We plan to start our adventure around the middle of November. That means we need to be prepared for rain and cool weather as we travel through Washington, Oregon and even northern California. Depending on how many kilometers (miles in the U.S.) I can ride per day, it may take us 4 or 5 days to reach the Mexican border. It is approximately 2450 kilometers or 1500 miles from Vancouver to Tijuana, Mexico – a typical 2 or 3-day trip in a car or other closed vehicle.

Map from Vancouver to Cabo San Lucas

It is approximately 1650 km or 1025 miles farther from the US/Mexican border to Cabo San Lucas.

Baja distance chart

Baja distance chart

The total journey, by motorcycle, is approximately 4050 kilometers or 2525 miles from Vancouver BC to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur.

Our Planned Route

map of route from Vancouver, BC to Eugene, OR

Day 1: Vancouver, BC to Eugene, OR

Vancouver to Eugene is approximately 675 kms or 423 miles on the I-5 and should take approximately 7 ½ hours, depending on the weather. We will try to pick a day to start our adventure when the weather is the most favorable. But we expect to ride in rain – maybe wind or fog. And this means we will be wearing dry suits over layers of warm clothing.

map of route from Eugene, OR to Sacramento, CA

Day 2: Eugene, OR to Sacramento, CA

Eugene to Sacramento is approximately 760 kms or 474 miles and can take 7 hours. Again, depending on the weather, it could take a little longer over the mountain pass into northern California. And again, we will be wearing our dry suits over layers of warm clothing.

map of route from Sacramento, CA to south of San Diego, CA

Sacramento to San Diego is approximately 830 km or 515 miles and can take 7 ½ hours depending on traffic through Los Angeles and San Diego. The weather may be warmer so we may not be wearing as many layers of warm clothes but we will continue to wear our dry suits to avoid getting soaked in rain showers.

We will likely remain just outside San Diego – closer to the US/Mexican border – for an additional day. We expect to purchase vehicle insurance this side of the Mexican border and anything else we feel we need for our trip into Baja California.

We also will take this extra day to remove layers of warm and rain-proof clothes and wear our lighter jackets, pants and vests that we have packed. This means being able to pack away our bulky, cold weather clothing in our bags on the back of the motorcycle. So I must pack with great care, leaving enough room in our bags for our cold weather clothes.

Tomorrow the Adventure begins!

Next: The Adventure Begins – Fighting the Cold to Washington