South to Cabo - North to Tijuana
7/30/2001 - 8/15/2001

Got all necessary Baja Mexico tourist forms, insurance and maps from the local AAA Office. Disappointed that they were out of the recent Baja Tour Book. However we did purchase the "BAJA Tijuana to Cabo San Lucas" book by Joe Cummings from a local book store. It was very helpful.

07/30/2001 - Friday - Day 1

Left Lancaster Calif at 0700 using hwy 138 and I15 to TJ. Stopped for brunch at Lake Elsinore. Fueled up and changed USD to Pesos in San Ysidro. 216 miles - 6.5 gals

Crossed the border at Tijuana at 1130 hrs.. Somehow we found our way to the toll road South. There are three toll booths, each costing 21 pesos, for the scenic Mex 1. This was a beautiful drive along the sea coast to Ensenada. I have no idea how we got through Ensenada. There must be a bypass that takes you around the Centro City.

Stopped in Maneadero at the Bancomer 12, paid our 150 Pesos, and got our Mexican Tourist Cards stamped. We were never asked to show the tourist cards for the remainder of the trip

We had planned to stop for the night at Santo Tomas, but it was still early so we pressed on and arrived at San Quintin at 1630 hrs. Santo Tomas looks interesting and would like to spend some time there in the future.

Arrived San Quintin 1630 hrs.

Maria Celeste Motel in San Quintin, is located just as you enter the town from the North on the East side of Mex 1. It is very clean, innerspring mattress, TV, bottled water, two towels, two hand towels, two wash rags and all for 300 Pesos. It was to be the last innerspring mattress until the return trip North. The Motel has no A/C but it was not necessary as the temperature was comfortable. The TV has local channels and one satellite channel. The satellite channel is controlled by the office and you are at the mercy of the person with the "clicker". The HBO channel audio is English and the subtitles are Spanish. Further south it is the other way around which makes it interesting.

Dinner at Restaurant Mision Santa Isabell. The restaurant is located about a mile north of the hotel on the same side of the road. The restaurant is very clean. The food and service is excellent and prices good. We had planned to eat at Restaurant Viejo San Quintin and after several passes up and down Mex 1 we located the restaurant in Lazaro Cardenas but it was closed for remodeling.

Fueled up in San Quintin. - 185 miles - 22 ltrs

07/31/2001 - Saturday - Day 2

Left San Quintin at 0800 hrs.

The road is very good to El Rosario and is good to fair to the Baja De Los Angeles turn off. From Baja De Los Angeles turn off to Guerrero Negro the road is good except for about a four mile stretch that is being rebuilt. There is a dirt road detour that is provided that parallels the road. On the way back they had opened up three miles of the new road, so we only had a mile of the bypass.

Really impressed with the Boulder Fields as you approach Cataviña. Makes you wonder how those smooth boulders got clustered in that area.

Lunch at Hotel La Pinta in Cataviña was very good I'm sure that this is a favorite pit stop for travelers on Mex 1. Barrel gas was for sale at Cataviña and Bahia de Los Angeles turn off.

About an hour south of Cataviña the traffic was stopped due to an 18 wheeler accident. Evidently he didn't make one of those hairpin curves. The tractor was off in the ditch and the trailer van was across the highway. It must have happened earlier as we were only held up for about an hour.

Made a pit stop at Restaurant Maurico. I think this was somewhere around Rosarito. The coffee was good, but the restrooms need some improvements. They had the "modern toilets" but no water in the tanks. You flush the toilets by going outside and dipping a No. 10 can in the water barrel and then pouring it in the bowl. It worked. As the saying goes "if it works don't fix it".

Arrived at Guerrero Negro around 1500. This is now Mountain Daylight Time.

Checked in at the Malarrino Hotel. Can't say much for the Hotel. There was a hard bed, TV and two towels at 275 Pesos. Guess you can't beat the price. Understand that the weather temperature is rather mild year around and no need for A/C or heat. It was overcast while we were there and in the 70's.

Traveled 253 miles - Fueled up with 32 liters.

08/01/2001 - Monday - Day 3

Left Guerrero Negro at 0800 hrs.

Breakfast at Restaurant Quichule. Excellent. It is about a two hour drive south of G. Negro just before a Federal Check Point. You can't miss it with the Feds palapa rock outposts and automatic weapons.

Stopped in San Ignacio for a look see, but the town was crowded and busy cleaning up after the annual weekend date festival. Decided to press on and stop on the way back.

Mex 1 into Santa Rosalia offered our first view of the Gulf of California. The road crosses a mountain range and descends into Santa Rosalia. The view is spectacular from that mountain top.

Arrived in Mulege at 1300 hrs. Had a hard time finding Hotel Hacienda. Finally located it in the center of town. The one way streets were a problem getting in and out. The hotel has a swimming pool, court yard, TV, A/C, two towels and a very hard bed for 330 pesos. The hotel had to be a Grand Hotel in its day. After looking at the room we decided to press on.

We checked the Hotel Cuesta Real on the way out of town. It is new with a swimming pool and must be full during "the season".

The scenery south of Mulege along the Gulf and Bahia Concepcion is very beautiful. The water was like a calm lake and color of blue and green. The Palapas, sandy beaches and distant islands must make this a boaters paradise. The beaches were empty but must be full during "the season".

The car air conditioner quit about an hour out of G. Negro. This made for a hot ride across the desert and decided to press on to Loreto to see if we could get it fixed.

Arrived in Loreto about 1530 hours. Located an air conditioner technician. He concluded that it was an electrical problem and we followed him across town to an auto electrician. The electrician used a junk car tail light, house wire and alligator clips to troubleshoot the electrical system. He used his teeth for wire strippers. Worked great. After several tests he replaced a relay with one that he dug out of a large plastic bucket, which was full of relays. The car air conditioner worked. He charged 200 pesos. Went back to the air conditioner technician and he checked the system out using his gages. He didn't want to charge us but we gave him 50 pesos. With that problem out of the way we started looking for a Motel.

El Moro RV Park has a motel with eight rooms. It is located near the Plaza and the water front. For 400 Pesos you get a clean room, two towels, TV (HBO), A/C, and a hard bed. The channel selection of the cable TV is controlled by the office staff. The night shift clerk liked the Playboy channel.

Dinner was at Restaurant Bar La Terraza. It has a open air terrace overlooking the plaza The T-Bone Steak and Chicile Fritas were excellant. 150 Pesos.

Traveled 273 miles - 29.5 lts gas.

8/2/2001 - Tuesday - Day 4

Left Loreto at 0830 hrs.

Can't say enough about the beautiful coast line south of Loreto. With the Palapas, beaches, and the calm blue water.

Just before turning inland on the way to Ciudad Insurgentes the car air conditioner quit so we had a hot ride to La Paz.

Lunch at Restaurant Queretana in Ciudad Constitucion. Hamburger, French Fries and Pepsi Cola was the meal. That's what locals were eating.

Arrived at La Paz at 1400. Found the Ford Agency but they were closed for siesta. Open up again at 1500 hrs. Checked into Hotel Calafia which was next to the Ford Agency. Hotel Calafia has A/C, two towels, TV, swimming pool and a hard bed. 250 Pesos. Drinking water available from a jug in the office. The swimming pool was full with kids. Evidently this is "the season" for Mexican family vacations.

Back to the Ford Agency at 1500 hrs. So lucky the Service Manager could speak enough English to understand our problem. When the technicians came back from their siesta they immediately went on an ice cream break. The "good humor" peddler came by on his bicycle/ice-cream cart. We all had ice cream. You can't go wrong if the locals do it. After ice cream the technician checked the A/C system and replaced the low pressure safety switch. Cost 504 pesos.

Dinner at Rosticeria California. Hard time finding it. Lots of one way streets and of course I tried several of them. Everyone else was going the wrong way. I thought all those cab drivers were so friendly waving their arms, shouting and blowing their horns.

Hard time ordering. Had to double the fists up, put them in the arm pits and wiggle the elbows up and down while clucking like a chicken. Finally got some cold chicken and French fries. Ordering pork would of been interesting. The restaurant had a good atmosphere with the flies, cats and peacocks. Probably good during "the season." Free parking in the rear.

Driving back to the hotel I noticed the sun setting in the East. It had to be East as that body of water couldn't be the Pacific Ocean. After the unmarked one way streets, Alto signs that don't mean anything, stop lights with only the green light working, topes that are not marked, horn blowers, potholes that you can hide a car in, cold chicken, and now this; the sun setting in the east. I'm really confused. After a good nights sleep on a hard bed, and looking at the map, I concluded that I must have been north of La Paz and looking at the water of Bahia de La Paz. What a relief and I'm glad that the sun still sets in the west. At least for now anyway.

Traveled 231 miles - Fueled up with 31.58 liters.

08/03/2001 - Friday - Day 5

Left La Paz at 0900.

Air Conditioner working great.

Breakfast at Browns Cafe in Todos Santos. Ham omelet and good coffee.

Arrived in Cabo San Lucas at 1200 hrs. Of course I turned in the wrong direction for the Resort Misiones Del Cabo. Ended up downtown on one way streets, dirt streets and horn blowers. The cab drivers are very friendly in this town too. Finally figured out that the resort was somewhere between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose Del Cabo on Mex 1. After several trips back and forth we stopped at an RV resort. The girl in the office understood enough English to know what we were looking for. She tried to give us directions to the resort but finally took us outside and pointed across the street. There it was. Lucked out again.

The day we arrived the weather was hot (85) and humid (90). A cruise ship was anchored in CSL Bay and departed later on that day. The temperature and humidity was nice for the rest of the week.

Traveled 103 miles. Fueled 14.03 ltrs.

8/3/2001 - 8/9/2001

Resort Misiones del Cabo

Misiones del Cabo is a 5 star time share resort and located about two miles east of CSL on Mex 1. The units are 1 & 2 BR, kitchen, BR, LR, A/C , TV, Stereo and a patio. The TV has Los Angeles Stations and HBO. All in English. Everything furnished except the food. There is a swimming pool with a swim-up bar and food concession. They offered a continental breakfast in the mornings. Taco plate and hot dogs for lunch. There is also a free shuttle bus that goes into CSL several times a day. The last shuttle back to the resort is at 1830 and if you miss the last shuttle a taxi will cost 200 pesos. We used the shuttle the first day and then took our chances and drove the car. After a couple of trips the challenge was exciting with the one way streets, dirt roads and all the friendly cab drivers. The taxi cab drivers love to blow their horns. Especially at this California Gringo.

We had dinner at several restaurants on Mex 1 towards CSL, water front restaurants and a domino pizza. All was good and no stomach problems. There is a super market in CSL and that is where the resort shuttle terminates in town.

Took a trip to San Jose Del Cabo and really got messed up with the one way streets. Finally found a parking spot, ate lunch and returned back to the barracks.

CSL is tourist oriented. The sidewalk vendors with the hats, T-shirts, leather goods, shoes, jewelery are all along the water front and streets. Lots of shops along the streets. Understand the prices go up when the cruise ships arrive and during "the season". Not very crowded this time of the year.

North to Tijuana

08/10/2001 -Friday - Day 12

Depart CSL 0915 hrs.

Lunch at Browns Cafe in Todos Santos. Ham omelet again. Tried to find Caffe Todos Santos but failed. Even after very good directions from a "gringo". "Just down the street on the left". Yea, sure. Finally found it one block off the "just down the street on the left". Too late as we already had lunch at Browns. I suspect this town is full during "the season".

Arrived La Paz at 1400 hr.

Decided to check for hotels on the other side of town towards the ferry landing. Found Club El Moro but no vacancy for the night. Really looked like a great place and the swimming pool area was very inviting. They suggested to check out the Araiza Inn Palmira which was further down the street.

Checked in to Araiza Inn Palmira. Very nice and friendly people. Swimming pool is great and dinner at the restaurant was very good.

8/11/2001 - Saturday - Day 13

Left La Paz at 0840.

The road from Santa Rita to Cuidad Insurgenties is straight as an arrow for 60 miles. After the mountain driving it was a relief to get bored.

Arrived at Ciudad Constitucion. Fueled up. 214 mi - 163 ltrs.

Lunch at Ciudad Insurgentes. Super Pollo. Finally tried one of these chain restaurants. Must have picked the wrong one.

Motored by Loreto and stopped at Hotel Serenidad on the south end of Mulege. The hotel has A/C, hard bed, swimming pool/bar, restaurant and a 4000 ft graded dirt runway. Understand that it is a favorite for yankee pilots who fly in for the Saturday night all-you-can-eat pig roast. Cost 150.50 pesos. Just happened to be there Saturday night and had the roast. I suspect that they fly in for other reasons. Maybe the fishing. There were two aircraft tied down when we arrived. One twin and one single. A Cessna 182 came in later with two guys from Reno aboard. They were headed for Loreto but decided to land at Hotel Serenidad due to weather conditions at Loreto.

Had electrical power outage several times. When the A/C stops working everyone heads for the pool.

8/12/2001 - Sunday - Day 14

Breakfast at Hotel Serenidad.

Left Mulege at 1030 hrs.

Fueled up at Santa Rosilia. 207 miles - 24.2 ltrs

Arrived San Ignacio at 1300 hrs. The Church was having Sunday Services and it was quite impressive. It was a hot day, but it was cool at the Plaza. Seems like the whole town and countryside was at the Plaza.

Off again and arrived at Guerrero Negro at 1500 hrs.

Stayed at Hotel Don Gus. Very clean, two towels, hot water, hard bed, HBO Mex with sub titles English. $25.00 USD. The restaurant is clean, friendly people and good food.

Fueled up - 138 Miles - 110 ltrs.

8/13/2001 -Monday - Day 15

Left Guerrero Negro at 0900 MDT.

Breakfast at Maurico in Rosarito. Ham Omelette. Didn't use the restrooms.

Made a pit stop at the Hotel La Pinta in Cataviña.

Pressed on to El Rosario and stopped at Espinosa's Place for lunch. Decide that $13.00 American was too much for Mama Espinosa's Lobster Burritos. I suppose the price is right if you were hungry.

Arrived San Quintin at 1400 hrs PDT. Checked in at the Maria Celeste Motel. Best innerspring mattress on the pennsinula. The only one we found anyway.

Dinner at Restaurant Viejo San Quintin. The restaurant has been remodeled with new floor tile, tables, table cloths, paint and pictures. Really nice. Food good and the price is right.

Traveled 260 miles. Fueled up 31.752 ltr.

09/14/2001 - Day 16 Left San Quintin at 0815.

Arrived Estero Beach 1100 hrs. Lunch at Estero Beach Hotel.

Spent a week at Estero Beach RV Resort about 50 years ago. What a change. What happened to the Bottle Rockets?

Headed north again and found ourselves in downtown Ensenada. Somehow we made it through and onto the toll road. Left the toll road at La Mision and took Mex 1 to Rosarito. 50 years sure has changed Rosarito.

Just out of Rosarito we hit the toll road again. Now we are really mixed up

In Tijuana we got on the Mex 2-D headed for Tecate. Made a U-turn and returned to Tijuana and somehow ending up at the border crossing. Had about a half hour wait and crossed the border at 1430 hrs.

Took I-5 to I-15. The freeway traffic was terrible so stopped at Temecula for the night. Dinner at Dennys. Apple Pie-ala-mode - hot fudge sunday.

Gas at Temecula, CA 259 miles - 8.12 gal.

09/15/2001 - Day 17

Left Temecula at 0900

Arrived Lancaster, CA at 1130 hrs.

128 miles - 4.3 gal

TOTAL MILES	2596
GAS/GAL	82
COST	$165.42