After visits to a few dentists in Ensenada and Tijuana, we resumed our bicycle trip where we left off. A beautiful ride through Baja’s central desert brought us to a laid back, coastal village and our first encounter with the Sea of Cortez. From there, we savored the sensation of returning to Baja’s remote backcountry as we cycled between remote desert ranches through ankle-deep sand, where shade was a precious commodity in the sun-baked landscape - until we finally arrived at the palm-studded oasis of Misión San Ignacio.

We began this leg of the Baja Divide bikepacking route with a sense of excitement and anticipation. We would finally cycle into Baja’s iconic central desert, with its giant cacti and other strange plants that look like they came right out of a Dr. Seuss book. The dry, rugged deserts would challenge our water planning skills. And we would tackle the infamous Section 8, the longest stretch of the Baja Divide without any access to food or water. The rewards for those challenges included magical landscapes, lots of wildlife sightings, and a once-in-a-lifetime campsite on a secluded Baja beach.

Baja California has a special allure for travelers, and cyclists are not immune. Since its inception in 2017, the Baja Divide bikepacking route has captivated off-road cyclists with the promise of pristine ocean shores, grand desert crossings, friendly cultural connections, and up-close encounters with weird and wonderful plants that grow nowhere else in the world. How could we resist? After traversing the urban sprawl of San Diego, we were thrown into a new world of adventure. Each day brought fresh challenges and surprises as we cycled through remote mountain passes between colorful, laid-back towns on the backroads of Baja.