DAY TWO
The Trail to Puerto Penasco
actually starts at the city dump, and you drive through about
1.5 miles of garbage strewed sandy two track before beginning
your
climb north and to higher elevation. This area was a literal
moonscape, with extensive erosion scarring the terrain. The
last hill before
the bluff proved to be challenging, due to the deep sand and
heavy trailers. |
| Our
route continued north for several miles before intersecting (N31.73222
W114.43819 NAD27) with the
major dirt track heading east. This track was in very good condition,
and
allowed
for faster
speeds. After 5.8 miles we took a gamble with one of the tracks
heading SE (N31.66196 W114.38414) towards the beach. It proved
to be a good choice and we were at the beach within 4 miles of
the
turn. The sand in this section of the beach was deep, and required
higher speeds than preferred while pulling the trailers. The area
was absolutely beautiful! The beach was deserted, and we stopped
to swim in the warm waters and pick up shells. We traveled further
east on the beach, passing El Tornillal, and its several buildings
built on stilts. It was 10 miles east on the beach before reaching
"fish camp 1" which provides an inland (slightly) route to bypass
higher tides. We were not ready to make camp yet, so we continued
up the beach further, past "fish camp 2" another 7 miles before
turning back. We met a stranded fisherman that needed air in his
spare tire. We were glad to help him out, and gave him a cold water
and soda from our refrigerators. He gave us some directions to
confirm our exit road location, and we started back west on the
beach looking for a camp site.
Near El Tornillal
|
Climb down to the beach after Fish Camp 1
|
Giving and receiving a little help
|
Camp 2
|
Below the sandy cliffs east of fish
camp 1, we found our perfect camp spot (N31.49787 W114.16496).
It had a wonderful little inlet,
and an incredible view of the Sierra San Felipes of Baja Norte to our
west. We set up camp, and strung a tarp between the vehicles to provide
shade. We played in the water, kayaked, snorkeled, and just relaxed.
I watched the sunset over the Sierra San Felipes sitting in my Kayak,
floating in Sea of Cortez. It was beyond description. We ended our
night looking at the stars. The total lack of light pollution allowed
us to see the Milky Way extend all the way to the horizon. Abbey
(Doron's daughter) saw her first shooting star.
Go to DAY 3 |
