where is it and is it worth the ride? how far from midway?

I wish I knew. I've heard mention of it several times but never gotten a straight answer. A few weeks before easter my landlord was in town and while I was trying to make it back to camp from the big bowls without running out of gas (I didn't make it) he took off to show his girlfriend the extreme southern end of the dunes.

He said it's only a couple of miles into mexico before suddenly the dunes stop and it's fields as far as you can see. So it can't be that hard to find the punchbowl.

I've also heard it called the blowhole unless that's another hidden Mexican treat.

No matter what I can't recommend crossing the border. The BP has been beefed up quite a bit since Sept 11th and they have no humor at all about people crossing the border illegally. People have had their buggies and quads confiscated for crossing at places other than the port of entries and it's NOT fun, easy or cheap to get them back.

jhitsema: What's the Mexican Punch bowl?

BTW Funny story about the BP. We had a big group camping on the Buttercup side all the way down grays well road on a nice ridge. Later that nigh a BP truck rolled up and set up shop. They had this crazy night infrared monitor set up in the back of the truck. We went up to check it out and the dude let us in to check it out. Man, they can see like 10 miles into mexico. They have cameras set up on top of those towers out there. We were watching some guys on quads raging around by the border at night. They were five miles away and we could easily see them. So be careful if you are doing something unlawful down there. The white coats are watchin you!!!!!

I'm still not sure what it is. I've just heard mention of it several times but no one has ever given me a good description or location.

The blow hole I mentioned was supposedly a mini guyser type of thing but apparantly is no longer active from the latest info I've heard.

I think what you guys are referring to, I know as Mexican Hole(or bowl). It is located after the fourth valley along the border markers. Just follow the markers until you hit the dunes after the fourth valley. An easy way is just to leave comp and head straight east. It is a long ride, so gas up. It is'nt much of a bowl now, but when I was a kid(25 years ago), you could park a buggy at the bottom of it, and crawl underneath it. It really was a cylindrical bowl.

The blow hole is near rosorito on the ocean...water rushes into a cave and blows water about 50ft(maybe more) into the air...

You mean La Bufadora? Thats a couple miles south of Ensenada.

yeah thats the one...couldn't remember exactly...

quote:

---

Originally posted by RIDE RED and on 3:
I think what you guys are referring to, I know as Mexican Hole(or bowl). It is located after the fourth valley along the border markers. Just follow the markers until you hit the dunes after the fourth valley. An easy way is just to leave comp and head straight east. It is a long ride, so gas up. It is'nt much of a bowl now, but when I was a kid(25 years ago), you could park a buggy at the bottom of it, and crawl underneath it. It really was a cylindrical bowl.

---

Crawl underneath what, the buggy or the bowl?

I think you guys are talking about two different things.

Yeah Wayne, I was talking about the bowl at buttercup, they are talking about a geyser down in Mexico. You could crawl underneath the buggy, not the bowl, I don't know how to do that .