Well, let me tell you, even with good roads, you can average about 45 - 50 kmh. Road construction, driving through towns and slowing WAY down for topes (think of parking lot rumble strips) in towns and schools zones, along with military check points all bring the average speed down.
We often had to follow a variety of slow moving vehicles before we could find a safe place to pass (unlike local Mexicans who pass up hill around blind corners). Sonya commented that she wasn’t sure why they even use “no passing” signs down here!
You can probably guess by the picture of the tractor, we were in an agricultural area.
In fact, the covered vegetable and fruit crops stretch on for miles and miles. Much of the produce lands in the grocery stores throughout North America as the quality is excellent and includes many organic offerings. The produce is inspected and tested at the border and if there are problems a truck can be held up for days - not good for business, so every effort is made to employ good growing and harvest standards.
While we were at Vicente Guerrero, tail-gunner Dave spotted a field of tempting ripe strawberries that he wanted to raid. Fortunately, he quickly realized that this may not be the best of plans, given our lack of understanding of the Mexican legal system!
While we saw many beautiful scenes and country sides, there were some areas that needed some attention. Lisa pointed out this yard as we were driving by.
This reminds me a little of the show Sanford & Son, for those of you old enough to remember. The difference, this junk may eventually slide down the hill!
On our second last day, we made it to the Ruta Del Vino, (the wine route) in the Valle de Guadalupe. The drive is very similar to one that you would make as you head south from Kelowna to Oliver to Osoyoos, with entrances to vineyards every few hundred meters.
We were given a tour of the L.A. Cetto winery, the largest one in the area. It was founded by an Italian, Angelo Cetto back in 1928. They have over two thousand acres in the immediate area, with additional locations in Ensenada and Tijuana. They have more than 300 international first placings for their wines. In fact, the grapes of the Napa Valley owe much to the original vineyards of the Valle de Guadalupe, because the original NAPA stock came from here.
We tasted five of their wines, all of which were excellent. (Thanks to Dan Goy for the picture.)
Who knew Mexico had such good wines!
You should look for their wines in Canada as well as other producers from the area. I don’t think that you will be disappointed.
After our tour, we headed back to our campground at Rancho Sordo Mudo, a Christian-based residential school for deaf children in Mexico.
The founders, Ed and Margaret Everett, believed that deaf children did not have to become beggars, and so they teach them to read and write as well as Mexican and American Sign Language, along with a trade for their future. The work is now carried on by their sons, Edward and Luke.
Sonya spearheaded a collection of food from our fellow campers for the school. It is funded entirely by donations, so our fellow campers were generous in their giving. (Thanks to Dan Goy for the picture).
Together we were able to provide a dozen bags of groceries as well as a cash donation to assist in the running of the school.
During the night, we heard the rain coming down on our RVs. Collectively, we all wondered how we were going to get our rigs out of this campground, as the entrance had a steep sand slope from the highway.
Dan lined us up and we each took turns running up the hill onto the highway without, timing our runs between vehicular traffic! We all made it out in one shot! At the beginning of our tour, Dan promised us “fun" and “adventure", reminding us that these were two separate words. This qualifies as the latter!
Here are a few photos to give you a taste of our last drive to the border. As you can see from the first picture, we had more road construction to get through - this time with the added joy of rain and mud!
This has been an incredible experience and we highly recommend Baja Amigos, and here is why:
Travelling with Baja Amigos has provided us with a truly unique opportunity to experience Baja Mexico and to develop an appreciation of its people, culture, economy and geographic diversity.
This opportunity exists because Dan and Lisa:
- have spent years creating and perfecting just the right mix of travel time, destination locations, excursions and relaxation times.
- have created incredible preparation material which is invaluable as you provision for the adventure, something we had never done before.
- run the wagon train adventure with fun, humour, and many opportunities to develop friendships with fellow travellers on the road, all with due regard to safety and security.
- are people of true integrity in all that they say and do, as evidenced by the deep relationships they have with community members wherever we stopped.
All of their qualities make for the very best experience you will ever have.
Dan and Lisa are THE consummate Wagon Masters!
We are all now safely back across the border.
We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We are taking a time out and will touch base with you again in 2017!
Paul & Sonya