Baja Mexico Trip 2015-2016 Part 1

Cortes Island, BC to Ensenada, Mexico.

On the Cortes ferry to Quadra Island

Travelling Southbound on the inland Island Highway, Vancouver Island, BC

It is the 29th of October 2015, and we are finally on the road. It is raining cats and dogs and the Cummins Diesel motor in our truck is growling like never before (at least that's what I think).... We are heading south!


If you plan to head into Mexico for holidays make sure to have all your car, truck, trailer, and boat insurance in place.


Also you need your FMM or tourist visa and fishing license. Anyone being on a boat that has fishing gears on it mush have a fishing license.


We are members of Vagabundos Travel club out of San Diego, CA and they are super nice and helpful.


They will arrange it all for you, just take out a yearly membership and tell them what you need including your visa number and they will get it all for you.... please allow some time.




You will have to give them a date when you will cross the border in to Mexico and at what border crossing. It does not have to be an exact date, you just can't go before the specified date, but later is OK. Your Canadian or at least BC insurance does not cover anything in Mexico.

Everything is well groomed at Burnaby Cariboo RV Park, just outside Vancouver BC

The first night we arrive late in Vancouver and check in at Burnaby Cariboo RV Park for two nights. This is a great campground. The second night we have family over for a BBQ and got some hugs from the grand kids.

Driving through Seattle Washington in the rain. 

On the 31st of October we are on the road bright and early and cross the USA border in to Washington State, still in the pouring rain.


Driving southbound on the I -5 (US Interstate 5 Highway) there is too much water on the road to safely use the cruise control.


All of a sudden the washer fluid does not work..... the pump hums away but nothing is coming out! I just filled it up?



We stop at one of the rest stops and after crawling around under the truck I can see the hose is broken inside the passenger side fender.

Duck tape fixes everything.... Don't leave home without it!

I can't get my hand in to fish up the hose ends, but Liz comes to the rescue and brings out a ladle from the trailer and with the little hook on the end I can now fish it out. Several rounds of duck tape and we are back in business. I am now totally soaked from crawling under the truck and all the rain coming down.... actually we both look like two wet rags!

Driving over the Columbia River to get into Portland, Oregon.

It is more like a waterfall then a rainfall

It is a mess out there, roads are flooded

We are now ready to stop at the first rest stop south of Portland Oregon.

Late afternoon we arrive in Portland, Oregon. The skys have now opened up and it is more like a waterfall then a rain fall.






Driving through Portland, many off ramps are flooded and vehicles stranded..... well we sure got the under carriage of the truck and trailer washed down.






At the first rest stop just outside Portland we pull over and decide it is just raining too much to continue, and is no longer safe to drive.






We make some supper, have a glass of wine and are cozy warm in the trailer with the furnace blasting away.





The next morning we wake up to..... you guessed it, more rain. After a quick breakfast and coffee we are back on the I-5.

Mount Shasta, California

Shasta Lake or reservoir.

Once we cross the border into California the rain is easing up, the clouds are lifting a little, and now we can use the cruise control. After a long day of driving we arrive in Orland, California.



We check in at Parkway Resort and Campground, just short of one km from the freeway. This is a very well run campground with full services and a very nice setting.



Located far enough away from the I-5, so no road noise. There is another campground right by the highway, but we felt we would get too much road noise there.



The following morning we are back on the road. We are steadily driving all day long, all the way to the town of Lebec just north of Los Angeles in the high country.



We camp at a truck stop, and go out for supper at the Mexican Restaurant  next door. We make it an early night..... Mexico tomorrow.







We are on the road early heading for Mexico. The I-5 between LA and San Diego get's crazy busy, 5 to 8 lanes going each way, and people driving like crazy. Again, Liz comes to the rescue, she gets me off this crazy freeway onto a highway less busy. We eventually arrive at our border crossing at Tecate. This is a great little border crossing, the staff is super friendly.

We drive in, and they would like to see registration for both the trailer and the truck. They compare "vin" numbers and have a look inside the trailer. They say OK, we smile and ask for "Immigration" to get our tourist visas (FMM) stamped.... this is a must! They point us in the direction of an office and we walk over and in. There we meet a nice man, and he scans our passports and stamps our paperwork.

Liz and Anders in the Central Valley in California

Right after the border into Mexico, there is a detour...... well with the trailer behind and the small narrow streets it makes for some creative driving. Watch for all the stop signs, they are not all in the same places, some are in almost hidden places.

Ruta Del Vino or the Wine Route, south of Tecate, Mexico

Wonderful scenery.

Esterio Beach Resort in Ensenada Mexico

Sunset at Esterio Beach Resort and RV Park, Ensenada Mexico

Eventually we are on our way out of town and take the Wine Route or "Ruta del Vino & Valle de Guadalupe  After about two-three hours of driving, we arrive in Ensenada and check in at Estero Beach Resort and RV Park. A wonderful place right on a lagoon on the Pacific ocean. So nice, feels almost like coming home. We book three nights.  We have a nice supper in the resort restaurant with a bottle of wine. Great food.

For more pictures from this part of the trip check out our web album.

Safe travels

More in Part 2