We said goodbye to Casa Cal, packed up, and rode north to La Paz, where shrimp cocktails, a smooth customs crossing, and help from our friend Daniel made the Baja Ferry transition easy and memorable. After a surprisingly restful night at sea, we rolled into Mazatlán, rode south through beautiful new landscapes, found a hidden gem of a hotel, and settled in to plan the next leg of Stage 2

Day 9 was a well-earned reset filled with laundry, gear maintenance, great coffee, a swim at Casa Cal, and bike servicing at CanDoo plus tacos in town while the bikes were tuned to perfection. We wrapped up the day with dinner, live music, and sunset rays at La Playa, then capped it off swapping travel stories with new friends before turning in for the night.

After a night’s rest in Constitution City, we rode south through cactus-lined highways, mountain S-turns, tacos, and fuel stops until the Sea of Cortez shimmered into view and welcomed us to Los Barriles. Hot showers, beach exploring, unforgettable sushi, and shared stories marked our southernmost point in Baja, one we’ll leave grateful for the ride and already missing the rhythm of the peninsula as we head toward mainland Mexico.

After leaving William’s incredible casita, we fueled up and took the eastern route, descending from the mountains to the Sea of Cortez for an unforgettable day of small towns, sweeping highways, seafood tacos, surprise vows, and a much-needed swim after a sandy spill in the heat. By nightfall we headed inland, checked into a hotel to close out week one, and reflected on 2,134 miles, 40+ hours in the saddle, and how much we’d learned about our bikes and ourselves.

We left San Felipe well fed, topped off water at Pemex, and hammered out a 347-mile workday across constantly changing terrain from the Sea of Cortez to deserts, cactus forests, and boulder-strewn rock gardens highlighted by a close call with wild burros and a laugh over the comms. After meeting fellow riders Sergio and Claudia, grabbing tacos, and pushing the final miles, we settled into Rancho Espinoza, explored the town, ate more ceviche and tacos, and planned the next leg.

We started the day in Palm Springs, rode to Calexico, crossed into Mexico without a hitch (cue excited squeals), and headed southeast across Baja for 125 miles to San Felipe. After settling in with friends, we ditched extra layers and enjoyed tacos, margaritas, ocean views, and a sunset ride back for the night.

We left Bakersfield just after 8:30 a.m., rode through Barstow, and continued on through stunning desert and mountain passes to Palm Springs, where warm weather and Joshua tree lined roads greeted us. After settling in, enjoying a lovely dinner, and doing some bike maintenance, we relaxed on the patio and called it a night.

We rode down Highway 101 to the Golden Gate Bridge, found a perfect spot near the Coast Guard station for photos, and may have briefly rolled our bikes onto the crab dock. From there we continued to Paso Robles, crossed into Bakersfield, and capped the day with dinner and a well-earned cold beer with our friend Alex.

We started the day fixing a small mechanical issue and hoisting nearly 600 pounds of gear back onto the bikes before heading south on Highway 101 through the Avenue of the Giants, stopping in Leggett to ride through a tree before turning onto Highway 1 and dropping into Fort Bragg for lunch. After overshooting our lodging and backtracking to Petaluma for the night, we were blessed at a gas stop by Judah, a pastor from Fiji, leaving us excited to cross the Golden Gate Bridge in the morning and continue down the coast.

Day one of the Pines 2 Patagonia tour kicked off with a 9 AM departure from Matt’s house, heading west to Florence and then south to Eureka, California. We caught a stunning sunset just north of Eureka before settling into a Holiday Inn only then realizing it took two baggage carts to haul all the gear we somehow fit on three bikes. Tomorrow we head south on Highway 1, excited to cross the Golden Gate Bridge.