fudgypup
Pack Dog
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2013
- Messages
- 226
- Reaction score
- 8
- Bike
- BMW R1200GS Adventure
Took a quick two day trip down to Baja this past weekend with the girlfriend. Baja is a two hour ride south for me and has a lot to offer. The media here portray it as a drug cartel shooting gallery, but then that's what the media likes to do. The Japanese think it's all freeway shooting here in Southern California, because that's what their media shows. Most people here wouldn't take a motorcycle trip to the cities of Oakland, Detroit, Newark or Chicago because we know them to not be particularly safe. Mexico is not that different. There are areas you just don't want to go to, but Baja is pretty much the 51st American state. They love the motorcyclists that come down because the Baja 1000, 500, etc... races bring a lot of money and excitement down there.
After that disclaimer... we went down to check out a few wineries and get some seafood. I know the seafood to be great there but wasn't sure about the wine. We were just in Napa a few weeks ago and had some really good stuff. My expectations were pretty low but they were definitely exceeded.
Our first stop was Encuentro Guadalupe https://encuentroguadalupe.com/ which bills itself as an "eco retreat." The architecture is pretty cool and they have these little cabanas or casitas that are perched on the hillside that have their own fireplace and stunning views.
Great views of Valle de Guadalupe
Great wine too
Casitas
After that, we checked out another winery called Baron Balch'e https://www.baronbalche.com/ They have their own underground storage system that keeps the casks cool and moist.
After three and a half years, I finally put the street tires that came with the bike on and used my OEM 19" front instead of the 21" I usually use off road. I also switched to a synthetic oil (Mobil 1 15w 50) and got an amazing 46.1 mpg (19.6 kpl?) two up and with the panniers on.
Seeing as how we were on the motorcycle, I figured we should stop at two wineries. We continued south and had lunch at the fish market in Ensenada. Fantastic shrimp and fish tacos!
After that we kept going south to the town of Erendira where I've stayed at a hostel before, Coyote Cal's. https://www.coyotecals.com/
We had a fantastic black sea bass for dinner (Thai style) as well as the best massage I've ever had by Rick's wife Ta. She learned at a monastery in Thailand and became an instructor herself.
Next door is an abalone farm where they raise them for market in these concrete pools. We ended up getting 1kg (12) of them to take home. Abalone is a bit of work to prepare, but they taste very good.
After that disclaimer... we went down to check out a few wineries and get some seafood. I know the seafood to be great there but wasn't sure about the wine. We were just in Napa a few weeks ago and had some really good stuff. My expectations were pretty low but they were definitely exceeded.
Our first stop was Encuentro Guadalupe https://encuentroguadalupe.com/ which bills itself as an "eco retreat." The architecture is pretty cool and they have these little cabanas or casitas that are perched on the hillside that have their own fireplace and stunning views.
Great views of Valle de Guadalupe
Great wine too
Casitas
After that, we checked out another winery called Baron Balch'e https://www.baronbalche.com/ They have their own underground storage system that keeps the casks cool and moist.
After three and a half years, I finally put the street tires that came with the bike on and used my OEM 19" front instead of the 21" I usually use off road. I also switched to a synthetic oil (Mobil 1 15w 50) and got an amazing 46.1 mpg (19.6 kpl?) two up and with the panniers on.
Seeing as how we were on the motorcycle, I figured we should stop at two wineries. We continued south and had lunch at the fish market in Ensenada. Fantastic shrimp and fish tacos!
After that we kept going south to the town of Erendira where I've stayed at a hostel before, Coyote Cal's. https://www.coyotecals.com/
We had a fantastic black sea bass for dinner (Thai style) as well as the best massage I've ever had by Rick's wife Ta. She learned at a monastery in Thailand and became an instructor herself.
Next door is an abalone farm where they raise them for market in these concrete pools. We ended up getting 1kg (12) of them to take home. Abalone is a bit of work to prepare, but they taste very good.
