Participated by La Venta: Carlos Lazcano, Franceso (Ciccio) Lo Mastro, Luca Massa, Martino Frova. Supported our adventure: Intermatica (Satellite phones), Ferrino (Clothing and outdoor equipment), Dolomite (Mountain footwear), Amphibious (Dry bags), Scurion (Led lighting systems), Tiberino (Dried foods ready to be cooked) In this last writing I would like to sum up what I said earlier and transmit in addition to the cold data, even emotions. After three days of traveling we returned to Italy. Now, thousands of kilometers away in our comfortable beds, we stare mesmerized at the ceiling thinking still in disbelief that we were there. In the eyes we still have the warm colors of the desert: the bright green of the cactus, the many shades of rocks, from black to dark red to ocher, the magical glitter of quartz sands and the soft profile of granite boulders that make this landscape unique. What we can say about the thousands of stars that accompanied our nights? City residents, those rare times when looks up to the sky only perceives an opaque veil of an indefinite black; here, raise your eyes, it means infinite wonder, an explosion of lights flickering and bluish to leave gaping, petrified, speechless. The desert, however, is not always as we imagine: a stereotype of hot sands, blistering heat and no sign of life. Sometimes it can be full of stones, cold at night and populated by cactus, rattlesnakes and scorpions; this is the desert of Baja California. Where we were? In the Valle de los Cirios 25,000 square kilometers of wilderness consisting of every species of cactus, including "lo que brincan", that just touching them throw their pieces that will stick in your meat or you will find them attached to shoes taking them for a walk without noticing. It is not that they are angry with us that are there to break that silence, but their somewhat violent way to propagate the species. Then there are the rattlesnakes, the same color as the ground, and scorpions, which fortunately here are not deadly but the sting is very painful; in short, we are in good company. We have made base in Cataviña, a few houses on Transpeninsular, the only expressways here, which crosses from north to south, the two states of Mexican California (Baja California and Baja California sur). By the way, the name "Californios" was given to the natives of these places by the early Jesuit missionaries who came here in the eighteenth mandated by the Spanish king Charles V. It derives from Califerne, an imaginary place mentioned in a story of the eighth century related to Charlemagne. From Cataviña then we moved in different directions always on reporting of "rancheros" of the place. We were at Bocana, supported in a shelter in the desert equipped by our friend and guide Nathan Velasco, a young enlightened and sensitive to the protection and preservation of this environment. We explored the site of Bachata, with its many petroglyphs; then we moved to the area of the Sierra de la Asamblea, a wilderness area with granite reliefs up to 1600m, totally unexplored and infinitely far from any sign of civilization. Here we suffered the cold at night and hot during the day, we were surprised by a violent night storm which wiped out our beliefs on the climate of the desert as well as dispersed our horses. The next days, the horses recovered and the long rides have rewarded of sacrifices by many findings, also important, as the site of "La Pintada", a stone slab along the rocky bed of a dry creek, a huge natural slate literally covered with petroglyphs, or as "The Pintadita 1", and "The Pintadita 2", real success of this expedition. Their rock paintings belong to the style Great Mural, what we hoped to find in these areas, just to connect the two other important sites like this: one many kilometers further north, in the Sierra San Francisco and the other in the south, in the Mission of San Borja. Very happy our friend and associate of La venta Carlos Lazcano, geologist, director of the Museum of History of Ensenada, creator of the project with the "Society of the Ancient California". The last few days have not gone very well, wandering in the immensity of the desert to check reports of elderly ranchers who had vague memories of drawings or colored spots on the rocks. Of these, one gave us a hope, by telling of a large cavity, which he called the "Painted Cave", where he said can stay in eleven horses (chissà poi perché proprio undici) and whose walls are covered with polychrome designs of all types. We tried to reach by jeep (on horseback it takes nine hours). We tried, but after three hours of bumps, dust, drilling and various concussions, as we were inventing the road on the moment and we risked stay forever there, we gave up. Unfortunately our time was over, but just this last objective will stimulate an expedition next year, maybe the whole on horseback. Meanwhile we can only dream... Francesco Lo Mastro – La Venta Esplorazioni Geografiche. Participated by La Venta: Carlos Lazcano, Franceso (Ciccio) Lo Mastro, Luca Massa, Martino Frova. We thanks the guides: Nathan Velasco, of Cataviña which offered important support and was the connection to locate guides in other regions of the Valle de los Cirios. Jose Sanchez and his son of the same name, who failed in the attempt to lead us to the Cueva Pintada. In the Sierra de la Asambleathe guides David Torres (son) and David Torres (father) who are familiar with these mountains. Supported our adventure: Intermatica (Satellite phones), Ferrino (Clothing and outdoor equipment), Dolomite (Mountain footwear), Amphibious (Dry bags), Scurion (Led lighting systems), Tiberino (Dried foods ready to be cooked).