Update on the Fires near La Bocana

This just in from Dallas:

San Diego isn't the only place burning; I suspect that Baja has as much land burning as California, if not more. The hills on both sides of the valley on the way in to La Bocana are burning or have burned. We saw at least one of the houses burned to the ground, and most disturbing of all,many of the old Oak trees are gone.

Although we feel safe where we are located, we are watching the advance of the fire. Perhaps, from our prospective, the smoke and falling ash are the worst at this time. We have to keep the house closed up.

Update 10/28/07: Dallas reported that the fires are mostly out and stayed about 2 miles from the coast (east of the dump).

Fires - So Cal and Baja

The Santa Ana winds and recent drought have joined forces to create terrible fires across Southern California and Baja California.

Our best wishes to all who live in the fire areas and who have been evacuated. We hope you, your families, your pets, and your homes are safe.

Dan Sedor, who owns the beautiful house with the octagon, reported that there are fires south of Maneadero. He found this map which shows lots of fire activity, perhaps near the road to La Bocana.

The two blue dots in the south represent La Bocana and the port.

If anyone has any information, please post on the comments section below and share with us.

Stay safe everyone.

Directions to San Ysidro Sentri Lane:

I know people would rather go to the San Ysidro Sentri lane than to the Otay Mesa crossing if it was easy to get there. I found these directions on another website - I have not tried them out myself. The written directions do not have street names. I'll try to find them on my Tijuana map and add them in. If you try these dirctions, let us know how it worked!

Directions:

Because you are dealing with round-abouts, a primmer may be necessary: a right turn is 1/4 of the way around, straight ahead is 1/2 way around and a left is 3/4th of the way around.

I suggest getting off the toll road in Rosarito Beach (Norte) and proceeding north on the Free Road. At the first round about in Tijuana, go three quarters of the way around (you are, in essence, making a left).

Go a block. At the next roundabout, make a right (that's a quarter of the way around). GO ACROSS THE BRIDGE!

At the next round about, go 3/4th of the way around (essentially a left turn).

At the next round about, go 1/2 way around (or straight ahead). Right after you get beyond the roundabout, you'll see a sign straight ahead that says "SENTRI."

I found these maps, too: San Ysidro Sentri lane from the free road:

And here's one from the toll road:

Note: the blog editor is not resonsible for anyone who attempts to follow these directions and gets hopelessly lost in Tijuana, adding hours to their journey or inches to their waistline (due to the necessity of buying churros to stave off starvation)

Transportation to Rosarito from San Diego

If you ever have friends or family who want to visit you in La Bocana and you don't have time or just plain don't want to drive across the border to pick them up, here is a very reasonable alternative:

Your guest(s) can take MexiCoach from Old Town in San Diego or the US side of the San Ysidro border to the Rosarito Beach Hotel. You can drive to Rosarito to meet them and drop them back there after their visit. I know it won't save oodles of time since Rosarito is only about 30 minutes south of the border but it does save the border crossing hassle and (bonus!) you have an excuse to have lunch in Rosarito.

The price for round trip transport from Old Town to Rosarito is $36. From the border to Rosarito, the round trip price is $24.

Here's the link for the details:
http://www.mexicoach.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=36

If anyone tries it, let us know if everything worked out ok. I haven't done it but it is nice to have this option.

Great spot to overlook the lagoon

Submitted by Jennifer Smith

The Old Runway Gets Some Use

Now that there are mounds of dirt preventing planes from landing, the runway has a new use - as a motorcycle track.

Photo: Father and son ride their motorbikes.

Submitted by Jennifer Smith.

Fishing in La Bocana - for all ages

And if you are wondering, yes, this fish

did weigh more than young Tristan!

Submitted by Jennifer Smith

Sunset Labor Day

Submitted by Jennifer Smith of the Casa de Arturo or the Casa with Seven Arches

Kika (or Daisy or Chewy) has been adopted!

If you were in La Bocana this summer, you probably met this beautiful, well behaved, friendly dog. Some called her Daisy, we called her Chewy (for her ability to smile and talk in a way that reminded of us Chewbaca of Star Wars) and others called her Kika (yes, named after Kiko). The guess is that she got lost from her original owners.

Every time we visited La Bocana, Kika would inevitably show up to say hi and hang out around our back door. She was so easy going and friendly. We tried to figure out if there was a way we could adopt her as I know other people did.

Well, Jerry and Susan stepped up and are now the proud parents of Kika. They have had her registered and made sure she has all her shots. Lucky for the rest of us, Kika will be visiting La Bocana with Jerry and Susan so we'll get many chances to see her again.

Thanks Jerry and Susan!

How Hot was It?

Hot enough to convince some of our fine friends to go in the water:




But in the big picture of heat, La Bocana was a great place to be this past weekend.


It was 111 degrees at the check point. These poor guys had it pretty tough:

The guy inspecting us stuck his head in our air-conditioned window and just chit-chatted so he could cool off for a moment. He said in perfect English, "I'm melting."

Pelican Appreciation Council Ad

Your Turn to Write Something:

How did you first hear of La Bocana?

What (or who) led you here?

Please answer in the comments section. Click on "comments" just below this entry and that will lead you to a place where you can write a comments. Anonymous is fine or you may give your name.

In case you need a pelican fix:

there's a little wind in there, too, to bring you right back...

A big night in La Bocana

includes a mean game of dominoes

and a nice group of people!

The Newest Full Time Resident

This little guy hangs with the big dogs. I forgot his name but he sure is cute. Does anyone know the name of this dog?

New Friendly Neighbors Needed

HOUSE FOR SALE

Elaine and JB are selling their place - help spread the word.

Two bedroom 900' casita plus a covered porch and 600' work shop/garage right on the Pacific Ocean in La Bocana, Mexico. Large, eat in kitchen with range and oven, microwave and reverse osmosis water filter. Hot water heater, wind generator, solar panel, 8 batteries, and a back up Onan 4000 kw propane generator. The house sits high looking down on a secluded beach. Lot is 60' from the ocean. Home only is for sale; the land is leased. The buyer will need to sign a new lease with the landowner. La Bocana is very secluded, 14 miles down a gravel road (well traveled). Other Americans homeownders are near by, some full time and some part time residents. Directions: Hwy 1 South from Ensenada, turn right when you see the Santo Tomas winery on your left. Go west until you see the ocean - the house is the first one on the left. For more information, e-mail: ecbjbb@msn.com

Asking Price: $$69,500.

For more photos and more information: http://www.viviun.com/AD-82994/

What was the weather like in La Bocana this weekend?

If you were sitting in the states, thinking about La Bocana and wishing you were there, here's some info on recent conditions:

• Foggy most of the day
• Not too much wind
• Cool but not cold
• Calm seas
• Pelicans are starting to head north again in the evenings
• 2 dolphins were seen by this reporter

In other words, pretty darn nice!

Has Anyone Seen These Around La Bocana?

Special prize to the person who tells us who made this fish and why.

Write your answer in the comments.

Web Site is up and running again

Dear La Bocana Residents,

The web site was temporarily down for a few days. The technology staff which is my friend Bob, me, myself, and I had to be called in to fix a server routing problem.

It is fixed and up and running. Sorry for the inconvenience - you can post to your heart's content. Send us your photos and stories!

Joe Darrough

Report on the New Road from Rosarito to Tijuana

If you have seen that beautiful new road heading east from the Foxploration area just south of Rosarito and been tempted to take it, here's a little report. Indeed, it is a beautiful 4 lane divided highway that winds its way through farmland and scenic hills. No tolls, little traffic. But where does it go?

It meets up with the toll road to Tecate in the eastern part of Tijuana. We were hoping it was a faster way to the Otay Mesa border crossing but it actually takes much longer than either the toll road or the other free road out of Rosarito (described in the post about the Sentri pass in the comments). The distance is 31 miles. We do not recommend this road if you are going to San Ysidro or Otay Mesa. If you are planning to cross at Tecate, this might be a good way to get there. I think it is about 20 miles on the toll road to Tecate and this road is certainly easier driving than the free road from Ensenada to Tecate.

And speaking of going from here to there, the AM/PM near the Rosarito toll booth sells a great map of Tijuana. I highly recommend it. If anyone has any comments or suggestions about the road, please share!