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rhintransit
Super Nomad
Posts: 1588
Registered: 9-4-2006
Location: Loreto
Member Is Offline
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am very glad I chose the adventure of the new road. Its not faster, at least from San Diego, and at least with my driving speed, but it's a heck of a
lot more scenic, less stressful, and I got to see places I'd only heard of in all my years as a Nomad.
easy drive San Diego to San Felipe. only confusing time was getting thru Mexicali to Hwy 5. I didn't research it, silly me. perhaps someone used to
the route will post easy directions thru this big city. stayed at El Capitan in town, clean, basic, walk to malecon, price was 45 US but cheaper at
peso rate of 780. at last an overnight city with something interesting to do for the afternoon/evening.
up early for beautiful cruise down to Gonzaga Bay. yes, every warning about the topes south of the airport all the way to Puertocitos is correct.
keep the speed down so you don't go airborne. the dips look small but...
quick peek at Puertocitas, not much to recommend it but the bathroom at the Pemex was one of the cleanest I've encountered. new road begins south of
there, smooth, wide, wonderful, complete with lovely vistas of the sea. many good pull outs and picnic areas. stopped briefly at Gonzaga Bay,
checked out Alfonsina's (it was full or we would have stayed there. in my correspondence with them they recommended at least a three week lead for
reservations) the rooms are basic, expensive but the location is superb and the convenience of only one night on the road would have been worth it to
me. plus the great location!
about 15 kms south, the 'bad section' started. actually I kept waiting for the "bad" section to begin, and at Hwy 1 decided, what bad section?
graded rock road that almost any passenger car with decent clearance could handle. I can't speak to trailers or RVs, not having driven them, but I
think I'd avoid this route for them. watch for sharp rocks and take it easy in the harder sections. we kept the speed down, stopped at Coco's
corner for a visit and still made it to Hwy 1 in 1 1/2 hrs. lots of construction, some areas not clearly marked as to which way to go, but
figure-out-able. no washboard until a bit on the last long section just before Hwy 1 which parallels the roadbed they are working on.
back on Hwy 1, we found ourself kinda resentful of the few cars and trucks we saw there. in the entire Baja section, from Mexicali to Loreto, we
passed less than five vehicles.
since it was too early to stop in Guerro Negro, we headed on thinking maybe San Ignacio but decided to check out Hotel Kadekaman in Vizcaino. great
find...clean, well run, nicely decorated, pride of ownership obvious. rates 680-880 p, we chose the larger room, numbers 16, 17, 18, 19. large
patios and pleasant outdoor spaces for relaxing. restaurant right next door.
so...pros...beautiful, stress free drive with little traffic (but enough I think if one had a problem). a chance to see a less traveled...for most of
us...section of BC. cons...not particularly time saving, at least from San Diego, but from AZ and points east, yes. the limited opportunities for
overnight stops is the main reason for this, with daylight hours dwindling hours on road will be more limited
okay, trying for photos. if they load, note Subaru...dust only, no rocks, no damage, piece of cake
     
[Edited on 10-15-2016 by rhintransit]
[Edited on 10-15-2016 by rhintransit]
reality\'s never been of much use out here...
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Udo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6342
Registered: 4-26-2008
Location: Black Hills, SD/Ensenada/San Felipe
Member Is Offline
Mood: TEQUILA!
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Thanks for the honest and timely report, RH.
Some people on the fence will now more than likely take the road.
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64723
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Good to see you through...
Nice that you took the time to drive off the highway to look at Puertecitos (was the Pemex open for business?) and Alfonsina's.
The pavement ends 20 kms. (12.5 miles) from the Alfonsina's driveway/ Pemex station/ Rancho Grande store.
Nice to visit with Coco too!
Going through Mexicali (from the downtown/ west border crossing) is best described as "take the street with the train tracks in the center" and there
are big signs at almost every intersection pointing the way to San Felipe and other destinations.
The nice part of the overall choice between Hwy. 1 & 5 is the number of cities and farm towns and local traffic one must drive through and the
curvey mountain roads and grades avoided on the 5.
Thanks for the wrap up report!
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rhintransit
Super Nomad
Posts: 1588
Registered: 9-4-2006
Location: Loreto
Member Is Offline
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Quote: Originally posted by David K  | Good to see you through...
Nice that you took the time to drive off the highway to look at Puertecitos (was the Pemex open for business?) and Alfonsina's.
The pavement ends 20 kms. (12.5 miles) from the Alfonsina's driveway/ Pemex station/ Rancho Grande store.
Nice to visit with Coco too!
Going through Mexicali (from the downtown/ west border crossing) is best described as "take the street with the train tracks in the center" and there
are big signs at almost every intersection pointing the way to San Felipe and other destinations.
The nice part of the overall choice between Hwy. 1 & 5 is the number of cities and farm towns and local traffic one must drive through and the
curvey mountain roads and grades avoided on the 5.
Thanks for the wrap up report! |
Pemex in Puertocitas was open when we went through, am told not always the case, so fill up in San Felipe.
Mexicali is bigger than one might think. we took 'the first right' as recommended by a friend. wrong first right I guess, ended up in a very seedy
section of town but backtracked to main road. it's a long long way thru town and out to Hwy 5 yes, signs along the main drag, not always marked
correctly as to which of the four lanes you should be in. to Hwy 5 is, eventually, a slight right angle off the main boulevard, watch that you don't
miss it.
reality\'s never been of much use out here...
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64723
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Yes, you got it!
But now, you are a veteran so next time you know not to turn right!
It used to be 5 miles of city (to the Hwy. 2/San Luis, R.C.) split.. but Mexicali has grown so much, there are a couple more miles of city, passing
the Costco, etc. However, it is all 4 lanes, with bridges over intersections, etc.
Next time, cross at Tecate, very little city traffic, and take the 2-D... A few miles before Mexicali, take the San Felipe short cut (toll road) and
avoid all of the Mexicali "city". It will take longer, and the highway down the mountain is not as relaxing as I-8 is, but it avoids Mexicali and
gives you a new view of a part of Baja that you may not have seen yet.
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