The next morning we were greeted by plenty of fog.
The driveway out of the hotel.
Whenever Vy and I go through Ensenada, we try to stop by La Bufadora, one of the largest blowholes in North America. It’s a bit of a tourist trap but the one road in and out winds along the coast on a mini peninsula and is absolutely lovely. Unfortunately, this means that you can occasionally get stuck behind a bus.
Creepy mannequin thing next to a gas station.
Some of that beautiful coastline.
Once you approach the blowhole, you’ll have locals trying to convince you to park in their lots. Ignore them and take a little road through several tiendas (little stores) until you get to a large restaurant – that’s the closest lot to La Bufadora and the price is the same as the lots before the boardwalk.
When you first get there, prepare to be unimpressed.
But just give it about a minute, and you’ll be rewarded with a spout of water that can reach 100 feet in the air, accompanied with an impressive sound. Actual height of the spout varies on the tide and wave strength, but it’s worth a stop.
Here’s an example of what it can look like on a good day:
from http://www.turismoenfotos.com/7680:la-bufadora?dim=2
Walking back to the bike, a churro vendor caught our eye.
We also got a delicious pina colada drink, and through a miscommunication, regular pina – though accented with some hot sauce. Not bad, but the pina colada was amazing. I went back and got a refill.
The front tire has tracked a constant stripe of dirt onto the engine – I wasn’t looking forward to cleaning this.
There’s a restaurant chain in Mexico called La Cochinita – and it has one of the most racist logos I’ve ever seen.
Heading into Ensenada, this is near the main port.
Last gas stop, in Rosarito. Behold the majesty of my packing job.
This makes the 3rd time that I’ve broken a fork seal on a motorcycle in Mexico. I guess it’s tradition now!
Giant Jesus overlooks (I think) Rosarito. I’ve since learned that there’s a half dirt/half asphalt road that will take you right up to the statue’s feet, it’s worth the detour.
The Cowboy Motel has a ‘promotion’ for 2 or 4 hour rentals. Ha.
The end of the scenic highway (and the associated tolls) means we’re about 15 minutes away from the border.
When you cross the border at Tijuana, the right most lane is separated by concrete partitions – if you can get into it, you’ll bypass a large amount of the line. I was under the impression that the lane was just for emergency vehicles, but a fellow traveler told me bikes were allowed in. I got into the lane, skipped and skipped about 2 hours worth of wait in line only to find a booth operator at the end of the line, waiting to turn me back to the beginning of the line. Crap. Except when I approached the gate, he smiled, opened the gate, and waved me through before I even stopped to talk to him. Guess motorcycles are OK in that late…and I’ve used it at least 5 times since. Note that if you take this lane, it doesn’t drop you right at the border crossing – you’ll still have to wait about 15 minutes.
Crossing the border.
The classic street sign in San Diego (it gets stolen all the time).
We got one last meal in San Diego before booking it back up to Los Angeles. Vy treated me to a thank you dinner at Stone Brewing’s World Bistro and Gardens, where I capped off delicious food and excellent beer with my first beer float, vanilla bean ice cream and Stone Vanilla Porter.
That’s pretty much it, thanks for looking through the photos!
