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Alm
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2729
Registered: 5-10-2011
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Ensenada - BOLA in one day?
Not that I haven't been on the "Baja road" before. I know how it looks. And I know how it feels - when all the car is shaking and making so much noise
at 65 mph - on a "good" stretch with 100 kmh sign - that you have to slow down 'cause it feels like you head is going to explode.
Took a bus recently from BOLA turn-off to Ensenada. 300 miles, 9.5 hours total. There was a 1-hour lunch stop, but other stops were very short - there
is nothing on this stretch to stop for. So it comes to mere 35 mph average. Military posts took only a few minutes, they either waved us through or
the guy went through the bus and out. Those buses go fast 50-60 whenever it's possible to do so without killing yourself. There are two drivers, one
drives and one sleeps, they don't take pit stops or to stretch the legs or chew on a banana or take a sip of water. I know that in a compact car I
will want to stop every 1.5-2 hours for one or another reason.
One thing I noticed was a lot of traffic around San Quintin/Camalu. Local "transit" wrecks made of an old school bus, farm trucks, etc etc. This is
where I think most of the time was lost. Also, quite a few Topez, Vados and "curvas peligrosos" where you have to slow down.
After thinking it over, I've chickened out and decided to break the stretch in half - one stop on the camp before the border, and another one at San
Quintin. I know that it "can" be done in one day, just curious how many of you would "want" to do this in one day.
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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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EVERY time! we do it from the border in the same time but only stop for fuel and a quick taco or 3.
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MMc
Super Nomad
Posts: 1679
Registered: 6-29-2011
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Mood: Current
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Easy! We go to the middle of Baja in a day all the time. The bottom of the spur is only 12+ hours.
If your pulling a trailer not so much. Your mileage may very.
"Never teach a pig to sing it frustrates you and annoys the pig" - W.C.Fields
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David K
Honored Nomad
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Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Oh yes, easily... if yo get an early start from San Diego... 8 hours normal driving... but like any Mexican road trip, there could be extra
inspections by the military, accidents, road work, or like today labor strikes against the entire population, instead of their employers as they shut
down traffic.
If you don't leave San Diego early enough, then a stop in El Rosario at the finest and incredibly inexpensive roadside motel in Mexico, 'Baja Cactus'
can be made (next door to the Pemex... where you must top off, as there are no more Pemex stations until Bahia de los Angeles is reached, 180 miles
away).
Great meals are on the other side of town, 2 miles, at Baja's Best Bed and Breakfast (and bar & restaurant), or even next door to Baja Cactus at
Mama Espinoza's Restaurant (they get either good or poor reviews, but always good from us). A simpler eating treat is about a mile and a half down the
highway, on the left, Tacos Mision... Tacos, Burritos, Stuffed Baked Potatoes!
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J.P.
Super Nomad
Posts: 1673
Registered: 7-8-2010
Location: Punta Banda
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Mood: Easy Does It
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Ensenada to BOLA
Its a pretty easy drive if you start early and don't fool around too much. I have done it pulling a trailer.
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Maron
Nomad
Posts: 458
Registered: 4-14-2014
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Good info, Does anyone know if Baja Cactus also has RV spaces? In the past we stayed at a hotel, with RV sites up above, can't remember the name.
Would prefer to spend our pesos with a friend of the Nomands.
thks
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Whale-ista
Super Nomad
Posts: 2009
Registered: 2-18-2013
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Sunny with chance of whales
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You may be thinking of hotel Sinai- past the curve about another mile or so down the road after Cactus/Mama Espinosas. Bare bones RV spaces up the
hill above modest hotel.
Quote: Originally posted by Maron  | Good info, Does anyone know if Baja Cactus also has RV spaces? In the past we stayed at a hotel, with RV sites up above, can't remember the name.
Would prefer to spend our pesos with a friend of the Nomands.
thks |
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
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Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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Check with Antonio at the PEMEX or the office above the PEMEX. He may let you park your rig at the gas station
| Quote: Originally posted by Maron | Good info, Does anyone know if Baja Cactus also has RV spaces? In the past we stayed at a hotel, with RV sites up above, can't remember the name.
Would prefer to spend our pesos with a friend of the Nomands.
thks |
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Alm
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2729
Registered: 5-10-2011
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Thanks guys. 8 hours of normal drive from San Diego sounds a little optimistic, or - probably - my criteria of "normal" are different from David's
 ...
8 hours from the border to BOLA turnoff including all planned and unplanned stops is what I figure out, + 1 more hour for (poorly repaired) BOLA road.
As to the places to stop with RV - though not my situation - I think San Quntin 50 miles before El Rosario would work well for everybody. There is
nothing extraordinary about those, just a quiet and easily accessible camps. At least, Jardines is. Not right on the highway like El Rosario, no noise
there.
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BajaBreak
Nomad
Posts: 154
Registered: 12-20-2012
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via San Felipe
We drove from BoLA to Ensenada, left around 6am, and decided to go by Coco's, eat at Alfonsinas, and again at San Felipe, then on to Ensenada. Seemed
like it was similar in time to the Pacific route, as we arrived around 3:30pm. Less mountainous, slow driving (except for the dirt from hwy 1 to
Gonzaga), and if you were to cross at Mexicali it seems like it would be quicker.
Just a thought in case you want to make a loop out of it. Have fun!
[Edited on 3-18-2015 by BajaBreak]
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Marc
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2802
Registered: 5-15-2010
Location: San Francisco & Palm Springs
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Mood: Waiting
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| Quote: Originally posted by Maron | Good info, Does anyone know if Baja Cactus also has RV spaces? In the past we stayed at a hotel, with RV sites up above, can't remember the name.
Would prefer to spend our pesos with a friend of the Nomands.
thks |
Don't expect special treatment at Baja Cactus because you are a Nomad. I would gas up there & head for BOLA. Takes 9 hours. Or as I almost always
did....overnight at Cativina and arrive at BOLA in the morning.
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Cliffy
Senior Nomad
Posts: 986
Registered: 12-19-2013
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Stayed at Sinai last summer. Don't count on the hook ups.Cement pad and dirt parking. Rough road uphill but doable. Ate at restaurant there. Food OK.
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durrelllrobert
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7393
Registered: 11-22-2007
Location: Punta Banda BC
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Mood: thriving in Baja
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| Quote: Originally posted by J.P. | | Its a pretty easy drive if you start early and don't fool around too much. I have done it pulling a trailer. |
I've done Ensenada (Punta Banda) to Loreto in a little over 15 hours pulling a 26 ft boat. About 600 miles with only one stop for fuel and leaving
around 4 in the morning.
Bob Durrell
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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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if you're retired, why rush? if you're on vacation, DRIVE!
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chavycha
Nomad
Posts: 373
Registered: 1-20-2014
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Agree with Woody. Enjoy the scenery! The area around Catavina really catches my eye... take some time and wander in the boulder fields or look at
the cave paintings. Very cool spot especially if you catch it at sunrise or sunset.
As a point of reference, we recently did San Diego to Guerrero Negro, pulling a trailer. Crossed at 10am, arrived in Guerrero at about 8:30pm. That
10.5 hours included a lunch stop and the border crossing.
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Alm
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2729
Registered: 5-10-2011
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Thanks again. Will toss a coin, I guess. There is no rush.
Have been thinking about San Felipe route too, especially since I'll be coming from waay North than San Diego. But I'm not familiar with Mexicali
crossing. It looks like navigating Mexicali suburbs is not as straightforward as darting through I-5 and 1 Quota. Besides, 2 hours on "Coco dirt road"
with small wheels of a compact car won't be too enjoyable.
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chavycha
Nomad
Posts: 373
Registered: 1-20-2014
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Getting through Mexicali is actually pretty simple. Well-signed and a straight shot on the 5 once you're out of downtown.
The Coco's road would suck in a compact car. Doable, yes. Pleasant, no.
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Bob53
Senior Nomad
Posts: 661
Registered: 2-24-2014
Location: Fallbrook, CA & Bahia de los Angeles
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I used to always do that drive in one day. Not any more. I now stop and spend the night in San Quintin and finish the drive the next day. I usually
stop at Hotel Mision Santa Maria if I am driving my RV. You can park in the huge parking area at no charge. It's right on the beach.
The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.
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Alm
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2729
Registered: 5-10-2011
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Since we are on the subject, what low-key hotels in San Quintin would you recommend? I'm not too picky, things like view or restaurant are not
important.
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vacaenbaja
Senior Nomad
Posts: 640
Registered: 4-4-2006
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I make the trip from Los Angeles to BOLA about three times a year. When I was younger I was always in a rush and would do it in a day. Nowadays I
start a bit late in the day and drive to San Quintin and stop at parcela 12 to eat then roll into El Rosario just about at sunset I then get a room
at Baja Catus and then do the rest of the trip after breakfast. More relaxed that way
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