Let's See the Whales - Baja
March 2014

Les Martin, my race mechanic, organized a ride with a bunch of mostly Las Vegas riders to see the whales in San Ignacio Bay in Baja. How can you say no to that?

On the first day, we took a leisurely ride to San Diego, and the next morning we met a few others and took off for Ensenada. It was a fairly short ride so we enjoyed the town of Ensenada, took a short boat ride around the harbor, and ate a great rotisserie chicken dinner.

The next day, we left Ensenada for a ride south to Catavina. One of the highlights is a stop at Mama Espinosa's for lunch. Mama Espinosa's has been the site of a pit stop at many offroad Baja races, and I always enjoy a stop there. The Catavina area is a beautiful part of the Baja landscape. We stayed at the Hotel Mission Catavina, a very nice hotel in an otherwise desolate part of Baja.

From Catavina, we would ride to San Ignacio. Stops included a tamale stand in Villa Jesus Maria, and pastries in Guerrero Negro. San Ignacio is the site of a beautiful mission church, and is a wonderful little town. We stayed in Yurts at San Ignacio Springs. One of the highlights for me was having my daughter fly in to Loreto, and then meet me in San Ignacio for whale watching the next day! We ate dinner that night at Tootsie's Bar and Grill.

After breakast at San Ignacio Springs, we rode to San Ignacio Bay for some whale watching. It was a perfect time of year, with lots of grey whales and their calves. It's wonderful to see these amazing creatures so close. We ate dinner at the Springs that night.

We spent the next day relaxing at the Springs and exploring the town of San Ignacio. It was a fun final day before the uneventful ride home.

Every day in Baja is precious, and this was a fantastic trip. Excellent riding, great food, whales, Baja culture, good friends = lifetime memories!