BootsnAll Travel Network



In Search of the Perfect Wave

Catavina campsitethe endless dirt roadThe campfireSteve on the rockScorpion Bay - The perfect waveSnorkling Cabo Pulmo

 

With all of our family and friends gone and the wedding weekend officially over, we began our journey back north to California. Our goal for this leg of the trip was to get some good surf and Scorpion Bay (a.k.a. Punta Pequena) was the place to do it. The only downside-there would be a lot of dirt road driving to get there, 130 miles of dirt roads to be exact! We started our first day off by heading to an area known as the East Cape.  We made a quick stop at a popular surf spot called Nine Palms and then continued on to Cabo Pulmo for some great snorkling (Cabo Pulmo is the most northern coral reef in the eastern pacific).  That night we set up camp at Las Barriles, a small town where the East Cape road ends and Mex 1 begins.  Fortunately for us, there was only one other guy in the whole campsite.  He came rushing over and said “You’re the first set of campers I’ve talked to in 3 weeks!”  Christy and I realized then that we were pretty far off the beaten path.

Ask any surf enthusiast and they tell you that Scorpion Bay is known as being one of the best point breaks in all of Mexico, and it sure didn’t disappoint when arrived Sunday evening.  I could go on and on about what an amazing wave it was, but I know it will just bore you non-surfers to tears.  In this case, a picture is worth a thousand words so check out the one we’ve posted.  Even christy got in on the action, catching the longest waves of her very short surfing life.  After 3 days of non-stop surfing it was time to face the dreaded 100 mile-long dirt road to get back to the main highway.  Ever heard of “BFE?”  Well, Christy and I found it-just follow the 100 mile dirt road to nowhere!  For about 4 and 1/2 hours of driving on this bumpy, washed-out, sandy, winding 100 mile “road”, we didn’t pass a single town or see one other person.  Just miles and miles of rolling hills and mountains, and a dirt road that in some areas had no right to be called a “road” at all.  We both breathed a sigh of relief when we reached the quaint town of San Ignacio where dirt turned to pavement. 

Our final stop in Baja would be Catavina, which is like the Joshua Tree of the Baja.  Huge boulders, cactus and the famous “boojum trees” make up this area.  One of our guidebooks mentioned areas just north of Catavina where one could enjoy free quiet camping amoung the giant size boulders and cactus.  Once out of the town we turned off the main highway onto a dirt road that lead us past huge boulders and into the dessert.  Of course when it sounds to good to be true, it usually is, but in this case, we were NOT disapointed!  We found a remote spot to park the truck and had the whole desert all to ourselves.  We climbed big boulders, hiked among the cactus and had a nice big campfire, celebrating the 4th of July tranquilo style. 



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