Tuesday

Day 41



We assemble for the short drive from our RV Park into the town of San Ignacio and dutifully follow along until we park in the shade of large trees in the main square. The mission is one of the finer ones in Baja California, and with a similar history as others we have visited; started by Jesuits, then Franciscans and finally Dominicans who completed the building in 1786. 


 

It is an appealing church, with a carefully restored altar screen covered with gold leaf. 















A garden on the church grounds includes many cactus that I have been trying to identify, and each one neatly labeled in Spanish and English, as well as the botanical name. This is wonderful, and I take pictures of each, including the label.

Then we head to the small museum behind the church. This mostly concerns the local rock art from the Sierra de San Francisco. Ken and Carole have looked into the possibility of us doing an extra excursion to see these cave paintings. But it is a two hour drive each way on a rough unpaved road, and the group declined this in favor of just studying the photographs and recreation of the major scenes in the museum.
Felix and I decide to attempt the short hike to the top of the nearest mesa that is mentioned in our Baja guide. It is a dusty scramble up a steep path, aided by a local lady who points out the correct path from among several. At the top, it is clear why San Ignacio is an oasis. It is surrounded by mesas of basalt, just like the one we are standing on. The landlocked depression includes the town of San Ignacio and thousands of date palms filling the valley. Many of the cactus from the church garden are represented on the mesa top, and we spend a few minutes walking around.

Back down in the town square, we are both in need of sustenance after our scramble up the mesa. We walk almost right around the square until Felix stops at a tiny ice cream place. He gets a pina colada ice cream and I a cappuccino. Oh joy! This one is as good as the one in Mazatlan. It’s probably made entirely with full cream milk, but just delicious. Felix enjoys his ice cream while I am persuaded to buy a small, carved whale pendant.

On the way back to the rig, we stop at the Mercado for a few groceries. Ken said this was the best place in town, but it is a disappointment. Most of the veggies are wilted and shriveled, so we come away with the minimum to last until the next town.

I make hot cheese dip for the evening social. It is a simple recipe out of the ancient  and tattered cookbook that came with the microwave oven in our rig. But it is a success. When I want to give the leftovers to the local dog who has been doing the rounds looking for handouts or dropped scraps, I am requested to leave it for the remaining partygoers.

Felix and Rose


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