North to Ensenada

We left Bahia de Los Angeles early and went straight to the Pemex for gas. It wasn’t open.
Soon a man arrived in a van, went to a pump, pulled out a key. He turned on the pump and filled his van.
I wandered over asking when the place would open. He thought it should be open, checked the door, hollered for someone and gave up. He assured me it would open soon.
We read awhile, then I went to check the man’s pump and see if it was still on. No luck.
Then someone else came in. I dashed right over and asked if here were any other stations. Felt like a fool. There was one about a block away! The other driver and I zipped right over and filled up.
Back through the gorgeous desert. In forty miles we saw no other vehicles. And we made a few stops to wander this glorious desert and take photos. We were on that road well over an hour and saw no one after we left the Pemex. We did see a few cows, though, and a cluster of burros along the side of the road.
Back to Highway 1 and north. We’d had to get gas in Bahia de Los Angeles because we knew there wouldn’t be a station for nearly 200 miles and we already had quite a few miles on the previous tank. Do NOT pass up a gas station in the Baja unless you’re certain another one is coming up soon!
We stopped near Catania to look at petroglyphs but our guidebook didn’t get us quite there. There is a petroglyphs site just north of Catania, but it’s an official government site, guide and fee required. Just like not passing up a gas station, don’t break laws in Mexico. I don’t even want to think of the fines or the insides of a jail.
Eventually we got to the twisty turnies. This is a stretch of highway maybe forty miles long that goes up and down, twists and turns, and each lane is only about nine feet wide. Oh. And there are drop offs, sheer rock walls, and no pullovers. 
I have spoken to a number of people about this stretch of road. There are stories upon stories of people driving RVs who lost a driver-side mirror because one or both vehicles headed toward each other don’t scrunch over to the right side quite enough, and mirrors collided.
This is  not a stretch of road for the faint of heart.
Headed north, after the worst of the road, comes the town of El Rosario. At one of the curves in town on the east side of the road is a restaurant called Mama Espinoza’s. Eat there. No matter the time of day, stop and eat. Heading south, El Rosario is about twenty-five miles or so south of San Quentin, and Mama Espinoza’s is at the first curve to the left.
After a hearty lunch with Mama, we headed on through San Quentin and eventually into the lush agricultural area south of Ensenada. Green the color of a golf course spilled down hillsides and out across the valleys. Some areas had acres of greenhouses of tomatoes and lettuce while other fields were planted with grapes and nopales. 
Just inside the south edge of suburban Ensenada we cut west to see La Bufadora. La Bufadora is a spot on the coast where the incoming waves enter a cave and blow out a hole in the top of the cave. Water shoots out the hole, sometimes as high as about one hundred feet. That water splashes for quite a distance, so it’s best to go on a warm day. Trust me. 
After enjoying La Bufadora, we headed just a short distance down the road and took the one and only motel, Motel La Bufadora.
I heartily recommend seeing La Bufadora. The motel, not so much. It was a bit worn and all rooms are on the second or third floor.
But I’ve got to say we had a view. We were high on a hill looking northeast across the bay at Ensenada. It was beautiful and it was quiet. Perfect for a good night’s sleep. Oh – and no water on the bathroom floor, and lots of hot water!