It is amazing to me that an area the size of the Baja Peninsula can have so many things to discover and experience. Of course, you have to get off Highway 1 to do some of these things, but it is worth the time and effort. Last week we headed east from the little town of Miraflores on some of the back roads. The countryside is starting to get drier, but it is still beautiful out there.
This is a typical road with many varieties of cactus and trees along the way. Notice the little shrine at the top of the hill.
We spotted this Red Tail Hawk sitting in a road-side tree, probably looking for his lunch!
Our goal was a rancho that a friend of ours had happened on several years ago; he shared some cold beers with them and enjoyed visiting, and is welcomed back whenever he can go. We eventually got there, and there was even a sign! "Lengua de Buey". I knew lengua is tongue or language. I had to look up "Buey" in my handy Spanish dictionary. It means "ox". OK! Tongue of Ox ranch.
We received a warm welcome, and were invited in to see their collection of fossils, which include
hundreds of sharks' teeth, whale bones and shells, which they've collected around their ranch.
We toured their little palapa roofed kitchen (which was blackened by the soot of open fires) where we saw the just-butchered goat carcass, and enjoyed a sample of freshly cooked goat meat, saw their cheese-making area, and wandered the yard with their turkeys and chickens. Of course, they have no electricity of running water here... in fact, they tried digging a well 150' down, but weren't successful, so they truck their water over from a near-by ranch. It's not an easy life-style, but these ranchers are very happy with their situation.
We continued our tour of the back country and came out of the wilderness very near Los Frailes, where we saw several sail boats and fishing boats moored out of the wind.
We finished our "loop" drive by heading north towards La Ribera, then home to Los Barriles. It was a fun, discovery-filled day!