The Route To Ensenada...And Beyond!

I beloved the Lyle Lovett song, "The Road to Ensenada," in addition to I beloved the route itself (click on that link to listen the song, it actually is a lovely tune).  While the rutted, poorly maintained, pothole pocked route of my youth is nevertheless there, these days nosotros don't similar to alive such a harsh life.

That's why we'll pay the vi or seven dollars it takes for the smooth, well maintained, in addition to fast cost route from the beaches of Tijuana to the outskirts of Ensenada, a lilliputian to a greater extent than than an hr south.

Watch the Video!

Only this time, we're non stopping inwards Ensenada. Today, for the kickoff time, we're venturing beyond into unknown territory equally nosotros caput some other 3 hours south, looking for the twin towns of Vincente Guerrero in addition to San Quintin.

First, nosotros must adjust the proper paperwork. When you lot cross the edge into Mexico, at that topographic point is a signal. Supposedly, larn a dark-green lite in addition to off you lot go. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 ruddy lite way farther inspection. We receive got found, though, that if you lot are driving a van, you'll hold upward directed into the secondary inspection bay no affair what color of lite you lot got.

We planned on stopping anyway to larn tourist permits at the immigration office, hence it's non a large bargain today, but it's annoying at other times.  An inspector tells us where to commons later he's given our auto a cursory search. After getting Tim in addition to his chair out, some other guard tells us no, this is non the right place. Put Tim in addition to the chair dorsum inwards the van, get across the route (100 feet or less), commons there, in addition to walk into immigration.

Can I exactly motion the van in addition to Letty in addition to Tim walk over? No...you must pose everybody dorsum inwards in addition to drive.

Such is the bureaucratic maze you lot buy the farm through inwards our vecino to the south.  To hold upward fair, although it's much to a greater extent than straightforward to come upward back, getting into United Mexican States takes but a few moments.  On the best of days, coming dorsum into U.S. of America takes hours.

It's difficult to larn straightforward data on getting a tourist permit (AKA a tourist visa) online. You demand 1 when you lot buy the farm southward of the edge surface area (Ensenada, inwards this component of Baja) or remain longer than 72 hours. Online, the instructions are a mishmash, but basically it said to buy the farm to the immigration office, create total out the form, receive got it to the depository fiscal establishment side past times side door, pay the to a greater extent than or less $25 fee, buy the farm dorsum to the immigration component to larn your permit in addition to receive got your passport stamped.

In reality, that physical care for is exactly for those who stay to a greater extent than than seven days inwards Baja or buy the farm into whatever other component of the province for whatever amount of time. If you're hither less than a week, at that topographic point is no fee.

We only filled out the forms (one for each person), had our passports stamped, in addition to nosotros were on our way. The leave of absence of the parking lot goes direct to the ramp for the Ensenada road.

A brusque but hilly get puts you lot at the beaches of Tijuana alongside its giant bullfighting band sitting a few feet southward of the international edge fence.  The kickoff cost plaza awaits here. Today, the cost is $2.25.  There are 3 cost boothes, hence the total cost volition hold upward $6.75. The cost varies alongside the exhange rate. You tin pay alongside either Mexican or U.S. currency but you lot must select 1 or the other (you can't, say, pay alongside dollars inwards the kickoff cost booth, pesos inwards the side past times side one, etc.).

While the extreme northern Baja coast is getting a large dose of urban sprawl, alongside non a lot of empty Earth betwixt Tijuana in addition to Rosarito, there's nevertheless sections of coastal beauty that challenger Highway 1 inwards northern California. In fact, this highway's release inwards United Mexican States is 1.  While hordes of tourists decades agone contributed mightily to this, large manufacture in addition to moviemaking has pose it over the top.

When Hollywood establish that they could brand large blockbusters for much less downward hither (it's solely a 3 hr get south), they transformed the town of Rosarito into a painting exhibit town. The large studio on the southward side of the city, whose backlots tin easily hold upward seen from the cost road, is where James Cameron came to celluloid "Titanic."

It's been a busy studio e'er since.

The balance surface area bath stops nigh the kickoff cost booth are pretty palacial, fifty-fifty past times American standards. Beyond Rosarito, non hence much. When it's fourth dimension for a needed break, the kickoff balance surface area nosotros line into is shut in addition to has pretty much been taken over past times vendors. We buy the farm on going.

Another balance surface area before long pops up. It's open, variety of. The bath has pretty much been abandoned past times the regime but enterprising local men receive got taken to keeping it upward hoping to larn tips from stopping motorists.

The college educatee manning it today keeps it equally construct clean in addition to friendly equally he can, fifty-fifty though there's no longer whatever running water, alongside a dyad of large barrels of H2O outside. He explains the province of affairs to us in addition to he uses his tips to pay for his schooling.

Letty is impressed alongside his industriousness in addition to leaves him alongside a handbag of her cookies, along alongside the tip.  I await over the side of the parking lot in addition to run into a lovely campground downward below, alongside cabins for rent (pictured inwards the video preview, above).

What a beautiful, lonely spot to hunker downward for a dyad of off-the-grid days it would be.

Back on the road, nosotros before long move past times Bajamar, a resort alongside 1 of the best golf game courses on the West Coast, in addition to hence into the urban meat of Ensenada itself. We're non stopping hither today, though (see our trip to Ensenada here).  This is exactly the halfway point.

The cities in addition to towns that brand upward the bay of Todos Santos (All Saints) receive got made it a pretty sizeable city.  It's a lot of halt in addition to buy the farm for the side past times side twenty miles until nosotros larn inwards past times the terminal halt sign at Maneadero, the terminal town nosotros tin buy the farm to without a tourist card.

Since nosotros receive got ours, nosotros force ahead to the Valle de Santo Thomas.  Gone are the litter strewn streets of the cities in addition to towns, along alongside the shanty towns of the poorest parts of each town.  The scenery turns from occasionally real overnice to spectacular equally nosotros air current through Baja's vino country.

It's belatedly Dec in addition to recent rains receive got made everything dark-green in addition to lush. Vineyard later vineyard flashes by. We demand to arrive at some vino tasting downward hither erstwhile but today we're exactly passing through.

Once nosotros leave of absence the Ensenada area, the route becomes a fairly good maintained ii lane highway.  There are ii mountainous areas to climb over alongside some parts having perilous drops downward into the chasms below alongside no guard track to retard your fall.

The hundreds of modest roadside memorials nosotros move past times today remind me to hold upward ever-vigilant spell driving this road.

I'm doing good but some local drivers tin hold upward real reckless in addition to idiotic, passing on blind mount curves hoping their luck volition concur out in addition to a large truck won't hold upward coming the other way.

I run into a semi truck going exactly the speed I desire to buy the farm in addition to beingness careful on the road. I tuck inwards behind him equally protection to allow him clear the way for me (that's why you lot run into the truck inwards front end of us inwards several of these photos).

Over the mountains, nosotros come upward dorsum to the coast in addition to endless fields of tomatoes, strawberries, in addition to other assorted produce. Most of this volition terminate upward inwards the supermarkets of the U.S. westward coast.

We buy the farm through several towns, nigh identical, alongside shops in addition to dirt parking lots right on the highway. It's the same inwards every town...small bumps on the route leading to a large bump inwards the middle of town. It's where the pedestrians are supposed to cross.

Halfway through 1 town, I nigh missy the Mission Inn.  Breaking fairly hard, Letty in addition to Tim are bespeak "what's wrong.?"

There's our hotel...I nigh drove right by.

We settle in.  It's a decent, clean, in addition to modern hotel inwards the middle of town. The room is skillful alongside ii queen beds in addition to a bath alongside a roll-in shower.  Quite a notice downward hither inwards the Earth of the inaccessible.

It's dinner at the hotel's real skillful eatery hence we'll settle inwards for the side past times side component of our adventure.

Darryl
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