Introduction

!Hola Amigos! !Saludos a todos! I'm back for another cycling adventure. This time it's the Baja Divide, a 1,730-mile bikepacking route created in 2016 by Pat Boyle, Evan Christenson, and Logan Watts. I had originally planned to ride this last year, but was laid up after hernia surgery. The aim is to connect my North American network to my Trans Mexican route. I've got twenty five-days, almost my entire winter teaching break. Unfortunately I don't believe it's enough time to complete the whole thing. Chances are, I'll be back next year to finish it. I'll be starting at the San Diego airport and will pedal my way down through the mountain chains that form the spine of the Baja peninsula. I'll cross back and forth between the Pacific coast to the Sea of ​​Cortez on dirt tracks. The route is 95% unpaved with 96,349' of climbing. My last time out on my gravel bike was the Silk Road Mountain race in Kyrgyzstan, and I've assured myself that this will be easier. Mexico is one of my favorite places, and I've previously been down Baja by bus. I'm looking forward to the warm weather, natural splendor, friendly people, delicious food, and cold beer.

This bike tour is dedicated to Blanka the dog, who died in July. In addition to being the best dog ever, Blanka joined me on several bike tours including the Southern Tier part 1, the GAP, the C&O, and the Erie Canal. I dearly miss Blanka, yet for the first time I feel no guilt about going away.