for motorcyclists from San Diego, via Highway 94, is 44 miles (from downtown) and takes about an hour to the campground and park. Potrero offers 39 RV sites with 15, 30 and 50 amp connections, and potable water that tastes great, every one heading to Baja fills up prior to departure. Te showers are hot and the bathrooms clean. A common pull-through dump station is located at the entrance/ exit to the campground. Tere’s lots to see and do within the park itself, including hiking, walking and birding. Wildlife abounds - from rare predators, like bobcats, to more usual suspects such as mule deer, racoons, skunks, wild rabbits, Red-tailed and Coopers hawks, acorn woodpeckers, owls, jays, gopher snakes - and we cannot forget to mention the ground squirrels everywhere (watch out for holes), and coyotes of course (you may not see them but you will certainly
hear them). Potrero is Spanish for “pasturing
place”, and the Kumeyaay Indians inhabited the entire region, which includes northern Baja, Mexico, until the mid 1850s. Past Kumeyaay life can still be found throughout the park – a fact that is evident on large rocks that are pitted and smoothed where abundant acorns were likely ground into a meal.
Gaskill Brothers’ Stone Store and Museum Te well-built stone building was the result of a raid on the original frame store of the Gaskill brothers by border bandits in 1875. Te furious gun battle that ensued prompted the early settlers of East County to build a more secure, fortress-like stone store. Constructed post 1875 raid it still stands to remind us the “wild west” was real not just TV fiction. When
the host of the museum tells the story you can easily imagine the chaos of the event and the bravery of those resisting the raid from real Banditos. Te new and improved “store” also functioned as a bank, post office, and social center for the community.
Tecate, Mexico Only a 10 minute drive (6 miles) from Potrero, Tecate is a town with about 65,000 people, and provides a glimpse of life in a non-tourist town. Take the tour at the famous Tecate brewery, an easy walk from the border and free. You can park on the US side at the convenience store for $5 all day, no need for a tourist card, just a valid passport. If you have never been to Mexico this is a great opportunity to experience a different culture without the pressure of big crowds or pushy vendors (as in Tijuana).
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