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.

On the last day of the swell it was time to say adios to the East Cape and finish the last few kilometers of the peninsula. The Cape was definitely one of my favorite places in Baja. The sun said buenos dias through the back doors of the van every morning. I had miles of white sand and turquoise waters all to myself. It was the perfect setting for the think tank.

It took two hours to reach Cabo and immediately I knew it would be a short visit. So far I’ve passed through every major town in Baja. I don’t know how to interact and play nicely with people who wear visors and platform flip flops. I’m also not on spring break. So for the first night in a while Riley and I shared closed quarters in the van and I didn’t get to fall asleep to the crashing waves or the cool breeze blowing through my open doors. By sunrise it was time to get out of town. I needed a destination. I flipped the destination coin and Todos Santos won the toss.

Todos is a sweet town considering its full of expats; most of them retired. Its 45 minutes north of Cabo. The vibe is mellow and its fun to walk around and check out all the galleries and crafts. There’s an obvious Norte Americano interest in the town but the roots are visible even with the new development. Todos is also a few degrees cooler than the east side of the peninsula. Despite being near the Tropic of Cancer, Todos waters are cold in the spring and early summer due to upwelling. I had to look it up to. So the winds come in and keep the nights and early mornings cool. If I had the dinero or a reason, I would buy just south of Todos in a town called Pescadero.

As I’m walking the town I see this pilgrimage happening opposite my direction. Immediately I recognized that it was an old friend of mine from Utah days. Its hard to describe Spencer and the rest of the Copes. Just picture a family where everyone is beautiful, genuine and caring. They’re pretty rad. They love hugs. And food. Did I mention they’re Mormon? Not that has anything to do with anything. Just when they roll, they roll deep.

I spent the rest of the day catching up with Spencer and enjoying the waves at playa Cerritos. After that Spencer’s mom, Karen, had me hook line and sinker with a hot shower and some family fun. So I drove back to Cabo. On the condition that Spencer and girlfriend Kaylee join me for a night of camping back to the Cape.

They next morning Spencer, Kaylee and I took of for the Cabo Riviera. Every time I found myself on the perfect beach in Baja I thought it would be just a little more awesome if I had a couple of my buddies from back home to share the experience with. I was stoked to share The Cape with Kaylee and Spencer. Growing up in Utah I’m sure Spencer did his share of camping; even if it wasn’t on his terms. I learned a few things from him. Like I don’t need a car to gather wood. Maybe I just need to turn Riley into a camp donkey. Kaylee was our camp chef and taught me that camp food doesn’t have to suck.