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Baja California Norte

Map of Baja California, North.Headed South from Tijuana, Home of the Cesar Salad, to Cabo San Lucas:
 

  1. Tijuana: Pretty much a place you want to avoid, especially at night. It’s safe enough, but it is very easy to get into major trouble, especially if there is drinking. Shopping by day can be fun but the sprawling ghetto is vast and it’s best to move on past the border town.
  2. Rosarito: Known as a getaway for Southern California kids on all the sunny holidays, it is a bit of a cheesy hotel infested place, but friendly enough. Everyone speaks English, the food is mostly safe and the drinks are cheap.

Papas & Beer, Rosarito, Mexico

  1. Ensenada (70 miles): A quaint port city, Ensenada is a town with a little respect about it. The people of Ensenada are friendly but also have their own lives. This town has a thriving fishing industry, a university and is an important city on Mexico’s West Coast. There is nice shopping, dining and the ever present tourist bars.
  2. San Quintin (187 miles): Now you are in Baja. The good Baja, where the college kids have all been filtered out by Ensenada and Rosarito. Where you can sit at a plastic Tecate table on the side of the road and eat beef tacos with amazing sauces. Stretched along Highway 1, San Quintin has accessible beaches, gas, food and all the supplies you can buy. And you might want to consider bringing extra gas, water and coolant and a spare tire or two. The next few towns are similar, serving those preparing for the long stretch of driving ahead.
  3. El Rosario (223 miles): This is the true beginning of the Baja adventure. From here on its truckers and adventurers. Be they surfers, scientists, 4x4 folks or whatever, it’s for real from El Rosario. I stopped here for a morning cup of coffee before heading out into the long dusty road across the peninsula. The coffee was all the lady at the only stand in town had to sell. And you could see the whole town, not a tree for miles.
  4. The Long Stretch to Baja Sur: Several missions from the Spanish exploration of Mexico exist along this stretch. Boulder fields and the unique Boojum Tree draw people to the federally funded hotel at Catavina (297 miles). This hotel is top notch and serves a mean lunch and dinner if you are just passing through. A stay might be nice, but I never had more than lunch and a stroll there. This is also where one would take the road to Bahia Los Angeles, I’ve heard, ahem, it’s among the most beautiful and secluded spots on Earth.

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