Tecate - Ensenada

ROAD CONDITIONS - TECATE - RUTA DE VINO - ENSENADA

NARRATED BY POMPANO ...AND CO-PILOT



Pompano:

Hi all, welcome to this leg of our Baja Road report. We're on the Tecate side of the US/Mexico border now and would like to pass on our observations on the road conditions from here to Ensenada.
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Side comment: If you are deciding between crossing at Tecate v.s. Tijuana, may I offer this information... the southbound crossing at Tecate has always been very easy for me. Usually I have nothing to import or declare at Mexican customs and just drive on across without event..or, if waved down, I am briefly looked over and quickly passed into traffic. Also, IF I do have something to declare, I think it's much quicker and less painful here then at Tijuana. Call it lucky timing or whatever, but that's been my personal experience with roughly 150 round-trips from San Diego to Mulege over the last 37 years. I hope your crossings go as easy as mine.

Oh...and so far, so good..no cattle, horses, dogs, chickens, or pedestrians have kissed my grill yet. I DID run over a high-stepping tarantula on a hot pavement one summer day, for which I will be forever sorry. Damn..that poor spider just wanted to get the hell off that scorching surface quickly...and I greased him. What could I say to his family?...'Opps!' seems hardly enough.
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Okay, back to our road condition report. You are through the border and are now on the streets of Tecate.




Here's what the road conditions will be like as you head south.

Driving to the first traffic signal, we turn left, drive 2 blocks, turn right and drive past the city park and through downtown Tecate. Looking for the Ensenada or Hwy 3 or Ruta de Vino signs will just distract your attention and get you T-boned.

We press on...Stopping at some stop signs..and ignoring others just like the locals.

There are always going to be some daring pedestrians trying to cross the street illegally in front of you. Your call.

A clue at some intersections..never make eye contact with the local drivers who are gauging your cajones and might turn in front of you...just stare straight ahead and drive like you don't care if you live or die.

A prime example is this turn-around as you head south through Tecate. Remember..DON'T BE TIMID! AND NO EYE CONTACT!

That little blue compact is just waiting to take you out...
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Intimidation IS the rule. Forget the brakes.

Practice and present a machismo/kamakazie attitude. This will get you RESPECT......and probaby a BIG ticket, too, but hey..you've had fun and saved face.
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Okay, Co-pilot, your turn.


Co-pilot:

Well..you really ARE from Mars, aren't you?

Not to worry, folks. After that rather unpleasant and dangerous race out of town by Pompano, we slowly wind up and out of the town of Tecate, lazily climbing the pretty, rocky hills north of Valle de Guadalupe..with ALL those lovely grape vines.

Is'nt this what a nice country drive should be?...I sure think so.

Ooh, the aromas! Sooo many pretty colors!.. and Pastoral pasture scenes. (You didn't think I knew that word, did ya?) Just look at those pretty cows and horsies on the road ahead....
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OH my Lord! LOOK OUT!!!


Gosh..that was close!

Dear..did you learn that language in the army?

...Anyway, as I was saying...

Now we see that there are Picturesque Wineries like L.A. Ghetto and Dometic nestled at the back of tree-lined lanes and flower planters bloom at the entrances. The hospitality is legend at these wineries and the gift shops are divine. I could spend days here..just soo..so...Clean. Hey, I wonder if there any Dutch around here?

Truly, the Rut de Vino is a follow-the-yellow-brick-road kind of adventure..don't you think?
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Pompano:


Wha..? Rut?? Ah..sure thing, Dorothy, just call me The Wizard. Always loved the rut.

Winemakers? Damn told..Stop at all of 'em and sample all the booze at the tasting counters, including lots of the Cazadores tequila. It's free. I got drunk as skunk at Cetto's last year.

Be sure to swirl the glass before downing the wines. You do that to look for stray bits of cork and other debris and won't look so much like a jerk when you start spitting things up.

Buy a case or two of the cheapest special. Get back behind the wheel, turn up the XM, and drive like a bat out of hell..yelling, "I'm winning the 1000! I'm winning the 1000!"
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Co-pilot:

AND... there are always sooo many nice things to look at in all those roadside stands. Maybe you need some pretty pots like these?
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Pompano:

NO.

Co-pilot:

Well, you do but you just won't admit it. And as for that crazy driving of yours...well.. there is actually some needed road construction from Tecate to Ensendada that makes for SLOW travel with a large rig. Being patient and careful, rather than brash and reckless, will make this small inconvenience pass quickly and most important..safely. This photos show how the construction is going and what to expect on your travels in the near future.
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Pompano:

Sure..safely. This is what really happens. Small vehicles just zoom around us big slower rigs as usual, with utter and criminal disregard to uncoming traffic as they jump barriers and lanes. I try hard to erase one or two of these A-hole burros on every trip. My score is getting better.
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Real travel time. This construction will slow you down some. This last September after Hurricane Jimena I drove the Baja Road to Mulege twice.. pulling this 28ft trailer in about 2 hours from Tecate to Ensenada. Take your time..and arrive safely.
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Co-pilot

And while on this stretch be sure to be polite and wave at all the nice cute soldier-boys who are at those roadside places where they check you out pretty good...

Yup..just what I want to do..wave at the guy with the machine gun.


Co-pilot:
Yes, well. Guns...you boys and your toys. Anyway....please take your time on the approx. 30 miles of construction underway from Tecate to Ensenada on Hwy 3. It will soon be finished as a beautiful and scenic 4-lane rut through the wine country. And it ends up here....in one of my favorite places, Ensinahdah, which we will tell you all about soon.
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See you down the Road. Bye for now!

Right on. Adios y hasta pronto.


[Edited on 11-26-2009 by Pompano]

That was a fun ride !! Now I'm looking forward to the return trip....Everytime I return via Tecate I somehow end up back at the border crossing but I never seem to take the same route...