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ears
Newbie
Posts: 6
Registered: 5-9-2008
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Help: Wife afraid of Baja
I'm trying to plan a trip down Baja with my two sons (ages 7 and 4)to Scorpion Bay where I will meet a group of other families. She is deadly afraid
that the drive is too dangerous and risky, the road is often shut down, and that the truck (2007 Pathfinder) will breakdown. Honest opinions needed
to put her at ease (or honest replies that it could be to dangerous for children.)
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
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Mood: Everchangin'
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tell her you'll stay in the middle of the pack so as not to get seperated from the herd, thus becoming an easy target . there will be hundreds (if not more) of other people there when you
arrive who all overcame her exact emotions.
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Woooosh
Banned
Posts: 5240
Registered: 1-28-2007
Location: Rosarito Beach
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Mood: Luminescent Waves at Rosarito Beach
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As long as you're the type of man that is willing and able to physically protect his family and personal belongings- go for it. If you can't honestly
see yourself getting through a tough situation on the road- head somewhere else.
With several police Chiefs heading to the USA for protection and the Mexican Army taking control of some towns on the mainland, yor wife is justly
concerned. Concerned should mean paralyzed with fear though. JMHO
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Hook
Elite Nomad
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Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
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You're driving an EXTREMELY reliable car.
You're going to a location that will be EXTREMELY well attended by gringos, i.e., safe.
As long as you arent driving at night through the TJ-San Quintin area, you probably have better odds than some places in the LA Basin.
IF it were me, I'd stick with the toll road. Too much military presence for much to happen.
FDT, does the military have a big presence on the free road? BTW, when you recommend the free road, I assume you are recommending the toll road at
some point, correct?
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Diver
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4729
Registered: 11-15-2004
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GET A NEW WIFE ! 
We spent 3 months last year travelling Baja with our then 6 and 12 year olds.
Both kids have been going to Baja since they were infants.
We are planning to be there again soon.
If TJ scares her (it does my wife), cross at Tecate. It is a MUCH more comfy intro to Baja.
Travel during the day and plan your stops accordingly.
Have you done this before ??
[Edited on 5-21-2008 by Diver]
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
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Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
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| Quote: |
FDT, does the military have a big presence on the free road? BTW, when you recommend the free road, I assume you are recommending the toll road at
some point, correct?
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if i remember right (50/50) his route drops you at the north end of rosarito by the pemex plant.
last saturday night (7pm) our friends offered a night at their place near fox studios. we crossed the border about 10.15 and got a flat near trumps
place. the pizza cutter spare was half inflated so we proceeded to the turnoff with the OXXO. they didn't have fix a flat (for the compressed air) but
a guy in the store offered his spare (same lug pattern, he actually removed it) and said we could drop it off at the store when we came north and he'd
reteive it from them. well a guy working in his soon-to-open bakery next door to the OXXO came to the rescue with a large compressor. neither guy
would take a dime.
we can't wait to try the guys bakery next time thru and pump it mercilessly.
so much for "don't drive at night"...
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Bajagypsy
Super Nomad
Posts: 1416
Registered: 8-31-2006
Location: BahÃa Asuncion BCS
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As a wife and mother of 4, I have never felt afraid and we drive from Canada to our place in Baja. Our four kids have done the drive twice, and my
husband and I have done it 9+ times.
The things your children will learn, and the experience they will gain far out ways any risk either real or imagined.
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TecateRay
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Registered: 9-6-2006
Location: La Mesa, CA
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| Quote: | Originally posted by ears
I'm trying to plan a trip down Baja with my two sons (ages 7 and 4)to Scorpion Bay where I will meet a group of other families. She is deadly afraid
that the drive is too dangerous and risky, the road is often shut down, and that the truck (2007 Pathfinder) will breakdown. Honest opinions needed
to put her at ease (or honest replies that it could be to dangerous for children.) |
Once you get past TJ/Rosarita you are past most of the danger noted in recent news articles. The people further south are starving for tourists and
working really hard to make things safe. Here are my recommendations to a safe and reduced worry for the wife trip.
1. Avoid TJ completely - cross in Tecate and head to Ensenada
2. Travel only in the daylight and plan to stop by 5 PM or so, your kids will appreciate the break anyway.
3. Get reservations at a decent hotel along the hiway on your way down and back. There are good hotels along the way in San Quintin, El Rosario,
Guerrero Negro, San Ignacio, Loreto, etc.
4. Take the "long way" - go around through Insurgentes. It is paved all the way with only 20 miles or less of dirt road. That should help allay her
fears of the car breaking down in the middle of nowhere.
Good luck! Have her call me if she needs more convincing. I haven't been to Tecate since last Friday, but things seemed pretty calm there. I was in
San Juanico (Scorpion Bay) in November, so the road conditions have probably improved since they were paving between there and La Purisima.
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Taco de Baja
Super Nomad
Posts: 1913
Registered: 4-14-2004
Location: Behind the Orange Curtain, CA
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Mood: Dreamin' of Baja
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If you get to go, you better not pass through Los Angeles on your way down....It's a scary, dangerous, place.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/crime/homicidemap/?source=local_news
To reassure her, try to caravan in a group, and have 2-way radios; safer that way, and if someone does break down or get a flat, there are more
helpers and options.
Baja is a great place for kids, do not deny them the opportunity; some of my earliest and fondest memories are of camping, playing, exploring, rock
scrambling, fire-crackers, camp-fires, hiking, swimming.... in the wilds of Baja. 
[Edited on 5-21-2008 by Taco de Baja]
Truth generally lies in the coordination of antagonistic opinions
-Herbert Spencer
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7641
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Location: on the bayou
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ears, Do it! Your family will have the adventure of a lifetime. Pay no attention
to the nay-sayers. Once you get past the border(traffic etc.) it's smooth
sailing.
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The Sculpin
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Mood: Riding into the Sunset, looking for a sunrise.
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Your wife has reason for concern, but for all the wrong reasons. Tell her that Hwy 1 is really no different than sections of 395, or alot of the roads
out in the 4 corners area. Yes there are trucks and stuff, but if you go slow and are cautious, all should be fine. Staying in the middle of the pack
is a good idea. Offer to bring several walkie-talkies so you can communicate with each other during the caravan. Make sure you bring all the tools and
extra car parts you need to make her comfortable. Hopefully you know what to do with them! Make sure both your cell phones work in baja. Offer to get
the air-evac insurance - it's not that much. Make reservations at the hotels you're going to stay at - there and back. I suggest Don Eddies in San
Quintin, and the Serenidad in Muluge. Using those two, you'll have 2 easy days and one long one. Take the south road - it's much easier on the psyche
than the east or north. Don't drive at night (no brainer unless you're a raving lunatic like me!). Let the kids do all the talking at the checkpoints
- the boysoldiers love that. Keep a baseball bat handy along side the driver's seat, and have a large dog in the way back. All this should pacify your
wife, and you'll probably not need any of it.
Here's what she should be worried about.
Take plenty of water with you. Bring lots of sunscreen and hats for the kiddies. Bring long sleeve t-shirts and pajama pants for sunburns - a
sweatshirt doesn't hurt either. Bring a rake becuase there's lots of pokey thinks on the ground. Outdoor carpet too.Watch for scorpions (duh) and
sting rays - bring water shoes. Bring lots of shade - there are no trees in San Juanico. Bring a table and a windscreen. Lots of flashlights. Bring a
fairly complete medical kit - lava rocks are really sharp (you should see my legs and arms!). Bring a shovel, strong rope and some wood planks -
because when you go to the estuary you're probably going to get stuck - probably real good - I mean campfire good! Bring an extra spare tire. Bring
sandbags so you can anchor your camp - it gets really windy at sunset. Bring firewood. Bring a really thick longboard.
If all this fails, just drug her and throw her in the car. By the time you get there, she'll wonder what she was worried about (of course she'll never
speak to you again - more time to surf!!).
Honestly, Scorpion Bay is not the adventure it used to be. It's a pretty cush place now, and has always been a great place to take kids. If your wife
is the nervous nelly type that can't bear the thought of not having her kids in plain sight, either don't go, or paddle up to 5th or 6th and stay
there the whole day.
Good luck!
Whoa there, Cowboy - pull back on those reins!
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fdt
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4059
Registered: 9-7-2003
Location: Tijuana, Baja California
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Hook
FDT, does the military have a big presence on the free road? BTW, when you recommend the free road, I assume you are recommending the toll road at
some point, correct? |
No military at al on free road and that would be all the way to Ensenada exept for Popotla(Fox). When I say take the free road I am refering to the
Tijuana - Rosarito portion and even up to La Mision.
A well informed Baja California traveler is a smart Baja California traveler!
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cabobaja
Nomad
Posts: 363
Registered: 9-19-2006
Location: South \"O\", Elias Calles, BCS
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Have been in San Diego assisting my elderly parents. My wife and 5 & 10 year old boys fly in first week of June from Los Cabos. After a week of my
wife shopping, we all drive back to Elias Calles.
We drive to San Diego at least once a year. The road is good, just plan your trip and do not drive at night. Your biggest worry should be keeping your
kids from getting too bored on the road. DVD player is the best. Plenty of kiddie things to munch on.
Have a great trip. Once you get back home, your wife will probably want to plan the next trip to Baja.
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wilderone
Ultra Nomad
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Registered: 2-9-2004
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You must convince her that you know how, and will take care of, any possible glitch. Show her the tire changing tools and all the spare parts; show
her the page of emergency phone numbers you have. Convince her you will be taking half the responsibility of the childrens' welfare. (Some dads think
that's mom's job, and mom has no fun on her vacation). Do you have toys, games, music, cameras, snacks, surprises for the kids? You will need to stop
often for their comfort, but stopping in a small town to buy a soda with pesos would be fun for them. Tell her you know about all the hazards, and
how to avoid them. If you need a list of the hazards and how to avoid them - let us know - we will provide them. For instance, drive slowly through
any town - know what the pedestrian crossing, slow, stop, school, town near, signs mean in Spanish.
What she is afraid of is the unknown. So talk with her and ask what she is afraid of, and have a solution to the "worst case scenario". The roads
are not shut down - just a fact. Bring coolant, oil, all the usual - jumper cables, good spare. Maybe devise some way of staying in contact with
your friends as you're traveling, or have her go with them, and you take the kids. Keep the merlot handy.
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Juan del Rio
Senior Nomad
Posts: 560
Registered: 6-8-2004
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The Sclupin is right...
...lots of kids (dogs too!) and great families in the summer...bring 'em, they have a ball, make new, "Baja Buddies" and you and your wife will have a
great adventure/vacation with the kids!
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Juan del Rio
Senior Nomad
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Kinda of a typical Summer day at the beach near Second
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Capt. George
Super Nomad
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Registered: 8-21-2003
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Drive in the daylight...if your wife is concerned, she'll be more concerned at night...Good idea, cross at Tecate.
Wish I had found Baja before my kids were fully grown...what an adventure, your kids (and wife) will remember it for all time.
Going with other explorers? Any of them made this trip before? Even better.
Go for it ears, the chances of regretting it are absolutely minimal, just use your head as you would for any other long range trip, States or Mexico!
Bien Viaje amigo (if you have even a small grasp of Espanol, use it)
Buenos suertes cap'n g
\"The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men\" Plato
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lingililingili
Nomad
Posts: 449
Registered: 2-24-2008
Location: La Paz, Bahia Asuncion
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I have not read from anyone that you should respect your wife's feelings.
We who live here and have travelled here know it is a wonderful and safe place, but she does not. There has been alot of bad press of late. If she
feels strongly about not coming, I say don't.
That's my two cents worth!
•Life is just one damned thing after another
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Capt. George
Super Nomad
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Registered: 8-21-2003
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just hit her on the head with a club, and go for it....
I seen that on TV once!
\"The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men\" Plato
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oldlady
Banned
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Registered: 10-31-2005
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lingilingili makes a very good point!
It is difficult in this medium for us to understand how concerned she is, but your phrase, "deadly afraid" raises an eyebrow. It is her vacation too,
and won't be much fun for her if she is highly worried all the time, warranted or not. (and if she's like me she'll make it not very fun for YOU!)
Baja is a wonderful, magical place. It is beautiful and as safe as any "vacation" area. Besides the supplies the key message is not to travel at
night, but then there are lots of places in the US where I would not travel at night.
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