Overlanding Baja - Week 1
December 19, 2021
Finally! We are back on the road after a few weeks of resting and prepping at home in Utah. Our destination for the winter is the state of Baja California in Mexico! We are planning to spend roughly 2 months there before heading back home for the rest of the ski season.
We started our trip in Los Angeles, CA where we met with family before making our way south. We stopped at Basil’s Garage near San Diego, CA to replace our tires before hitting the peninsula. We decided to get smaller (35″) tires for the truck for two reasons. The first is to reduce our gas consumption. Secondly, oversize tires are harder to find south of the border.
Basil working on our truck
We crossed the border in Tecate and were immediately greeted by friendly Mexicans. In fact, even the border agents were very nice to us and wished us a wonderful adventure in the peninsula.
Our first stop in Mexico was just south of Tecate. We made arrangement with Noel from BICHI to stop at his winery and buy some bottles of wine. To our knowledge, they are one of the only natural wine makers in Mexico.
Unfortunately, we waited and walked around the winery for a long time but no one showed up…
Doors were locked at BICHI
Amphora pots at the winery
Rows of vines
Margo was happy to be outside
Our next stop was Rancho La Bellota. We heard about the ranch on iOverlander and it sounded like the perfect spot to spend our first few nights after crossing the border. Raúl, the owner, has been welcoming overlanders from all over the world for years. Camping at the ranch is free: you are only asked to give a donation to Alberto, the caretaker.
Metal gate to the ranch
Victor opening the gate
On our way up hill
We made it!
The ranch in the distance
“Bad roads bring good people,” says Raúl! The road to the ranch is steep and rough. Without high clearance, going there would be quite challenging.
We were warmly welcomed by Alberto and the 6 dogs that live on the ranch. Raúl was busy in town getting his booster shot and arrived a little later that day.
Margo and her new friends at the ranch
Ranch sheep wary of our presence
Cute lambs
Tequila the 10-month-old border collie watching the sheep
Morning play date
Breakfast time for the horses
Walking on the beautiful property
Entrance to the main lodge
La Bellota means “acorn”
Alberto’s cabin looks lush with the plants
We made camp right in the middle of the ranch.
The overlander’s bathroom
Clean, rustic shower with hot water
Flush toilet and hand washing station with bar soap
The ranch is run on solar panels. In the bathroom, candle lights add to the ambience.
Raúl is an overlander himself and has been building his own rigs for years. He showed us is latest creation. Entirely custom built and based on an old suburban that he has been owning for decades. It looks like a Troopy!
Dining area of the suburban
Kitchenette inside
His previous custom built rig based on an old Toyota Hilux. It’s for sale!
He recently acquired a 1st generation Tundra.
After organizing horseback riding tours for years, Raul is now planning to built 4 truck campers and start organizing self-contained overlanding tours of the peninsula.
Funny story: Raúl has been looking all over the internet for inspirations to build the rigs for touring Baja and the video we filmed a couple months ago in France, featuring the Globe Camper, was his main source of inspiration. What a small world!
Raúl has been kind enough to store a few rigs that European overlanders had to leave in Mexico because of Covid. I walked around this huge Iveco truck owned by a German couple, which has been stored in a corner of the ranch.
The next day, Kuan went on a ride with Gael, Raúl’s wrangler.
Happy Kuan on the horseback
Tequila came along for the ride
Abby in front of the lodge
Our truck in front of the lodge
Saddles under the morning light
The dining room inside the lodge
Candles are added to the chandelier for dinner
Tequila!
Saying goodbyes to Raúl
Leaving the ranch
Raúl’s generosity was incredible. He literally spent all his time at the ranch with us, talking about anything and everything like we had known each other for years. He even took us for lunch in the nearby village and at night, poured his best tequila into our glasses.
You can tell Raúl is not doing that for his own good, but to showcase true Mexican hospitality to anyone that is wiling to stop at his ranch.
After leaving La Bellota, we were unsure of what was next for us. But knowing that Kuan had to have reliable internet on Saturday, we decided to book a room in a hotel for two nights in the valley de Guadalupe. After a quick search, we found a great bed & breakfast called Casa Mayoral that was dog friendly and only 20 minutes down the road. Perfecto!
Our cabin at Casa Mayoral
Bright, cozy room
For lunch, we headed to Artio, a restaurant located in a local winery. The food was awesome and it was probably the most expensive meal we will have in Baja!
Grand tasting room at the winery
Dining room on the pond
Excited for our fancy lunch
Fresh Baja oysters
Local fish ceviche with squid ink
Hairloom tomatoes with chili
Roasted pork with nopales
Grilled octopus atop black rice
Back at the bed & breakfast
View from our room
The patio next to the reception
Morning coffee
Homemade horchata, so good!
Delicious breakfast is served every morning. Yesterday’s breakfast was sopes atop lettuce and fresh salsa
Today, we will head as far south as we can since we want to spend the majority of our trip in Baja California Sur where the temperature is warmer.
We shall see where we’ll end up for Christmas next week and hopefully we will be able to spend the holidays in t-shirts.