BajaNomad

Tecate to Mulege this Sunday- Jan 30th 2010

Pompano - 2-1-2010 at 06:37 PM

TRIP REPORT JAN 30 31 2010
Quick (for me, anyway) Tecate to Mulege travel report:



34ft motorhome & full-sized pickup pulling 21' boat/trailer.

For my Baja entry I used Tecate, as usual. I got a late start, crossing the border at 3:00 PM Saturday, Jan 30th.

Crossing this border is getting really hard. ;D LOL..I am joking of course. This border is a walk in the park.

A little crowed, too..there was ONE car ahead of me chatting with the Mexican border guy. I was a little miffed, but thank God the car had moved on by the time I rolled up ...but then I had to roll my window down to whistle at the snoozing guy selling the cold Pacificos. Next time I will bring my own.

Pulled into San Quentin at 8:30 PM (yup..drove in darkness even) to overnight at Villas de San Quentin..the best place I have found so far on the highway in this area. Comfort, security, cafe, internet, phones, room service. (It's damn good for the money, believe me.)

I left the motel about 8 AM and drove to Mulege by 5:30 PM.

This trip is PIECE OF CAKE for any vehicle, trailer, etc. AS OF SUNDAY, JANUARY 30TH, 2010.


{Sorry Amy, I asked for 50 miles each side of BOLA but no sign of Pickles yet, but will try again on the next trip in about 2 weeks. Keep your hopes up, girl.}







[Edited on 2-2-2010 by Pompano]

Steve&Debby - 2-1-2010 at 09:26 PM

What sattelite provider do you have on your motorhome? I Have dishnetwork and it is useless once we get past Ensanada. Works great in the states, just push one button and it finds the sattelite and it is ready to go.

[Edited on 2-2-2010 by Steve&;Debby]

toneart - 2-1-2010 at 09:51 PM

I am right behind you, Roger. Last night I was at the Baja Cactus in El Rosario. Tonight I am in San Ignacio. Tomorrow Mulege.

They have done a marvelous job with making the bypasses around the fallen bridges. They are compact and completly dry.

The construction zone between Tecate and Ensenada was very smooth. No problem! I am towing my boat, too.

Elinvesig8(David M)...I said hello to Mama's grandson for you. He was the host last night. He was happy to hear your name and told me you guys knew each other since you were small boys.

Sorry Amy. I kept an eye out for Pickles. He was in my mind the whole time I passed through the area where he was lost.
:( I know he is out there somewhere and I am sad.

See ya soon, Roger.

Pompano - 2-2-2010 at 07:59 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Steve&;Debby
What sattelite provider do you have on your motorhome? I Have dishnetwork and it is useless once we get past Ensanada. Works great in the states, just push one button and it finds the sattelite and it is ready to go.

[Edited on 2-2-2010 by Steve&;Debby]



Steve&;Debby,

I use DirecTV with good success on a motorhome, pickup camper, and fifth wheel as far south as Catavina/Santa Inez Campground with my standard 18" dish ....and as far north as Reindeer Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada. When that signal falters, I use a portable 1-meter dish on a tripod.

I also use DirecTV at my home in Conception Bay just south of Mulege, but I use a 6-foot dish there..and will soon be installing a 7footer. If I were much further south I would probably subscribe with Dish or Starchoice. So far I have no complaints about DirecTV service. As a matter of fact, I am watching the news and weather channels right now. I will refrain from telling you which news channel. :saint:

Happy viewing..and...contrary to the old saying.."La televisión no es el Gran Wasteland."



Quote:
Originally posted by toneart
I am right behind you, Roger. Last night I was at the Baja Cactus in El Rosario. Tonight I am in San Ignacio. Tomorrow Mulege.

They have done a marvelous job with making the bypasses around the fallen bridges. They are compact and completly dry.

The construction zone between Tecate and Ensenada was very smooth. No problem! I am towing my boat, too.

...
...

See ya soon, Roger.


Hi Tony..and a hearty Welcome Home! Stop by mi casa after you are settled in. And I hope the rest of your trip was as 'event-free' as mine.

The crossing was very easy...and certainly uncrowded at Tecate as the photo below shows.



I went thru the little bit of construction detours along Hwy 3 with no problems..and it was very quick.

Ensenada was...Ensenada. :smug:

As said before, I overnighted at Villas de San Quentin and got an easy start Sunday morning.



El Rosario detour was very east..a mere footnote on the trip, but be aware that more rain will change that drastically.








There is/was a lot of water still standing at Lake Chapala and neighboring basins.





As usual, I encounter some bicyclists riding the Baja Road. This always concerns me...the highway is narrow, not meant for such trips. The dangers are obvious, as shown in this careless duo riding side by side up this grade. All I can say is...Enjoy the scenery and I hope you survive the sudden impact.



Catavina..and Guess Who?



Yup..'Gotta Peso' is still on the job. Here I listen to the latest version of his life history. Damn..I sure wish I had bought my gold as early as GottaPeso did, when it was at $70/ounce.



And did you know that he invented the hairdryer? ;D


The rest of the road trip was very comfy with no problems whatsoever. No radar cops in sight at GN or Santa Rosalia, no ripoffs at any Pemex stations, good pavement with fewer potholes than previous years, no close calls with numerous cattle grazing on the edge, no cases of montezuma's revenge...

.

(...AH, but wait...there WAS this one crazy scene of 3 northbound pickup/trailer RV's ...all blocking that lane of the road ....changing a tire on the middle unit. :?:

Why they did not pull off into the desert I will never know...nor will the semi truck that was barreling down on them.:rolleyes:

Just one of those 'normal' Baja Road scenes, I guess. Hope they all made it home okay.)

.

So..I made it home to Conception Bay without mishap and had a wonderful drive to boot. It was late..and I went to bed to sleep the good sleep.

And awoke to that great Baja treat..Sunrise over the Bay.




Then the normal unpacking/resupplying routine..fun stuff, like unwrapping Xmas gifts, right? Because you never remember all the different things you have brought back from the USA.





That all, folks. Good to be back in the Bay...and to be looking forward to this sight behind me tomorrow.

SAFE TRAVELS TO ALL
.






[Edited on 2-2-2010 by Pompano]

Thanks Roger !!

djh - 2-2-2010 at 08:41 AM

Great report, and excellent photos....

Reminds me of when I was a kid and went to "Travelogue" shows at the old Spokane Colliseum to adventure the world vicariously through others' stories and photos.

My Jayco 27' Class C will make the run down to my Loreto property one day soon too ! (Still have a bit of the 9-5 until then)

Have a cold beer for me !

djh / David.

PS: Put that photo of Co-Pilot with Gotta Peso back up there... My wife, Shing, Loved it and laughed til her coffee nearly burst, when I explained to her that he invented the hair dryer !!!

[Edited on 2-2-2010 by djh]

David K - 2-2-2010 at 09:26 AM

GREAT ROGER!

Steve&Debby - 2-2-2010 at 09:32 AM

Thanks Pomp,Wish there was a way we could move down to Baja right now. If only the mexican government would allow me to bring my drill rig down and do a little well drilling.I think the Mulege area could use a good well driller,don't you?If we could do that then open the gates we're on the way.yeeehaaa

Tecate to Mulege trip

LauraJeane1 - 2-2-2010 at 11:01 AM

HOW is the border crossing at Tecate becoming more difficult? We are bringing an old windmill down that has been dis-assembled. We have a bill of sale for it. We are curious if we will be TAXED for it. Any ideas? I have crossed at Tecate 3 times now with no incident...the guy even let me in with an FM3 that had expired the day before (bummer!). Road south of Ensenada obviously were passable for you with the boat trailer, etc. Today is Tuesday, the 2nd. Hope to be crossing by the 9th. We usually cross early and land in Catavina. Any suggestions? Thanks! LJ

Pompano - 2-2-2010 at 11:48 AM

LauraJeane1,

Please excuse my warped humor. Tecate, BCN, is by far much easier to cross than almost any other border I have ever been to..excepting Canada.

Don't worry...have all your papers in order, pull into the Declare line and pay the appropriate taxes if any. An old windmill? Lots of those down here and throughout Mexico.

The road was indeed in very good shape and we had no problems whatsoever.

Note:

IF it rains between now and then, that will change, so keep posted on weather and current road reports here on Nomads. The best source of news for the Baja Road.

chernefitter - 2-2-2010 at 03:03 PM

I see you brought down another boat. What happened to the center consule Trophy?? Just curious. And keep posting your boating adventures please,they look awesome.:cool:

KAT54 - 2-2-2010 at 04:18 PM

Is not that a new co pilot too?
What happened to Sara Palin?

Pompano - 2-2-2010 at 06:39 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by chernefitter
I see you brought down another boat. What happened to the center consule Trophy?? Just curious. And keep posting your boating adventures please,they look awesome.:cool:






Yes. I still have the Trophy, it's under that blue tarp. Now that some visiting relatives are all done using it, I will soon put it back on the market. Too bad I had to cancel one good offer a while back, but that's life.




I much prefer a tiller boat and will soon be posting some photos of it in action.

If it doesn't rain too much manana, I will head over to Sta. Inez, Wilbur's Hole, and Pt . Conception mine areas. Should be fun..might even catch a fish or two, but for me, it's all about being on the water.


Tough break for the Baja Road travelers. Sure hope you got through the bad stuff before this rain hits it. Good luck.

..