volcano
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alternative routes down
starting to plan our winter treck to cabin out on East Cape.
Opinions on Tecate to Mex 3 to Ensenada then Mex 3 to toward San Felipe? or Tecate to Mex 2D to Mex 5 to San Felipe?
love beauty, hate traffic, not towing. Know about the rough patch to Chapala
Have been going in via Tecate and down Mex 1...not in love with 1 till catavina.
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Riom
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Quote: Originally posted by volcano  | starting to plan our winter treck to cabin out on East Cape.
Opinions on Tecate to Mex 3 to Ensenada then Mex 3 to toward San Felipe? or Tecate to Mex 2D to Mex 5 to San Felipe?
love beauty, hate traffic, not towing. Know about the rough patch to Chapala.
Have been going in via Tecate and down Mex 1...not in love with 1 till catavina.
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Consider avoiding California traffic altogether by making your way to Reno, then 95, Pahrump, Laughlin, then down the Colorado in Arizona to Yuma.
Cross at Andrade/Algodones (a quiet crossing just west of Yuma), south on BC 2 towards San Luis, west on Mex 2 to the Mexicali bypass, south on Mex 5
to San Felipe. It's 2.5-3.5 hours to San Felipe from the border.
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bajaguy
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Uh, 95 does not go through Pahrump.
| Quote: Originally posted by Riom | | Quote: Originally posted by volcano | starting to plan our winter treck to cabin out on East Cape.
Opinions on Tecate to Mex 3 to Ensenada then Mex 3 to toward San Felipe? or Tecate to Mex 2D to Mex 5 to San Felipe?
love beauty, hate traffic, not towing. Know about the rough patch to Chapala.
Have been going in via Tecate and down Mex 1...not in love with 1 till catavina.
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Consider avoiding California traffic altogether by making your way to Reno, then 95, Pahrump, Laughlin, then down the Colorado in Arizona to Yuma.
Cross at Andrade/Algodones (a quiet crossing just west of Yuma), south on BC 2 towards San Luis, west on Mex 2 to the Mexicali bypass, south on Mex 5
to San Felipe. It's 2.5-3.5 hours to San Felipe from the border. |
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BajaUtah
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After a few round trips on 1 from TJ I tried the 5 from Mexicali and I'll never do the 1 again (if I can help it). Easy trip down the 95 from Las
Vegas to Calexico, cross at Mexicali west and a wide, flat, open run to San Felipe. For me it's an easy 8hours from border crossing to GNegro. Next
day is a long run to La Ribera and home. The stress level from not having to drive LA and San Diego traffic and TJ/Ensenada/SQ Valley/Catavinia pot
holes is night and day difference.
Andy
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Riom
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Yes, that's why it's mentioned after 95 (in other words, if it needs to be spelled out, turn off the 95 towards Pahrump). Taking the 95 all the way
through Las Vegas an option also, although coming in at Blue Diamond Road (160) does make for less LV traffic (especially if you go the longer but
prettier route to Searchlight and Laughlin through Nipton).
But the main point is, to cross at Tecate, coming from Oregon, involves a lot of southern California traffic. Going southeast initially then south
through Nevada and the west coast :-) of Arizona to cross at Algodones has much quieter roads with nicer views (if you like deserts), plus an easy
drive after the border to San Felipe.
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AKgringo
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I am in Northern CA right now,just over the hill from Reno. I will probably take the route that Rion described, because I love the wide open spaces
as opposed to a drive thorugn Southern CA!
I plan on leaving on the 14th, and although I dislike driving at night, there will be a 'super moon' that night which should make driving though the
dessert a piece of cake!
Another option is heading down through Carson City and into CA on 395, but only if there is no recent or forecast snow. Two of the passes on that
route are over 8000 feet. It' a beautiful drive most of the way, but gets a bit Californicated through San Bernadino to Palm Springs, then mellow
again down past Salton Sea to Mexicali.
I am going to take a look at the suggestion to head through Pahrump, I have not been that way.
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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kiterkip
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This interests me. I am in Seattle WA and Google tells me it's 3 hours longer to take this Las Vegas/Mexicali/San Felipe option over my usual hellish
Los Angeles/San Diego, but it's a good trade-off.
I much prefer the quiet wide open spaces of Nevada & Arizona.
Question: Is the road from Calexico to Guerrero Negro all nicely paved? And to confirm.... It's an 8 hour run? Would like to sleep in GN then push on
to La Paz early the next morning. Thanks
[Edited on 11-12-2016 by kiterkip]
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volcano
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Thanks for the great responses. Driving time, say, from Algodones to Gonzaga? comfortably do-able in a day?
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bajaguy
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From the north
If you are traveling south on I-5 from north of Shasta, this is an easier route, avoids Sacramento and backtracking
I-5 south to hwy 44 (Redding, CA)
East on hwy 44 to the jct of hwy 36
Hwy 36 through Susanville to US 395 (stop at the 3A office in Susanville. They did have the AAA Baja map)
US 395 south to Reno and I-80
If you want the 395 option, stay on 395 south through Carson City
If you want the hwy 95 option
East on I-80 to Fernley
South on hwy 95 in Fernley
Note: It is roughly 4+/- hours from Reno/Fernley to Tonapah. and another 4 hours +/- to Las Vegas. Fill your tank
Another note: If you drive hwy 95 in the dark, watch out for cows and wild horses
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KurtG
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I have always enjoyed the drive east from Ensenada toward San Felipe. Once a few miles out of Ensenada there is usually little traffic and great
scenery.
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kiterkip
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| Quote: Originally posted by bajaguy | If you are traveling south on I-5 from north of Shasta, this is an easier route, avoids Sacramento and backtracking
I-5 south to hwy 44 (Redding, CA)
East on hwy 44 to the jct of hwy 36
Hwy 36 through Susanville to US 395 (stop at the 3A office in Susanville. They did have the AAA Baja map)
US 395 south to Reno and I-80
If you want the 395 option, stay on 395 south through Carson City
If you want the hwy 95 option
East on I-80 to Fernley
South on hwy 95 in Fernley
Note: It is roughly 4+/- hours from Reno/Fernley to Tonapah. and another 4 hours +/- to Las Vegas. Fill your tank
Another note: If you drive hwy 95 in the dark, watch out for cows and wild horses
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Thank You, This is exactly what I need. I hate my I-5/LA/San Ysidro grind.
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David K
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| Quote: Originally posted by volcano | | Thanks for the great responses. Driving time, say, from Algodones to Gonzaga? comfortably do-able in a day? |
Mexicali to Gonzaga is under 4 hours. My guess from Algodones is under 5 hours, so yes, doable.
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AKgringo
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If you are driving 95 in Nevada, there are potential speed traps where the high speed highway suddenly drops to 35 or so passing through small towns.
I have never had a problem, but the potential is there.
On 395, the gas can get pretty expensive between Carson City and Bishop, don't pass up a good posted price and be forced to buy from a high dollar
dealer in the middle of a long deserted stretch.
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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Riom
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No, there's still significant rough dirt road south of Gonzaga. So only suitable if you're happy with that (doesn't affect me as I only go to San Felipe).
| Quote: Originally posted by kiterkip | This interests me. I am in Seattle WA and Google tells me it's 3 hours longer to take this Las Vegas/Mexicali/San Felipe option over my usual hellish
Los Angeles/San Diego, but it's a good trade-off.
I much prefer the quiet wide open spaces of Nevada & Arizona. |
I travel from San Felipe/Yuma to Vancouver Island each year, sometimes direct, sometimes with a long road trip detour. From Seattle, the route to
Richland/Yakima, Boise, Twin Falls, Jackpot, Ely, Las Vegas etc is easy and direct, mostly open roads. Check the weather and road reports for the
passes in eastern Oregon and south of Jackpot if you're travelling late/early in the year.
Coming from Ely or SLC you can also bypass LV totally via the Lake Mead NRA road south of Moapa (now $20 but free with a National Parks pass).
Last year I took an even quieter route - northbound it was 95 to Tonopah NV, 6 then 376 to Austin, 305/I-80 to Winnemucca, 95/78 to Burns OR, 395 to
Pendleton then on to Anacortes for the ferry. Not faster (I take several days and stop and visit things anyway) but very empty roads in NV and
eastern Oregon.
Rob
[Edited on 2016-11-12 by Riom]
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bajaguy
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Those "speed traps" are just north of and south of Tonopah through and south of Goldfield in Esmeralda County
On 395 we gas up at Costco in Carson City, in Bishop either the tribal gas station at the casino or at the Von's supermarket gas station on the north
end of town and the Pilot truck stop in either Kramer Jct (395/58) or Hesperia (395 and I-15)
| Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo | If you are driving 95 in Nevada, there are potential speed traps where the high speed highway suddenly drops to 35 or so passing through small towns.
I have never had a problem, but the potential is there.
On 395, the gas can get pretty expensive between Carson City and Bishop, don't pass up a good posted price and be forced to buy from a high dollar
dealer in the middle of a long deserted stretch. |
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AKgringo
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I think I just talked myself into taking 395 again! CA highway 20 to I-80 to Truckee, a drive around the north shore of Lake Tahoe to Carson City,
then south on 395!
It is not as fast or fuel efficient as going south on I-5 or 99, but I will be starting my trip driving through some of the best scenery of the
journey!
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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El Jefe
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| Quote: Originally posted by bajaguy | Those "speed traps" are just north of and south of Tonopah through and south of Goldfield in Esmeralda County
You'll want to slow down in Goldfield anyway to stop in for a visit at the International Car Forest of the Last Church. Maybe you can get your vehicle
blessed.
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No b-tchin\' in the Baja.
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bajaguy
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If you have time and want to take a break from driving, a visit to the Central Nevada Museum in Tonopah is an interesting diversion. After the museum
you can take a self guided auto tour of the Old Tonopah Army Airfield about 6 miles east of town on Hwy 6 and see some of the old building locations
and the massive wooden hangars used for the B-24's: http://www.tonopahnevada.com/CentralNevadaMuseum/default.htm...
| Quote: Originally posted by El Jefe | | Quote: Originally posted by bajaguy | Those "speed traps" are just north of and south of Tonopah through and south of Goldfield in Esmeralda County
You'll want to slow down in Goldfield anyway to stop in for a visit at the International Car Forest of the Last Church. Maybe you can get your vehicle
blessed.
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mtgoat666
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Tonapah for vacation?
No thanks!
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bajaguy
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Never said anything about a vacation
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