Date: Wed, 21 Jun 95 08:47:43 PDT
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Steve Reilly <steve@caliban.ucsd.edu>
Subject: Re: baja trip - dates?
Some Baja list trip musings:
I'm happy to see there's been a pulse of activity on a Baja trip.
October is a great time of year to go: the summer vacation crowd is
gone, but the weather is usually still fine. Also, I'd agree with
the notion that it's best to decide on a destination, then focus on
length of the trip, best border crossing spots, etc. A bit if
iteration may be in order here, because we may want to select a
destination that's appropriate for the number of vehicles likely to
be in the group.
Going to the Gulf side is a good call for those in need of a quick
fix of hot, tropical conditions. The water temp can be near 80F in
October, even in the upper Gulf. With this comes a little more
humidity, but still fairly comfortable. For me, the Gulf is not too
interesting, because I usually go looking for waves, so I'd prefer a
trip to the Pacific side of the Peninsula.
For a trip to the outer coast, I'd say you need to get south of
Ensenada (or just stay in San Diego). The closest spots worth the
trip (IMHO) would be west of Santo Thomas, for example Punta San
Jose. This is about three hours south of the border - maybe four,
depending on traffic and if you feel the need to stop in Ensenada
for some Mariscos and Cerveza. Another hour or so farther south and
you come to a number of interesting and fairly remote beaches. There
is a well-protected (from the wind, which wants to howwllll nearly
every afternoon) spot just south of Cabo Colonet. To get to these
places you have to be willing to subject your van to a bit of
dirt/sand road travel, cross an occasional stream (yes, there IS
running water in that desert place, flowing down from the mountains
to the east). Be sure to pack a shovel and some boards to place
under your tires, and a length of stout rope, too. If you get a
little crazy and have to see the next point around the bend, even
though the sand track is marginal, you can count on getting stuck at
least once...but, no worries, if you can't get out, someone will be
by (within a few hours?) probably in a 1963 falcon with completely
blown shocks. Here's where the rope comes in handy. They'll help
pull you out, you'll provide a cold Corona for all, and everybody is
happy and having a great time!
For the outer beaches, Tiajuana is the only practical place to
cross. The advice to avoid the return crossing on Sunday afternoon
is right on the mark. Sunday morning isn't too bad, or almost any
day between rush hours is fine, too. There is at least one holiday
in October, at least for those of us occupationally handicapped by
working for the government - Columbus day is on Monday the 9th. I've
always found this to be a great surf day, because most people are
working or in school, but I'm not sure if it will be of much help to
those of you with jobs in the 'real world'. Insurance can be
relatively expensive. The cost per day depends entirely on the value
you claim for your vehicle. As I recall, it was about $12/day for my
'90 vanagon last September. There are a number of drive through
insurance places in San Ysidro, just yards from the border. Their
rates are all about the same. I've heard that the AAA offers
coverage by the day, too, and that you can buy this before leaving
home.
Plan on AT LEAST three full days. Even this is cutting it short. The
first and last days involve the hassles of border crossings, buying
insurance and Pesos, navigating through the maze of TJ and Ensenada,
setting up and taking down your camp (unless you're lucky enough to
have a Westy, and just have to pop the top, pull out the awning and
unfold the chairs...Geez I wish I still had one).
I'm heading down for 5-6 days, departing on July 4th (when the
crowds will be heading north), headed for a great surf spot about
6hrs from the border. I'll post a trip report when I get back.
Adios for now,
Steve Reilly
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