Valle de los Cirios in Baja, California

There are a lot of things we expected from Baja California. Miles and miles of coastline…silky smooth sand…gentle surf…good fishing… But an unexpected treasure in the midst of all that ended up being the most spectacular of all. 

 

My husband, our eight-year-old twin boys, and I pedaled away from El Rosario along the Pacific coast a couple hundred miles south of San Diego as we followed the road toward southern Baja. As our legs carried us over hill after hill toward the center of the peninsula, I will admit I was a bit disheartened. To laboriously pedal a heavily-laden bicycle thousands of feet up and over a multitude of mountains only to return, in the end, back to the Pacific coast, seemed ludicrous. I wished the road simply followed the coast.

 

It didn’t take long, however, for me to change my mind. Within a few miles of leaving El Rosario we entered into Valle de los Cirios, and I knew exactly how Alice felt as she took those first tentative steps into Wonderland. I marveled at impossibly absurd boojum trees reminding me of pathetic “Charlie Brown” Christmas trees and at the sheer variety and density of cacti scattered about. That night, as we searched for a spot for our tent, we found the ground covered so thoroughly and completely with various species of cacti that we struggled mightily to find a vacant spot large enough to accommodate our bicycles and tent.

 

But the real magic of the valley appeared the following day. We cycled around a corner and I fell headlong down a hole and ended up in Wonderland! I felt like Alice as I gazed in wonder at huge boulders strewn around as though they had been tossed by a giant toddler. Nestled in the nooks and crannies between boulders we found cacti of every species imaginable. Enormous cardons, resembling its sister saguaro, towered majestically over the valley floor as though protecting the inhabitants with its enormous arms. Alongside the cardon stood the almost silly-looking boojum trees, like gigantic upside-down fuzzy carrots with pathetic crowns perched haphazardly atop. 

 

Hiding in the crevices of the rocks we found a multitude of other types of cactus. Along with the impossibly tall cardons and boojums, equally tiny cacti like foxtail littered the ground, as well as cacti of every size and shape in between. Long skinny organ pipe cactus grew alongside short squatty barrel cactus. Teddy bear cholla, with its detachable balls that tend to jump out and grab you, fought for space amongst the multitude of other plant life. Elephant trees, like miniature baobab trees transplanted from the African savanna, shaded rainbow cacti and a myriad of different species of yucca and century plants. It is said there are over 125 different species of cactus found in the Baja, and I have little doubt that each and every one of them resides in Valle de los Cirios.

 

I discovered new sights in Wonderland as I pedaled my bike through the bizarre, magical landscape. Each new twist and turn of the road brought new wonders to behold and new sights to gaze upon. Granite boulders, as big as a house, served nicely as the Mad Hatter´s table. I felt impossibly small and insignificant standing next to gigantic cardons, then the next moment I was impossibly huge towering over lesser cacti. Old man cactus, with its dense shaggy spines like an old man´s grizzly gray beard, reminded me of the King of Hearts. The queen´s army was ready to attack, perched upon their steeds of galloping cactus with strong sharp spines as weapons. But the queen was conspicuous only in her absense. I laughed out loud at the ridiculous boojum trees, and delighted in scrambling over and around massive boulders with my children in search of Wonderland´s hidden spectacles. At one point a rabbit scurried away, and I could have sworn I heard him mumble, “I’m late! I’m late! For a very important date!”

 

The small town of Cataviña, in the middle of Wonderland, was somewhat of a disappointment. In my mind I had somehow conjured up images of a lawn party and croquet. I expected to interrupt a tea party, or come face to face with the queen and her army. Instead I found only a village consisting of a small grocery store, a few small restaurants, an RV park, and two hotels. It nevertheless met our needs for food and water before we headed out once again to explore more of Wonderland.

 

Many miles later, as I pedaled away from Valle de los Cirios and the boojum trees and cardons grew progressively smaller (…or was I growing larger?), there was a part of me that wanted to turn around…to pedal back into the magical desert landscape in search of the elusive Queen of Hearts. But the rest of Baja beckoned. I heeded the call and realized Wonderland couldn´t continue on forever. I reluctantly pedaled away, hoping to find more unexpected treasures. It’s hard to imagine any place on earth more incredible, more intriguing, or more extraordinary than Valle de los Cirios. But if it´s there, I sure hope I find it!