Here’s the last of three videos we made during our recent visit to Tinfiny Ranch a couple of weeks ago. Joe and I have been on several epic motorcycle rides, including the ride across China. It was awesome. When I watch those earlier videos, I’m reminded of how fit we were (we both lost weight on the China ride). Watching this one, I’m reminded that I need to spend more time at the gym (a lot more time).
Me? I’m headed out on a bicycle ride later this morning. I’ll hit the gym later. I love riding my Bianchi. I just need to do more of it.
We’ll have more on the blog later this weekend, and the focus will be on what you need to bring with you on a trip into Baja.
It sounds like Dave Dudley’s country western hit (I think that was 6 Days on the Road), but this isn’t about Freightliner fever or 18 wheelers. Nope, this is a suggested itinerary for an 8-day, 2000-mile ride from southern California through some of the best that Baja has to offer. It’s based on the multiple tours I’ve led for CSC Motorcycles, it’s best done sometime in the January/February/March time frame (that’s when the California gray whales are in Scammon’s Lagoon), and it uses Loreto as the turnaround point. Yeah, I know…you could go all the way to Cabo, but I’ve been there, done that, and I’m here to tell you that the there’s not much that’s interesting or pretty south of Loreto (unless you have a penchant for overpriced touristy hotels and refrigerator magnets).
To get to the point, here’s what a really great Baja adventure ride might look like…
A recommended 8-day Baja ride…it’s all explained further with the detailed itinerary and photos below.8 days and 2000 miles, taking in some of the best Baja has to offer, with only a couple of high mileage days.
One of the things you’ll want to make sure of before you start this ride is that you have Mexican insurance for your motorcycle (your regular insurance policy won’t cover you south of the border), and the best I’ve found is BajaBound. We’ll have another blog on BajaBound shortly, but you can trust me on this…I’ve tried several companies and BajaBound is the best. They are the only folks I use.
I can’t explain everything about the trip in one blog, so there are other articles on the ExhaustNotes Baja page about traveling in Baja. And if you have specific questions, please ask them here in the Comments section and I’ll do my best to get you answers. What I thought I might do here is add a few more photos, showing one or two from each day on a ride like this.
Day 1: Enchanted Ensenada
The first night in Ensenada. Doc Mike is checking out a new ride.
Day 2: The Long Haul to Guerrero Negro
A stop for fuel in Catavina.
Day 3: Whale Watching!
Whale watching in Scammon’s Lagoon. This is one of the most moving experiences I’ve ever had. Everyone who does this says the same thing. Up close and personal with 45-ft California gray whales and their babies. It’s awesome.
Day 4: The Sierra San Francisco Cave Paintings, San Ignacio, Mulege, and More!
The 10,000-year-old cave paintings, left behind by an unknown civilization.The Sierra San Francisco church.The 300-year-old San Ignacio Mission, still in use as an active church.In the Las Casitas courtyard in Mulege, one of my all time favorite hotels.
Day 5: Bahia Concepcion, Loreto, and Santa Rosalia
Along Bahia Concepcion, just north of Loreto…the prettiest part of Baja!The all-wooden Frances Hotel in Santa Rosalia. It used to be a brothel.
Day 6: Santa Maria
The Transpeninsular Highway, headed north to Santa Maria…
Day 7: Tantalizing Tecate!
Street tacos in Tecate…good times and good food.
Day 8: The Short Haul Home
No photos here, folks…by Day 8 it’s a beeline home after a fabulous Baja ride! The last day is roughly 250 miles back to the LA area, and it’s an easy run.
I know if you’ve never ridden Baja you might have plenty of questions, so ask away!
Our series on Baja cuisine continues. Previous blogs covered the stretch from Rosarito through Ensenada, and then the stretch south of Ensenada down to El Rosario. In this blog, we’ll cover Catavina and Guerrero Negro.
Catavina
There’s not much in Catavina except rocks, a few structures, and the Desert Inn, but it’s a part of Baja I dearly love. My all time favorite Baja photo (the one that is the ExhaustNotes Baja page banner photo) is one I shot from the saddle of my CSC Mustang on a ride through this region, and it also adorns the cover of Moto Baja. The region has an other-worldly feel to it, with its vibrantly green and pale beige colors (as displayed by huge boulders and gigantic Cardon cactus) contrasting sharply with brilliant blue skies, all bisected by Baja’s Transpeninsular Highway. Amazingly, the boulders were formed by wind erosion (as my geologist buddies tell me). It’s a stark and beautiful land. I love it.
On Mexico Highway 1, headed south through Catavina. This is one of the prettiest parts of Baja.
So, back to the topic du jour, and that’s the cuisine in this part of the world. The Desert Inn is a hotel chain spanning nearly the entire length of Baja. The Desert Inns are a bit on the pricey side for Baja (which means they’re still inexpensive by US standards), but the food in these upscale-for-Baja hotels is always good. The restaurant at the Desert Inn in Catavina has a cool arched ceiling tiled with bricks. It’s a cool motif.
CSC Mustangs parked in front of the Catavina Desert Inn, headed south to Cabo San Lucas. We had a fine dinner that evening!
The trick is to get arrive before the tour buses do, but even if a crowd gets in before you do, the wait staff is pretty good about attending to your hunger pangs quickly. I’ve tried nearly everything on the Catavina Desert Inn’s menu; the good news is that it’s all good. That statement kind of invites the question: So what’s the bad news? More good news…there is no bad news. I like this place.
Guerrero Negro
It might be part of the Scholastic Aptitude Test: Diamonds are to Tiffany’s like fish tacos are to…well, there can only be one correct answer, and that’s Tony’s El Muelle food truck in Guerrero Negro. Baja is known for fish tacos, and to those in the know, there are none better than those whipped up by my good buddy Tony.
Tony, happily engaged in the production of the finest fish tacos on the planet. I’m not exaggerating.
Tony guy was killing it with a gourmet food truck before the gourmet food truck trend caught on in LA, and before that, he was selling fish tacos from a hand cart (I know, because I started enjoying them nearly 30 years ago…a story you can read about in Moto Baja). Just after you’ve crossed into BCS (Baja California Sur, about 500 miles south of the border), hang a right and follow the signs to Guerrero Negro. Tony’s El Muelle fish taco truck will be on the right as you enter town.
When you see Tony’s truck, you’ll know. You’ve arrived.Happy riders, after a fish taco lunch at Tony’s. This is the place to stop after you’ve gone whale watching!The stars of the show, and what Baja is all about…Tony’s fish tacos!
You can’t miss Tony’s. Just look for the people with knowing, anticipatory smiles standing in line. This is another one of those places that, all by itself, makes me want to hop on my motorcycle and head south.
Hey, there’s more. Tony is moving up in the world, and his new restaurant is under construction in Guerrero Negro.
Another favored dining stop and watering hole (especially if I’m spending the night in Guerrero Negro) is Malarimmo’s. Their restaurant is tops for breakfast, lunch, or dinner (everything is good), and they have an interesting bar. You’ll see a lot of cool objects hanging on the walls and from the ceiling in Malarimmo’s bar, all things swept south by the Pacific currents and picked up on the giant land hook around Bahia Tortuga. Buoys, driftwood, signs, parts of US Navy test aircraft…you name it, and it’s hanging in that bar. Taking it all in while enjoying any of Malarimmo’s dishes with a Tecate or a shot of Tequila (after the bikes are parked for the night, of course) is a most enjoyable experience.
My KLR in front of Malarimmo’s. The hotel, the restaurant, and the bar are all outstanding.A group of riders enjoying a fine dinner at Malarimmo’s.
There’s one more place I like a lot, and that’s the restaurant at the Hotel Don Gus in Guerrero Negro. It’s right across the street from Malarimmo’s, and I’ve stayed at the hotel and dined at the restaurant several times.
Rode hard and put away for the night at the Hotel Don Gus. We had just finshed a fine dinner when I took this photo.Good buddy Jim enjoying chile rellenos in the Hotel Don Gus restaurant.
The Don Gus restaurant has great food and it’s a little less expensive than Malarimmo’s, which means it’s very inexpensive. I like the place, and I’m betting you will, too.
We’ve already covered my favorite Baja places to eat from the border down through Ensenada in our previous installment of the adventurer’s guide to Baja dining. This next set of Baja dining recommendations covers the corridor south of Ensenada, through San Quintin, all the way to El Rosario. This region covers the wine country and the agricultural district, which ends in the San Quintin area. After San Quintin, Baja’s Highway 1 (the Transpeninsular Highway), continues south through low-lying coastal plains hugging the Pacific coast. Then it’s a brief climb through a set of twisties into El Rosario.
There are great places to eat through this stretch of Baja, folks. Let’s take a look…
Palomar
This is a cool little place that’s on the right side of Highway 1 after you’ve passed through the mountains south of Ensenada. The food is good, it’s reasonable, and it’s always fresh. I like their chicken tacos; my friends seem to always gravitate toward the shrimp.
The El Palomar, a nice spot to stop for lunch.The Pemex next to the Palomar restaurant.
There’s a little general store next to the restaurant, and if you need Baja kitsch, this is a good place to get it. More importantly, there’s also a Pemex station. I’d advise topping off here. If you’re on a motorcycle (and of course, you should be), this will get you all the way to El Rosario.
San Quintin
What can I say? I love this area. It’s one of the last vestiges of the northern Baja agricultural region. There are three places I like here. One is the restaurant in the Mision San Quintin. It’s a hotel restaurant (it’s pricey for Baja, but it’s cheap compared to US prices), and it’s good. I’ve stayed at the hotel and had breakfast and dinner here; both are great. The orange juice is always freshly squeezed, and it’s fantastic. To my great surprise, I didn’t have any photos of the Mision San Quintin when I prepared this blog entry. Sounds to me like a good excuse to ride down there again.
Another is the Molina Viejo restaurant, near the Old Mill Hotel, which is right on Bahia San Quintin. The good news here is that the 4-mile ride to Bahia San Quintin is now paved (no more white-knuckle soft sand or deep mud, thank God). Even before the road was paved, though, the ride out was worth it. There are two great restaurants hidden away back here (the Molina Viejo and Don Eddie’s), and the food at both is stellar.
Fried mushrooms at the Molina Viejo. They’re awesome.Good buddy Dave on his FJR. Fortunately, the road into Bahia San Quintin is now paved!
Both restaurants are literally right on the bay, and occasionally a gray whale will find its way into the bay. When that happens, it’s an amazing thing to see and hear. The Molina Viejo has a fried mushroom appetizer that’s a favorite, and any of the entrees are excellent. This place rivals the décor and feel of any restaurant in the US, but it hasn’t been discovered yet (and that means the prices are low).
The Molina Viejo, a great restaurant right on Bahia San Quintin.Having a beer or two before dinner at the Molina Viejo.The real deal…Mariachi singers in the Molina Viejo.A good day, a good ride, and a Tecate overlooking Bahia San Quintin. We saw a California gray whale swim by this very spot one night. Life doesn’t get any better.
The other restaurant, Don Eddie’s, is on the opposite side of the Old Mill Hotel. It’s not as fancy as the Molina Viejo, but I think the food is even better. If you call ahead, Don Eddie (he’s a real guy) will prepare a buffet-style meal for your group. We do that whenever I’m leading a group tour, and the breakfasts are particularly fabulous.
An incredible Don Eddie dish….shrimp and pasta. Bring an appetite!The seafood medley at Don Eddie’s. The food is off the charts. The prices are ridiculously low. Hey, that’s Baja.
El Rosario
El Rosario is the last town on the Transpeninsular Highway before you enter the Valle de los Cirios. That’s an experience like no other; it’s the barren and beautiful wilderness that is Baja. But I digress; the focus here is the dining, and El Rosario (as any Bajaeno knows) means two things: Top off at the Pemex (it’s the last one for 200 miles if you’re headed south), and eat at Mama Espinosa’s.
Decals and more at Mama Espinosa’s. Get one for your motorcycle; people will know you’re the real deal.I’ve parked my bike here many, many times.
Mama Espinosa’s is a Baja icon, a legend among many Baja legends, and perhaps their most legendary dish is the old gal’s lobster burritos. This little tiny spot is a “must see” on any Baja trip. It’s literally world famous. It’s a stop on the Baja 1000. There are zillions of decals from folks who race and travel Baja. It’s got a cool wall-sized Baja map so you can get a feel for where you are. But you really don’t need the map. Ride into Baja and you know…you’ve arrived. You’re in Heaven.
Lobsters at Mama Espinosa’s. Folks, this is the closest you’ll ever get to Heaven without a one-way ticket!Mama’s chicken burritos, my personal favorite.
Mama Espinosa’s is known for their lobster burritos, but my favorite is Mama’s chicken burritos. I think they’re great. The bottom line is this: You won’t go wrong with anything on Mama Espinosa’s menu. It’s all good.
So there you have it. The next push south on our culinary cruise will take us all the way down to Guerrero Negro, and the best fish tacos on the planet. I’m not exaggerating. Trust me on this. But that’s a story for the next installment of our ExhaustNotes dining tour.
Here’s an interesting story that popped up on my news feed earlier today. It seems an errant scooter rider, a young one at that, was stopped by the Maine State Police riding his scooter on the Maine Turnpike late last night, using only his cell phone for a headlight. There must be more to the story, because after stopping him, the police gave the guy a lift to his destination some 70 miles away. I can’t make stuff up this good, and if you doubt my word, you can read the original story here.
So that story naturally pulled my attention to a somewhat similar experience with my good buddy Baja John and his girlfriend Annie. This goes back to 2006 again, shortly after John bought a place right on the Sea of Cortez in Bahia de Los Angeles. Literally, right on the sea. Oceanside housing. It’s awesome.
Casa Baja Juan, in Bahia de Los Angeles.Baja Juan, probably telling a fish story, in his back yard.
I had just bought a new Triumph Tiger. John and Annie invited me to their new place. Who can say no to an offer like that?
My Triumph. On the ride down to Bahia de Los Angeles, we hit very dense fog. We stopped and waited for it to lift. At one point it was so thick I couldn’t see the ground.
Here’s where the story gets interesting. When John bought the Casa Baja Juan, it came with a VW bus. John worked on it for a week and got it running, and it became his get-around-town wheels. He never registered it, so it had no plates, but it was cool. I love old VWs, especially the buses.
The VW bus that came with Baja John’s oceanside estate. Lights? We don’t need no stinkin’ lights!
That night, we took the VW and went to dinner at the best taqueria in town, just a short distance away…
A typical Baja roadside restaurant. You can get some mighty good food in these places.
John, Annie, and I had a great dinner, a few Tecates, and then it was time to head back to his place. There was a problem, though. The sun had set, and the VW had no headlights. The three of us pondered this situation a while, and then John remembered he had a flashlight.
John handed the flashlight to Annie and she hung out the passenger window, lighting the way as we rolled down a dirt road to John’s house. We couldn’t see squat (the flashlight was pitifully weak), but we were laughing so hard we didn’t care.
Then we drove past another restaurant on that dirt road. Imagine that: Another restaurant on that same dirt road. Then I saw who was sitting under the veranda as we went by. Uh oh, I thought.
There were three Mexican police officers having dinner, sitting out front, just a few feet away as we passed. The police officers saw us, we saw them, and Annie waved, using the flashlight, which I thought would only accentuate the obvious: We had no lights and the VW wasn’t registered.
The police? They waved back, holding up their cervezas in a salute to our ability to adapt, improvise, and overcome.
Ah, Baja….
Sunrise, the next morning, looking east over the Sea of Cortez.
One of the best parts of the Baja riding experience is the cuisine. Yep, there are great roads, the scenery is breathtaking, there’s whale watching like no place else in the world, the ancient missions and cave paintings are amazing, and the people are wonderful. But what might be the best-kept Baja secret is the cuisine. In fact, if you need an excuse to head south (not that anyone ever needs an excuse for a motorcycle ride), you might want to ride Baja just to sample the food. It’s that good.
One of the things Baja has going for it is that no matter where you are, you’ll never be more than a few miles from the sea. That means great seafood, and lots of it. Fish tacos are a Baja staple, but there’s more. Lots more. We thought it might be fun to share with you a few of our favorite Baja restaurants in a series of blogs organized by area. This first one will be the Rosarito Beach-Ensenada corridor. With that as an intro, here we go…
Rosarito Beach
Located about 35 miles or so south of the border, Rosarito Beach is a tourist town, but that doesn’t mean it’s all refrigerator magnets and velour Elvis portraits. There are two spots in this town that we love: The Rosarito Beach Hotel, and Susanna’s.
You can spot the Rosarito Beach Hotel from the cuota (the toll road heading to Ensenada). It’s one of the tallest buildings to your right.
Not your typical tourist trap, the Rosarito Beach Hotel has a great restaurant.The Rosarito Beach Hotel’s stained glass lobby window.A typical breakfast at the Rosarito Beach Hotel.
If you’re thinking that hotel restaurants are both overpriced and mediocre, you’d be correct most of the time, but the Rosarito Beach Hotel is the exception. If you stay at the Rosarito Beach Hotel you get one meal free (they’re smart, you may not want to go anywhere else after that first one) and if you’re there on a Sunday, you don’t want to miss the brunch. It’s awesome. If you stop on the way south just for a meal, there’s ample protected parking and the hotel is biker-friendly.
Another best kept secret in Rosarito Beach is Susanna’s. It’s literally a 5-star restaurant tucked away in a small group of boutique shops at 4356 Benito Juarez Boulevard. Folks, trust me on this: Susanna’s is one of the best high end restaurants in the world. I’ve been all over the world. I know what I’m talking about here.
Ah, Susanna’s…the dining is as elegant as the owner!
I always make it a point to have at least one dinner at Susanna’s whenever I’m passing through Rosarito Beach, and there have been more than a few times when I made Rosarito Beach a stop just to eat here. It’s that good, and Susanna is an absolutely gracious proprietor.
Shrimp, steak, and more. You cannot have a bad dining experience at Susanna’s.
Ensenada
As one of Baja’s larger cities, Ensenada has many dining choices. My favorites are any of the street taco stands (I love Baja street tacos), Los Veleros for breakfast, and a family-style place I just learned about called Birrieria La Guadalajara for either lunch or dinner (it’s on Macheros Street a little off the edge of the tourist area).
Good times ahead: Susie and I starting our trek south at Los Veleros in Ensenada!
Los Veleros Restaurante is next to the Hotel Corona on Lázaro Cárdenas (it’s on the right as you head south, just a few blocks past where the cruise ships dock). Los Veleros has the best breakfasts in town, confirmed by the local business folks who regularly dine there. Breakfasts start with a plate of pastries that, all by themselves, are worth the trip to Baja (I’ll say that a lot about my favorite dining spots in Baja, and I’ll mean it every time).
Pastries at Los Veleros, the start of every breakfast. They taste as good as they look, maybe even better!An awesome Los Veleros spinach and mushroom omelet.Chilequiles, a wonderful Mexican specialty.
My preference for street tacos in Ensenada is any taco stand along the waterfront. Even though many folks who have never been to Mexico might be hesitant to try these, I haven’t found a bad one yet. Head toward the embarcadero if you’re in the tourist area, and take your choice. You can’t go wrong.
Street tacos near the docks in Ensenada. They sell the sizzle and the steak!Fish tacos, a Baja specialty, in Ensenada. Watch for our upcoming Baja dining blogs; we’ll have a lot to say on this magnificent Baja treat!
For either lunch or dinner, there are many choices in Ensenada. I’ve tried many of them and they are all good. Here’s the hot ticket: The family-style dining at Birrieria La Guadalajara.
A veritable feast at Birrieria La Guadalajara in Ensenada. Tim, I owe you for taking me to this wonderful restaurant!
A meal at the Birrieria La Guadalajara is a treat not to be missed. I’m embarrassed to admit I only found out about this magnificent restaurant on my most recent trip to Baja (and I have my good friend Tim to thank for that). Bring your group and bring an appetite, make your own tacos or burritos, and try the goat (you can thank me later). It’s the best meal in Ensenada!
That’s it for our first installment on Baja’s gastronomical delights. If you know of a great place to eat in the Rosarito-to-Ensenada corridor that we haven’t mentioned, by all means please leave a comment and let us know about it. And watch the Exhaust Notes blog; we’ll be adding to this series with a focus on each Baja area of interest. So what’s up next? Hey, our next set of dining delights will be in the stretch south of Ensenada all the way to El Rosario!
