Baja day 21

Scored some hot water for coffee in the am. It’s the little things! Then a pod of dolphins swam by. That was cool too. I was tempted to swim but salt in my pants sounded terrible. I was tempted to stay another day. Everyone kept offering me eggs and hot water. But there was the crud, and beach flies, and I didn’t need to be getting sick. I’d swim eventually.

25 miles to the next town. Flat but bumpy af. Like the worst washboard, constant bouncing that rattled my teeth. Not fun.

I stopped at 14 miles to sit on a rock and eat my couscous. Travis from Monterey stopped his Toyota and gave me a burrito!

The road was washboarded the whole way. Wide and flat and bone rattling all day long. I stopped for a break and noticed one of my water bottles had slipped the voile strap. No way I was riding back for a water bottle. Even if it was the one with all the duct tape.

Later a truck full of local guys stopped. One held up my water bottle and asked if I’d dropped it. “This road is full of angels.” I told him. “Oh just this part,” he said. They drove off and then I kicked myself for not remembering to offer him the tool I’d found in road.

The last mile to the highway was torture. So, so bumpy and I could see the power lines along the highway hovering in the distance. Not getting closer. Then I finally turned onto paved road but straight into a headwind! So, lean into it, at least there was no more bumping. Santa Rosalillita was split up by a cliff, so I had to find the road down.

I found Jessy’s, the store that also rented rooms. I burst in and started grabbing food off the shelves. Everything looked delicious. Arms full, I inquired about a room, ready to be alone with my snacks. “Todo estan llenos,” the woman behind the counter told me. Full? I’d have to camp in the wind? No, no, no. This was not what I’d planned. I was momentarily panicked. I asked if there was another place that rented rooms. She directed me to ride through town and look for a house with a wall. Lots of houses had walls but I found the one that looked kind of like a hotel. Like someone was in the process of building hotel in their backyard. The ladies that came out of the house weren’t quite in agreement about the price. My room had lots of exposed wiring and plumbing. But the hot water worked after some experimentation, there was wifi, and the sheets were surprisingly soft. Great.