Okay, it probably wasn’t the fish, but something (I’m looking at you fajitas thrown together by beachside bartender at drug cartel front hotel so the nosey gringos won’t get suspicious) did not want to be in Ann’s belly after all. Not too long after we went to sleep, the wind kicked back up to it’s full force and sent the tent and truck rocking as a growing nausea took hold. Thus far, we’d cooked all our own meals except for a torta in Bufadora (which had no ill effects other than hallucinations of zebra donkeys) and all signs pointed to the fajitas at Los Vientos.
After a second bad night’s sleep and having awakened the wrath of an Aztec emperor, we packed up at sunrise and drove back up the road towards the junction with Mex 1. Coming back through all the little towns we’d seen on the way in, there were huge puddles of water everywhere. It seems the wind was the only part of the system that made it across the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir having unloaded its rain payload just on the other side of Catavina.
Oh yeah, though we were in a bit of a haze when it happened, the other weird experience was speeding up Mex 1 listening to an episode of “This American Life” only to look over and see the words “IRA GLASS” spray painted in all caps on the side of an abandoned storefront. I would suggest subscribing to the podcast just in case you find yourself in the neighborhood.
With Ann in need of some rest (yes, and a flush toilet…), we headed for San Quintin and, after a stop in town at an ATM (first one north of Bahia Los Angeles), we followed signs toward two hotels down a dirt road. Before pulling into the one with the nicer sign, Don Eddie’s, we decided to check out the other one, The Old Mill Hotel. Turns out that was a great idea. Within minutes of pulling into the courtyard of the Old Mill, we were checking out pictures and stickers from the thousands of off-roaders and dirt bikers who frequent the place, had collected our complimentary post-checkin Pacificos, and Ann had passed out while I was connecting to the wireless. She slept happily for 3 hours while I clogged their bandwidth with blog updates.
Great hotel, nice owners, beautiful grounds, highly recommended for next time as a first stop south of the border.
