The Road IS the Adventure....

Yellow....yellow line, yellow truck!

Focus....ahead...focus...focus...whew!

Yes, the road IS the adventure.  That's travelling Mex #1.  Narrow narrow roads, 3 meter lanes(118 inches)...we take up 96"....that leaves, um (do the math) 11" on each side.  Now here's the thing:  the trucks can be 102" wide, the white lines take up 6" on each lane, and the yellow lines take up another let's say 6"...so you get the idea.  Really, all of it's close, but not a big problem until the road disappears on the white line side...just falls away from the edge, or has washed out or erroded, or let's say that truck coming toward you is misalligned (what the chances?) and the rear trailer wheels track on YOUR side of Mex.#1???

These are all "close encounters of the inches kind" but interesting to note that as you pass each driver waves back as they pass by.   It's all an incredible game of focus on the road, the traffic, the road...your rig, their rig, and expect the unexpected.  Maybe someone could develop a great computer game with these elements?  What will we call it?  Mex #1 Roulette?  What happens when you win?  You arrive SAFELY!

Aside for the actual driving, the road winds through varied and beautiful country, small towns, mountains, plains, fields, cactus forests, boulder fields, views of the sea, and then, expansive dry land reaching as far as you can see.

Some yellow flowers dot the hillsides ahead

San Quintin

Hey a road with a shoulder!

Tamerisk trees in Baja north

Squeezing into a Pemex stop - Baja north

Our trip north takes five days, as we cross the border on Wednesday at Tecate.  We have a stop at San Ignacio, and then Gurerro Negro, then Catavina, and Ensenada....before arriving at Tecate Crossing on Wednesday about noon.

NARROW

Yep

Boulder fields and Cordon cactus of Catavina

Santa Inez campground

Parked at Santa Inez

Ralph and Lucky greet us again!  Local colorful characters.

It is always good to greet Ralph as he and Lucky do their campground patrol to see who is arriving.  Lucky is now 15 years old!  Ralph and his wife live up here most of the year, leaving for the U.S. only for the very very hot part of the late summer.

Traveling buddies

Lupine and mini Black eyed susans?

Fields of lavendar?  San Quintin

Cactus farming in Baja norte

The signs of Spring are encouraging.  It takes us almost five days to drive out of Baja at our pace.
Our pace means averaging 40-45 mph, slowing way down for on coming trucks...and especially the ones with a lead car with an orange flashing light...signaling...something....???  Ahhh, WIDE load!  Or?

We decide to make a stop at Estero Beach Hotel in Ensenada this year.  We have not been here since our first trip to Baja, five years ago...so, why not?  A bit of luxury.  We remember it as being the most expensive stop we have ever made in Baja...about $35.00 per night...full hook ups, grassy sites, birding estuary and great restaurant.  It's the same!  Or actually, better...as everything we notice in Baja this year!

Steve and the dogs....site #1 Estero Beach Hotel

Beautiful and warm!

Why not the hot tub?

Entry gate - Estero Beach Hotel - Ensenada

This makes our trip the next day to the border crossing at Tecate, an easy one.  We drive through Ensenada in less than one hour, and take the Tecate turn off though the Ruta de Vina....wine route!

Mex #3 Route of Wine

Notice the four land highway????  Ok the shoulder is not so great in this section....but....two lanes each way?!

Soon we arrive at Tecate crossing.  Things are looking fixed up even at the border crossing.  Including repainting the metal border fence!

Fence painters

One last shrine to contemplate as we wait for the slow crawl up to the gate.  It takes an hour.

Something about a shrine for my mother

We finally see the two lane entry to the Tecate Crossing.  Bigger rigs take the left lane.

Home again.....

The crossing took us two hours.  One to wait in line, and another to wait in "Secondary Inspection"....which isn't that unusual for RVs.  However, our reason for being sent there initially was a "radioactive reading" for our RV.  This happened last year as well.  They decided it was Mexican propane as the hotspot seemed to be on the driver's side around the propane locker.

This year the agents would not give up until they found the source.  It turned out to be an old airplane altimiter that Steve bought at a swap sale at the FH Airport.  This altimiter was so old it had paint on the face of it that was laced with radium which used to be used to make clock faces glow.  He keeps this altitude instrument in a drink holder by the driver window (and above the propane locker).  That found, we were relieved and felt we would surely be given the "all clear."

But no.  NO.  Do we have any pork or chicken? (no) Alas, we needed the refridgerator and freezer checked for this...and guess what?  No pork or chicken.  BUT.  The agent notices picture frames made of cholla cactus!!  What?  This he says is an endangered species of cactus and we cannot bring it back into the U.S. because the Mexicans are illegally cutting cholla and killing off the plant.  Hum.  I wonder if he has ever looked at the Baja desert?????  At all the dead cholla on the sandy ground?  At ALL the cactus, everywhere?  We have had these frames for four years.  It is never an issue.  In the end we are left with a "WARNING" to never bring these frames into the U.S. again.  (It is mentioned that if the frames are taken the art work will have to be destroyed as well.) (sadly)

Cactus wood frames for my donkey print and photo

We are finally on our way.    Border security says, "You can go."   "WELCOME HOME!!," we say to ourselves.

But, we ARE glad to be home.  Bienvenidos Steve and Nan, Skipper and Sparky!