South Baja California - Mexico

The Baja California peninsula is a beautiful area to travel. It is very safe part of Mexico and is frequented by Americans and Canadians. On the east side is the Sea of Cortez which was named the aquarium of the sea by Jacques Cousteau. The west side is the Pacific Ocean.

You can easily fly to the Sourthern Baja from Canada and land at San Jose del Cabo or Loreto. Cars can be rented from both airports and dropped off at the other airport. We rented from FOX rental car and decided to purchase the Mexican Insurance so we would have no problems when it was time to leave. It is important to purchase Mexican insurance even if you think you are covered on your own policy.  Don't purchase insurance online before arriving as you may not be covered. We have heard stories that people are not allowed to leave Mexico if they have an accident until it is solved or the vehicles are repaired when you don't have local insurance.

When traveling in Mexico you will be constantly approached about going to a time share presentation. Be aware that you get nothing for free without giving up your time and a very successful marketing presentation. Buyer Beware!

There are a variety of accommodations available in Cabo San Lucas and Jan Jose del Cabo. You can choose all inclusive, partial inclusive and hotels or hostels without meals. Bus transportation is available but remember that the drivers speak Spanish.


Driving from Cabo to La Paz the capital of Baja Sur is an easy drive. Part of the road is a divided highway the remaining is two lanes without shoulders. When we drove there was very little traffic and took about two and a half hours. There are mountains on the left called the Sierra de la Laguna.

We choose to stay downtown at the HBlue Hotel. The hotel is located downtown which allows you to easily walk to restaurants and the Malacon. The top of the hotel has a pool and a lounge area. This is a great spot to watch the sunset. La Paz faces west which provides for beautiful sunsets along the east side of Baja California.

We went to La Paz to have the opportunity to snorkel with the Whale Sharks. We choose to go with VIP Tours as their reviews are excellent.

We had an excellent trip and the opportunity to snorkel with the sea lion pups.

Snorkel Trip

From La Paz we continued to drive north on Highway 1 to Loreto. The highway after La Paz changes to a two lane road with no shoulders. Traffic drives fast on the highway and there were no police the whole trip. When you enter a town watch out for the toupees or bumps in the road to slow the traffic. The drive is easy and  will take about three and half hours. The desert was beautiful to drive through as the rainy season had just ended and the plants were still green. You pass through the Sierra de la Giganta Mountains.

South Dakota And The Black Hills

South Dakota

The roads are well maintained in both North and South Dakota.  Welcome to the Black Hills in the south west corner of the state.

Spearfish Canyon near Deadwood

We stopped in Deadwood which takes you back to a gold rush town with numerous gambling establishments. The town has been rebuilt to look like the 1800 with enactments of guns fights on main street.  Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are buried in Boot Hill Cemetery (Mount Moriah Cemetery).

Kevin Costner has spent time in this area and tried to build a hotel to bring people to the area.  His dream did not happen but instead he created  Tanaka: Story of the Bison.  This museum has live presentations that shares information about the local Locota people and their life with the Bison.  Make sure that you visit the sculpture out side depicting a Buffalo Jump.

From Deadwood we drove highway 85 heading to Custer City before going to our cabin in Custer State Park.  This was a relaxing drive where you pass several lakes.  The area has a lot of camping and cabins both private and forestry services.




Crazy Horse Memorial is a mountain that is being sculpted to show that the Lokota people have great heros.  It was started June 3, 1948 and is still being worked on and will not be completed for many years.  The project is only funded with private donations and money made at the visitors centre.  When visiting the memorial you can learn about the indigeniour poeple in the Indian Museum of North America. The artist studio gives you some insight into the construction of the Memorial.

Crazy Horse Model

Custer State Park
This is a wonderful park that you can experience a variety of geological formations and natural areas to enjoy. There are several beautiful drives in the park.

Road through the rocks.

The Needle

Jewel Cave
Is a national park that is extensive cave system that has not been totally explored. There are several guided tours that you can take. You enter the cave by an elevator which takes you down several floors so that you can explore some of the large cave areas.











Mammoth Site  located in Hotspring SD is the largest in situ (bones left as found) mammoth dig site. The site has a building covering what was a sink hole when the Colombian and Wolley Mammoths got trapped in the pond and died.  The have currently found the remains of 61 Mammoth by counting the number of tusks they have found in the 25 feet that have been excavated.  They believe that there may be 65 feet in the pit that has not been uncovered.





Mount Rushmore
(George Washington, Theodore Roosenfelt, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln)

Devils Tower

Devils Tower

Devils Tower in Wyoming is the northern outer edge of what the park service considers the Black Hills.

This land mark was used in the movie Close Encounters of the third kind. This was the 40 anniversary of the film.

South Dakota is a great area to visit. There are lots of opportunities for hiking, exploring different rock formations and don't forget the badlands park.









Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup

Located in the Black Hills in South Dakota. This park is know for the buffalo roundup held in late September. Every year the calfs and female plains buffalo are roundered up to check on their health. Shots are administered and the calfs are branded. The area can only support about 1000 buffalo so the heard is culled at this time. Buffalo are autioned off later in the year and this provideds an income source for the park.

People from all over the world come to witness the buffalo roundup. People wanting to watch the roundup are to be at one of two specific viewing sites prior to 9 am.  This means you are on the road early to ensure that you get to the site and park on time. This event is well organized and can handle the large crowds. They have large tents set up to serve breakfast and sell memorbilia. They also being in a lot of pot a potties.

North Dakota September 2017

You can cross the boarder from Saskatchewan at several point into North Dakota.  We choose to drive highway 85 south and stayed overnight in Dickinson ND.  This town offers a lot of choice and services.  Mendora is much smaller and looks like a frontier town with false front buildings.

North Dakota

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

This area is where Roosevelt came to ND after graduating.  He was a conservationist and wanted to protect the natural resources.  He returned to the east and married his wife.  She died in childbirth and his mother died the same day in the same house.  At 25 years of age he went back to North Dakota and established Elkhorn Ranch north of Mendora to work raising long horn cattle and recover before returning to politics.

North Theodore Roosevelt National Park

The park is divided into two sections.  The North Unit has a road that goes into the park and you can see how the little Missouri river has shaped the land.  You can drive through the park to the lookout at the end of the road.

painted canyou

Painted Canyon is  a quick stop off of the interstate 95. It is a great place to be introduced to Theodore Roosevelt National Park and if you are lucky you might even see a Buffalo/Bison.

South Theodore Roosevelt Nathional Park

The South Unit is located north of Mendora ND.  There is a loop road through the park that allows you to experience the area and if you are lucky you will see wildlife.  We saw a coyote, american bison, and deer  There are several hikes both long and short waiting to be tackled the park.  You can camp in the south unit and there is a picnic area.



We stayed in Dickinson and there are a lot of services in the town.  We had car problems and end up leaving our car at the Ford Dealership for them to repair while we continued on our trip to South Dakota.

After leaving Dickinson we traveled south along highway 385 through North Dakota.  This road is quiet remote with limited traffic compared to the State Highway.  There is a small sign on the highway when you cross into South Dakota.

Winery's and Farms

The Okanagan is a great area to visit BC wineries and farms that produce a variety of different products from fresh fruit, lavender, honey, goats milk gelato and cheese. In the summer the variety of fresh fruit is fantastic.

Mission Hills Winery

Mission Hills is one of the larger, well established winery's in the area.  There are also a lot of smaller family wineries that do not export out of British Columbia.

Quails Gate Winery View from Patio

Quails Gate Winery is open year round for dinner. We had an exceptional meal. The menu is limited but the quality is outstanding. The wine is also exceptional but don't expect to pay top dollar for the meal.

Okanagan Lake from Penticton

Driving south from West Kelowna along Okanagan Lake there are numerous wine growing areas to explore. Check out Peachland, Summerland, Penticton. A little farther is Naramata Bench, Okanagan Falls,Oliver, and Osoyoos. Venturing north of Kelowna you can visit wineries in Lake County. If you are visiting in April check to make sure that the winery you want to visit is open.  Many of the smaller wineries have limited hours in the winter and spring.

Most wineries charger a small fee to taste a flight of wine (four or five samples). Before tasting check to see that the wines they are offering for tasting is what you are interested in trying.  All the wineries we visited did not charge for the tasting if you purchased a wine. Some wines are only sold at the winery so be sure to check if you want to purchase the wine once you arrive home. I noticed that very few of the wineries we visited offered crackers to clear you mouth between wines.

There are also lots of tour companies willing to take you to a variety of wineries.  This is a great choice if you do not want to drive after sampling. I fined that to truly enjoy a tasting I can really only visit one or two wineries in a day.

During our visit we also went to Carnelis Goat Cheese farm to taste the gelato made from fresh goats milk.  They also had a variety of cheeses make from goats milk. There were lots of samples available. If you choose to take a container of gelato away remember to consider the temperature before you get your product home, you may need to have a cooler.


We also went to Vernon to visit Plant Bee Honey Farm and Meadery. This was a great experience as they have a glass beehive so that you could see the bees working and even spot the queen bee.  There are a variety of samples and if you are old enough you can also taste the mead which is a wine made from honey.

What ever you are looking to do there is a great variety in the Okanagan Valley.

Hiking in the Okanagan

We discovered that there are lots of opportunities to hike around Kelowna with a variety of different levels of difficulty. Between provincial and regional parks you have a great variety of trails and difficulty.

Bear Creek Provincial Park: (West Kelowna)

This was a small park that is an easy trail with stairs and a hill to climb. Great views of Okanagan Lake, the trail was busy with families and dog walkers,  it was Easter Sunday when we did the walk. Below the trails is a very nice provincial campground that was full of R.V.'s.

Shannon Lake Regional Park: (West Kelowna)

This small park and is easily accessible.  This is a great spot for people to trout fish.  There were lots of people fishing from the shore or the small pier.  Walking here is not very strenuous and is disability accessible.

Spion Kop Hiking Trails: (Lake Country)

View of Wood Lake

North of Kelowna there is an area where the hikes can be easy or more challenging.  This is Spion Kop Hiking Trails. The area is surrounded by new houses but you can escape and feel far away from everyone. The lower trail follows a bench and over looks Wood Lake.  There are two underpasses that you use to walk the trail across highway 97.  The area has excellent signage so that you don't get lost.

Map and Trail Markers

Mission Creek Regional Park and Trails (Kelowna)

This is in central Kelowna and an excellent area for a walk.  You can choose a flat trail along the river and go for miles or walk the hill and visit the numerous small lake within the park. A great area to take children or walk the dog. There are numerous access points along Mission Creek but if you start at Springfield and Durnim there is the EECO Centre that you can explore. If you are visiting in the fall check out the spawning channel for Kokanee Salmon.

Knox Mountain (Kelowna)

This is a great location to get views of downtown Kelowna and Okanagan Lake. For the energetic you can walk to the top of the mountain or for the less athletic take a drive to the top when the gate opens.  There are several trails that traverse the mountain.  At the top you can also choose several different directions.  A park caretaker lives at the top. The day we walked the top there were six deer grazing up the hill behind the pavilion.  We also saw interesting birds living in the forest.

Gellatly Heritage Regional Park (West Kelowna)

Okanagan Lake

This is not a very big park but there is a nice pebble beach on Lake Okanagan.  You can walk around this hazel nut farm and learn about the Gellantly Family and their influence on the history of the area.

Hazel Nut Trees

Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park (Kelowna)

There are lots of trails in this park and there is good signage. You can pick up a map at the Visitors Center in downtown Kelowna. You enter the parking are off of Stewart Road East. There is an interperative trail that helps visitors learn more about the area. This is a multi use area for hiking, biking and horses.  When we visited the area is so large that we never met anyone else on the trails we walked.  There are great views of Okanagan Lake once you make the climb up the mountain.  The area was touched by the 2012 fire that threatened Kelowna. You can experience first hand how the earth rejuvenates itself after a fire.

Forest is Rejuvenating

Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) Trestles

Were not accessible at this time of the year. But this would be an awesome area to hike or bike along the old trestle bridges.  This is a must for our next visit.

Kelowna British Columbia Road Trip

The Trans Canada Highway

So we decided to drive to Kelowna BC from Edmonton.  We needed a break and we have not been to the Okanagan Valley for a long time. April is not always the best time to be driving as the weather can be unpredictable and we certainly experienced a variety of conditions during our drive.  We left Edmonton in a snow storm but it was clear once we reached Ponka and the rest of the drive to Banff was great.

Lac Des Arc Lake

We stayed in Banff overnight and had an opportunity to walk around town and drive to Vermillion Lakes. We decided that a stop in Banff would break up the drive. It would have been better to drive a little farther so that the second days drive would not been as long.

Vermillion Lakes Banff with Tunnel Mountain

Kicking Horse rest stop was a great place to take a comfort break. Specially after driving through the pass with snow, sleet and rain.

Rogers Pass was also lots of snow with very few places to have a rest stop so plan ahead if you are driving in the winter. Once in B.C, the road is two lanes. There are frequent passing lanes along the way but the trucks and trailers do hold the traffic up. The time zone changes at the Rogers Pass so don't forget to set you watches back one hour from Alberta time.

Before reaching Field British Columbia be sure to stop and look at the Spiral Tunnels. The trains make their way through the tunnels  are a gradual climb or descent to get over the Continental Divide. The stop was full of snow in April so we did not stop this time.

Round House 

Once you get to Sicamous you know that the weather is changing as the fruit stands start to appear. April is not the time to be shopping for fresh fruit here.

Mara Lake Rest Stop

On Mara Lake there are lots of house boats for rent. This rest stop allows for a quick break before we continue our drive.

After our seven hour drive we were ready to check into our resort. We had a condo booked at the Manteo Resort on Okanagan Lake in Kelowna.



Check out the detailed descriptions of our hiking, touring and wine tasting while in Kelowna.

Sunset from our patio on Lake Okanagan

To complete the circuit we decided to go home a different route by traveling through B.C. to Jasper, Alberta on the Yellowhead Trail. The total trip with driving around Kelowna and down to Ossoyos was about 2500 km.