Trip Report to Rosarito Beach, MX - Lots of Pics

profdant139 wrote:
Excellent TR -- thanks for posting this! I am trying to talk DW into going down to the La Fonda/La Mision area for some surfing when the water warms up a little, but she is apprehensive about security. Do you know whether there there anyone patrolling the campground at night?

Also, did you happen to see the Baja Seasons Resort? It has full hookups, and it is north of Ensenada but south of Rosarito.

Glad you enjoyed.

Not aware of the La Fonda/ La Mission campground...we did pass a few campgrounds when we drove further south, but did not check them out at all. Almost stopped at one place where they had sand dunes and you could take your own ATV in, or rent some they had there.

I know Popotla, where we stayed, had 24 hour security at the gate AND other security patrolling the grounds.

We did the Baja Seasons Resort, looked really nice, but we did not stop in to check it out.

Kevin

Excellent TR -- thanks for posting this! I am trying to talk DW into going down to the La Fonda/La Mision area for some surfing when the water warms up a little, but she is apprehensive about security. Do you know whether there there anyone patrolling the campground at night?

Also, did you happen to see the Baja Seasons Resort? It has full hookups, and it is north of Ensenada but south of Rosarito.

D.E.Bishop wrote:
I've got to say that the resolution of those photos are fantastic. I used to do the Rosarito to Ensanada Fifty Mile Fun Ride and just happened to be looking at them this morning. I especially remember sitting in the outside bar at El Patio after the ride and the entertainers not knowing we spoke Spanish. He was a little surprised when we laughed at his jokes.

I wish I was 25 years younger and could still do that bike ride.

Once again great photos and unbelievable resolution.

Glad you enjoyed.

Photos all taken with Samsung phone.

We got delayed today, several times.

Traffic, had to stop and get on the computer to do some work, and then some shopping for the grand-baby...


Leaving New Mexico to begin the long haul thru Texas.







One of many wind farms we passed.









Started getting dark...








...so we called it a day and stopped at a Rest Area. No photo. It was a nice place. Got a good level spot. Plenty of space, less than half full.





We spent all day in Texas, and besides traffic on the 635 around Dallas, the rest was...well, we have no photo's of note. :)




We stopped at a Walmart east of Dallas, no over night parking allowed, so decided to head for a Flying J....but less than half a mile from the Walmart was a Buffet Palace. Ended up parking there, along with a half a dozen 18 wheelers.

Here's a photo of the next morning before heading out-









We'll be back home today. Gotta finish up Texas, then run thru Arkansas...









...in Arkansas, on the west bound lanes they were doing some repair work on a bridge. This traffic was backed up for over 10 miles! eeek!








Crossing the Mighty Mississippi River into....








Tennessee. Clipping just a corner of the State...







...before getting back home to Mississippi!





We had a great time! Truck and trailer performed flawlessly. It was our longest trip of this nature. 19 days & 4300 miles.

We've done many long motorcycle trips, longest was 53 days, and it was a bit strange to be without the bike. But it was very enjoyable, and just confirmed that we made a good decision in going with this set up.

Our longest trip previous to this was 6 days. So this gave us a bit more info on various things.

We had 6 nights in the low 30's/high 20's. Every night in Mexico was in the low 50's. So we ran the propane furnace every night.

(when hooked to shore/generator we could have used our oil filled radiator heater with a little fan, we already know it works really well, but we wanted to see what the propane usage would be, so we only used the furnace)

Propane was also used for cooking, a couple of times each day, and for the hot water heater each day also. The fridge also uses propane when not on shore/generator.

We used less than 30#'s of propane. Surprisingly efficient.

We already knew our fresh and gray tanks are good for about 6 days...that was confirmed this trip also. (We do dump some of our gray from the sink into the black.)

We found out that the longest we should go without shore power/generator power is 3-4 days when running everything normally. Lights, TV, computer plugged into inverter, water pump, furnace fan, even the fridge on propane takes some 12 volt. Oh, and the tank heater and plumbing pipe heaters take 12 volt also.

I have two 100 amp 12 volt batts, so that gives me a max of 100 amps use-able...but some of that is recharged each day while driving, but not completely.

The TPMS worked, giving me peace of mind regarding the tires. All the mods we've made to the inside have made it very comfortable, and everything has a place with room to spare.

Two things we learned we needed-

1. Lights that shine on the trailer tires at night so that I can see them in the mirrors.

2. Something on the steps into the trailer for when it is icy. Those are dangerous when slick!


A big Thank You to everyone on the forum that posts useful info, we've learned a lot, really collapsing the learning curve. Thank you!!!


We had a blast and we're looking forward to many more trips, especially with the motorcycles!

I've got to say that the resolution of those photos are fantastic. I used to do the Rosarito to Ensanada Fifty Mile Fun Ride and just happened to be looking at them this morning. I especially remember sitting in the outside bar at El Patio after the ride and the entertainers not knowing we spoke Spanish. He was a little surprised when we laughed at his jokes.

I wish I was 25 years younger and could still do that bike ride.

Once again great photos and unbelievable resolution.

Puttin wrote:
Good job you guys- I'm subscribing to see more pics and commentary. Still apprehensive about going into Mexico but the rewards look rich. You look like "veterans".

Thanks, glad you're enjoying.

I would say we're veteran road warriors...but always on a motorcycle until recently. lol


We still ride, but are now using the trailer as a home base instead of motels. So much easier, and less expensive!

No bike this trip. While I have ridden in Mexico, many years ago, I no longer have a desire to ride down there. Driving no problem, and probably riding is no problem either, but just did not want to.

BUT, I am thinking of bringing the bike next year. :)

Headed home-

This pic is between Rosarito and TJ. Of in the distance you can see downtown San Diego







With all the caravan activity that's been happening, we did not know what to expect, just the week before the border had actually closed for a few hours...


Here we are in line at the San Ysidro Border Crossing.









The line is not bad at all. We remember, decades ago, waiting in lines much longer than this.

BUT, as we get closer, we see more concrete blocks and Razor Wire, creating choke points. Never saw that before!








I thought I might have chosen the wrong lane. It was a pretty tight fit...had about 6 inches on one side and 8" on the other.






We thought for certain we would be routed to secondary. Nope. Answered a couple of questions, agent stuck his head in the trailer, and we were on our way.


Back in the States, rolling thru San Diego County.








Running up the little mountain range east of San Diego....








...the HDPP handled it easily. It was windy and even in the curves it was rock-solid. Going down the 6% grade the engine braking worked like a charm, never had to touch the brakes.








Crossing into Arizona-









Once out of California I decided to run between 70-72 mph. I had kept it at 65 mph on the way out. The trailer tires are rated for 75 mph, and I am monitoring them with TPMS, so decided to cut a few hours off the trip by running a bit faster.

Entering New Mexico-







We called it a day, around dark, and stopped for the night in a Walmart in NM.

Did a little shopping, took showers, ate dinner, watched a show, & did some work before turning in. Love having our home on wheels! Immensely better than staying in motels/hotels.







Conclusion in next post.

Good job you guys- I'm subscribing to see more pics and commentary. Still apprehensive about going into Mexico but the rewards look rich. You look like "veterans".

dedmiston wrote:
Looks like a great trip.

Did you make it to Puerto Nuevo for lobster? I haven't done that since the 90s, but I assume they still have great deals on lobsters.

LaFonda is a bit south of Puerto Nuevo...we ran thru there, but did not stop.

Yeah, still really good prices on seafood.

Gas is another story....We did not get much gas down there, but what we did buy was twice the price as Mississippi, and even more expensive than California gas.

Looks like a great trip.

Did you make it to Puerto Nuevo for lobster? I haven't done that since the 90s, but I assume they still have great deals on lobsters.