Tijuana Border Crossing

Over the border and onto the coastal highway, the trip begins

Our stay in Chula Vista was over. At 7 AM we lined up outside the Chula Vista RV Park with the other 19 RV’s in our caravan and started out for the Mexican border.  It seems on the days we travel, 7 AM is going to be our normal start time. Strike one against caravan travel, we like a more leisurely start. We crossed the border and no one stops us or checks us. We assumed the caravan leaders had paved the way for us, but were not sure. Perhaps no one is worried about smuggling things into Mexico. A winding road leads towards Tijuana, a jumbled mass of colorful houses and shacks layer up the hillsides, but we took the fork towards Rosarito and the toll road that runs along the Pacific coast to Ensenada. Having been to Tijuana several years ago, I knew we weren’t missing much in bypassing the city.

Coastal Beach Resorts

Taking a break

We all have CB’s for communicating with each other and the leaders. We heard several cries for help from fellow travelers who were already lost or confused; This could turn into a long trip. Two of the RVs made their way onto the highway and caught up with us, another rig was reportedly heading back to the USA to start over. There was a long line back into the US so they may be a while. We drove along the coast road, hovels alternating with seaside resorts and lots of new construction of ocean view condos. We took a short break at a beach near El Mirador. We were told that periodic rest stops would be a normal practice on travel days. Dogs got walked, people stretched their legs, snacks were purchased, and then it was off towards Ensenada. Three toll booths later we were there.

Punta Banda

Ensenada is a big town, which we skirt for now because we will stop there on the way back. We head inland and the land becomes more rural. We encounter a few farms, a lot of empty land and some steep mountain roads that start to stress out Hubby. These weren’t mentioned in the brochure. We stopped for a lunch break in San Vincente. After a quick sandwich we wander around our first Mexican village. It is small, and not too prosperous, but it’s Sunday and all the families are in town shopping and at the flea market. We enjoyed the hour, made a few purchases, then we continued on to our camp for the night at Colonia Vincente Guerro. The RV Park is set in some fields and has a restaurant, Posada Don Diego. All the stragglers and lost RV’s have found us. We have cocktails with a few of our fellow travelers until it is time for our first “real” Mexican Dinner. We will be spending 28 days with these people so the cocktails and dinner were a perfect setting to start to get to know one another. The meal wasn’t the best we have had, but it was the first night of our Baja adventure and we were in too good a mood to complain.

The caravan snakes inland through the mountains