Baja Amigos

Today we are off to Ensenada.  We cross at Tecate driving briefly on Hwy 3 before turning on Hwy 2 Toll, then onto Corridor 2ooo before entering onto Hwy 1 Toll prior to entering Ensenada. This takes s westward along the Mexican/American border, then south along the eastern perimeter of Tijuana before turning onto the breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean.

Today we are off to Rancho Santa Inez in the community of Catavina.   This will take us through El Rosario where the highway ended prior to construction of Mex 1 in 1973.  This campground is located  in the heart of the Catavina Boulder Fields and its impressive and unique Sonoran Desert vegetation includes Cirios cactus.

Today is a shorter drive taking us into the middle of the desert through Vizcaino before arriving into the a beautiful date palm oasis of San Ignacio. San Ignacio has a population of about 4000 and is home to the magnificent Mission of San Ignacio. The site for the original mission was founded in the Cochimi settlement of Kadakaaman in 1728 by Jesuit missionary Juan Bautista Luyando.

Our short drive today takes us to the town of Loerto.  Loreto is the birthplace of California, as it was the first permanent settlement anywhere in the Californians, including the U.S. state to the north.  Loreto was the capital of both California’s’ for 132 years and was a sleepy village where summer’s heat made for a laid-back pace for locals and visitors.

We will leave early this morning and drive to Playa El Tecolote where we will spend some serious beach time.  Our journey will take us through La Paz where we will grocery up for our boon docking (dry camping).

Our drive today will take us around the west cape to the Pacific Ocean on the Mex 19 highway. On the way we will cross the Tropic of Cancer and our tour includes a  stop in Todos Santos where Baja Amigos will host  a lunch stop at a legendary Taco Stand. You will see Playa Los Cerritos where many RVers still SnowBird for the winter.  For the next 3 nights we will be staying at an excellent RV Park in Los Cabos.

Today we have a short jaunt and we’ve now completed the southern loop having returned to La Paz which is (Spanish for “The Peace”)  and the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. We will be staying at Campestre Maranatha for the next 2 days.

Today we have a short drive past Loreto, the Bay of Concepcion and continue on to Mulege, another date palm oasis.  The name Mulege is derived from the Cochimi language meaning “Large ravine of the white mouth.”  In 1705 a mission was established which they christened Santa Rosalia de Mulege.  The beautiful stone building that replaced the original still stands overlooking the river.

We will return to Guerrero Negro to a different campground which includes a unique restaurant and good WiFi, also a good place to collect shells!  Day 25 we continue north and our final leg is from the junction on Mex 1 where we will take a paved road 66 km down to the Sea of Cortez and the sleepy fishing village of Bahía de los Ángeles (“Bay of Angels”).

This is the final leg of our journey and we will take a different route back to Tecate. After leaving Ensenada we will head northeast on Hwy Mex 3 where an extensive re-pavement project has been underway since the Spring of 2010.  As we enter Valle de Guadalupe and “Wine Country” the first highway upgrade  becomes very apparent, wide lanes and significant paved shoulders, a nice change indeed.