Tecate Crossing - Dec. 3, 2010

We had a good rest at the Sunbeam Lake RV Resort which included a free air show due to it's close proximity to the El Centro Naval Auxiliary Air Station. We had hoped to get a bit further that day, but since we left Las Vegas late in the morning, we were not able to get to Potrero in daylight. There is a lot of construction in the area and the entrance to the campground was inaccessible from the north.  We drove all the way around the entire complex on a dusty, bumpy road barely fit for a travel trailer. The feature on the south side of the complex is a deep trench filled with water and bordered by barb wire and we wondered what the next test was...
http://www.sunbeamlake.com/facilities/facilities.html

We arrived just as the potluck dinner was underway. The attendant was super friendly and helpful and took us to a pull-through spot suitable for an early morning launch. It was interesting to see big helicopters flying west to east and I wondered if we were close to a border patrol area. We were also close to the Heber Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. Maybe that explains the trench.

We left the campground at 6 a.m. and travelled through twisty, turny country roads until the Tecate crossing. Everyone at the border was friendly and helpful. We were so lucky to find a place to park the trailer at the bottom of the hill after the border. We had prepaid our visas, so we just had to walk back up the hill to have them stamped at Immigration.

We turned right at the first intersection and headed over the Mex. 2 potholes to Ensenada on the Pacific coast and stopped at the sublime Playa Esmeralda for a break. It turns out Vida is less excited about the sea than we are and is afraid of the crashing surf!

We got on the toll road just before the Medio Camino and found the road in much better condition. The drive along the coast features specatular views. There was lots of construction past Maneaderos and mountain driving conditions as well as a military inspection point both at the toll office and past construction.

 The next towns along the route are Santo Tomas, San Vincente, Colonet and Vicente Guerro. We were through San Quintin by 3:30 p.m. It's a bigger town which is close to the sea, with lots of greenhouses and Pemex gas stations. The temperature is 19 degrees and the coastal fog is still present. Another quick stop at another  military inspection point. People going north face a longer wait. We stopped at a Pemex station and then at a mini-supermercado at El Rosario before heading into the Valle de los Cirios which is a breath-taking
drive through hilly terrain and thousands and thousands of boojum trees and many varieties of large cacti.