero Negro, 38.08 miles

We woke up with sound of waives and  the sun trying to get through layers of fog laying on the ground. Everything was wet from dew (so not only the beetles here are similar to Namibian desert), but when the sun got a little bit higher on the sky, it dried it all in a moment. Tai chi exercise in the sand is quite difficult, also to get our bikes back on the road. Today we pedalled on the road as straight as if it was made by ruler, only sand desert around us with bushes and some small kind of palm trees. The ocean was on our right side and the mountains, which were smaller and smaller after each kilometre, on our left. Very soon we got to Vila Jesus Maria, we got some water here (for free) in one restaurant. As we were looking for some grocery store, huge caravan of RV tourist arrived, they had even leading vehicle, it felt, I don't know, wrong. We also met one group of motorbikers, what a surprised, they all were seniors, probably enjoying their retirement. One of them talked us and he said that this road is very boring. I hope that he was talking only about this last straight part, because the desert in the mountains was one of the best things what we ride through. In front of grocery store we met another biker heading to San Jose del Cabo, his name was Matthew. He told us that when he was here first time there were barely some RV our bike tourist. As we were talking, another convoy of RV people passed around. The rest of the road to Guerrero Negro was same straight as in the morning. We were talking about Sirmallion and shortly before sun set we passed 28 parallel. In front of La Espinita restaurant, before the border (we are going to new state, Baja California Sur, so Mexico is pretty much as USA, only difference is that they have border patrol here on the border, but they are working only during the day, in the evening you can pass without control), we contract Juan from El Sauzal and asked him about his friend here in Guerrero Negro. While we were waiting for the answer, the owner of this small restaurant (Francesco) told us about the border and let us use their wifi. He was really friendly and offer us also room (for 55 $, which is less than 5$ - same sign for pesos as for dolars), if we don't find anybody in Guerrero Negro. The canadian, nomadic, biker family :-) wrote us email that they are already here (when they got in front of us?). After a while Juan sent us contact to his friend here and we arranged meeting in front of city market. Nearly in the city (from the border it was about 5 km) Baška got flat tire. Some cactus finally got us. It wasn't very fun to change it in the night on the busy street, but at last we did it and then got lost a little, which was good because then we met that Canadian family. While we were talking with them, Juan's friends Marisol and Carmen finally found us and took us to their home. We had nice dinner there and had a shower, after week in the desert it was amazing :-)

Day 224 - 12th January, Rosarito - Villa Jesus-Maria, 31.92 miles

Day 223 - 11th January, Bahia de Los Angeles junction - Punta Prieta - Rosarito, 39.21 miles

Day 222 - 10th January, Cataviña - Bahia de Los Angeles junction, 43.53 miles

Beautiful sun rise, long mountain shadows. We went downhill to the valley bellow our campsite, racing with the wind (so steep was that hill and so straight was the road). We got some water for free in Luncheria San Ignacito which was down in the valley. Then continued on its other side, now fighting with the long and steep uphill (but with spectacular views). When we finally finished the ascent, in the narrow saddle-back the cold wind tried to blow us back down. After that long hill with sun roasting us, this was a nice change, at least for a while.
We entered the huge mountain plateau with dried lagoons or lakes. Volcano Cerro Tomás was dominating the horizon on the left side . On the right side the rest of the plateau was slowly rising up and another mountains and smaller volcanoes were seen. It was windy there and quite cold. Almost no traffic on the road.
 The plants we saw were mostly small shrubs, the ground was covered with rocks or dust, everything was in the colors of brown and red. What a surprise when we suddenly came to the small hill or very big pile of boulders lying in the middle of plateau. It looked like if it didn't belong here. In the middle of red and brown there was this huge pile of white and yellow. These rocks were different also geologically, like piece of mountain which got here by some accident and then fell apart and created this huge pile of gigantic boulders. Interesting and strange place it was.
In the late afternoon we came to another dry lagoon called Laguna Chapala, where another small restaurant is found and even the phone service is here (since we left El Rosario we didn't have any cell-phone service). Another nice downhill ride and the road was probably repaired just recently, it was really good. South from us we could see saw-back top of the volcano Cerro Dos Picachos. After crossing one ridge of small hills we could see it, towering over the huge valley full of cardons and disappearing in south horizon. From that ridge, we rode basically just downhill,  in the sun set. Today's campsite was right opposite of the magnificence Cerro Dos Picachos, red and purple in the setting sun. There was nobody around us within miles, this was one of the most peaceful nights we'd had so far.

Day 221 - 9th January, Cataviña, 16.75 miles

We woke up in the desert full of big boulders. Formed by weather erosion they were nearly perfectly round shaped. Some of them were solitaires, some in huge piles. Cardons and Cirios were growing between them and helped to create the landscape which reminds of age of prehistoric creatures. You could feel the age of Earth here.
The road to Cataviña village, the biggest "civilization" in Valle de Los Cirios (around 300 km stretch between El Rosario and Punta Prieta), was mainly downhill, but due to that amazing landscape we didn't go too fast (taking tons of pictures and climbing the rocks). There is one place with cave paintings near Cataviña. Short trail led us between the rocks to something like small cave, actually it was just overhang under a huge boulder. Paintings are nothing extraordinary but the whole place was very nice. It was on the edge of small canyon with pools of water in river-bed and with a few palm trees. That place had good energy, even though there were many vultures but that was because of dead cow lying next to the road.
To say that Cataviña is village or town wouldn't be exactly correct. We saw just a few houses slowly falling apart, two small shops, old pickup truck with couple of plastic containers selling overpriced gasoline, one hotel which looked quite new (to compare with the rest of Cataviña) and a lot of garbage everywhere. But you can get water and some supplies here. Just after Cataviña is another small canyon with oases and spring which had so much water that even in this time of the year it flooded the road. We met here bunch of guys heading to some surfing paradise called "Seven Sisters" or something like that. They were wowed with our story :-)
Further south from Cataviña, the landscape slowly changed, it was more hilly and big boulders disappeared. In the evening sunlight we headed slowly uphill and the mountains, so far, far on the horizon, drew closer.
Our campsite was on the edge of a deep valley, on rocky ground with nearly no cactuses, but with amazing view of the volcanos and table mountains around.

Day 220 - 8th January, Rancho El Descanso - Cataviña, 36.66 miles

V púšti je fantastické to, aké je tu ticho a pokoj. Hlavne v noci, je tu tak ticho až z toho šumí v ušiach. Môžete len tak sedieť a počúvať šum ticha :-) Vzhľadom k tomu, že tu nie je žiaden signál tak ani mikrovĺn sa tu toľko nevlní. Dokonca ani lietadiel tu veľa nelieta a satelity sa nesatelitia.

Ráno sa zobúdzame v tieni Cardonov a Cirii, obkolesení yukami, agáve a mnohými rôznymi druhmi kaktusov, väčšina toho čo tu rastie sú endemity. Na púšť je veľmi živo a zeleno. Naše táborisko je iba kúsok od cesty, ale keďže tu nie je skoro žiadna premávka, vôbec to nenarušuje atmosféru tohto miesta. Nachádzame sa na dne menšieho údolia, smerujúceho západovýchodným smerom, na juh sa vinie ďalšie údolie zelenajúce sa vegetáciou a plné gigantických Cardónov a podivuhodných Cirií (Idria columnaris), stromov pripomínajúcich tenké pokrútené sviečky alebo svietniky (to v prípade, že sa rozkonárujú), ozdobené zlatou korunkou z kvetov. Svahy kopcov sú zväčša skalnaté alebo pokryté suťou červenej farby. Piesok je žltý, skaly červené, kaktusy zelené, obloha blankytne modrá a asfalt na ceste čierny :-). Prvé kilometre sa vezieme z kopca, príjemná zmena po včerajšom stúpaní. Na ranči El Descanso je malá rešťaurácia, dávajú nám tu zadarmo vodu. S doplnenými zásobami cesta príjemne napreduje, fúka nám dobrý vietor a zväčša sa iba vezieme. Premávka na “jednotke” je prakticky nulová, naokolo sú krásne kopce, cesta sa klukatí cez rôzne údolia a údolíčka ozdobené kaktusmi. Vchádzame do “Údolia Cirií” (Valle de Los Cirios), gigantickej biosferickej rezervácie a najkrajšej púšti, akú tu na Baje môžete nájsť. Dostali sme sa skoro až na “strechu” Baja Californie, včera sme ešte boli na úrovni mora, dnes sa pohybujeme vo výške okolo 1000 m n.m. Okolo obeda opúšťame kopce a vystupujeme na rozsiahlu planinu. Po pestrej prehliadke kaktusov a rôznych skalných útvarov je tu dosť bezútešne, všade iba biely piesok, kamene a roztrúsená vegetácia pozostávajúca prevažne z nejakého druhu krov. Ale zasa sa nám otvárajú ničím nerušené výhľady doširoka, doďaleka. Na severe vidíme na obzore južný koniec najvyššieho pohoria na Baje, Sierra de San Pedro Martir. Jeho biele štíty vyzerajú ako keby boli pokryté snehom, ono napokon možno aj sú, veď jeho najvyšší vrch (Picacho del Diablo, v preklade Diabolská hora) má skoro 3000 m n.m. Okrem toho, že je to aj národný park, je to jedno z mála miest na Baja, kde býva sneh. Na juhu obzor lemujú ďaľšie kopce, niektoré ostré a špicaté, iné ploché ako stolové hory alebo sopky, tiež zhruba juhozápadným smerom zostupuje široké údolie. Mená tamojších hôr však naša mapa neobsahuje (našiel som tam len mená niekoľkých kopcov ako napr. Esmeraldina hora (alebo pahorok?), končiar svätého Miguela alebo Mramorový stôl.) Od západu sme prišli a tu kopce padajú k Tichému oceánu, na východ vidno malé kopčeky pohoria Sierra Santa Isabel a potom je už len modrá obloha pod ktorou je Kortézovo more. Celé poobedie prechádzame cez túto náhornú planinu obkolesenú horami. Pomaly sa blížime k malým “stolovým” horám uzatvárajúcim výhľad na juh. V podvečer sa na chvíľu zastavujeme na malú meditačnú pauzu, sedíme v zlatom svetle na kraji cesty, jeme pomaranče od Gábina a premietame o zmysle života. Pod našimi nohami je celá Baja, je ticho, všetko je zlatavé a červené vo večernom svetle a cítime sa tak živo ako nikdy predtým.

Navečer vchádzame pomedzi stolové hory, zisťujeme, že to sú zrejme zvyšky planiny rozbitej riekami, v minulosti, než sa celé toto miesto vyzdvihlo, tu muselo byť obrovské jazero. Za chvíľu sa dostávame do širokého údolia, lemovaného po okrajoch zvyškami pradávnej planiny. Ocitli sme sa v magickom kraji, ako keby sme sa vrátili späť do praveku. Opäť sa tu nachádzajú kaktusy s Cardonmi a Ciriami, navyše všade je tu kopec oblých balvanou, tvoriacich fantastické skalné formácie, už len chýba nejaký ten dinosaurus. V posledných zvyškoch svetla staviame stan na mieste nie nepodobnom ako ráno, opäť sme obkolesení cardónmi a ciriami.

I am afraid that today's description will be full of superlatives, but today was definitely one of the best days of our journey. We woke up into beautiful morning and if is something better than sleeping in huge redwood, it is to sleep in the desert between gorgeous cactuses, the big one probably as old as redwoods. We did Tai chi exercise, I did some maintain on bikes (clean and oil chain + Baška's pedal) and then we jumped on bikes. Weather was perfect, warm day and clear sky (as usually), with strong tailwind. Even the road was good, with shoulder and without holes (it's interesting that usually on flat and even terrain the road is wide and with shoulder, but in the hills with many curves is usually very narrow). At the closeby ranch with restaurant we got water for free. Then we were on the road again, hills and amazing cactuses everywhere, the soil was red and brown. The road was practically empty so we could ride next to each other and talk. Another strong moment was when we arrived to the Valle de Los Cirios, long downhills, gentle uphills, mountains and rocks, gigantic cactuses, good tailwind, empty road, turkey vulture soaring above ours heads and beautiful far views all around. What else we needed? It was perfect. The desert wasn't the same all the time, as we moved from one valley to another it's changed, red soil changed to white, cactuses were replaced by bushes, hills slowly disappeared and we were on wide plateau. I had feeling that I could see whole Baja. From time to time we passed some ranch, one was with cows (how they can survive in this desert?) The road also changed, it was narrow again and with many holes, especially later, closer to Cataviña. After lunch we stopped in another ranch/restaurant (San Pablo) for water and again they gave it us for free. After this ranch we biked through another beautiful and super wide plateau with spectacular views, it was even better because of the late afternoon and the light was much softer now. Last part of today's stretch was through old riverbed, the hills around looked like small table mountains. After one, which looked like small volcano, the big cactuses reappeared with even bigger amount than in the morning. We entered to another kind of desert, full of huge boulders. Light slowly changed from gold to red and purple and we built our tent again between this amazing cactuses.

Day 219 - 7th January, El Rosario - Rancho El Descanso, 30.69 miles

Kedze sa inde moc nedalo, postavili sme si stan na tych cukrovych vodnych kvetinkach, rano sme mali celkom slusne mokru podlahu na stane. Spali sme kusok za El Rosario, kedze najblizsia voda bude az za cca 50 km, vratili sme sa do dediny po vodu (dali nam ju zadarmo v miestnych restauraciach). Samozrejme dedinky psi nas chceli trochu poprehanat, ale Roberto nam na nich poradil dobry trik, staci na nich vystreknut trocha vody z flase a hned sa zastavia. Na tuto prilezitost som si uz davnejsie prichystal jednu malu flasku (po okrajoch ciest sa ich tu valaju stovky) od Gatorade (oblubeny to iontovy napoj v US a popularny aj tu). A naozaj ked po nas psiska vystartovali, chrstol som na nich trochu vody a ihned sa zastavili. Mozno nie su zvyknuty na taky naval vody tu v pusti, Roberto nam hovoril, ze je to preto, ze sa nekupu a vodu nemaju v oblube :-)
Za El Rosario sme prekonali siroke koryto vyschnutej rieky a zacali stupat do hor. Ono vlastne cely den sa niesol v takej povznesenej nalade, stale sme totiz stupali do vysin nebezkych. Cesta sa stverala od urovne mora az od Valle de Los Cirios (udolie Ciriov?), co bolo vo vyske okolo 1000 m n.m. Coskoro sme za sebou nechali zelene policka okolo El Rosaria a vstupili do puste. No skor ako pust by sa dalo povedat do neuveritelnej obrovitanskej zahrady. Zo zaciatku bolo vsade len vsadepritomne agave, mnohe z nich kvitli, takze to vyzeralo ako v nejakej zahrade. S nadmorskou vyskou sa zvysovala aj diverzita jednotlivych sukulentov. Jedine co sme este ako tak rozpoznavali boli opuncie, agave a Ciria, co su prazvlastne endemity, vyzeraju ako kmene stromov bez konarov (mozu mat az 15 m do vysky) iba porastene listkami a na vrcholku maju taku vtipnu korunku kvetov, teraz vsak uz uschnutych. Byt tu tak v sezone, ked vacsina z kaktusov kvitne, tak to tu musi hyrit takym kvantom farieb, ze ani peyotom sa netreba pchat. Ciria tu vytvarali doslova lesy, ved tym je tato cast Baja aj znama. Su to uplne fantasticke kaktusy (ak sa to vobec este radi medzi kaktusy). A islo sa vyssie a kaktusov pribudalo, aut ubudalo, ku koncu dna sa objavilo tak jedno za 10 minut. Kopec zdaleka nebol taky strmy a keby aj, kto ma cas sa zapodievat nejakym kopcom, ked tu vsade naokolo je tak krasne. Agave, opuncie, ciria, hm, este nieco co sa po anglicky vola Compas Barrel Cactus (vizera ako taky maly, niekedy velky, hodne pichlavy sud a pichliace na jeho vyrholku vytvaraju nieco co s trochou fantazie pripomina ruzicu kompasu), to boli take vacsie a vyraznejsie druhy, medzi tym sa tmolilo kopec pichlavych krpalov, jeden pichlavejsi ako druhy. Ked sme sa dostali uz skoro na nahornu plosinu s udolym ciriov zacali sa objavovat dalsie fenomenalne kaktusy, po spanielsky sa volaju Cardon Cactus (Pachycereus Pringlei), su giganticke, v americkych westernoch mozete casto vidiet ich severnejsich pribuznych - saguara, ale to je len slaby odvar. Cardony mozu mat takmer 20 m na vysku, vahu niekolko ton, kopec bocnych "vetiev" a vek okolo stoviek a tisicok rokov, ze vraj tieto tu su okolo 2000 rokov stare. Takze ako keby sme boli opat v Redwoods National Park, akurat ze v kaktusovej podobe. Posledne zbytky dna si vychutnavame spanilou jazdou na vrsku planiny. Narazame na restauraciu (naozaj skoro presne po 50km), vodu nam moc nechcu dat zadarmo, tak po prvy krat pouzivame nas filter na vodu (nech sme ho tych 10 000 km nevlacili zbytocne) a filtrujeme si vodu co je zadarmo v umyvadle, aj tak ju potrebujeme iba na varenie, takze este prejde varom. Kym definitivne pohasne den, nachadzame pekne miestecko pod mohutnymi Cardonmi a jednym Ciriom, kusok od cesty. Dostat sa nan s bicykalmi bolo tak trochu ako prechod minovym polom.

Before we left up to the mountains, we stopped in El Rosario for water (next possibility will be in 50 km). Some dogs tried to chase us but I sprayed them with water from bottle and it changed their minds. Thanks Roberto for this little trick, it works perfectly. From El Rosario led nice road with shoulder, first following the  Arroyo river, totally dry now. The river bed is used for farming, around El Rosario are many farm fields. The east bank is formed by nice (sand, sandstone?) cliffs, which makes impression that you are in real desert now. After the Arroyo river begins the uphill to the Valle de Los Cirios, this huge valley/plateau is about 2500 feet above sea level. Very soon the good road ended and we were biking again on narrow and windy one. Luckily the climb wasn't very bad, a few steep parts were separated by nearly flat sections in the river valleys and sometimes we enjoyed nice downhill. Traffic wasn't bad at all, semitrucks in narrow curves were nasty, but they were really careful and always gave us enough space or stopped (not as buses from ABC, which always nearly hit us, even if the road was straight and empty).

Day 218 - 6th January, Playa del Socorro - El Rosario, 24.63 miles

Piesok v tychto koncinach je porasteny nejakou zvlastnou purpurovou rastlinkou, je strasne krpata a cele jej telo a listky su akoby obalene v cukre, alebo to tak aspon vyzera. V skutocnosti su to nieco ako vacky naplnene nejakou tekutinou, zrejme vodou, ak na takuto rastlinku slapnete ostane po nej mala mlacka :-)
Rano opat cvicime vo vlnach, potom sa balime, lucime sa s Joelom, ktory nam este dava vodu a potom uz sme opat na ceste. Vsetci nam hovorili, ze najhorsia premavka je po San Quintin a potom uz je to v pohode, mali pravdu, cesta prakticky zivala prazdnotou a to tu dole bola este husta premavka oproti tomu, co bolo hore v pusti. Zpociatku cesta viedla popod strme pieskovcove kopce, rozbrazdenych vodnou eroziou mnozstvom hlbokych kanonov, kanonikov a kanonciat, kopec z nich si naslo cestu aj popod cestu, obcas koncil asfalt a za nim bola hlboka sluchta do jedneho z kanonciat vymletych vodou co obcas huci do oceanu. Ten sa na nas modral po nasej prevej strane. Vlavo zlto, napravo modro. Za chvilu sme vsak zamavali Pacifiku a otocili sa mu chrbtom smerujuc do rozpalenej puste, vsade len prach a nekonecne zarasty agave, zatial ziadne poriadne kaktusy. Cierny asfalt, biely piesok/prach, zelene a hnede agave a modra obloha. Vystverali sme sa na nahornu planinu, zhliadnuc sveta kus, zistiac, ze vsade naokolo su len planiny oddelene hlbokymi udoliami, agave, biely pieskoprach a daleko na vychode uzatvaraju vyhlad nekonecne hrebene hor. Do toho obcas zakruzil nejaky sup. Presli sme cez prvu vojensku kontrolu. No o kontrole sa moc nedalo hovorit, kontrolovali len RVckarov vracajucich sa na sever a aj to len tak, ze vojacik vliezol do karavanu a jednym ockom vsetko omrkol, ci sa nahodou niekde nevala velke vrece s kokainom. Ak nie ste dostatocne blby a nenechate si travu rovno na palubnej doske, malo by to byt v pohode. Auta smerujuce na juh obcas tiez kukli, nad nami sa len zasmiali a mavli rukou, ze mozeme ist. Armada sa evidentne snazi tvrdo potierat vsetok obchod s drogami. Pritom ak je pravda, ze sa da kilo kokainu kupit za 20$ (co asi pravda nie je, mozno v Kolumbii), to by sa do tych nasich tasiek zmestilo tak za 400$ :-)
Za vojenskou hliadkou sme sa z nahornej plosiny vrhli do jedneho z hlbokych kanonov, ktory vyustil do hlbokeho udolia, v ktorom sa nachadzala posledna vyspa civilizacie, mala dedinka El Rosario. Vyznamna bola tato dedinka tym, ze tu bola posledna pumpa, najblizsia je az za takmer 400 km a taktiez posledny poriadny obchod s potravinami. Za El Rosariom uz zacinala naozajstna seriozna pust a fantasticke hory, osamele rance a este osamelejsie sopky a medzi tym miliony endemickych kaktusov, hmyzakov, vtakov a vobec vsakovakych zivocichov. Celkom rusno je tu v pusti :-)

Day 217 - 5th January, San Quintín - Playa El Socorro, 21.09 miles

Rano pokracujeme dalej, aj ked sa dlho lucime s Gabinom, je to uplne uzasny clovek, aj ked sam nie je nejaky akcny bajker, je neuveritelne nadseny pre warmshowers a najradsej by hostil vsetkych bajkerov co ich na svete je. Zacal iba v oktobri, ale uz u neho bolo okolo 50 bajkerov. Na cestu nas vychystal s ovocim a keksami a dal nam kontakty na dalsich ludi, u ktorych mozeme prespat a ze rozhodne sa mame zastavit v Loreto, kde ma svoj druhy dom a "chop" (tak vyslovoval slovo job). Opustali sme Gabina celkom neradi, chvilu sme isli s Australanmi, potom sme sa odpojili, pretoze sme potrebovali dokupit nejake potraviny. Coskoro sme zanechali San Quintin v prachu za sebou, len sopky ukazovali, kde sa nachadza. Minuli sme dalsie obrovske foliovniky, prekonali pieskove duny a dostali sa do blizkosti dedinky El Socorro, kde sme nasli odbocku k moru. Predavali sa tu pozemky pre domy a aj ked uz bol vecer, kupodivu tu stale este sedel vo svojom karavane - kancelarii, chlapik co tieto pozemky predaval, volal sa Joel. Ak by ste mali zaujem o krasny pozemok priamo pri mori, mozem vam poslat na Joela cislo, za 500 m2 pytali 20 000$ (US dolarov). Tolko sme bohuzial pri sebe prave nemali, ale aj tak nam Joel poradil, ako sa dostat na plaz, co tu hned kusok bola, a ze vraj je to uplne super sejf a keby daco, mame povedat, ze nas tam poslal Joel, ale ze dozaista nas nik vyrusovat nebude. Ako povedal, tak aj bolo, spali sme na uplne opustenej plazi, este pred tym nez sme zalahli, sme si zacvicili trochu vo vlnach (udrzat zakorenenie na piesku, ktory ti spod noh vymyva morska voda bolo celkom ftipne) a vychutnali sme si nas posledny pacificky zapad slnka, teraz sa k Pacifiku na dlhsiu dobu nedostaneme.

Day 216 - 4th January, San Telmo de Abajo - San Quintín, 34.15 miles

Cely den sme na planine, cesta je rovna ako podla pravitka, akurat neustale ide hore a dole podla toho, ci prechadzame cez nejake vyschnute riecne koryto alebo nie. Vsade naokolo su budto puste plane alebo foliovniky s paradajkami. Ako sa blizime ku San Quintin, krajina sa zacina trocha menit, v blizkosti tohto mestecka su celkom pekne sopky. V San Quintine sa stretavame s dalsim warmshoweristom Gabinom, legendarnou to postavickou, kedze je na siroko daleko jedinym warmshowerakom, skoro vsetci bajkeri sa unho zastavia. Aj ked my sme prisli (tentokrat bravurne navigovala Baska, kedze Gabino vie len malo po anglicky a instrukcie ako ho najst poslal v spanielcine), uz mal dalsi par cyklistov z Australie. Hned nas pohostili, mohli sme si oprat a potom sme, ako to uz byva, rozpravali o kadecom, bolo to celkom vtipne, pretoze Gabino vedel po anglicky naozaj velmi malo, my po spanielsky este menej, rovnako tak autralania a ich australska anglictina bol tiez zazitok. Takze Gabinovi pomahal s prekladom jeho syn, ktory sa po anglicky naucil z televizie a filmov (inak spolu s priatelmi sa pustaju do otvorenia vlastnej pivarne, chalan mal vo svojej izbe taku paradnu zbierku pivovych flias, ze nas priatel Janci by mohol len ticho zavidiet :-)).

Day 215 - 3rd January, San Vicente - San Telmo de Abajo, 33.79 miles

Dnes to s nami ide viac menej stale dolu kopcom, za San Vicente je na chvilu opat siroka cesta s krajnicou, ale dlho to nevydrzi a opat prichadzame k miestam, kde sa na ceste pracuje a treba ich obchadzat po neprijemnych prachovych polnackach. Na poliach okolo sa pestuju kaktusy, o kusok dalej za San Vicente su obrovitanske vinice. Ze vraj vino z Baja California je velmi dobre a velmi drahe (pri tych uctoch co musia mat za vodu... :-)) Opat je riadne teplo. Minaju nas nejakí motorkari, na tazko nalozeni, nielen na bicykloch sa po svete cestuje :-D. So stracajucou sa nadmorskou vyskou narasta teplota a pribuda kaktusov, tu je hlavne agave (asi Agave deserti), niektore nadherne kvitnu sirokymi zltymi sukvetiami na vysokom stvole. Mame zopar neprijemnych stretnuti velmi blizkeho druhu s autobusmi firmy ABC, evidentne jeden z ich soferov nenavidi vsetkych bajkerov a neuhne sa ani o milimeter aj ked je na rovnej, prazdnej ceste. Nakoniec schadzame z hor a ocitame sa na sirokych planach medzi horami a Pacifikom. Nachadzaju sa tu giganticke, zdanlivo nekonecne foliovniky. Tak uz vieme odkial pochadzaju vsetky tunajsie paradajky (a pravdepodobne aj v celej Kalifornii) a vobec sa nam to nepaci. Hlavne tie plne nalozene kamiony s niecim zeleno-zltym, co vraj maju byt paradajky... ako hovoril jeden z Duskovych hostov v Dusi K, dnesna zelenina to je uz len velmi draha vlaknina, ale vitamínov už v nej veľa nenájdete...
Ako sa blizime ku San Quintin v diali na vychode sa crtaju nadherne kopce Narodneho parku Sierra de San Pedro Martir, tu su asi aj najvyssie kopce na celej Baja, okolo 3000 m n.m. Tu dole si ale mozeme nechat zajst chut, je to prilis daleko, namiesto toho prechadzame cez zaprasene mestecka ako je Camalu. Spime za dedinou, z ktorej odbaca cesta do hor, je to vyse 100 km. My opat nachadzame koryto rieky, kde je vhodne miesto na prespatie. Tu dole je uz teplejsie a nemrzne.

Day 214 - 2nd January, Santo Tomas - San Vicente, 30.93 miles

Rano opat cvicime Tai-chi a potom sa vydavame na cestu. Siroka cesta vedie az do udolia s dedinkou Santo Tomas, kde konci sranda a zacina stara uzka cesta, jej prerod na siroku a krajnicovu je vsak uz v plnom prude, takze mozno za par rokov bude po romantickej Baja Californii, pochovanej pod pruhmi asfaltu... Teraz vsak tieto miesta pokroku bolo treba obchadzat po "polnej" ceste, celkom sme boli radi, ze nemame cestne bicykle, to by bola riadna otrava. Z okolo nas prechadzajuceho auta sa ozve potlesk, posadka - vsetko mladi surferi - si zjavne robia srandu, ale bolo to celkom mile, ako sme sa tam tak prebojovavali tym prachom, kamenim a horucavou. Celkovo s autami nemame zatial ziadne problemy, premavka je relativne mala, kamiony su uzasne ohladuplne, vzdy nas obchadzaju sirokym oblukom a nezabudnu nas priatelsky pozdravit (aj ti co idu v protismere).
Pred Santo Tomas skusame vypytat vodu v restauracii/obchode, ale chcu iba predat. Zastavuje sa vsak pri nas mexicka rodinka vo velkom autisku, otec rodiny zil nejaky cas v USA a je to bajker-pretekar, pozna dokonca aj nejakeho borca z Ciech, co je svetovou jednickou na horskom bicykli. Ked zistuje, ze nemame vodu, hned nam capuje zo svojej bandasky. Santo Tomas sa nachadza v sirokom udoli, je to dalsia oaza, obcas tadialto preteka rieka, teraz sucha (prsi tu vraj len v septembri, do roka maju v priemere tak 3 cm zrazok), naokolo su polia a pastviny, zvolna prechadzajuce do puste. Cesta sa zacina lepit na jeden z kopcov co uzatvara toto udolie a klukatit sa do sedla. Je teplo a stupanie je pomerne dlhe a strme, jedina vyhoda je, ze kopec nad nami tieni slnko, a tak ideme relativne v tieni. Nahle pri nas zastavuje auto v protismere a sofer z neho (z USA) na nas krici nieco take, akoze ci si myslime, ze nas tu niekto chce na cestach a ze sme blazni... hm, tak my sme blazni a ohrozujeme premavku? Hlavne ze on so svojim sirokym truckom blokuje celu cestu v strmom kopci a v ostrej zatacke... holt niektori USAncania su strasne nervozni. Az mi z tych negativnych vibracii, co vysielal, zrazu praskla spajdla na zadnom kolese. No, vyteperili sme sa hore do niecoho co som si zprvu myslel, ze bude sedlo, v skutocnosti to bol skor zaciatok dalsej z mnohych nahornych plosin, opravil som spajdlu (bola to ina, nez ta naposledy) a pokracovali sme v ceste. Slnko pomaly zapadalo a my sme sa v zlatej hodinke klukatili pomedzi zlte kopce a zlte skaly, vsetko bolo zlate a oranzove. Az navecer sme dosli k okraju onej nahornej plosiny a pod nami sa otvoril vyhlad na rozsiahlu rovinu olemovanu zubatymi kopcami. Takmer kolmo pod nami bolo mestecko San Vicente. Zjazd bol uplne uzasny, taky vecerne pohodovy, vzduch uz zacinal byt chladny a vonal prichadzajucou nocou. Hned v prvej restauracii sme si vypytali vodu, dedusko za pultom nas najprv poslal do obchodu, ale potom vybehol za nami von s krcahom a naplnil nam vsetky flase (pricom sa asi tri krat musel vratit dnu a doplnit krcah, vzdy sa len usmial a spytal sa s paradnou spanielskou anglictinou: "mooor?"). Kedze sa uz zmrakalo a nevyzeralo to na zakernu prietrz mrakov, zisli sme do blizkeho koryta rieky a tam rozbili nas tabor. Noc bola mraziva, na oblohe asi tisic miliard hviezd, makky piesok pod stanom kompenzoval nase vyfuknute karimatky, spalo sa dobre, aj ked v noci mrzlo, rano bola na stane celkom slusna namraza a zips sa nedal poriadne otvorit ako bol zamrznuty. Holt pust je pust.

Day 213 - 1st January, El Sauzal - Ensenada - Uruapan, 28.71 miles

Dnes opustame Juana a Dianne, prajeme im vela stastia s mrnatom a aj hostelom pre bicyklistov, ktory zacinaju stavat. Juan nam este dal jednu sim-kartu, co mal extra, takze uz mame aj mexicke cislo (0052/6461019096, keby nam niekto chcel poslat sms :-)). To aby sme mohli ostat v kontakte a dali mu vediet ako sa nam dari. Kredit sa tu da dobit skoro vsade, hlavne v sieti obchodov Oxxo (ktora je vsade), staci im len povedat cislo a kolko kreditu chcete (minimum je tusim 10 pesos) a za chvilu vam uz blikne sms a mozete volat. Cestu do Ensenady uz pozname, za chvilu sa dostavame za mesto, pred nami sa zacinaju zdvihat hory, az sa divim, kade cez ne vlastne prelezieme. Kupodivu cesta je stale dobra, nova a ma siroku krajnicu. Rafinovane sa prepletame pomedzi kopce, zaciname vstupovat do puste. V jednom mieste prechadzame okolo oazy premenej na "dobroduzny" kemp, samozrejme, ze pre gringov z US. Navecer sa dostavame do sirokeho udolia pri dedinke Uruapan, par kilometrov od Santo Tomas. Nachadzame tu nieco ako kemp, kde sa kona nieco ako bohosluzba pod holym nebom, upichujeme sa kusok bokom pri koryte rieky, kde tecie maly curek vody. Nez zalahneme, este si zacvicime Tai-Chi. Vsade naokolo su krasne hory, aj ked je to uz prakticky pust, v koryte krkaju zaby.

Day 212 - 31st December, El Sauzal

Dalsi pohodovy den na plazi, vecer ideme s Juanom a Dianne na malu silvestrovsku veceru k ich priatelke. Dianne ma uz vo februari rodit, takze ziadna divocina sa nekona, ono sa ani velmi nezda, ze by to tu s oslavou noveho roka nejako prehanali,  praskne zopar rachejtli, zablyska zopar ohnostrojov (aj to asi skor pre US turistov). Juan potom este chcel ist na nejaku silvestrovsku party, ale kedze zajtra chceme vyrazit a pokracovat dalej na juh, tak sme radsej isli spat.

Day 211 - 30th December, El Sauzal - Ensenada - El Sauzal, 11.82 miles

Navsteva Ensenady. Stretli sme sa tu s Juanom, zobral nas do dobrej, aj ked pomerne drahej restauracie na morske speciality, koktail z morskych potvor bol vyborny, aj ustrice sa tiez dali (s limetkami a notnou davkou tabasca). Potom sme trocha bludili ulicami Ensenady, az na zopar uliciek pre turistov nic extra, aj ked pristav mal prijemnu atmosferu. Konecne sme docitali Harry Pottera a zhodli sa na tom, ze to bola celkom pekna kravina :-). Naspat do El Sauzal sme sa vratili s Juanom, ktory je vasnivy mountain biker (tu sa na inych bicykloch ako horskych ani moc neda, asfaltovych je tu len zopar ciest) a kazdy den do a z roboty chodi na bicykli. Este nam Juan ukazal miestnu sladkost, nieco ako nase sladke pirohy, vola sa to churros. Jazda do El Sauzal bola rychla a mierne sialena, zabudol som si celovku a bola uz tma. Potreboval som vsetku svoju intuiciu aby som neskoncil v nejakej diere (a hlavne som sa drzal tesne za Baskou, ktora celovku mala :-)).