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What to expect the first time:
Friday – March 14, 2014 We crossed the border without incident, were briefly checked at military checkpoints by friendly soldiers and made it to Las Encantadas by 1:00pm. It took seven hours, but, we might have gotten there a little earlier but Sven was pulling a trailer containing a Polaris 4X4 and a dump trailer designed for the Polaris by Sven. We were concerned about how the trailer would handle the vados, so we slowed down a bit. The area that concerned us was the “dips” or vados on the older highway between San Felipe and Puertecitos. It is not a problem if you just slow down a bit, you don’t want to launch a fully loaded vehicle, the distance of the dips will have you landing hard against the far side of the dip. The speed limit posted there is a little too high here for depth and length of the dips, just back off on approach and it will be fine. Not all dips are signed either so you must use your eyes to determine when to slow.
If you cross into Mexico at Caliexco, you’re on Mex 5, so just follow the signs thru Mexicali and San Felipe. A white sign on the left side of the highway “Las Encantadas” is about 100 yards before you turn left toward the sea. The dirt track to camp has a green sign with white letters that say “Campo Turistico La Poma”.
It’s an easy drive with little traffic after San Felipe. There was only a handful of vehicles on the highway Friday. On the dirt track g keep going toward the sea, when you arrive at the beach turn left.
CAUTION, stay on the heavily worn tracks of vehicles, the sand on this beach is sugar fine and you’ll dig your tires in fast. If you stay on the track a two wheel drive vehicle is O.K. And a word to 4X4 owners, if you don’t have high floatation tires that are aired down, stay on the tracks too.
Check the pictures to see what it looks like and you’ll find camp quickly after getting on the beach track, it’s before the two story place (about the third house you past after turning on the beach).
Weather was 72-74 degrees daytime, 64-67 degrees nights. Friday and the first half of Saturday there was little breeze the sea was glassy flat without even a swell as far out as the island. Saturday and Sunday morning there was a breeze no harder than what is found on San Diego Bay on a typical day. The breeze made the sea choppy and created ankle slapper waves along the shore line. The breezy conditions are not enough to keep you off the water but, you work harder.
The difference between high tide and low tide was about 15 feet in depth. Be sure to keep you kayak beached above the high tide line.
Have Fun I’m Sure You’ll love it.
(I'll post this also on the "Baja of Bust" group area to make it easier to find in the future).
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