Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2013 22:34:56 -0800
Reply-To: Michael Hart <mjhart853@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Michael Hart <mjhart853@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Trip Report: Baja California over Xmas/New Year (Part 1)
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I'm finally getting around to posting a report on our trip to Baja California over Xmas & new Year in our '87 2WD Westy.
Firstly thanks go to all of you that offered advice before & during the trip; notably Mark Drillock who gave us a rough itinerary & great
suggestions on places to stay plus several of you helping out when I reported a wheel bearing problem. In the end, the wheel bearing was good
again after a simple grease re-pack and peen nut adjustment & our Westy performed flawlessly over the 2,600 mile trip. More technical info &
statistics later.
We mixed camping with motel stays, partly due to the weather & partly due to my wife getting the flu.
Overall a great Westy destination, open roads, beautiful campsites on the beaches & in the high deserts. A very quiet time of year, many places
closed for the winter & no problems getting campsites or rooms in any location.
No security issues whatsoever, so don't be scared to go (we didn't spend much time in Tijuana).
Highlights
- Whale watching tour at Ojo de Liebre
- Antonio's Ecolodge at Laguna de San Ignacio
- Beach camping at Bahia de los Angeles
- Central desert scenery (Highway 1 west turn-off to Bahia de los Angeles)
- The open road, few vehicles, just a two lane highway heading off into the desert....
- Friendly people wherever we went; generally very considerate drivers in Baja
- Great, fresh (& cheap) seafood
- Overall good weather - no rain south of the border, daytime highs in the high 60s & 70s (~20-25C), but cold at night. Much better than the heavy
winter storms that battered the Bay Area whilst we were gone.
Lowlights
- Crazy traffic on I-5 southbound on our 1st day & in the Los Angeles basin
(up to 16 lanes of high-speed traffic vs. the two lane highway in most of Baja)
- 3 hour queue at the San Ysidro (Tijuana/San Diego) border crossing back to the US
- Immigration mess at the Border entry point; time wasted getting our mexican tourist cards (& then they were never checked)
- Sanitary facilities on the beaches (pit toilets & not much else)
- Cold El Norte winds blowing for several days, more than usual according to the locals.
Best beach camping spots
- Laguna Ojo de Liebre (whale birthing lagoon on Pacific coast near Guerrero Negro)
- Bahia de los Angeles (Sea of Cortez)
Statistics
- 2,625 miles, 1,600 in Baja California, 500 miles each way to the US/Mexican border in the first & last days.
- Total driving time: 56 hours
- Average MPH: 47; Average MPG: 17
- Breakdowns: none (except a stop to re-pack front wheel bearing)
- Stuck in sand: Once; road to San Ignacio Lagoon
- Best road surface: Mexico Highway-1 (Toll) Tijuana to Ensenada (4 lane new highway); Parts of Mexico Highway-1 (2 lane highway, newly resurfaced in places).
- Worst road surface: I-5 & I-405 through LA (horrible broken up concrete surface)
- Worst traffic: 200 miles & 6 hours of stop & go on I-5 in Central CA southbound Saturday 12/22; 3 hour wait at the northbound San Ysidro US border crossing 01/03
- Vanagons seen in Baja: 7:
- Grey (Ontario?) 2WD Westy in Ensenada, White CA 2WD Westy & Grey CA 2WD Country Homes Camper at BdlA, Gold Ontario 2WD Westy in San Ignacio,
- Grey Westy on the beach south of Mulege, Blue early Westy rotting in a field near Mulege, Grey Vanagon GL heading south on Highway-1,
Description of the route and link to photos at Shutterfly will follow in part 2.
Mike
'87 2WD Westy "T3WESTY"
Palo Alto, CA
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