The drive on Mexico Federal Highway 3, from Ensenada to San Felipe, takes you from scrub-covered hills on the Pacific Coast, through pinyon pine forested hills, to the harsh, colorful desert along the Sea of Cortez. Altogether, a beautiful, scenic drive through some of the most awesome country that can be imagined.

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Thanks to the hike I took the day before, I knew my way out of Ensenada. Otherwise, it could have been interesting finding my way out of town, since many of the streets aren't signed and the route isn't very clear.

After paying a visit to the Pemex station on Blvd. Lazano Cardenas, I made my way over to Calle 9A, which just happens to be the route that Mexico Highway 1 south takes out of town.  By the way, Mexico is like our state of Oregon, in that the gas station attendants pump the gas for you.  No self-service here, as they even clean your windows and offer to check under your hood!  By the way, they don't offer those services in Oregon!  How long has it been since you got that kind of service in the U.S.?  I was happy to give the attendant a $10.00 tip, in pesos, of course.

Photos:  On a rainy December morning in 2004,  and I'm driving east on Ave. Benito Juarez on my way to San Felipe.

The only part of the drive out of Ensenada that is a little challenging is the traffic circle where Ave. Juarez meets Ave. Reforma.  To get to Highway 3, you follow the signs and hang a left around the traffic circle that has a prominent monument to Benito Juarez, a fixture in many Mexican towns.  After negotiating the traffic circle, it was just a matter of careful driving, following the signs, In a few minutes, I was seeing the sights of Ensenada in my rear-view mirror and heading southeast, into the scrub-covered hills that line Baja's Pacific Coast.

After yesterday's drive and hike around town, I now felt that I was able find my way around Ensenada without too much trouble.  I was also becoming accustomed to Mexican driving habits, and driving in Mexico, as my "fear factor" was beginning to recede.  As a plus, the rain was gone and blue sky was beginning to peek it's way from behind the clouds.  For a city of nearly 250,000 residents, Ensenada isn't too hard to get around in, despite the fact that many of the streets aren't signed.  That is, once you've had a chance to "bum around" as I'd had the day before.

Federal Highway 3 twists and turns it's way out of Ensenada, as it climbs into the scrub-covered coastal hills. The highway is well-engineered, and features many cuts and fills to traverse the rugged hills.  The pavement is smooth, and the highway is generally well-maintained. The only real problems that I saw were the transitions from pavement to shoulder, as they are quite abrupt, almost several inches in places.  In other area, there aren't any shoulders whatsoever.  About 15 km east of Ensenada, I came to a particularly deep cut and part of it had collapsed, due to the torrential rains from the day before, trapping a late-model Nissan sedan.  I stopped to see if there was anybody trapped in the car, and render aid if necessary, but there was nobody around. I was able to drive around the trapped car, as this was one of the few places that had a usable shoulder.

Left:  Colorful rock graffiti, quite religious in nature, adorns a rock in the hills east of Ensenada.  Right:  The trunoff toward parque Nacional Constitucion, at this time, reduced to a four wheel drive trail due to the heavy rains.

The road twists and turns up a summit, and then drops into the Valle de Ojos Negros, and passes through the town of the same name.  By referring to Ojos Negros as a town is stretching the word town to the maximum.  It's more like a small village, with a cluster of a few buildings, and a one-pump Pemex gas station that wasn't open.  This is ranching country, as there are a number of cattle ranches scattered around the valley.

It was at Ojos Negros that I encountered my first military checkpoint on Highway 3.  There were a half-dozen enlisted men, in olive-drab fatigues, all carrying M-16 rifles.  They had built a smoky campfire next to the highway, and two of the soldiers were standing near the fire, warming their hands.  I have to admit, I got a chuckle out of that, as that's not something you usually see in military operations.  As I stopped at the checkpoint, they asked me the usual questions, all in Spanish, of course:  "Where are you coming from?...Where are you headed?...What do you have with you..?"  I politely answered their questions and they waved me through without searching my car.

Photos:  When you're at the 4000 foot-level in Baja California in December, why yes, it really does snow in Mexico.  Really!

When you're driving in Mexico, you will encounter these military checkpoints, as the Mexican government is determined to stamp out the practices of  illicit arms-trading and drug-related business.  As long as you're polite, you behave yourself,  and you're driving sober; you don't carry any contraband, you'll be ok.  You'll rarely, if ever, find any of these soldiers that can speak any English, as most of them are lower-ranked enlisted personnel.  Ed Note:  Mexico has all volunteer armed-forces. So, at least a limited use of the Spanish language would be extremely helpful.  The soldiers are looking for guns, ammunition, drugs and drunk drivers. Guns are illegal in Mexico, and even the one round that you forgot to clean out of your car can land you for some serious time in a Mexican prison. If you have a large quantity of prescription drugs, you must have a prescription from a Mexican doctor.  Don't even think about driving under the influence, as it will cost you some serious prison time and if you get into an accident, it will void your Mexican auto insurance.  Before you travel in Mexico, you might want to visit the State Department's web site that talks about some of the precautions before crossing into Mexico.  When you encounter the Mexican federales, just smile, be polite and obey instructions and you'll be on your way with hardly any delay.  Oh yes, don't forget to leave your guns and drugs at home.  And save the booze for when you're checked into your motel or you've made your camp.

At the extreme south end of the Valle de Ojos Negros, I passed the dirt road that leads to one Baja California's two National Parks, the road to Parque National Constuction.  The dirt road was very wet and soft, and it would require four wheel drive for a visit to the park.  The traffic on the Highway was very light; it was almost like driving on a country road.

Federal Highway 3 starts to climb into the mountains, as it heads to the southeast, and at the 4000 foot level, it started to snow lightly.  The country changes radically, from the coastal scrub, to high desert, complete with sagebrush, sierra junipers and pinyon pines.  If you like that sort of country, you'll find the scenery breathtaking.  Every few miles, locals have erected small shrines to mark the passing of loved ones. The recent storm had left a light dusting of snow on the ground, which made a very pretty and wintry scene. You can tell this is cattle country, as barb wire fences parallel the highway, and you can occasionally spot corrals and loading chutes.

Left:  Looking west toward Parque Nacional Constitution as I start to descend into the Valle Guadalue.  Right: Cactus, and lots of it can be found in the Guadalupe Valley.

Soon a high plateau is reached and you come to a small village that has a long name: Heros de la Indenpendencia.  Yes, that's the name of the town; it takes almost as long to say the name of the town as it takes to drive through it!  As you're driving into town, watch out for the notorious topes, they have a couple of them that seem as high as Mt. Everest!  Heros is a rather small town and judging from many of the buildings in the town, nobody in town has any money. Most of the buildings are in a total state of disrepair, even by Mexican standards.  There was quite a bit of activity as I went through town, as it appeared that parents were taking their children to school.  One of the more interesting sights that I saw were several horses tied up to a hitching post in front of the school.  Why I didn't stop to photograph the tied-up horses? I don't know; I guess San Felipe was calling.

After leaving Heros, the highway climbs another ridge and begins to drop down into the southern end of the Guadalupe Valley.  Unlike the northern end of the valley, best known for producing wine grapes, the southern end of the valley is farming and ranching country and is quite dry.

As you drive through the valley, the country starts to change from chaparral to desert.  Barrel cactus start to appear, and the terrain becomes more rugged. Soon, the highway climbs out of the valley into the mountains, and you pass the dirt road that leads to Mike's Sky Ranch, which visiting that place is on my things-to-do list.  I really enjoyed the country, as it looks almost exactly like some of the country I've explored in California's Inyo Mountains.  About the only major difference in the appearance of the terrain is that organ pipe cactus grows in Baja California and it doesn't grow in Inyo County.

Left:  The dirt road that leads to Mike's Sky Ranch.  Visiting that place is on my things-to-do-list.  Right:  A small shrine to honor a dead motorist, which is a common sight along Mexico Federal Highway 3.

The highway leaves the desert mountains and heads southeast over the desert floor, towards the Sea of Cortez. The terrain is typical desert, very rocky with creosote bush and cactus as the primary forms of vegetation.  I had left the rain and snow clouds behind in the Guadalupe Valley, as the sky was a brilliant blue.

Just before Federal Highway 3 joins Federal highway 5, on the way to San Felipe, I reached a military checkpoint.  Unlike the checkpoint at Ojos Negros, these soldiers were dressed in desert camoflauge fatigues, and were toting the usual automatic rifles.  As I stopped, a young soldier asked me the usual questions, "Where have you been?...Where are you going?...Do you have any drugs or guns?..." Unlike the previous checkpoint, these guys were serious about what they were doing and wanted me to get out, lift the hood and open the trunk.  Two soldiers searched my car, while the others stood around and watched. They looked under the hood, in the back seat and in the trunk. They even wanted me to open my duffle bag to see my clothes!  It was annoying, but they were professional and polite and the no problema atmosphere of Mexico ruled.  The federales were especially interested in the first aid kit that I carry in the trunk of my car and they searched it quite well in their quest for drugs. When they were finished searching my car, I asked them why they gave me such a thorough search.  One of the soldiers said that the area we were in is a conduit for drugs and other contraband and they had orders to give everybody a thorough search.  He also told me that sometimes army officers will travel incognito and pose as tourists, just to keep the troops honest and insure that they do a good job.  I guess if I was in his shoes, I'd do the same thing!

Photos:  Cactus, rocks and scrub brush remind me of the Inyo Mountains of California.  Actually, the scenery looks exactly the same, something that I find amazing.

One of the guys, a young private named Eduardo, was quite impressed that I was able to speak Spanish.  He took me aside and asked me if I was going to San Felipe to pick up "gringas."  I laughed and I told him no, that I have a beautiful wife at home, and I'm not interested in meeting girls, in San Felipe.  He then told me that there are a lot of "gringas" in San Felipe and he'd never had a "gringa" girlfriend, and he was interested in meeting one. Oh yes, he wanted me to teach him a few pick-up lines in English!  So, I pulled my car over to the side of the highway, as not to inconvenience other motorists, and proceeded to write out a few phrases, complete with phonetic pronunciation, to teach him the fine art of picking up "gringas."  I'm 52 years of age, and I've never really mastered the fine art of picking up women; how I was able to communicate what little I know, and haven't practiced for many years, to this guy, I don't know.  I went through the lesson with him, word by word, to help him with the pronunciation; of course I took the polite approach.  He had the most trouble with the phrase "Would you like me to buy you a drink?" as the letter "w" is not indigenous to the Spanish language. He had a very hard time pronouncing it. To make things easier for him, I changed the phrase to "May I buy you a drink?" and he had a much easier time with that phrase.  I wonder if he ever got to put my English lesson to use, to snare one of San Felipe's "gringas."

Just past the military checkpoint, Highway 3 ends, as it joins Federal Highway 5, the highway that heads south from Mexicali, down the Baja peninsula.  A number of years ago, the Mexican government built a roadside rest at this juncture, consisting of palapa-like structures, picnic tables and trash cans.  I really wonder who uses this facility, as there isn't a whole lot of anything in the area, and practically no amenities.  There is a cluster of a few houses in the area, and a long-closed Pemex station that now is a pottery shop.  That's about it.

Left:  This photo was taken about halfway between the town of Guadalue and the intersection where Highway 3 joins Highway 5, but doesn't it look like California's Inyo Mountains?  Or a lot like Panamint Valley?  Right: Cactus, mountains and high desert are found along Highway 3, as it climbs east out of the Guadalupe Valley.

I hadn't gone a half-mile south on Highway 5 when I encountered another military checkpoint.  I stopped and pointed in the direction of the checkpoint that I'd just been through and asked them if it was really necessary, as I'd just been checked.  These guys, like the others were polite and professional, yet firm.  For all of my efforts at convincing them they didn't need to search me, I was rewarded with another thorough search.  Oh well, that's Baja!

Left:  Junked car skeletons seem to be a fixture along Mexico's Baja highways.  Right:  Nearing the junction of highways 3 and 5, the Sea of Cortez can be seen in the distance, with the desert scenery in the foreground.

From the highway 3/5 intersection to San Felipe, it's about a half-hour drive, through mostly flat desert.  Soon, as you look to your left, you'll be able to see the Sea of Cortez, in all of it's brilliant blue. As you approach San Felipe, you'll see signs pointing to RV parks and fish camps, that are built on the shore of the Sea of Cortez.

You'll know your getting near to San Felipe, as you can't miss El Machorro, the high peak that rises above Punta San Felipe.  

Soon, you pass the white arches at the north end of town, and you've entered beautiful San Felipe, Baja California.