Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Last days in the US and Viva Mexico!!! (17th to 29th Sep)


Viva Mexico!!!

But first things first …..

On September 16th we finished our preparations for Mexico including alignment of the truck tires and getting important spare parts like fuel and oil filter. It’s not that they are not available in Mexico but they don’t sell Diesel trucks which would make things more difficult. It was time to visit a place that came highly recommended by Wayne. It’s called the Senator wash north campground
http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/recreation/camping/dev_camps/northshore.html
about 25 miles north of Yuma where we stayed for 2 days all alone next to the Colorado river. Actually it looks like a lake due to a dam. The road to get there is rather rough but it is very beautiful…. and because it was still hot and during the week we were there on our own!
We enjoyed swimming to the island in the middle, had nice campfire (free firewood)

Senator Wash, CA:









On September 18th we returned to Yuma http://www.yumarvcommunity.com/ for a brief overnight stop to buy groceries for our next destination. The imperial dunes http://www.desertusa.com/sandhills/camp.html…. What a place… looks like the Sahara desert and people like to go crazy there with their RTV’s. We almost got stuck in the sand which just added to our learning process to drive the Camper trough difficult terrain. With over 100 F/ 40C it was quite deserted …. Only a few crazy guys with their RTV’s and toys around, but we were nearly alone on a place where during winter hundreds of snowbirds would stay.
Imperial sand dunes, CA:











On September 22nd it was time for the final destination in the US before crossing the border. El Centro was the last larger city to buy stuff before the border. We filled up on Diesel, water and everything else we thought we needed. To be honest it was all too much worry about nothing. We stayed at a nice campground with golf course around http://www.riobendrvgolfresort.com/

On September 24th it was time to get up early to drive the 70 miles to Tecate where we crossed the border. We filled the diesel tank one last time for less than 3 bucks a gallon. A truck driver told us that the border in Tecate is under new management and it’s going to be difficult to cross. We got all worried and Steffi went to the border to check things out while I was waiting on the US site. After 45 minutes she came back, already immigrated into Mexico. It seems everything was cool so I drove the camper to the border. The US site did not care at all and on the Mexican site a young girl (customs officer) checked out our Rig for 2 min and we were in….. well the camper was so I had to drive around the block to find a parking space and return so I could immigrate. Imagine I was already driving in Mexico without a stamp in my passport and nobody cared J I filled out the tourist card payed 21 $ and that was it…. We officially arrived in Mexico. We continued to Valle Guadalupe which was our first destination. Now, I was used to drive in Mexico with a car or a Jeep but with the Camper it was a different story. These mountain roads do keep you on your toes. After our first meal in Mexico we found a nice cheap camp spot with wifi next to a winery for 10 USD http://www.descubrebajacalifornia.com/index.php/vinedos-y-vinicolas/item/bibayoff.

On September 25th it was time to explore what this area is famous for…. Wine ….. We visited 2 wineries took a tour and of course tasted their products J We spent another night at the winery and ….
Impressions of Guadalupe Vine valley, BC, Mexico:












On September 26th we drove to Ensenada to see the city and of course the famous La Bufadora. But first we wanted to get some fresh fish and seafood at the Mercado Negro, the famous fish market in Ensenada. Driving in the city was hell due to a bike race where the police closed half the roads and we were glad to arrive at the camp site we chose close to the Bufadora http://www.ontheroadin.com/villarino-rv-park-punta-banda-baja-california/.   There was an American expat birthday party and we got to meet several of them which was very informative. We had a good time. Thanks for the drinks J

Impressions from Ensenada and Punta Banda:








On September 27th we got up early to see the Bufadora which is a rock and a lot of water splashes up that rock during high tight ( very touristy ). Or should I say it should because when we got there the pacific was calm as a lake in Germany and the splashing was rather sad. Oh well… next time :(
We continued back through Ensenada got some Diesel ( about 90 cent per liter and I have feeling the service personal likes us… or is it the 140 liter tank of the truck J ) and continued to San Filipe with a stopover at Mike’s Sky ranch  http://www.totalescape.com/lodge/ADS/mikes.html. I would like to add something about driving in Mexican cities…. It sucks ….. every 100 meter there is a stop sign or a topes ( if you miss it feels like the camper is going to jump of the truck ). It just takes forever to get anywhere.  We got though our fist military checkpoint which was painless and got the intersection where we went to the ranch. It was only 31km but it took us 1.5 hours and all the nerves I had left for the day. Not only that it was a dirt road but it also went through the mountain and a couple of time I was worried to loose Foxy. Luckily he only shifted a bit but stayed on the bed. We arrived at the ranch just to find out that we were the only guests for the night. We enjoyed their pool and even better witnessed the lunar eclipse in the middle of nowhere which was unbelievable.
Impressions from la Bufadora and Mike's Sky Ranch:











On September 28th:  we continued to San Filipe but of course we had to go back through the mountains to reach the highway. I am starting to get used to the offroad driving with the rig. We picked up an old Mexican rancher with his hat on the way who was waiting for someone to pass by. He was at least 80 and did not care that only 5 cars a day would pass by J. Steffi had to quieze on top of the middle seat in the front row, so the rancher could have the comfortable passenger seat… After reaching the highway it was smooth sailing to San Filipe with one military stop. They looked in the camper but I swear they would not even find a cow in there if I had one J. In San Filipe we cruised the town got some nice fish to eat and went to a campground http://kiki.com.mx on the beach where we are going to spend the next 3 days. Camping with full hook up is kind of expensive in Mexico so far aprx 30 USD (compared to US National Parks, BLM, and our Passport America membership), specially when you think that for 50 USD you can get a hotel room.
It is very hot and humid here so I am glad we have an air-con. We are also going to see some fellow Overlander again who we met at Zion national park. Looking forward to hear their stories…….
Impressions from San Felipe: