The classic water cooler was...
The classic water cooler was standard on every veranda; a clay pot wrapped in a damp cloth.
As we dropped down into a long valley, the road improved. Hungry mesquite trees were the only thieves as they raked the sides of The Turtle V and grabbed at the roof rack, nearly tearing it off a couple of times when the Hi- Lift jack snagged a limb. We hit the blacktop again and aired up at San José de Magdalena. Not a bandito in sight.
Eighty miles north, we stopped to resupply in the sleepy oasis town of San Ignacio. The inviting main plaza was a convenient place to fill our water tank. The beautiful old Mission San Ignacio Loyola was built in 1786, and with its four-foot-thick volcanic walls, it is one of the best preserved on the peninsula. After a quick lunch under the shade of the huge Indian laurel trees, we headed west on the newly paved highway toward Laguna San Ignacio.
The juice from local sugar...
The juice from local sugar cane was extracted using a 100-year-old mule-powered mill.
We had followed this route earlier in our trip when we visited Pachico's Ecotours whale watching camp. The asphalt ended after a few miles andwashboard brought us to a sign pointing to El Patrocino, one of the oldest ranchos in the area. Ramón, one of the employees at Pachico's Ecotours, had invited us to visit his family there.
As we continued across the bone-dry desert, only the flaming tips of ocotillo gave any hint of life. We tried to imagine Spanish soldiers on horseback following this route, with no idea what lay in front of them. Could there be a spring or an oasis in the distant grey mountains? They hoped!
We followed a classic one-lane...
We followed a classic one-lane Baja backroad as it snaked into the mountains. This was the kind we love to drive.
Ramón knew we were on the way. In fact, everyone in the area with a VHF radio new what this strange vehicle was about. Again, we were welcomed with opened arms. After the traditional coffee, Ramón gave us a walking tour, showing us the main spring that fed the valley. Thanks to many past generations, there were groves of date trees and orchards of orange, lemon, lime, pomegranate, mango, and even a small vineyard.
Most ranchos have a little patch of sugarcane, and we had arrived just in time to watch the annual process of extracting the juice from the cane, using a mule-powered Blymyer Iron Works cane mill, well over 100 years old. The juice was then boiled for eight hours in a huge brass tub, with constant stirring. As the boiled-down juice cooled, it took on the texture first of thick maple syrup and then of creamy peanut butter. Poured into hand-carved wooden cupcake-size molds, it hardened into a delicious confection. Remember, there were no Snickers bars 200 years ago.
Back in San Ignacio, we relaxed on the veranda of Rice & Beans with one of their famous hand-made margaritas. Rice & Beans is a full-service RV park, hotel, and restaurant just outside of town. Looking at our Baja California Almanac, it showed dozens of backroads and mule trails that form a network between hundreds of one-family ranchos. There was an old trail we hadn't followed for years.
Leaving Highway 1 south of Guerrero Negro, it snaked across the desert and mountains to the Sea of Cortez, and further to Bahía de Los Angeles. We had pretty much given up on being hijacked. Doing a little fishing would be more productive. Still, without a spare tire, we did wonder if it was wise to travel these remote two-tracks alone. Our luck seemed to be holding.
For an armchair glimpse at this amazing culture of Los Californios, check out the excellent DVD documentary called Corazon Vaquero-(Heart of the Cowboy); www.corazonvaquero.com.