Mulegé is a green surprise in a very brown country. The town sits where a small river reaches the Gulf of California, and a belt of date palms follows the valley inland, so that after hours on dry, spiny desert road you drop through a gap in the hills and find yourself among palms, orchards and the scent of water. The old mission church, founded by the Jesuits in the early eighteenth century, stands on a rise above the river and looks out across the palms.
The town has an odd history. For decades, the territorial prison on the hill above the river was famous for having no locked gates, and the inmates were allowed to leave during the day to work in the town, returning at night to sleep. The system is said to have worked because there was nowhere to go in the desert, and the building is now a small museum. Dates, oranges and figs grow along the river, and the town's pace is slow and friendly, with a plaza, a few shops and some small restaurants.
South of Mulegé, Highway 1 runs along the shore of Bahía Concepción, one of the loveliest stretches of road in Baja. The bay is a long, sheltered arm of the gulf, with turquoise water, white beaches and rocky headlands, and the road dips and climbs along it in short bends with views at every turn. It is a ride to take slowly. The surface can be rough, and in places the shoulder is narrow, but traffic is light. In the hot months, the water is warm enough to swim in all day.
Fuel is available in Mulegé, which is a town of under four thousand but has a station, and there are more in Santa Rosalía to the north and Loreto to the south. Food is simple and good, with tacos, fresh fish and clams from the bay, and a few hotels have shaded gardens. Keep cash, since cards are not accepted everywhere. If you plan to camp on the beaches south of town, bring water and be ready for strong sun, as there is little shade.