It took me 3 days to get through baja at a pace that I was ok with. If I was riding the dirt and not highway 1, I would need 2 weeks to cover to distance, maybe more, but it was ok. An extra day in La Paz, or maybe even down to Cabo may have been worth it, but I got to the ferry on time and that was the first goal.
This morning I arrived in Mazatlan around 9am. It took a long time for them to allow us to go down to the bikes and start unloading. I had a good rest though, so I was ok waiting. My biggest rush today though, was that I had made the last minute decision to ride the toll road from Mazatlan to Durango. This added a few hours to the journey as it takes you north, then drops you back south through San Luis Potosi.
I unloaded from the boat, said goodbye to Roberto and the other ADV riders I had met on the ferry. Entering Mexico again, but this time alone. The part of Mazatlan where the docks are, is about as ugly as the part of any city where the docks are. It had recently rained, the sky was gray, and everything felt a little dreary. The good thing though, was that it was nice and cool. I had had so many hot baja days, a little rain sounded great.
Because the road to Durango was not part of my original plan, my offline maps did not have today's route on them. I got to truly go for an adventure as I followed street signs and my gut feeling on how to get to the toll road. I had to turn around a few times and ask for directions once, but eventually I was on the road.
The toll road to Durango is the home of the world famous "Puente Baluarte." This is the route that the group of riders at the cactus hotel had recommended to me. They promised me that it would be amazing and worth the time and money (tolls all the way), but it really also meant I would have to ride around 450 miles from Mazatlan to San Luis Potosi in the day too. I paid the first toll thinking "Yeah the road looks nice, but nothing special." As I continued on, my opinion changed. The road quickly takes you up into the mountains as you cross maybe 30 small bridges and go through a similar number of tunnels. It is all very well kept and extremely modern. I kid you not, I was smiling the entire time on the toll road. As if this wasnt enough, midway through, you cross the Baluarte bridge, and just lose your breath. I have videos of the entire thing that I will have to upload when I get some really great capable internet. I do have to say that my only complaint, is that with an absolute architectural masterpiece like this bridge, it is a shame there is nowhere to pull out and get a good look from a view point. You just cross it, and keep going.
After making it to Durango (and about 500 pesos of toll money later), you begin the journey to Zacatecas. I wasnt sure what the city would look like, and I was absolutely amazed when I came over the hill and saw it. The buildings are all very unique covered in bright paint. I didnt have time to explore it, but would love to return some day to see more.
I continued on like a rocket today and finally made it to San Luis Potosi. I tried to remember the name of the Hostal that I was planning on staying at, and started asking around for help finding it. The city is pretty big though, so it really took me some time. Eventually I saw an R1200GSA parked on the street I thought the hostal was on. I knocked on the door where the bike seemed to belong. The owner looked at me through the window a little on guard asking what I wanted. Eventually Samuel came outside and we had a great chat about our travels and the city. He showed me where the hostal was and offered to take me to the KTM dealer here in town tomorrow morning.
Eventually I got into the hostal around 6pm and headed around the corner for some amazing tipico enchiladas de San Luis Potosi.
It has been an incredibly long day, but I had an absolute blast!
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