I just got back from a 1,230 mile off-road motorcycle trip from Ensenada to Cabo San Lucas. It was a training run to prepare for the Baja 1000. I’ll have to write about specific days as there is simply too much for one post.

DAY #1

I met up with my Chris Haines group in San Diego. We loaded our gear in the van and were driven down to the Mexico border, and then 100 miles down the coast to Ensenada. You know you have gotten to Ensenada when you see a Mexican flag flying that’s as large as a football field. This picture hardly does justice. The flagpole is probably 25 feet in diameter.

Viva Mexico

I have heard bad things about Ensenada, namely that it’s little more than a commercial fishing town, but I really enjoyed myself there. One highlight was a fish market that is directly across from a row of seafood joints where we you can grab a quick ceviche, whatever floats your boat. This stuff is fresh, right off the boat.

Fish Market

The main drag in Ensenada is the starting line for the Baja 1000. The race follows pavement for a few blocks then drops down into a drainage ditch where the racers speed out of town.

Ensenada Drainage Ditch

It’s hard to imagine 850hp trucks blowing through these tight, densely populated areas, but that’s the thrill of the Baja 1000. As Sal Fish says, “it’s not for wusses”.

After a great dinner in town, we checked out a famous bar named Hussongs. Legend has it that this is where the Margarita was invented in 1941. Not sure about that, but the bar has been in continual operation for 110 years and feels like the set of a Western. An amazing place where you can get a few cold ones, meet some people, listen to live music. A real honky tonk joint…

Hussongs

After a couple of cool ones, we retired to prepare for our first ride down to San Quintin.

Read Part Two