Wine to Whales starts in Tecate

For the next 21 days, we'll be traveling through Baja California, Mexico as part of a 43-RV caravan called Wine to Whales. When our friends Bob and Cindy first invited us on this trip while we were all in Yellowstone, it seemed so far away. Today it started in Tecate, Mexico.

Our wagon masters provide orientation to Wine to Whale RVers.

For the past 3 nights, we've been camped in Potrero County Park, just a few miles from the Tecate border. In that time, we've made a few new friends, reconnected with folks we met at Quartzsite, and meet with organizers to learn how the caravan will work.

This caravan is a part of the Escapees RV club and is known as The Mexican Connection. Organizers plan a multi-day charitable, one-way caravan every February to encourage people to travel by RV in Mexico. On the way down, participants learn how to navigate roads, deal with police and locals, and raise money to benefit some of the communities along the way. At the end of the trip, we all figure out a way back. Organizers suggest routes deeper into Mexico or recommend points of interest on the way back we didn't see. Everyone matches up with people that have similar interests and eventually make their way back state side.

An example of a map I made for the Wine to Whales caravan.

The caravan has been divided into 6 groups (we're in group 5), each with a leader and a "tail gunner," which is the person at the end of the group who will make sure everyone stays together. Each rig has a CB radio so we can stay in contact and relay messages about such things as road conditions, mechanical problems, or interesting sights. Each group moves as fast as the slowest rig and if someone gets stuck behind a red light or has a flat tire, the whole group sticks together. Each group leaves about 30 minutes after the previous group to prevent clogging up the roads. Then we all meet up at a destination, which could mean staying for a day or as long as 8 days.

Everyone must volunteer time toward making the caravan a success, which is how costs are kept down. A comparable commercial caravan would cost upwards of $8,000, but Mexican Connection members each paid about $800 or so, depending on what tours each person signed up for (couples also get a discount on the second person). In the lead, is the parking team. They show up first to organize parking or camping assignments. I'm producing a series of maps to help team leaders navigate to the various stops. Denise is a general helper and hasn't been tasked yet.

Here's the slightly outdated itinerary:

El Mejor Pan de Tecate -- what an amazing variety!

Today, we crossed the border into Tecate, Mexico on foot to change dollars into pesos, get tourists cards, eat at a really good taqueria, and visit the finest bakery in town -- you know when the locals are taking selfies in front of the shop, you're in the right place!

We then came back to camp to prepare for our next stop, which mainly means packing up, dumping our holding tanks, and filling up with fresh water. The next campsite with hookups isn't scheduled for 5 days, so we'll be dry camping until then. It was nice to see Protrero County Park one last time before heading into Baja.

This is a part of California we've never seen -- a high desert scrub land with pockets of pine trees that produce the largest pine cones we've ever seen and coastal live oaks that remind me of Central Texas. There's loads of wildlife here, with the most active coyote packs we've ever heard. Rabbits and ground squirrels dart through dry grass and low shrubs. Two large flocks of vultures roost in the tallest pine trees in the park. Their large black wings stretched out each morning to make the most of the warming sun. At dusk, they slowly circle the tree tops, bald red heads stealing glances at potential roosting areas. I've seen it day in and day out, captivated.

It makes me so excited for what's to come, mile after mile!