Where We Be
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| Tres Virgenes Volcano towers above Route 1 north of Mulegé -- just one of many dramatic views on the way through Baja |
| Adios Baja! |
After Todos Santos we began the long drive
north, essentially retracing the route we had
taken all the way down to Cabo San Lucas. Since
we weren't stopping quite so much to sightsee,
the driving days were longer and those 2,250
miles (3,600 km) one-way between Cabo and
Boulder sometimes seemed endless. That said,
we did stop occasionally to visit places we'd
missed on the way down, like Magdalena Bay,
and we revisited a few favorites like Ojo de
Liebre Lagoon for one last gray whale watch.
One thing we can say for certain is this: Baja
makes for a terrific road trip, one that far
exceeded our expectations. In particular we
loved our animal encounters: petting gray
whales, seeing humpback and blue whales,
releasing baby sea turtles, and snorkeling with
whale sharks, sea lions, and diving cormorants.
north, essentially retracing the route we had
taken all the way down to Cabo San Lucas. Since
we weren't stopping quite so much to sightsee,
the driving days were longer and those 2,250
miles (3,600 km) one-way between Cabo and
Boulder sometimes seemed endless. That said,
we did stop occasionally to visit places we'd
missed on the way down, like Magdalena Bay,
and we revisited a few favorites like Ojo de
Liebre Lagoon for one last gray whale watch.
One thing we can say for certain is this: Baja
makes for a terrific road trip, one that far
exceeded our expectations. In particular we
loved our animal encounters: petting gray
whales, seeing humpback and blue whales,
releasing baby sea turtles, and snorkeling with
whale sharks, sea lions, and diving cormorants.
| We were surprised at how good the road was. It felt safe and lovely and we felt happy to have chosen this simple route out of Baja. We would definitely make Tecate our Baja entrance and exit point in the future. |
| Northern Baja seems more accessible if you follow the Ruta del Vino through the mountains. As for the border crossing in Tecate, it was easy -- half an hour in line and we were across. |
| After reaching Ensenada we took a different route out of Mexico, one we would highly recommend. Instead of continuing along Route 1 to busy Tijuana, we turned onto Route 3 and followed the Ruta del Vino towards Tecate, passing through some beautiful wine country. |
| We couldn't resist one last visit to Ojo de Liebre Lagoon near Guerrero Negro -- and one last chance to pet gray whales |
| Maria Celeste Hotel in San Quintin was a great find, with fast wifi and comfortable beds for 600 pesos ($42) per night. A glass partition separated the room from street noise. |
| Mar y Arena looks like a pleasant place to stay for a few nights (next trip!) |
| We stopped in the tiny fishing community of Puerto San Carlos just long enough to check out Magdalena Bay. Right at the entrance to town is Mar y Arena Hotel, which includes this quaint bungalow on the water ($90 US per night). |
| Quintessential northern Baja scenery. Between Guerrero Negro and El Rosario is a remote stretch without a single Pemex gas station or village for nearly three hours. FYI, we had a surprisingly good lunch at Restaurant El Metate in El Rosario. |
| Magdalena Bay |
| San Quintin |
| Guerrero Negro |
| Magdalena Bay is another location for gray whale watching. We considered staying overnight and doing a tour here, but we learned the gray whales were already near the mouth of Magdalena Bay, a good hour's boat ride away. |
| Ruta del Vino (Near Tecate) |
