Mike's Sky Ranch
The roosters got an early start at Mike's Sky
Ranch, cackling off in the distance shortly after
dawn. Unfortunately, my roommates and I were
already awake to hear them. Mr. Rooster, in fact,
had probably been awoken by the same thing that
roused us at first light. Our overly friendly
neighbors started moving before dawn, boisterously
preparing for another day of offroad explorations.
Talking smack and carrying on outside our door, the
riders seemed to pick up right where they left off
at the campfire the night before, as if the
intervening hours had only been a five-minute
break.
Burying our heads under our pillows, Lory, Sirpa
and I tried unsuccessfully to go back to sleep.
Finally, we gave up and shuffled into the dining
room for a strong cup of coffee and
desayuno. While we waited for our chorizo
and eggs, the others joined us, and we discussed
the day's activities. We could spend another day
driving offroad to visit the Observatorio
Astronómico Nacional at San Pedro
Mártir, or we could hang out, relax and do
some exploring in the surrounding canyon. We opted
for the latter.
Mike's Sky Ranch sits on a hill overlooking
Arroyo San Rafael, a steep-walled canyon through
which a stream runs. Simple, rustic rooms surround
a centrally located swimming pool. Off to one side,
a large common room, dining room and bar offer a
comfortable respite after a strenuous day of
offroad play. The ranch even boasts a billiard
room, though we could only find 13 balls during our
visit (forcing Tom, Mike, Sirpa and I to get
creative with a four-person game of Cutthroat). Our
accommodations were located in a long block of 10
rooms above the main ranch, which ostensibly
offered a quieter stay (but not this time). Below
the ranch, sycamores overshadowed a sandy wash near
the stream, where our campers erected their tents.
 An
offshoot of the dirt road we'd traveled yesterday
followed the watercourse further up into the
arroyo. We got behind the wheels of our vehicles
again and started exploring. Our first diversion
came when the road crossed the creek. The water
level did not pose a significant obstacle, but it
was still high enough for some whitewater fun. As
we continued along increasingly rutty roads, we
realized we'd split off from the stream some ways
back. Since our goal was to find a suitable spot to
hike along the water, we turned back and parked.
As before, the lushness of the scenery caught me
by surprise. I frankly expected dry brush and
barren hillsides, but the canyon glowed with
brilliant greens. Along the stream, especially,
reeds and plants grew thick in riparian splendor.
The trail, too, provided an exciting hike.
Paralleling the water, it undulated over rocks and
boulders, giving me a chance to do some of the
climbing I hadn't fully taken advantage of at
Joshua Tree two weeks ago. Reaching a small
waterfall, we reached an unspoken decision to go
off and do our own thing. Sirpa and I climbed up to
join Rich and Nate atop a low cliff, while others
explored the surrounding area. Eventually, most
continued on up the rocky trail. I stayed behind
with Lory and Drew, stripping down to my bathing
suit to take a brisk dip in the chilling water.
Later that afternoon, some of us made up for our
interrupted sleep by taking a long nap. When the
ranch filled up with riders again at the end of the
day, the dinner hour arrived. As one would expect
in a ranch house environment, a full breakfast and
a hearty dinner come included in the cost of
accommodations. In the early evening, proprietor
Mike lights up two large piles of mesquite, over
which the night's repast is grilled (steak the
first night, chicken the second).
After dinner, our group retired to the cozy bar,
the walls of which were covered with bumper
stickers and other racing and offroad
paraphernalia. Bartender Alejandro mixed up some
wicked margaritas, and even shared a bit of the
Mike's Sky Ranch private-label tequila (which
apparently was made in Guadalajara, not on the
premises). Too soon, the generator shut off (10:00
p.m. sharp every night), so we made our way down to
the campsite for some late-night revelry around the
fire. DJ (and man of many other talents) Nate
spun some music out of his iBook as Sirpa, laughing
uncontrollably, passed around the tequila time
after time. Throwing the last of the wood on the
fire, we watched as the flames—and one fine
day—subsided at last.
©2003 Michael
Strickland ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED
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