Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018
Destination Zoological Parque del Nino, Valle de Guadalupe
48 miles
On February 6, Daisy and I were part of a 43-RV caravan entering Mexico at Tecate and traveling to the Guadalupe Valley wine country. The rich culture in this area was created by the indigenous Kiliwa and Kumiai people who were followed by Iberian and Mexican missionaries and then immigrants from Russia and other European countries.
We traveled in groups of 7 or 8 rigs, and as members of the parking team, we were the first group. This meant leaving our US campground at 6:00 am! We were up about 4:30 to be ready to pull out by 5:45. But we got to end the day with a wine tasting, so that made up for it.
Before, I never noticed how difficult it was to do things that go well in the light of day, when it is pitch black outside! Getting the camper ready for the road is one of those things.
Our group of 7 met at the front gate entrance to the campground. We did a CB radio check and caravanned to the border crossing without incident.
As we approached the Tecate gate, I asked Daisy to not take pictures of the armed personnel or the surroundings. No need to draw any extra attention. The rig in front of us had to open its slides for an inspection and I expected to have to do the same. The border crossing took about 30 minutes for the RV in front of us. One of the Mexican agents looked inside our truck camper briefly. We opened our refrigerator as requested and answered a few questions about the truck camper, which was new to him. After 20 minutes we were on our way. We had fretted about what might happen at the armed border station, but it turned out to be a non-event. The officials were courteous and efficient. With smiles, they encouraged us to have a great visit to their country. We thanked them in Espanol.
We had set up a prearranged meeting point several miles down the road to regroup. All of our 7 rig team got through without much fanfare.
We were in the middle of our travel group, and this photo shows the RVs that were in front of us.
It did not take long for us to reach the hilly terrain. The well-paved roads just outside of Tecate were moderately wide, and in some places had paved shoulders.
We could motor between 45 and 60 mph until we faced grades or larger, slower transport vehicles that tended to bunch us up. We planned our spacing so that faster vehicles could easily pass amongst us. Mostly we were able to maintain that spacing for this short 50 mile trip. We began using our CBs to advise of fast-moving vehicles that were trying to pass and road conditions to include horses on the roadsides and mother potholes.
That night our stopping point was a private theme park Zoo that was still closed for the off season. We got there at 8:36 am. The guard at the gate was expecting us and let us in. We exited our rigs, reconnoitered, and laid out the parking plan for the 36 units that would be arriving shortly.
We separated the quiet, solar-only units from the noisy generator units and provided for a central meeting space. This was to be a dry camping (no facilities) location for 2 nights. In subsequent camping areas we would also have to try and place the smokers in an area so their smoke would not bother non smokers.
This turned out to be more of a challenge than we initially thought it would be, something on the order of herding not just cats but opinionated old cats.
Daisy greeted the RVs coming into the gate, telling them what was available and pointing out the general areas. The rest of us would separate them according to their desired locations. Daisy felt right at home standing next to a poster of the tigers, since that was her high school and college mascot.
At 1:15pm we shared a ride to the treat of the day, a large winery that was nearby. We found out that there are over 100 wineries in this valley.
Some of L.A. Cetto’s vines are 65 to 70 years old and are still producing. 90% of Mexican wine is produced in Valle de Guadalupe area that we were traveling through.
This is a designated wine route and the wineries and support facilities are rapidly being expanded. The goal of this production is to rival the Napa Valley to the north. The wineries range from small-scale family operations and artisanal vineyards to large-scale producers of internationally renowned wines.We saw quality construction taking place to attract the tourist dollar.
This is a contemporary futuristic hotel with scattered modular cottages.
We had an interesting tour of the winemaking operation and facilities. The L.A. Cetto vineyards are the largest in Mexico at 2,400 acres.
This was the first winery that I have toured that honored its religious roots with on-site places of meditation and worship for its employees and visitors to use.
Our last activity on this tour was to do some wine tasting from just their premium offerings.
Remember there are over 100 of us here in just our group.
Socializing with some of our new friends over glasses of wine was a highlight of the afternoon. In addition to the wine, we had Tapas, a Spanish term for snacks that were originally designed to attract people into bars. We would call them hors d'oeuvres or appetizers, but that can lead to a heated discussion with some folks. What I know is that they were good and went well with the wine selections.
The Tapas were tasty, but we were ready for a better meal as we traveled back to our overnight lodging facility. Dick and Jackie were our personal drivers and we decided to explore the country and find a restaurant. We did!
We drove down a dirt and gravel road that had a sign saying an eating place was just around the bend. We almost turned around as we drove into a large lot with only a couple of vehicles sitting there and dogs lying in the shade. We had already investigated one place being worked on that had a few bottled beers and only bagged snacks. We wanted a place with a view and a full beverage and food menu featuring local preparations.
The Finca Altozano fit that bill. We selected a lovely patio setting that overlooked their own vegetable garden with a great view of mountain and the sunset in the background. The food was delicious and nicely presented.
It turned out to be a great find. The beer was all Mexican, the margaritas homemade, and the food drawn from the local resources.
These prices are all in pesos. The approximate conversion rate was $17 pesos equals $1 US dollar.
While we were wrapping up our meal, 2 four-legged visitors entered the restaurant and approached a table and sat down quietly. Their patient demeanor was rewarded. They left just as quietly.
It had been along day for the four of us. We went cross county further on this dirt road and came to the zoo. It was time to call it a day. We did not hook up to electricity because there was none, so ran the generator for an hour to charge up our various battery-powered devices. We were looking forward to a private tour of the zoo the next day.
Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018
No Travel
This windy day was scheduled to start at 8 am with a catered outdoor breakfast, but it wasn’t actually served until 9:45 am. We were learning to be patient and flexible, and we spent the time visiting with our new friends. Our tasty meal consisted of orange juice, rolls, scrambled eggs with chorizo sausage, refried beans, Mexican white cheese, and Pico de Gallo. By the way, Pico de gallo means beaks of rooster.
The zoo was not officially open but our organizers had made arrangements for our caravan to dry camp there and to have guided tours of this theme park which lies in the the rapidly expanding wine-producing area. The zoo was founded by a wealthy businessman who owned the Jersey milk company and wanted to give back to the people in his home area. It was now owned by his daughter who was our host for this day and told us the story of the zoo.
The zoo is unique in that they rescue animals from all over the world but focus primarily on species that are native to Mexico. Some have been confiscated by the government from facilities or people in Mexico that are not able to properly care for them. In each case, these are animals that would not survive if returned to the wild. The zoo does not receive any government funding, so it operates on admission fees and donations.
After the zoo tour, we went with Dick and Jackie to a recommended winery that did not have food. So after tasting there we found another winery and had an eatery on site for a nice late lunch.
Daisy and I had beef short ribs and chicken entrees. We shared a pear poached in white wine, wrapped in pastry with a date puree and pieces of fresh fruit.
Of course we were required to wash this down with Mexican beers.
After lunch we were invited the their new wine tasting room that had just opened its doors the day before.
The décor featured stone walls and wooden wine barrels. The center piece was a long table made from a single plank of wood.
We had the place to ourselves but sampled only 4 wines and purchased a bottle of Tempranillo. The hostess, Karen, gave us suggestion for another winery in the local area as well as restaurants we might visit as we continued our trek further in the Baja.
There was still daylight so we drove further south to the tasting room of Santo Tomas, which was the oldest winery in Mexico. A feature of this tasting room was an impressive full-wall wine rack, the largest that I have ever seen.
We got there at 4:30 pm and they were closing the doors at 5 pm. We were too late for a full tasting, but said we could sample a few vintages. I have a weakness for port wines and after tasting just those, we bought a couple of bottles.
We drove through some interesting little towns on our way back in the twilight of a full day.
We returned to the zoo and our truck camper, turned on the generator to charge up batteries and devices, and prepared for our departure the next day to Ensenada on the Pacific coast. We made it an early night.
Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018
Destination Ensenada, Baja California North
120 miles
We were supposed to meet the parking team and be ready to pull out at 7:30 am. It had been changed while the 4 of us were running around town but we got the word late the night before and were lined up and ready to depart at 7 am.
Our journey was to be only a few hours. The seven of us finally departed at 8:35 am. We were getting accustomed to the “hurry up and then wait” system. We were again in the middle of the pack.
We would cross a little mountain range but…
…would be rewarded with an ocean view on the other side.
Pacific Ocean here we come!
We had arranged our visit to be here for the fun and festive Carnaval.
Our camping location was in a beach campground that offered almost full facilities on site or brought what we needed to us. The plus of this park was that it was our first on-the-beach site.
Our advance party arrived at La Jolla Beach Camp south of Ensenada at 11:25 am. Group 2 arrived at 12:45 and the last group at 3:15 pm. At one point two groups arrived within 10 minutes of each other. That caused a traffic jam.
This was our camp #3 and we were here for 8 nights.
Stay tuned for more of our adventures…
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