Tecate to Catavina

Having ordered and pre-paid our visas by mail speeds up the border crossing process, especially since we had crossed over yesterday and had our paperwork stamped. We just had to pull through wait for a customs-related light to turn green, meaning we could proceed without stopping and head down the steep little street into Tecate and turn left past the pretty town square, watching for stop signs, topes and pedestrians. Then a tight turn to the right and we were on our way to Mex. #3 - the Ruta de Vino under misty low-lying cloud at 14 degrees C.

There was a a jack-knifed semi overturned down a slope across the road near El Ignacio Zaragoza. Thankfully, the driver was just in shock, but it was going to be a while before his truck and load were recovered. By noon, we were through Ensenada and it was 18 C in high, misty cloud as we passed through Maneadero. Not long after, we saw another accident. A small car had somehow been totalled on a slow-going section of  road under construction. We passed through San Quintin at 2:30 p.m. where the traffic became light, the cloud was disappearing and temperature was 19 C.

We were waved through all three military checkpoints along the way and at the last one, the soldier sent us on our way with a kind, "You are welcome in my country." We arrived in Catavina after sunset to enjoy a campfire and a bit of Drambuie and catch up with our good friends. The boojum trees are lovely and fat with this years' rains.