We had a couple of nights in the town of Loreto but found it rather lacking in the style of Mexico that we have come to love. It was like part of America, and the locals seemed strangers in their own town. First world prices with 3rd world service would be how the boat hire to the scenic off shore island struck us. A pretty, vehicle-free square in the old town was a great place to watch the sun set and hoards of kids on roller blades entertained us.
Riding into the desert, we had a temperature rise of 11 degrees in 25minutes (17 to 28) and later in the day, mid 30 degrees, we threw water over our gear to get the wind cooling effect as we rode. Huge cacti and the colours of the rocky up-thrusts, along with occasional views of the Sea of Cortez kept us enthralled as we headed North to Santa Rosalia. The main vehicles on the roads are the huge American utes and the consideration given to you by other drivers is very American, very polite.
This former French mining town is littered with remnants of the mining history, 1884 to 1954 copper was extracted and now the trains and mine equipment and buildings are a huge feature. There is still talk of getting the mining going again with more efficient techniques. The cemetery size indicates that a lot must have perished in the old mine.
The narrow streets and wooden buildings reminded us of Nome, Alaska or Arrowtown NZ, but where did they get wood in this treeless barren desert?
Nearly forgot the famous church made of pressed steel panels and maybe designed by Eiffel (he also made a tower).
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