Our Baja California caravan ended in Guerrero Negro on Saturday, February 24. Some of the participants were traveling further south or to the eastern coast of Baja, but Daisy and I decided we were ready to head back to the U.S. by a fairly direct route. In talking with others, our plans were similar to those of four couples who were also members of our parking team, so we decided to travel together. Two couples of our parking group, Jim and Cynthia Ponder and Dick and Jackie Driver, were staying longer in Mexico, so we said our goodbyes to them and our other new friends. We look forward to seeing them somewhere else along life’s highway!
Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018
Destination: Catavina, Mexico
143 miles
This isn’t a clear photo because Daisy quickly snapped it as we were leaving Mario’s RV Park on February 25. Some of the caravan members were at the gate to wave goodbye, and the two couples from Australia even brought their flag!
As we headed north, Daisy and I were in the middle of our 5-RV caravan, with two rigs leading the way and two following us.
A military convoy overtook us, so being courteous road riders and intimidated by open bed trucks and guys with guns, we all pulled over and let them past.
It wasn't long before we crossed back from the Mexican state of Baja California South to Baja California North.
Sometimes we shared Mexico Highway 1 with cattle, and boojum trees and organ pipe cactus were the primary types of roadside flora.
Sometimes we shared the road with potholes and tractor trailers.
Our first of three nights with our return group was at Rancho Santa Inez, south of Catavina. This place had no utilities, so it was dry camping and relying on our own RV on-board capabilities. We had decided to go back to places we’d stayed on the trip south so we knew what to expect.
It was interesting that we had five different types of RVs: a fifth-wheel trailer, a motor home, our truck camper, a class C, and a bumper-pull trailer. We all had different tastes, or some may call our group eclectic.
Some of us gathered for a short happy hour, with everyone bringing something to share. I was still not feeling well and neither were a few of the others. Actually, all of us were in one stage or another of this illness were were afflicted with. We talked about the roads to come the next day, consumed the munchies, and soon departed to our own units to prepare for the cool windy night to come at this high plains elevation. For some reason, I was unable to get my generator to start so we were not able to charge our devices. This was a good excuse to call it an early night.
Monday, Feb. 26
Destination: San Quintin, Mexico
104 miles
We awoke at 1 am to the sound of the carbon monoxide monitor going off. I noticed that my battery power was lower than usual. There was no detectable propane smell but I could hear a generator running from a nearby unit which could have been a factor. To play it safe, I told Daisy that we would not be using any unnecessary battery power until our morning wake up. At that time I would start the truck to begin the recharging of our coach batteries for departure.
At 7:30 am it was 49 degrees outside when we got out of our warm bed to begin our day. I started the truck and turned on the furnace in the camper to warm things up a bit. That night we would be in a campground with electricity and would get there soon enough that I could trouble shoot my low battery situation, I hoped. By the time we left at 9 am it was 66 degrees and sunny. A good day to go to the beach.
We drove through two washouts, lots of potholes, newly paved but unmarked road segments, but also some beautiful countryside as we neared the Pacific Ocean.
We stayed that night at El Pabellon RV Park, a dune campground on the beach south of San Quintin that had dumps, salt water showers, salt water spigots, and a few electric sites.
Nobody was there, so Daisy and I got one of the electric sites that tested ok. Before I plugged in I tried to start the generator and it turned over. I knew then that the reason it did not start at the last campground was due to limited coach battery power. Upon checking the batteries, I noticed that the water levels were not sufficient. So I added some distilled water to top off the cells in both batteries. I also explained to Daisy that a low battery voltage can also set off the CO monitor. Lesson learned.
I was still not hitting on all cylinders—and I mean my health, not the truck. After a nap and an early happy hour to plan the next day’s journey with our fellow travelers, Daisy whipped up a chicken salad dinner, we had long hot showers, and did the early to bed thing again.
Tuesday, Feb. 27
Destination: Ensenada, Mexico
120 miles
It was 49 degrees for the second day in a row when we awoke that morning on the beach. There was also no electricity being supplied to our unit. I later found out it was because the power we got came from a generator that the park only ran during certain hours. I also discovered that my 1st propane tank had run out and had to go outside to switch to the full second tank to get the furnace to work. But work it did. It was cloudy and started to rain during breakfast.
Our traveling buddies Mike and Donna had a low tire so we teamed up and left together to have it checked out. According to our caravan protocol, no one ever gets left alone. We would be their traveling companions and not leave their side until we got the tire issue fixed. At 9 am we stopped at a road side tire shop. One advantage of traveling on roads with lots of potholes is that there are also lots of tire repair businesses!
By 9:30 am we had the tire repaired. A large bolt was where it should not have been, but it was in a place that made the tire repairable. The process was fun in that we did not speak Spanish and the repair tech did not speak English, and it was raining. We had to use the onboard leveling jack on the RV to raise the tire because the shop did not have a jack that could handle the load. But it worked and we got going before it rained even harder. Yes I got wet and cold again.
The rain stopped as we approached the ocean.
Our drive that day was 120 miles to La Jolla Beach Camp near Ensenada. Our truck camper was carrying a lot of Mexican dirt as we headed home.
We enjoyed dinner with our group at the India Bonita Restaurant. Dave and Karen (on the left) are from Tennessee and Mike and Donna (center) are from Texas.
Sue and Ron (left and right) are from Oregon and Elva and Paul (center) are from Alberta, Canada.
The menu featured interesting options, and Daisy selected this Coconut Shrimp with Mango Sauce. Both the presentation and the combination of flavors were exceptional. No, we weren't at Pat O'Brien's, but her Pina Colada was served in one of their glasses!
I had a healthy sized chicken, beef, shrimp, and vegetable kabob. The chicken was under cooked but I took it in a to-go box to prep and eat for another meal.
A three-piece band serenaded us with oldies, jazz, and blues, so of course Daisy and I danced!
Wednesday, Feb. 28
Destination: USA
109 miles
On the last day of February, we said goodbye to Mike and Donna, who were staying another night at La Jolla, and Paul and Elva, who were leaving earlier in the morning. The remaining three RVs in our caravan left a little before 9:00 and drove along the coast through Ensenada…
…then through some beautiful mountain scenery. We were driving in the “tailgunner” position, so Daisy could take photos of our friends in front of us.
This is definitely a fruit-bearing, vegetable-growing part of Mexico’s improving economy.
We were welcomed into the wine valley at the beginning of our trip and thanked for visiting the wine route on our way home.
We climbed out of the Guadalupe Valley enroute to our border crossing at the village of Tecate. The closer we got to the border the better the highways.
After driving 109 miles, we arrived in Tecate about 11:30. We inched forward in a long line for the U.S. checkpoint for an hour and a half. There were no issues at the border crossing, and we were waved through a little after 1:00.
After clearing customs we parked on the US side and walked back across to Mexico to turn in our FMM cards (travel permits) and get our passports stamped with our exit date. Failure to do so could impact our ability for future travel in the country. We will be back.
A happy journey we had and would continue to have.
We had enjoyed our 23 days in Mexico, but it was nice to be back in the United States. At this point, we split off from the others in our group and headed northeast to Interstate 8, then east to El Centro for the night. As we crossed into the US side we encountered the remnants of a snow storm that had happened just 2 nights before. It made us smile.
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