I thank Andrew Linker for letting me use his photos for this post!We left Santa Ana around 9am. It was easy to pack up camp because 3 of us had slept in hammocks and left most of our gear on the bikes. It was a cool desert morning and all of us knew we had to enjoy it before it was gone. The sun, still somewhat low in the sky, was a strobe through the mountain tops and cactus forests. We rode for 4 or 5 hours, stopping for breaks every 100 miles or so. I kept thinking to myself, "we're finally in Mexico". To some people, the unknown can be terrifying, to to others, exhilarating.
We took the highway towards San Carlos.
As we rounded a bend, we saw the deep blue of the pacific lined by white beaches and rocky cliffs. It was a long straight shot for another 30 minutes into San Carlos. The town was beautiful, clean, and alive. This was definitely a tourist destination. Many of the signs were in english or had english on them somewhere. After riding to the end of town we doubled back to an RV park called Totanaka. We settled on a campsite near the back, took our gear off and went out on our bikes to see the city. We stopped for tacos down the street and then hit the road. Just before the end of town we turned onto a road that cut to the right up into some hills. 
From the top of the hills we could see the coves that continued to swooped in between the sloping cliffs of San Carlos. Vacation homes and small hotels perched on the side of the cliffs like a scene out of a James Bond film when he finally has time to relax after kicking butt.Our bikes full of power without the burden of our gear, we glided up and down the hills. We stopped at a small beach just past town to get our feet wet. We were all in a good mood and excited to have made it another day. We got back on the road and took it to the end where it turned into gravel. Unsure whether to turn back or keep going, a local stopped and
told us there was a village further down. The road was rocky and full of dips and bumps, the first of many on the trip. A ways up the road we entered a small town where the locals lived, obviously segregated from the tourist area. Part of me felt bad knowing they probably used to live on the beautiful shores of San Carlos but were now forced outside because of the cost of living in town. The other part of me figured they also made alot more money because of the tourism and probably didn't mind where they lived. It reminded me of the American indian, except we left them with dusty dry patches of desert in the middle of nowhere.On our way back to camp we stopped at an outdoor pool bar atop a small shopping mall. It was very upscale and trendy but still cheap. Because it was happy hour we shot pool for free and had a beer or two. It was nice to relax and have some fun. I know some of you are probably thinking, "isnt that all you're doing on this trip?". To be honest with you, so far its
been alot of work. Riding a motorcycle everyday for 6 or more hours takes a toll on your body, and then setting up camp just to tear it down in the morning and do it all again the next day can wear a guy down.We went back to the park, took hot showers, and turned in for the night.
I forgot to mention, Andrew set his hammock up high in a tree at our site and slept like a monkey.
All photos by Andrew Linker
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