BajaNomad

HWY 1 best I've seen; South to North

vandy - 5-4-2010 at 11:38 AM

I left Santiago Saturday around 2PM. Stopped for cash and gas Los Barriles. Drove straight on through La Paz to Puerto Escondido for the night. Mosqitoes were BAD!

Sunday I drove all the way to Ensenada to stay at Hotel Joker, $25US. The roads were all in good shape, except around Catavina where the pavement is de-laminating in patches. No construction delays. All checkpoints had minimal searches of my car; they left my small trailer alone.

I had a nice chat with a soldier holding a device with a horizontal rod projecting from it; he said it was to detect marijuana. He was using it upwind of the vehicles in a stiff breeze...maybe he thinks it's magic?

The Tecate road (Ruta Vinicola) was incredibly great. The first 27 miles or so from Ensenada have been widened/repaved. There is actually a 3 or 4-mile section with a 110KPH speed limit.

Easiest trip north with a couple of exceptions. In Constitucion, the speed limit is 25K, and I got a "fine" for doing 40K.

At the border, I got an anal-retentive woman who sent me to secondary inspection for an apple that was labeled "Product of USA". No fruit allowed to return to the US.

No mention was made of my passport having expired in January.

In Arizona, it turns out that dogs work a lot better than the drug-detector machine. At a border patrol checkpoint, the dog went nuts on my car and trailer. After 30 minutes of going through it, they said there was "detectable residue" of marijuana in one bag and in the trunk. It turns out that a plastic-sealed package of marijuana leaves "detectable residue", invisible to the naked eye. For like months.

Just so you know: The dogs are trained to detect people and drugs. Not explosives. Not guns. Do you think they may have the wrong priorities?

A great winter in Baja; I can't wait to head back down in July.

[Edited on 5-5-2010 by vandy]

David K - 5-6-2010 at 08:17 AM

Thanks for the report...

Here is a list of what is allowed or not allowed... (it may have been updated, but this is what was handed out 8 years ago)

TMW - 5-7-2010 at 08:48 AM

vandy did you have to get out at all the military inspections? We left San Ignacio on Saturday the 1st and crossed the border on Sunday the 2nd. We were inspected at every checkpoint coming back. The last one before Tecate they went thru some bags, even opened a bottle of Tums and smelled them. I can't remember the last time they openned a bag before.

Glad you had a good time in Baja, so did we.

woody with a view - 5-7-2010 at 08:52 AM

so you're saying months later the dog smelled the residue of one your bags which wasn't there any longer?

i call bull!

[Edited on 5-7-2010 by woody in ob]

pascuale - 5-7-2010 at 09:44 AM

they can detect explosives, large quantities of money, and guns as well. And yes, a dog will smell marijuana residue anywhere. Glad to hear the trip was safe, I cant wait to get down there!

woody with a view - 5-7-2010 at 09:53 AM

i don't partake, but residue from a baggie months later being detected????

edit: if the baggie was found, yes. if the baggie was thrown out months ago, no way!

[Edited on 5-7-2010 by woody in ob]

bajaguy - 5-7-2010 at 11:18 AM

Dogs trained for a specific purpose "alert" in different ways. A narcotics dog usually is very agressive and will dig for the source/scent. An explosives dog will usually sit or lay down when a source/scent is detected.

I have found that a narcotics or explosives dog will alert on a scent/source several months old. One case involved the dog alerting on an item that was stored in close proximity to the contraband and absorbed the odors.

In my experience a dual trained dog (narcotics/explosives/attack) will work, but is not as ideal as a single task dog.

motoged - 5-7-2010 at 01:01 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by vandy
.....After 30 minutes of going through it, they said there was "detectable residue" of marijuana in one bag and in the trunk. It turns out that a plastic-sealed package of marijuana leaves "detectable residue", invisible to the naked eye.
[Edited on 5-5-2010 by vandy]



Whooops:o:o:o

Do a better clean-up next trip:saint:

So what did they say about the stash bag (empty , it seems) at that time?

I would think they need more evidence than the aroma to lay charges or create more problems....????

bajaguy - 5-7-2010 at 01:34 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by motoged..................

I would think they need more evidence than the aroma to lay charges or create more problems....????
............




Nope, that is enough for them to get out their tools and do an assembly line in reverse...........remember the scene in the movie "The French Connection" where they dismantled the car??????

vandy - 5-9-2010 at 06:34 AM

Let me be more clear: the marijuana smell came from a suitcase that my buddy had transported his homegrown medical marijuana in, sealed in ziplocs...hell, I can even smell it when I first open the bag up. Smells nice.

The bag was in the trunk, which also got the smell. The Border Patrol guy told me to lose the bag and leave my trunk open for a while.

And yeah, TW, I had to get out at every checkpoint. The one south of Ensenada had the pot-detector dingus. Since I speak a little Mexican, I'd comment on the way up, "Only six more inspections to go in Mexico, and two more in the United States. (The total was seven in Mexico from Cabo to Tecate, and three in the US: border, CA border patrol checkpoint and AZ border patrol checkpoint)

Have fun and don't get into trouble
JohnV

tiotomasbcs - 5-9-2010 at 11:08 AM

Be careful south of Catavina. Pavement is pot holed and coming apart! This section has always been an area that seems to be poorly repaired. The majority of the Hwy is much wider and smoother than it ever has been, thankfully! La Paz to south is beautiful! Extreme caution from Todos to Cabo!! Sale Vale.

motoged - 5-10-2010 at 12:46 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by vandy
..... Since I speak a little Mexican ...


VAndy,
I believe they speak Spanish down there....

:light:

TMW - 5-10-2010 at 07:51 AM

Not all Spanish is the same. Kind of like someone from England talking to someone from Alabama it's not the same English.

motoged - 5-10-2010 at 10:44 AM

TW,
Yeah, I get that....but it is still Spanish....NOT "Mexican".

As for the folks from Alabama....well, it is still English...NOT "American"...

I shake my head whenever traveling in Mexico and hear "Americans" (i.e. residents of USA) complain that locals "Don't speak American".:rolleyes: