We have enjoyed traveling into and currently living as a permanent resident in our lovely neighbor to the south for many years now. What started as a year or two test has grown into a full fledged love affair going on our 15th season of year-round residency. Before you make this wise decision to live and love in Mexico, you owe it to yourself to drive down at least once or thrice to get a good feel for the territory. This most memorable road trip will stick in your gourd with tales of fun and adventure and is highly recommended at least once.
The experience of exploring down Federal Highway 1 is best planned with a few back up options and plenty of time to wander. We have always loved a grand road trip and this is one of the world’s greatest drives. Most of us that have made this epic drive have first visited delightful Mexico by jet or cruise ship. Driving down however is a very contrasting experience. If you’ve only tried Mexico by way of a glitzy all inclusive resort or cruise ship, your first trip by vehicle will make you a little white knuckled on the wheel and a ton twitchy when you approach your first military check point. There you are, cold beverage in hand, music blaring and your Labrador drooling on your shoulder as he wags his whole body hoping to meet a new friend. Only these are teenagers with semi automatics and no smiles. You hadn’t expected to make that turn and find these camouflaged mannish boys staring you down. Wow that first unexpected check point is certainly the worst. But don’t worry once you realize they are only looking for obvious guns and drugs and not your sweating Pacifico you swallow the lump and keep heading south. South by southeast, down and then down some more into the majestic Baja. Believe me when I tell you these check points are harmless inconveniences that you will barely notice. Carry some extra cold colas and (for some reason) bumper stickers or baseball hats and the serious looks become flowing smiles as they wave you through. Tough work for these misplaced military boys in the hot boring desert. Plus they are keeping the place safe and are there to help. Speaking of help you will notice these nice green and white work trucks that appear to be there as Baja race support teams. They are in fact the Angeles Verdes or Green Angels that are mechanics that drive up and down highway 1 offering roadside assistance.
But I get ahead of myself as I often do – first off you must cross the border or worse yet if you are starting from Tahoe you have to get through the rugged and dangerous Los Angeles. No getting around it and be sure to keep your hands away from your horn. You never know when you might just anger the wrong stressed-out, over worked, recently divorced with massive child support paying, southern Cali resident. Best to go slow and keep an eye on your speed as the ever present CHP officer makes that recent divorcee seem quaint in comparison. But you make it through unscathed and see the delightful San Diego Bay and realize the best part the trip is still ahead.
We normally make our first overnight in San Diego before we cross the border. Here we can enjoy a nice meal and some rest before we cross over. I’ve had friends boast they’ve made the whole Baja trip in 18 hours but that is unlikely and rather foolish considering the condition of the road and the Diablo truck drivers who own the whole road, both sides after dark.Not to mention the cows, donkeys and herds of goats that like the warmth of the road once the darkness and cold envelops the desert. We prefer starting early and getting off the road at cocktail hour. We prefer three days of 7 to 8 hours a day driving or we as we like to call it, exploring the Baja.
Day 1- From the border to Guerrero Negro – 447 miles approximately 10 hours
Day 2 – Guerrero Negro to Cabo San Lucas – 576 miles approximately 9 1/2 hours
Day 1 – From the border to Cataviña – 298 miles approximately 7 hours
Day 2 – Cataviña to Loreto – 402 miles approximately 7 hours
Day 3 – Loreto to Cabo San Lucas – 318 miles approximately 6 hours
Once you’ve secured your Mexican auto insurance, filled out your tourist card at the border (or wait ’til you get to the state crossing in Guerrero Negro, but a possible problem as they are consistently inconsistent). You are nearly ready. Get that vehicle tuned up, check your tread and fill your cooler. Then and only when you have all checks on your gotta have list, you are ready to roll down the great not so barren amusement park called Baja.
Tijuana to Guerrero Negro –
Ok I will not take the time to get into the wonderful and chaotic adventure ride called TJ. The sixth largest city in Mexico with over 1.7 million people it is a wonder unto itself. Let’s just keep moving into the right lane so we don’t miss the toll road. This occasionally closed cliff side wonder of engineering madness is delightful and scenic and only a few pesos later you will be looking over the crashing waves, happy surfers and heading toward Ensenada. Here you are thinking, wow we are making great time, then comes the grinding halt of the no bypass route through this pretty seaside city but mess of a route. At least it’s lunch time and the choices are grand. Might as well top off the gas and the ice in the cooler and keep on trucking. Ensenada the ‘Cinderella of the Pacific’ was one of the first settlements in the California’s. Don’t forget that California was Mexico up until 1848.
South from here is major agriculture country and so many stop lights your good time ride crawls to a slow cruise as you enjoy the flowing fields of strawberries and the flat bed trucks full of workers heading out to work. A few hours later you head into San Quintin and the fields of farms slow up which turns back into cactus and nothingness. Here is where the Baja turns into untarnished wildness and the adventure begins as the population drops.
Be sure to keep a watchful if not paranoid eye on your gas gauge. There are plenty of stations in the northern section but once you get to El Rosario fill er up even if you are nearly full. El Rosario is your last chance for lobster burritos, beer, gas and ice. Best place for all four is at the turn called Mama Espinoza Restarante. This could also be a small Baja 1000 museum as well as a tasty real Mexican stop off. The next stop is an hour and a half in the lunar landscape of Cataviña. This is when you should play ‘Dark Side of the Moon’. You can go an hour or more and not set sight on another human. A few dead cows later you see a Casa in the wash of an old deserted RV park and wonder, ‘how the hell does that hombre make it out here’? Not to fret as this reoccurring question never becomes clear. This is Mexico and these people work to live and are ready to give you the shirt off their back once they see that you respect their existence and return their smiles. Since they don’t have a mortgage, car payment nor college expense worries, you see why that gentle smile is easy, long and natural.
From Cataviña you will have open road and not much else until the split where you can head East to Bahia Los Angeles. This is 65 miles from Cataviña and you have only 84 more miles ’til cocktail hour in Guerrero Negro. This section of the road is mostly inland and the terrain goes from crazy lunar rocky and mountainous to wide open and dry desert. Keep an eye out for some amazing desert plants that are endemic to Baja like the Cardon Cactus also known as Giant Elephant Cactus. The Pitahaya Dolce has an edible and sweet fruit that is a delicacy and the ‘what the Hell’? Boojum Tree that is straight out of a Dr Seuss book. Further along you eventually get back to the west side and see the mighty Pacific in the distance. This is your indicator that you are getting closer to your stopping off point where Baja ends and Baja California Sur begins. Another military check point at the state crossing with its unusually large Mexican flag flying and then you are ready for that cold margarita and a great nights rest in Guerrero Negro. You are now officially in the newest state in Mexico, BCS Baja California Sur, or Lower California South. The state was established one year after the completion of the Highway 1 pavement project in 1973 and what a wonderful addition to a magnificent country.
This bayside town Guerrero Negro has 13,000 happy locals and is known for two opposing interests, salt and whales. Salt from the flats that is one of the largest producers in the world and then the migratory whales that head here by the thousands in the winter months. So the salt industry and Whale Eco Tourism is the main draw with friendly locals enjoying both. Cheap and clean hotels dot the main and only road that is to your right plus some decent food and plenty of shopping to reload your cooler. It is time to top off the gas again as well. Now we are ready to tackle the lower section and in many ways the best part of this thousand mile odyssey.
Part Two will focus on the second half of this amazing road.
Stay tuned next week!
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