Our route today took us away from the Pacific coast and into the desert (and deserted) mountains that comprise the spine of the peninsular to the small town of Catavina; sparce traffic, few towns, and narrow roads were the order of the day. The scenery was not unlike the Sonora desert of southern Arizona except for the appearance of a form of plant we had not seen before - it was the Cirios or Boojum tree - a notceably tapering column structure all covered in spines with a flower on top.

Mid morning while stopped for our morning tea ritual a Californian couple in a Toyota Landcruiser with an offroad trailer pulled up and introduced themselves; they were down here for 2 weeks exploring 4x4 trails. While talking to them about their experience of the Copper Canyon region we were approached by a gentleman in need of gasoline. It seems he had underestimated the scarcity of gas stations. Miraculously a jerry can appeared from the offroad trailer and now replenished he was on his way.

A side trip to Mina La Olvidada an old Onyx mining settlement and its 10 miles of rough gravel washboarded road led us to the (re)discovery that washboards are sometimes softened by more speed. The mine itself was just a random pile of orange rocks (the Onlyx ore) with the remains of an old school house made from the same material.

The scenic highlight of the day was an area just North of Catavina called Las Virgines; a field (covering some miles) of large granite bolders interspersed with cacti and other desert plants.

The camping area at Rancho Santa Inez is accessed by a turn to the left just after passing through Catavina at the top of the hill after the creek crossing. The area is a large lightly treed area covered in white granite gravel/sand. There is no formal organization into camping spots. A small building provides basic (and partially functional) toilets. Before evening we were visited by the local 'caretaker' who collected the 100 pesos fee. There were 4-5 other groups camped here.