Yuman takes readers down first leg of the Baja
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January 17, 2009 - 3:54 PM
BY MICHAEL MILLER, SPECIAL TO THE SUN
Editor's note: This is the first in a three-part series by Michael MIller recounting his recent travel throughout the Baja California peninsula.
Miller, a professor at Arizona Western College, his wife, Lori Stofft, and the couple's daughter, Mary, traveled through Baja California Norte and
Baja California Sur, ending up at the tip of peninsula. The second and third parts of the series will be published Jan. 25 and Feb. 1.
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We finally decided we could devote our winter break to driving down the Baja Peninsula. It would be a 15-day adventure and a 2,600-mile round-trip
from Yuma down to Cabo San Lucas.
My wife, Lori, had made the trip with a girlfriend a dozen years earlier and thought it was high time I had the experience, too. And, at 5 years
old, our daughter Mary was old enough to remember it.
We spent a couple of weeks lining up what we thought were the essentials: Mexican auto insurance (essential indeed), a Mexican tourist card (which
we never ended up using for anything) and a temporary international plan for our Sprint service (which never actually worked).
On this sunny Christmas Eve, we stuffed the bullet-shaped carrier on top of our black Jeep and headed west on I-8. When we showed little Mary the
map of our destination, she said, “It must be God's finger!”
Wine country
At the Campo exit high among the Laguna Mountains in California, we exited into the village of Manzanita, where the quaint Mountain Top Store and
its friendly proprietors take you back several decades.
The windy, boulder-lined road through Campo to Tecate - laborious but stunning - I was pretty sure I recognized from an old Roger Corman racing
movie.
Crossing from the U.S. into Mexico is always one of the more dramatic contrasts you can find - dogs barking at you from the rooftops, an
improvisational approach to driving. We must have spent an hour shopping and people-watching on the bustling, beautiful city square of Tecate, home of
the regionally popular beer.
The trip down Highway 3 to Ensenada on the west coast has a different libation to offer: wine. This route through the vineyards seems to have taken
its cue from Napa Valley in developing as a tourist destination. Many of the establishments have recently built a motel on the grounds for those
really serious about tasting the variety of wares.
At a town called Francisco Zarco, we hunted down the bakery, run by a family of Russian immigrants, that was mentioned in our guidebook, where we
stocked up on cheese and sweet bread.
The coastal highway
As with so many places on the west coast, the drop down from the hills to the ocean is breathtaking. But the coastal road itself, although it's
improved a lot in recent years, is crowded and frustrating.
In Ensenada we made a loop down along the cheerful waterfront. But back on the truck route, we crept through the sprawling city among darting taxis
and loud, listing gravel trucks.
The highway from Ensenada to Colonet is significantly inland and no doubt beautiful. But it was approaching nightfall, and I had to concentrate on
the traffic and the narrow roadway.
After Colonet we regretfully passed the turnoff into the Sierra San Pedro National Park. At 10,000 feet, the Picacho del Diablo would be covered in
snow; that trip would have to wait for a different time of year.
From there, I don't think we missed much in the dark. The road is flat and straight - a long string of identical, dusty agricultural villages, each
with its set of speed bumps.
All the Pemex stations appear to be new, created in the image of the American Circle K, with a mini-mart inside and clean bathrooms - but still with
the traditional full-serve attendant at the gas pumps.
Heaven
When we finally reached San Quintin, I suddenly realized I'd been driving for about 12 hours through some pretty tough conditions. We watched for a
motel, but the only ones listed in the book were right on the dusty truck route.
In one of our luckier decisions, we pushed on and left the highway for the dirt roads, searching several villages for the turnoff out to Cielito
Lindo - “Pretty Little Sky,” or “Heaven” if you prefer - a charming hotel-restaurant right on the Santa Maria Bay.
We weren't sure at first if the place was open. It was pretty dark, and the three or four cars might just belong to a handful of winter caretakers.
But there actually was music coming from the restaurant.
At the bar were a handful of retirees from a nearby RV park, expatriates maybe, singing along to the ’60s oldies emanating from portable radio. We
occupied the table next to the fireplace and feasted by candlelight on ceviche, shrimp and a mountain cracked crabs in mild red chili and oil, washing
it all down with Negro Modelo.
We were one of only two groups staying overnight, the other being some schoolteachers from central California who convened at this spot every year.
Exhausted, we crossed the vast courtyard whose fountain and walkways with their intricate inlaid stones we would be able to appreciate only in
daylight the next morning.
Our room was unheated but spacious. On the dresser top, we laid out a few presents we had brought along to open in the morning, and then dove under
the comforters.
That was the first day.
A hard road
On Christmas morning before leaving Cielito Lindo, we took a stroll on the beach. From atop the sand dunes could be seen the seven charming little
volcanic islands that protect the Santa Maria Bay.
Mexican Highway 1 follows the ocean from San Quintin to El Rosario, then climbs to a plateau and heads inland across the desert. From here on, this
solitary paved artery has a consistent quality: that is, the roadway is a narrow two-lane with absolutely no shoulder; and it's built up, with ditches
about six feet deep on both sides.
To ensure the drivers' vigilance, the entire journey is punctuated with colorful roadside shrines for the travelers who have met their end along the
dangerous route.
Certainly there is no margin for error, and it was constantly a marvel to us that two semis - or two RVs - could pass each other at all. What was
even more amazing were the die-hard cyclists, loaded down for a weeks-long trip, creeping across the barren landscape just inches from the whizzing
traffic.
On this particular day, we passed a U.S. family with innovative equipment: the mother was packing most of the gear on her bicycle, and the father
had not one but two children, each on a separate seat and wheel, attached to his bike in a series, like little train cars. No matter where they were
heading, they had a long way to go, and we said a prayer for them as we passed.
Crossing over
At about the middle of the peninsula, one passes through a desert preserve, actually part of the Sonoran Desert that includes southern Arizona. It
features a huge variety of exotic cacti such as the giant cordon, a relative of the saguaro, and a tapered, spiny tower called a “boojum” tree, in
reference to a Lewis Carroll poem.
The highway follows this lush desert for some miles and finally reaches the turnoff over to Bahia de Los Angeles on the west coast.
The view from higher ground down to the Gulf of California is especially spectacular at this point. The Mexican mainland is not visible, but a huge
island, “The Guardian Angel,” protects the gentle curve of this bay. The contrast of blues and browns is hypnotic.
Our plan was to camp half the time on this trip, so we located an establishment, run as usual by Americans, at the far end of the beach.
We were directed to one of the thatch shelters (palapas) facing the water and grilled our food over the barbecue pit. Predictably, the stars that
night were breathtaking.Taco de Baja - 1-19-2009 at 11:13 AM
Quote:
....The highway follows this lush desert for some miles and finally reaches the turnoff over to Bahia de Los Angeles on the west coast....
That's someplace I've never been, I want directions...Bajahowodd - 1-19-2009 at 11:21 AM
Compared to say, the Mojave, it is lush. Remember, the author is from Yuma.
[Edited on 1-20-2009 by Bajahowodd]elgatoloco - 1-19-2009 at 11:24 AM
If this gets out into wider circulation we will be jostling for a bar stool with hordes of folks looking to experience the world famous CL
margarita's!
Nice read and makes one recall the first time.
December rains bring green vistas!
Trip
Garry - 1-19-2009 at 06:15 PM
Be sure an post part 2 an 3David K - 1-19-2009 at 06:23 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Taco de Baja
Quote:
....The highway follows this lush desert for some miles and finally reaches the turnoff over to Bahia de Los Angeles on the west coast....
That's someplace I've never been, I want directions...
I too want to see a Bahia de los Angeles on the WEST coast!Bajahowodd - 1-19-2009 at 07:57 PM
Sheesh. I totally missed the direction.David K - 1-19-2009 at 07:58 PM
Taco de Baja deserves an award for his sharp eye!Sharksbaja - 1-19-2009 at 08:49 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Quote:
Originally posted by Taco de Baja
Quote:
....The highway follows this lush desert for some miles and finally reaches the turnoff over to Bahia de Los Angeles on the west coast....
That's someplace I've never been, I want directions...
I too want to see a Bahia de los Angeles on the WEST coast!
technically speaking, it IS on the west coast of the Sea of Cortes.
On the lush side!vgabndo - 1-19-2009 at 09:05 PM
Hmmmm...I graduated from Arizona Western College, but I have a pretty good sense of direction. I must have had a different teacher.
Go Matadors!wilderone - 1-20-2009 at 11:12 AM
OMG:
"On this particular day, we passed a U.S. family with innovative equipment: the mother was packing most of the gear on her bicycle, and the father had
not one but two children, each on a separate seat and wheel, attached to his bike in a series, like little train cars. No matter where they were
heading, they had a long way to go, and we said a prayer for them as we passed."
I would love to hear their story.desertcpl - 1-20-2009 at 02:23 PM
i will post 2 and 3
yes I did read about the family biking it down with there little kids in tow,, what in the world was they thinking about
