Baja Mexico Trip, 2015-2016, Part 3. Ensenada Baja California Mexico to Coyote Beach Baja California Sur Mexico

Drive from Ensenada to Coyote Beach south of Mulege

After three nights in Ensenada, shopping (stocking up for a few months) at Costco and Walmart, doing maintenance work on the truck and trailer, we are ready for the road again.

Anders adjusting the Hijacker Autoslide Hitch at Estero Beach, Baja, Mexico.

Heading south from Ensenada, Baja Mexico.

It's the 6th of November, just a few clouds in the sky and about 15 Celsius.



Today we plan to drive from Ensenada to Guerrero Negro.



It is only about 610 km, but pulling the trailer on this road is pretty slow going. We will only average about 60-70 km per hour.

South of Ensenada, Baja Mexico. Lots of green houses and horticulture.

Workers in the fields. Baja California, Mexico. South of Ensenada.

Lots of taco stands along the Mex. 1 Highway.

We are on the road at around 7:30 am. It is an epic drive. (Knowing what we know now, next time we will start two hours earlier) The roads are narrow, but in pretty good shape.



Driving down here you really have to keep an eye on the road, many roads do not have any shoulders at all.



However, they are doing improvements, and the roads are getting better and better every year.



You also have to watch for cows, goats and horses on the road.... this is mostly open range.



Most drivers, including the truck drivers, are courteous but they all drive very fast (if that makes sense at all).



Liz is not too fond of all the up and downs, and all the "curva Peligrosa" or dangerous curves.



Along the way, it seems to us that there are more and more green houses and plantations, among others: Driscolls and Los Pinos the largest companies.

Wonderful landscape along Mex 1, Baja California, Mexico.

You will be a pro at "White Line Driving" after a while. Baja, MX.

The landscape is ever changing and beautiful.

Pit-stop along the road.

Cardon cacti along the road. Hwy Mex 1, Baja

Entering Baja California Sur (BCS), Mexico

We arrive in Guerrero Negro just as the sun sets.

When we arrive in El Rosario, it is sunny and 24 C, nice. Here we fill up Diesel. We are pleasantly surprised and find, since our trip two years ago, there are now way more gas stations along the road.

The last two hours of driving before Guerrero Negro are on very narrow and windy roads.

Just north of Guerrero Negro we cross from Baja California (Norte) to Baja California Sur (BCS).


Here at the check point, everybody has to stop and pay 20 pesos. It is for spraying your under-carriage of your vehicle.


Also, you are not allowed to bring citrus fruits into BCS. Here you also turn your clock ahead one hour.


Once we arrive in Guerrero Negro we check in at Malarrimo RV Park. We are both tired. We decide to take advantage of their really nice Mexican Restaurant on site.


The RV park is pretty basic, but has full hook- ups with 30 amp power.

As in many places in Mexico, the water pressure in parks is on the low side. Some places there is no water at all for a while, so it's a good idea to keep at least half a tank of water in your RV.

Drive from Guerrero Negro to Mulege and Coyote Beach, BCS, Mexico

Stunning landscape, BCS.

Liz is enjoying a quick stop along the road, BCS.

You will really enjoy this drive. BCS.

Just before Santa Rosalia is a really steep and long hill with sharp curves.

Sea of Cortes or Gulf of California, just north of Santa Rosalea, BCS.

We can now see the Bay of Conception or Bahaia de Concepcion. BCS.

Bay of Conception or Bahia Concepcion,is part of the Sea of Cortez. BCS

The next day, November 7th we chat with a fellow that drives the Baja 500 ( an yearly off-road race on the Baja). He has been touring the Baja for the past 20 plus years.



He informs us that the east coastal route or highway number 5 is almost completely paved all the way except for about 30 km.



In the future, when this is completed, we will consider crossing the border at Mexicali. From there, we could just head south on number 5 towards San Felipe and onward to Chapala where number 5 joins Mex.1. That is excellent information.



I questioned him, about his banged up driver side rear view mirror. He smiles, he lost it to an on-coming semi truck.... Yes, he warns us that the roads ahead will be even narrower.



We fill up Diesel, and then hit the highway at 8:30 am. The highway south bound from Guerrero Negro cuts across the peninsula from the west coast to the east coast from the Pacific to the Sea of Cortez or the Gulf of California.



The landscape is flat, flat, flat through the Desierto de Vizcaino. The roads are very, very narrow. According to Liz, I have now become an expert "White Line Driver".



We again see lots of green houses under a cloth-like material. The weather is nice and warm at 25C or 77F.



Once in San Ignacio, the landscape changes. By the way, if you have some time, go into the old town of San Ignacio and have a look around. It is very quaint.



From San Ignacio towards Santa Rosalia the landscape is beautiful with hills and huge boulders.... pretty fascinating actually.



The last 20 km before Santa Rosalia can be a bit stressful to drive.



Steep hills up and down and windy roads. It is mostly paved, except for one little part, where they were working on the road. We had to drive through a ditch with huge rocks in 4 x 4 mode; the trailer just tagged along, not sure how, but it did.



The long hill down to Santa Rosalia is steep, and did I say long? Make sure to gear down, or your breaks will be smoking at the bottom of the hill.



Santa Rosalia is an old mining town. The architecture in town is very European, mostly French.



I belive the church "Iglesia de Santa Bárbara" in town was designed and built by Gustave Eiffel who also designed... you guessed it, the Eiffel tower in Paris.



The road through Santa Rosalia is pretty rough with lots of pot holes. Drive slow.

Coyote Beach, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

The drive from Santa Rosalia to Mulege and on to Coyote Beach is very beautiful.



Actually, the scenery is close to the top in beauty that I have seen.



We arrive on Coyote Beach around 2 pm. We are welcomed by our good friends Dave and Lynne. Big hugs.


We set up camp on the beach and later get invited by Dave and Lynne for supper. Life is good!

Views from our campsite on Coyote Beach, BCS.

For more pictures from this part of our trip. Have a look at our on line album.

Baja Mexico Trip 2015 - 2016, Part 2

Baja Pony Express, Mexican Cell phone, Insurance and more in Baja California and Baja California Sur

Our camp site in East Cape RV Park, Los Barriles, BCS, MX

As I am writing this post, we are camped at East Cape RV Park in Los Barriles, BCS, MX.

We have had several inquiries about getting info on the Baja Peninsula and also how to stay connected while you are down here.

Baja Pony Express

There is an email publication that is sent out just about every day and it is called the Baja Pony Express. Here you can find just about everything that is happening, for sale, for rent, lost and found, events and more. To subscribe to the daily emails follow the directions here.

The Baja Pony Express is a free service, and is a really valuable source when spending time down here. Don't leave home without it!

Baja Nomad.com

Baja Nomad is a forum where you can post questions, search for answers and more. This is also a valuable source for people that spend lots of time down here.

Kites lined up on the beach in Los Barriles waiting for more wind.

Mexico Sim Card.com

So how do you stay connected down here. The Canadian and US cell phone carriers are changing their rates fairly often so before you purchase anything else, check and see what kind of deal you can get from your current carrier.

What we have done (and many others) is to get your own Mexican phone number.


It is not hard at all. Just go to www.MexicoSimCard.com and sign up for the plan that works best for you.

The customer support is fantastic, the sim card is mailed or sent by courier to you and once you are in Mexico you just take out your current sim card and install the new one. Follow the prompts and you are up and running in no time. If you have any questions or issues just send and email, and you will have a quick respond. Keep in mind, you will only have cell coverage in populated areas.

Something to keep in mind if you are spending lots of time down here, that next time you go to purchase a cell phone, you may want to consider a "dual sim card" smart phone. This way you can have your current number and a new Mexican phone number all at the same time.... pretty cool! Here is a list that is updated regularly about best dual sim phones.

Roammobility.com

At Roammobility the prices are very good. Not just for Mexico but especially for the USA. They have several plans that might be of interest to you at a really good price. Have a look.

Weather Info in San Juanico on Scorpion Bay, Baja California Sur

Baja Weather.com and Windfinder.com

Staying on top of the weather is always important and especially down here in the hurricane season. You can use the regulars weather services like Weather Network, AccuWeather etc.

A local site is Baja Weather. It is only for the southern part, Baja California Sur. It is a great site and you can sign up for warnings etc.

www.WindFinder.com is also a great site that we use often. Here you get the wind predictions hour by hour and the local forecast.

Anders and Liz out for a hike. This time the Box Canyon.

Dinner at Coyote Beach Mulege, BCS, MX

Vagabundos Del Mar

When travelling down and into Mexico, you will need insurance for your car, truck, RV, boat etc. You also need a tourist visa or FMM card.

If you are planning to do any fishing from a boat, you will need a fishing license. All passengers fishing or not, on boat with fishing gear, must have a fishing license.

There are several companies you can look into to help you with the paperwork and information.

We are using a travel club called Vagabundos Del Mar. They are very good, and they will look after it all for you. Here is their website and contact info.

British Columbia residents please note, the ICBC insurance does not cover you in Mexico. You need in addition a Mexican insurance.

You can get a refund on the BC insurance when you come back. You just have to show some kind of proof that you were down here.... gas receipt (ask attendant to add your license plate)

Baja RV Parks

Baja RV Parks is a pdf file with most RV parks from Tijuana to Cabo. This has some great info. Check it out here.

Hope this helps. If you have any questions, just contact us.

Safe travels

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

Adding a Pressure Tank to Your RV

Installing a Pressure Tank in my RV

Pressure tank in place with cradle and tie down.

I decided to install a small pressure tank in our 5th wheel trailer. The benefit of having a pressure tank is that the pump does not always kick in and out as often, resulting in less noise.

Also for us we do a lot of dry camping and we can have access to lots of water with out running the pump in the evenings and when using the washroom at night. Saves battery power when the solar panels are not working.

Pressure gauge and valve in place.

First I decided on a place to put the tank where it is easy enough tie in to the current water line. The tie in should be on the pressure side of the pump.

For us it worked best in an area that was blocked off and not used at all in the pass-through compartment or what I call the "underbelly". This area is within 2-3 ft of the water pump.


Since there was no pressure gauge anywhere in the RV showing the water pressure, I decided that this would be a good time to add one. A valve also seemed to be in order so I could by pass the pressure tank if need to be.


After measuring and figuring out what pluming parts were needed I headed off to the local plumbing shop. I even brought along the hose on the pressure side of the pump that goes from the pump to the filter (this is where I decided to tie in the pressure tank).


I purchased a 4.8 gallon tank, pressure gauge, a valve, all the fittings and a 3 ft chunk of hose.


These kind of pressure tanks can be installed laying down and that worked best for me. I made a little cradle so the tank can not move around and added a couple of hooks for the tie-down.

Added a "T" to tie in to the current water line

Added all the fittings with lots of Teflon tape. When it came to tying in to the existing water line and adding the extra piece of hose, I put the hoses in some hot water for a few minutes, they are then much easier to work with.


Everything hooked up and tightened up it was time to turn the water on. Must have done something right, no leaks.

Panel installed back in to place. All that is showing is the pressure gauge.

The pump cycled and the pressure came up to 40 psi. This was perfect for me since the pressure tank comes pre-charged to 38 psi.

When installing a pressure tank like this the charge in the tank should be 2 psi below where the pump cuts in (according to manufacture recommendation). In my case 40 psi.

If you have to change the pre-charge in the tank, make sure to have no water pressure on the other side. The air valve stem is on the top or opposite side of the water intake. Use your compressor to add more air or press the valve to release air. Just like on a tire.

The cost for material for this project is under $200.00

It all seems to works well. Will keep you posted if I have to change anything.

Good luck with your project.

RV Bathroom Solar Night Light

Solar Night Light for the Bathroom in our RV

Solar Light to be installed in RV as a Solar Night Light.

When camping, it is nice to have a night light on in the bathroom without having an extra draw on the batteries in your RV. Even if you have a full hock-up it is nice to have a night light in the bathroom.




This is especially true when "Dry Camping" without any services. Every extra Amp hour in the battery becomes so valuable.




To accomplish this, I have to have sunlight to charge the solar battery.





The bathroom skylight looked like a good candidate.





The skylight has a "bubble", the top/outside glass and also an inside glass (it's all plastic).

The skylight in the bathroom in our RV

There is about 3 inches between the outside and inside glass. This is where I decided to install a solar light.




So what I did, I went to Walmart and picked up a few garden solar lights at $1.00 each.




The kind I'm talking about, are the ones that sits on a stick and are meant to be put along the walkways in your garden.




I then removed the actual stick from the light. But, I did not want the light to shine outward, but rather downward.




So I looked around my shop to see what I could find. I had two hard white plastic rolls (from a rolls of reflective tape).




I glued them together and then inserted the solar light.

Solar light with stick removed and the two plastic pipes for the RV
Night Light.

The two plastic pipes glued together to fit the solar light

Inserting the solar light in the plastic pipe.

Light sitting in the plastic pipe.

RV Solar Night Light in Place

I then inserted the solar light inside or just on top of the lower glass and screwed the glass back in.



This worked very well, the light just nicely fits inside and is the correct size to fit in-between the top and bottom glass in the sky lite.




This makes life just a bit easier when camping.