Baja Trip Report, May 13-22, 1997
We set off for Baja on May 13. Our destination was Cd. Constitucion where friends of ours live. Here is some information you may find useful:
Checkpoints:
Going South:
- at the border (mandatory for pickups w/camper shells, which I have).
- at Maneadero -- cursory search.
- at Guerrero Negro -- waved through.
Going North:
- outside of La Paz -- questioned about fruits and vegetables.
- about 5-10 miles outside of San Ignacio -- cursory search by young soldiers.
- somewhere between Punta Prieta & Catavina -- questioned by young soldiers.
- about 44 miles north of Catavina -- cursory search by soldiers.
- at Maneadero -- questioned by young soldiers.
Road Conditions:
Lots of potholes between Punta Prieta to Catavina and beyond.
Road construction in the hills southwest of Loreto. (Be prepared to wait anywhere from 5 min. to ? We had to wait about 20 minutes going south. One worker said to another that he was going to wait until there were 10 cars. Of course, we were the first and only vehicle in line for about 10 minutes.)
There are some newly paved stretches of road north of Santo Tomas. There were also some delays due to construction here.
Camping:
We only stayed at two "RV Parks", one in Catavina and the other in Mulege.
Catavina's park has gone downhill since I was there in 1991, but perhaps this is common knowledge. First and foremost, there is no running water anymore. This means there are no showers, and the toilets must be manually "flushed" by pouring buckets of water into the bowl. Needless to say, the facilities are not very sanitary. There also is no electricity. We were the only campers there coming back, and there were only two other groups (in their RVs) going down. We were tenting. The noise of the trucks is extreme at night, but that's normal for any RV park located near the highway. The beautiful dark sky showing the milky way was about the only plus at this place.
At Mulege we stayed at the Orchard Park (Saucedo Huerta). Here, thankfully, there were showers, and the water was warm, if not hot as advertised. We paid $6 American, and pitched our tent under a group of palm trees. The owner has subdivided part of the land into lots and has built what amounts to elaborate carports for large RVs. We were given a sales pitch and told that now was the time to buy because the prices were still low but would soon rise in value. We were invited to walk around and look at the homes. Admittedly, they look inviting, many with fruit trees such as mango and banana around the perimeter. But the houses themselves, while new, are shoddily built. One was already for sale by owner. No thanks. But all in all, the Orchard Park is still a nice place to stay. The Mulege River is calm and peaceful. Of course, I fully expected to be bit by mosquitos, but there really weren't that many.
Summary:
I didn't read Janine Waggener's report on burglary before we left, and I'm kind of glad I didn't. However, I do think that staying in an RV park might be somewhat safer than parking by the roadside. With the devaluation of the peso, crime may be on the rise. However, everyone we met was kind and courteous. All in all, I had a satisfactory time in Baja. I just wish I had had more time to explore some of the backroads and time to hike the Sierra Laguna range near La Paz.
Pam Gilman Mt. Wilson Observatory gilman@solar.mtwilson.edu