Waking up in Cabo San Lucas flipping a coin is not usually how I like to start my day off. Falcon to the west, ruins to the east. I’m all out of road and can’t travel any further south. I need somewhere to go. Later rather than sooner I will find myself back in La Paz either by way of Federal 19 or Mex 1. La Paz means one thing for me. Catch a ferry to mainland Mexico. I’m not ready to do so I’ll wander aimlessly around southern Baja.

The 10 peso coin dictated a west side route so it was back to the town of Todos Santos. Hanging out in small towns like Todos makes it easy to meet new friends. For the most part my conversations involved gringo Spanish with Mexican strippers and fisherman. Its nice not to have to start a sentence with “Como se dice?” Riley usually lays the groundwork and then I go in with my travel plans. Its not everyday you see a bulldog and a bum living in a van traveling to Argentina.

Just south of Todos Santos is a neat little up and comer called Pescadero. Its a place where commercial farming rules and small businesses flank the 19 that runs through the heart of town. Beach access is tricky with existing hotels and new big money homes going up. Pescadero has some of the best weather I’ve seen in all of Baja. It reminds me of a nice summer day at home. Except it happens here 8-10 months out of the year. The sun shines bright and warms the air but the cool Pacific breeze keeps the heat manageable and drops the temps down a few degrees at night making VanLife comfortable.

All out of food I wanted to try my luck again at a pizzeria. The first time was in Loreto and it tasted like powdered cheese on cardboard. At Napoli I met two new amigos from Petaluma, Caitlyn and MD. The pizza was a nice treat and the conversation carried over to Shut Up Franks where we put down some draft beer tequila. The next evening we made plans to meet up at Bob Marlins to have our way with some fresh langosta. Rene from Bob Marlins was the ultimate host and a damn good chef. He bought the three of us giant Pacific lobsters from the local pescaderos and cooked them over his wood fire grill to perfection. It only took about 4 weeks but it was soo worth it.

I spent about a week between Pescadero and Todos wandering the beaches and the town. MD tipped me off to Baja Beans Roasting Company which is where I spent the majority of my mornings working on site updates, pictures and video content. Its an open air cafe that sits on a beautiful landscape perfect for enjoying Pescadero weather with a nice cup of Mexican beans. I wandered over to the skate park and got some great GoPro footage. I watched the Mexican surfers at Cerritos and enjoyed a different style of wave riding that involves a ton of energy and movement. In the evening I wandered south of Rancho Nuevo and camped on the beach and watched in amazement as the sky put on some of the best color displays so far. Such a great way to end the day. And the perfect way to start the next.

Baja was such an incredible adventure and I feel blessed to have met all the wonderful people along the way. The scenery was breathtaking and every unmarked turnoff always led to somewhere new and exciting. I learned that life doesn’t need to be so complicated to enjoy it. Strip away the bullshit, plant you ass on the beach in the middle of nowhere and appreciate what you have for the moment. Wisdom over wants. If I would have listened to everyone back at home I would have missed out entirely. I guess that’s what this journey is all about.

Satisfied, I purchased my ferry ticket to the mainland and I’m ready for the next chapter. Thank you Baja.