Back in Baja

Lou's health has improved, so I bid him farewell and hit the road. I decided to to enter Mexico at Tecate this time and take Highway 3 to Ensenada and points south. There's no convenient way to get to Tecate from California. You need to take a winding two-lane road through the mountains. But that's okay. I wasn't in any hurry and the scenery is much greener than the desert.

The crossing was no problem except for traffic and road construction in town. Once outside the city, the road was excellent. About halfway to Ensenada, it narrows and is like a typical mountain road in the US. After the summit and through the Baja wine country the road widens again. However, there was a roadblock and detour about twenty miles from Ensenada. The officer gave me directions in rapid-fire Spanish. I didn't understand any of it, but the gestures made it semi-clear. Besides, I just followed the other vehicles and checked my GPS. Ah ha, we're going to connect with the old non-toll Highway 1. And there were directional signs. No problem. Traffic in Ensenada was poky, but I stayed relaxed and went with the flow. Or lack thereof.

My goal for the day was a touristy spot, La Bufadora—a blow hole at the end of a peninsula just south of Ensenada. Thanks to a blog entry I discovered, I learned there's camping area overlooking the Pacific. I figured it would be a good stopping point after the long drive. Well "camping" might be stretching the definition a bit. It's more like a dirt parking lot behind a restaurant. But I'm the only one there. And the view is sweet.

The blow hole was blowing

You need to pass through a three-block gauntlet of souvenir shops, taco stands and bars in order to get to the actual blow hole. But nature doesn't care. It keeps doing its thing like no one's there.

Time for a shower