Since there is only one paved road that travels the entire length of Baja California, the trip was just the reverse of the trip we covered in the previous blogs . . . . . . . . except that everything looked different going the other way.
The views and vistas as we drove around each curve looked completely different and we found ourselves taking just as many pictures going northbound as we did southbound.
This chapter will mostly be photos of the interesting and amazing sights we saw as we headed back to the U.S.
After we left San Jose Del Cabo, we were able to take a different road back to La Paz.
On that road, we came across a visitor center located at the Tropic of Cancer.
The Tropic of Cancer is the most northerly circle of latitude at which the sun can be directly overhead. This occurs on the Summer Solstice which occurs every June, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun to its maximum extent. This is the longest day of the year.
We continued North to La Paz where we spent the night. We decided to try a different hotel and found another hotel with a funny name.
"One Hotel" was located about a block from "H Blue Hotel" where we stayed on our trip southbound and was also about $50.00 per night.
Check in was again very fast and easy because of our on line Hotels.com booking.
We were surprised when we got to our room. It looked just like the pictures on the internet.
The surprise was that the room was VERY small. We had become used to rooms that were quite large and this room was so small that Suzie and I couldn't pass each other at the end of the bed without crashing into each other or the wall.
I know, you are probably thinking that the collisions were probably more a factor of all of the meals that we didn't miss during our trip, but you have to believe that this room was SMALL!
It was like the rest of the rooms we experienced while in Mexico. It was very neat and clean.
The view out the window showed how large the western part of the city of La Paz is.
We arrived in La Paz early enough in the day to go up to the roof and enjoy the warm, sunny afternoon at the pool.
The pool was small, like the room, and was cold so we just enjoyed the warm sunshine.
The next day we were on our way Northbound again. We were again struck by how remote everything was just as soon as you drive out of the big city.
We would be driving along remote, desolate desert and then suddenly come across a small oasis that popped up next to a spring.
This home was hidden among a large grove of palms and dense vegetation and looks very old, but well maintained.
You can see that the desert moves right up to the lush area where the water begins.
Every so often we would pass through a small town or village. The main highway was frequently the only paved road in town.
Except for the dust, the towns were neat and clean and colorful.
We continued to see wild and domestic livestock wandering on the roadway and you really had to be careful on the curvy sections of road.
The construction zones continued to be interesting and challenging.
Don't worry because the towns were just close enough together that we didn't miss any meals.
We were amazed at how much we enjoyed going into the little street side cafes. We didn't have one disappointing meal or bad service. (We also ate everything they put in front of us and NEVER got sick or even uncomfortable if you don't count the occasional VERY hot salsa).
The views continued to be spectacular.
As we moved further North, we were suddenly reminded that it was still winter as we started to leave the warm, dry weather behind.
The cold cloudy weather didn't last too long and then the sun came back out, but the warm weather stayed behind us for the rest of the trip.
We kept being reminded why we were glad we were driving our car and not our great big motorhome.
We passed several RV caravans that are groups of RVs that travel together for security and the camaraderie that that type of trip can produce along with traveling with experienced wagon masters that know the route and all of the good places to stop along the way.
The caravans demonstrate just how narrow the roads really are.
The last night in Baja was spent in a very nice hotel in Santa Maria.
We stayed at the Hotel Mission Santa Maria, for about $57.00.
It was a very nice property with good heat and TV in the room along with free, fast internet.
There was a long, heavily treed roadway leading from the main highway to the hotel. The road passed miles of greenhouses that were employing hundreds of workers.
There were also miles of agriculture.
The lobby area was beautiful and our on line reservation was quickly handled by the nice, English speaking desk clerk.
Our room was very clean and large with a beautiful view of the beach.
In almost every room that we visited on this trip, we found something that wasn't "Just Right". This room was no exception.
There was a beautiful, clean bathroom in the room.
The "odd" part was the entrance to the shower. If you slide the shower door one way, the sink counter blocks the doorway to the shower.
If you slide the door the other way, the toilet was in the way. The contortions you had to make to avoid the obstacles while trying not to slide on the slick tile floors was a real challenge.
The next morning, we got an early start for the Tijuana border crossing.
We had one final military checkpoint to pass through but, again, they were very friendly and we were quickly passed through.
Going through Ensenada was too crowded with cars and people and we couldn't find a place to park and go for a walk so we pressed on through.
The road from Ensenada to Tijuana was a toll road and well worth the $9.00 cost.
Once we got to Tijuana, we were able to easily find the border crossing by following the excellent directions that were provided to us by the Baja Travel Club.
Without their excellent directions, the border would have been difficult to find because the signs are naturally mostly in Spanish and were difficult to read and follow.
We were able to find a smartphone app. that listed border crossing times and we used it to figure out what day of the week and time of day were statistically the fastest days to cross.
As we approached the border crossing, we were quickly bogged down in a huge traffic jam as everyone tried to squeeze into what they hoped would be the fastest of the many, many lanes.
In this internet picture, you can see the traffic backup going into Mexico on the right side of the photo and the traffic backup trying to leave Mexico on the left side of the picture.
As you come into the border zone, there is one last chance to buy some trinkets and there are vendors everywhere. As soon as one taps on your window and you shoo them away, another one takes their turn, thinking that the last guy just didn't have the right touch to get you to buy his "Junk".
The reason we feel like we can call it Junk is that one of the more creative sales pitches that we heard was "Hey, lady, why don't you buy some of my junk".
We didn't need any more trinkets so we pressed on toward the U.S. border inspection station. There is no Mexican "exit" inspection.
We were in line for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Getting close now!!!
At the border inspection booth a very friendly Border Patrol officer scanned our passports and sent us on our way with only about a 30 second delay.
We were back!!!
We had a great trip and a real adventure and we are already thinking about what we want to see and do the next time we visit Baja Mexico, because we hope there will be a next time very soon.
While we were driving in Mexico, we saw a great bumper sticker on a Volkswagen Camper Van, and we believe that it applies to us.
We will write the next chapter soon because you won't believe all of the neat things we saw once we got back into the United States.
We hope you can get out there soon and see some things.
Tom & Suzie
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