Chula Vista, ready for Phase 3
Back in San Diego area.
Today I dropped off a rental car and had a short (18km) flat and somewhat rainy ride. Weather forecast says today should be worst of it and not much chance of showers from here on. Below is touring bike ready in my motel room.
Last Monday, I picked up a rental car and packed my belongings for a drive first to Colorado for Thanksgiving. Nice to see my parents and brother again and celebrate Thanksgiving. After that on Friday morning back on the road driving to San Diego. Stopped by REI and short errand or two before dropping off the car.
My plan is to cross into Mexico tomorrow at Tecate. I picked Tecate for two reasons:
- The crossing itself should be a bit quieter. According to the web, this crossing sees ~1.5 million cars per year and ~0.5 million pedestrians crossing. Compare that to the main crossing at San Ysidro which sees ~14.5 million cars per year and ~7 million pedestrians
- Reports are that Tijuana is a big and hectic city with some challenging cycling to get through. In contrast, expect Mexico Route 3 to Ensenada to be a bit quieter.
The downside to Tecate is it is a bit further away and I’ll end up with over 1000m of climbing tomorrow most of it on the small winding roads to climb back up to Tecate. Looking forward to the adventure.
Actually, getting thru Tijuana is pretty easy if you can get on the toll road. The scenery south of Tecate is nicer though.
Thanks useful to know. Tijuana had (has?) a reputation and I’d seen mixed reports from cyclists crossing. Some indicating much easier than expected and others complaining of lots of debris on a narrow shoulder and lots of traffic. Perhaps free road vs. toll road accounted for some differences. Tecate was remarkably simple today so I’d now also have more confidence to try Tijuana on a future trip.
Tecate is a lovely small town. The town square is especially pleasant. Count on a full day to get there.
Tecate is just off the traditional Christmas Trip first day route to Campo. Years ago accommodation in Campo became unavailable so that route is no longer used.
Best wishes, Steve