Road Trip to La Paz

As many cruisers know, the logistics of getting supplies from California south to say, La Paz, by road can be challenging. It’s a long trip, you’ll need food and lodging, and you should also be aware of Mexico’s current weather and road conditions.

On September 30, two 2012 Baja Ha-Ha vets, eager to start their cruising seasons again, headed south from San Diego to LaPaz. John Cometti, owner of the Durango, CO-based Amazon 44 Swagman, and Rob Novak, owner of the Sausalito-based Oyster 485 Shindig, carpooled down in Cometti’s truck.  

According to Novak’s wife Nancy, "John’s truck was laden with supplies needed to make this cruising season even more pleasant. Things like solar panels, anchor chain, Ghirardelli brownie mixes, clothing for the local homeless center and cases of wine. 

"They planned to drive only during the day, and mapped out a route in order to arrive in La Paz three days later. The border crossing went smoothly — Mexican officials checked a few boxes and asked them to pay a small amount of duty. Their first stop was Ensenada for a ceviche lunch and to reactivate their Mexican cell phones."

Although there are many places to stay along the way, you’ll definitely want to make specific plans to arrive at your hotel before nightfall. Driving on the Mexico’s Hwy 1 at night can be very dangerous, as cattle and large trucks create unique obstacles. The road warriors took this to heart and spent their first night in El Rosario and their second in Mulege.

Overall, their trip was uneventful, other than the three boxes of clothes destined for homeless shelters falling off the back of the truck just north of Ensenada. They insisted that they simply "donated early." 

When developing your trip plans, it’s also a good idea to get a sense of local road conditions in Mexico. One good place to research this is via a Yahoo Group, such as La Paz Gringos. This is where the travelers discovered that the recent tropical storm Octave had severely damaged the highway just past the Loreto corridor and it had been temporarily closed to traffic.

And before you head down, grab a couple bundles of the current issue of Latitude 38 to distribute to cruisers. We almost guarantee you’ll get a drink or two for your efforts!