Some Baja list trip musings:

I'm happy to see there's been a pulse of activity on a Baja trip. 
October is a great time of year to go: the summer vacation crowd is 
gone, but the weather is usually still fine. Also, I'd agree with 
the notion that it's best to decide on a destination, then focus on 
length of the trip, best border crossing spots, etc. A bit if 
iteration may be in order here, because we may want to select a 
destination that's appropriate for the number of vehicles likely to 
be in the group.

Going to the Gulf side is a good call for those in need of a quick 
fix of hot, tropical conditions. The water temp can be near 80F in 
October, even in the upper Gulf. With this comes a little more 
humidity, but still fairly comfortable. For me, the Gulf is not too 
interesting, because I usually go looking for waves, so I'd prefer a 
trip to the Pacific side of the Peninsula. 

For a trip to the outer coast, I'd say you need to get south of 
Ensenada (or just stay in San Diego). The closest spots worth the 
trip (IMHO) would be west of Santo Thomas, for example Punta San 
Jose. This is about three hours south of the border - maybe four, 
depending on traffic and if you feel the need to stop in Ensenada 
for some Mariscos and Cerveza. Another hour or so farther south and 
you come to a number of interesting and fairly remote beaches. There 
is a well-protected (from the wind, which wants to howwllll nearly 
every afternoon) spot just south of Cabo Colonet. To get to these 
places you have to be willing to subject your van to a bit of 
dirt/sand road travel, cross an occasional stream (yes, there IS 
running water in that desert place, flowing down from the mountains 
to the east). Be sure to pack a shovel and some boards to place 
under your tires, and a length of stout rope, too. If you get a 
little crazy and have to see the next point around the bend, even 
though the sand track is marginal, you can count on getting stuck at 
least once...but, no worries, if you can't get out, someone will be 
by (within a few hours?) probably in a 1963 falcon with completely 
blown shocks. Here's where the rope comes in handy. They'll help 
pull you out, you'll provide a cold Corona for all, and everybody is 
happy and having a great time!

For the outer beaches, Tiajuana is the only practical place to 
cross. The advice to avoid the return crossing on Sunday afternoon 
is right on the mark. Sunday morning isn't too bad, or almost any 
day between rush hours is fine, too. There is at least one holiday 
in October, at least for those of us occupationally handicapped by 
working for the government - Columbus day is on Monday the 9th. I've 
always found this to be a great surf day, because most people are 
working or in school, but I'm not sure if it will be of much help to 
those of you with jobs in the 'real world'. Insurance can be 
relatively expensive. The cost per day depends entirely on the value 
you claim for your vehicle. As I recall, it was about $12/day for my 
'90 vanagon last September. There are a number of drive through 
insurance places in San Ysidro, just yards from the border. Their 
rates are all about the same. I've heard that the AAA offers 
coverage by the day, too, and that you can buy this before leaving 
home. 

Plan on AT LEAST three full days. Even this is cutting it short. The 
first and last days involve the hassles of border crossings, buying 
insurance and Pesos, navigating through the maze of TJ and Ensenada, 
setting up and taking down your camp (unless you're lucky enough to 
have a Westy, and just have to pop the top, pull out the awning and 
unfold the chairs...Geez I wish I still had one).

I'm heading down for 5-6 days, departing on July 4th (when the 
crowds will be heading north), headed for a great surf spot about 
6hrs from the border. I'll post a trip report when I get back.

Adios for now,

Steve Reilly