What’s Highway 5 like south of San Felipe? It depends on who’s reporting, how long ago, what they’re driving and which particular stretch they’re taking about.
The first fifteen miles or so are narrower than most Americans are used to. And there are no shoulders. That can be scary if you’re driving/pulling something large. But it’s still wide enough for semis to pass. The pavement is lumpy with pothole patches, and it pitches from side to side, up and down, but it’s far from bone jarring. It just isn’t Interstate smooth. The speed limit is low, anyway, so just get your mellow on and don’t push it.
By the time you reach Valley of the Giants the road is wider, smoother and has something resembling shoulders. But this is where the vados (drainage washes) start. Most are just mild whoop-de-doos, but some can bottom you out and launch you airborne if aren’t paying attention and take them too fast. Some English-speaker has spray painted comments on the road, but they’re a little late to serve as warnings.
The pavement used to end at Puertecitos. From there it was a slow vehicle- and body-destroying crawl through the mountains. But now there’s a brand new highway as far as Bahia San Luis Gonzaga. Piece of cake. Except there places where small rock slides encroach on the road.
The last twenty or so miles to the junction with Highway 1 is still under construction. It’s not a fun drive, but it’s doable. However, I chose not to. More on that later.
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