Just the Beginning

Greetings from Rosario, Baja California, norte
Well, I have made it halfway down BC norte officially today. We have been averaging about 50 miles a day, which seems to be plenty. The road has been pretty good so far - not so bumpy, not so sandy, except for a couple sections where we had to walk our bikes across about 1km of sand. I would rather have backtracked and biked an extra 20 miles than do that. Lesson learned. Crossing the border was no problem. We crossed at around 8 in the am, and although we tried to find the free road to Rosarito, we ended up on the busy toll road. This put us in quite a predicament, and trying to cross to the other side of the road with cars flying by at 80 km/hr and a five foot ledge in the middle of the road was scary and comical at the same time. We got through there though, and after navigating through some pretty poor parts of Tijuana, found our way toward the coast. The stretch of road from Tijuana to Ensenada is what I remember of it from road trips down - it follows the coast, and there are little developments and big developments all along the way. Most of the big construction has been stopped for the past couple years, and the cement and steel frames of some huge resorts look the same they did several years before. Most of the access to the beach is restricted or private and unless you want to sneak under an old barbwire fence or pay some money, you don´t go to the beach. Our first night we spent in La Mision, 60 km down the coast. We stayed with a couch surfing friend who treated us like kings. He took us to a friends trailer on the coast who barbequed hamburgers with all the fixins´ and we sang old Mexican ballads into the early evening. After that we headed inland a bit on the toll road in a beautiful stretch of hills and plains covered with low lying green vegetation. The road took us back to the coast at Ensenada, and we traveled a bit further for our first night camping in Mexico. Unfortunately, dusk came before we could find a real good spot, and so we settled on a little piece of land just down an embankment from the main road. It was a little sketchy, and could be seen by the road if they were really looking, but no one bothered us and we woke up ok. Our third day took us again away from the coast and up some hills. We ran into a couple from Quebec who was returning on their way back from Panama. They started their trip down to Panama on the east coast a year ago. Yesterday was the worst day by far. Long stretches of flat road rolling by dusty farmlands with crowded roads. Also, our third rider, Jordan, decided to leave us so he could go a bit slower. So now its just Laurel and I. Laurel is proving to be quite a good mate though: She is a well experienced camper, a tough rider, her Spanish is pretty good, and she makes decent conversation at night. Although I would rather be sharing this journey with countless other friends or relatives, she is keeping me from what would surely be some pretty lonely feelings down here.
We made it just south of the farmland and were able to camp in a spot a bit inland from the coast. Today has been some pretty good riding - very few cars. The scenery gives me an impression of what southern california would have looked like before development. Lots of low lying shrub on marsh land. Lots of shore birds, rabbits, squirrels, etc. We have just started to head inland, and will spend the next several days at a higher elevation as move down in the middle of the peninusla, before again returning to the coast at Guerrero Negro. Spots for water seem less available on this stretch according to the map, but we should be fine. I have had no trouble filling my water bottles at little pure water filling stations inside semi large stores at the major truck stops.
The road, although shoulderless, is as I said in great condition. Most people give us space enough, and we get honked at quite a bit. Most honks our enouraging gestures from friendly truckers or travelers, and the occasional one is a pissed off driver urging us to bike in the gravel and sand. Dogs often awake and run after us as we pass by, growling, barking, and trying to bite our legs and bags. A couple dogs befriended us last night at the campsite. In the morning, we found that some of Laurel´s clothes had been dragged off and chewed up. I couldn´t find my sandals either, but after a bit of searching, I recovered both pair, seemingly untouched. The weather has been amazing. Partly cloudy, sunny, warm. It gets a little cold at night sometimes, but nothing too bad. The cloud cover for the most part has been amazing during the day. Today I climbed the steepest hill I ever have on my bike, and then got to ride down the steepest hill as well.
It is interesting for me to travel this way. It is much different than my time in Guatemala, where I spent four months in one spot. Traveling this much everyday, you don´t get the same interaction with people. I could be traveling anywhere really. Except for the occasional converation at a store, I am not interacting much with the locals. I guess it is more of a tour of the scenery, which has its own perks. Sometimes I feel like I could be anywhere in the world.
All in all, things are good. It is weird to be traveling further south everyday, further away from all that I know, with no welcoming party wherever I end up. My bike is still kicking strong, as am I, and I look forward to the new scenery every day.