Baja, Mexico [Sept '10]

Don't Mess With Texas -- Sept 12th

Once back in San Antonio, Texas.  Jimmy got back to work and left Christine able to take me around the city and show me the sights, aka The Alamo and The River Walk.  The Alamo was a lot smaller than I thought it would be, but rich in history!  "Remember the Alamo!" will forever be a Texan saying.

Afterwards, we walked along the River Walk, which is weirdly below street level.  Cool nonetheless!

All this walking around left me hungry and once back to the house, I was able to convince Jimmy to go to the Old San Francisco Steakhouse, which my Grandfather had told me about.  I felt like I had stepped back in time to the roaring '20s and there was even a girl that was wearing a very short skirt, all-the-while swinging on a swing so high that she was able to kick the bell attached to the roof while live piano music filled the air.
*Update*  The Old San Francisco Steakhouse has since closed and is not open to the public anymore, but is available for private parties and catering events. 

  

All Good Things Must Come To An End -- Sept 11th

Today we packed up at Larry's and headed north out of town.  We briefly stopped for lunch at a random taco stand.. my lips were on fire when we left!  The spiciest food I had yet!
Next, we stopped in Ensenada to look around and pass some time.  Ensenada is the "hub" for the Baja 1000 and 500 races each year.  Many Baja enthusiasts often use Ensenada and the subsequent race course as a starting point to explore Baja's peninsula.  We wanted to kill some time so we would be at the border crossing late, minimizing traffic.  Jimmy and Christine were intrigued by something called Papas & Beer.  We went in to see what it was about.. come to find out it's a loud sports bar that attracts loud, obnoxious, and drunk American tourists.  This is one aspect of the US I hadn't missed.  We left and wondered up and down the streets in search of this huge Baja peninsula poster I had seen everywhere in bars, restaurants, etc. but nowhere for sale.  We finally scored.  This is my only 'real' souvenir from Mexico.  It was kinda expensive for a poster; but it's around 8 feet long with stunning details and pictures on premium gloss paper.
After we left Ensenada, we headed east towards Tecate, the next border crossing east of Tijuana.  Tecate is out of the way for most people but logistically, it was perfect for us.  It would have been even more perfect if the last 20 miles of road was an actual paved road.  They still hadn't fixed it from the earthquake and flood damages this past spring.  We averaged around 5 miles an hour on the temporary dirt road...  Finally at the border we weren't hassled too much.  Although we all had to get out of the truck for about 5 minutes while they did a quick search.  Meanwhile, I was stuck trying to converse with one of the military guards that kept asking friendly yet "necessary" questions...
All in all, it was a super trip.  I had a blast and I never once felt threatened by anything.  Baja is absolutely stunning.  If the off-road bit isn't your thing, just go for the culture.

Viva Erendira! -- Sept 10th

Sadly, Larry had to leave us to go on a trip.  That left me without the "bitchin" bike I'd been using..  :-(  We went for brunch at the 'gem' restaurant I mentioned a few days ago, I think the name is Mi Ranchito..  This time, I ordered shrimp done in garlic and butter with some rice and a small salad.
We're still using Larry's place as 'base camp' (cause he's that generous).  Today, Jimmy and I hit the trails north to end up in Erendira.  I ended up riding the quad.  I had gotten accustomed to riding the bike and loved it since it doesn't beat you up as much.  I was begging for the bike today!!  
After finding the way to Erendira, we rolled up to Coyote Cals.  This place is super popular with the Baja racing crowd and sometimes the flower children of generations past.  This "international hostel" is everything you could ask for!  Cheap and clean rooms, a barefoot bar, stunning ocean views, massages, surf lessons, and overall a super chill vibe.  We walked in and got a drink.  I had a Pina Colada.  Before leaving, we took in the views of the coast.

We rode some of the [Baja 500?] race course along the coast before turning inland to wind our way back home.  I never really realized how much a quad tosses you around..  Must, get, bike...  After we arrived back, we rested then went for dinner at this small stand Larry took us to our first night here.  They have these bangin' torta things (sandwiches).  I got it in chicken and also a chicken burrito.  I'm slamming down the food here cause I know my visit is coming to a close!  :(  We went back shortly after and gazed up at the stars.

Take The Bad With The Good -- Sept 9th

Back at Larry's today (Sept 9th).  Christine decided to stay behind and do some laundry.  That should have been a massive hint to me that today's ride would be substantially harder than any so far..  We ate lunch in town before leaving for our ride.  I slammed 3 fish tacos with a glass bottled Coke.  Can I please have any and all Mexican food readily at my fingertips back in the States?!

After that, we motored back into the mountains.  The ride was keeping me well occupied with ascents, descents, twists, turns, and terrain changes.  I was riding in the back, which was nice.  I ride my own ride that way.  I was handling everything with a fair amount of ease.  Then our route turned to single track and some was no-track.  The single track kept things very interesting and tested some of my newly acquired skills but since I was taking my time, I was fine.  Actually, I wasn't that far behind Larry and Jimmy.  Usually a minute or two and some of that was for their dust to subside.  But this no-track stuff had me using some choice words..  Between getting whacked from shrubbery, painstakingly avoiding cactus, stalling on inclines because of a poorly picked line... oh, the list goes on.  I'll need more practice to get the finesse down, but I held my own today!!  That's me carefully picking my way down the mountain:

Once we (finally, lol) got back to Larry's we did some chores and then he took me for a ride in the Baja race truck!  Yay!!  I had been waiting for this ever since I laid my eyes on that truck!  Man, that truck is SO awesome!  He took me on a variety of trails; some sand, some wide open, some hill climbs.  At one point we were just floating between 60-70 mph and the truck was soaking up the abusive terrain like nothing.  View out of the windshield:

  
All Play and More Play -- Sept 8th

I felt like shit this morning.  No wait, that's an understatement.  After coaxing my body into a functioning state, we hopped on the machines and sped down the beach a couple of miles to a resort that served breakfast.  I had delish french toast.  It was done with cinnamon, butter, big granular sugar, and I topped it with syrup.  I also ordered a fruit platter.  Shear heaven!  That's what my stomach needed.

We only rode a little today because we wanted to get back to Larry's at a reasonable time.  Christine stayed behind to pack up all of the stuff.  Jimmy and I tried to find our way to the "Old Mill" but weren't successful, so we just took to the beach and dunes again.  I managed to get the bike stuck in some quick sand..  Jimmy had to help me by lifting and pushing.  Shortly after that my dune riding was stopped for a few minutes when I laid the bike down.  As Jimmy would say, I "biffed in the sand."  Actually, it's not hard to do and he got himself stuck today too.  This was taken yesterday but shows a scenario of how you can get stuck.

Twist Throttle For Happiness -- Sept 7th

Yesterday we left Larry's and headed south to Cielito Lindo in San Quintin.  Stopped at Mision Santa Isabel for breakfast.  I had an egg, ham, and cheese dish.  I piled it all in some corn tortillas.  That made it awesome! 

Cielito Lindo sits inland less than a mile from the ocean.  It was a very nice place; cool desert landscaping, restaurant, bar, and most importantly, beach access for our bikes!  And for $20 a night, no complaining necessary!  We unloaded and then Jimmy, Christine, and myself unleashed the fury of the machines.  It was a BLAST cruising down the beach on the bike!!  Engine wide open just cruising mile after mile.  If you wanted to, you could go until you run out of gas!  It's that open and desolate.

After just cruising down the beach, we decided to kick it up a notch.  Time for some sand dune action!  That was a blast too!  It's awesome riding on the dunes; the bike will sink in some spots so you have to be prepared to react.  If you have enough momentum, it's not really a problem.  For not riding a bike frequently, I'm handling this Honda with ease!

However, riding takes energy!  So we headed back and got cleaned up.  Cielito Lindo specializes in cracked crab claws.  It was $150 pesos for 2 pounds of crab.  $12.  Let the feast begin!  We each ordered our own..  I finished all of my 2 lbs of crabs because, well.. they were delish!  They were done in a butter, pepper, and paprika sauce.  I washed them down with 2 margaritas.  But something caught up with me and I was sick all night.  It could have been a couple of things but mainly I think since it was such a heavy meal, my stomach revolted..  At any rate, here's what dinner looked like before it came back up..  What a shame.

Easy Peasy -- Sept 6th

So today was... hmm.  The morning was good.  We used the leftover steaks from last night in the egg, onion, cheese, and garlic tortillas we made for brunch.  We got the warm n' fresh tortillas, eggs, and cheese from the little store across the street (once she finally decided to open for the day..).  They don't have set hours..  Welcome to Mexican time.  A late lunch was a pizza from Toto's--tomato, onions, and bacon.  Surprisingly, it was really good!  I wouldn't expect to find bangin' pizza in Mexico..  Christine made the Philippine barbecue sticks for dinner.  I'm not suffering for food while I've been here!
No riding today.  We spent some of today preparing for tomorrow's adventures.  Getting Larry's trailer ready, hooking it up, figuring out how to fit all the machines on it, packing for the overnight trip to some other little town in this region.  We'll leave early tomorrow morning.
That's about all.. nothing really happened today.  More or less just sat around.. which is still a good thing.  I read some of a book I brought, "Wish You Well", on Larry's patio.  It was late afternoon/early evening; the sun was getting low and the temperature started to dip.  The steady breeze blowing up the valley from the ocean was getting noticeably cooler.  The fog was building, tickling the mountain tops in the distance, but it was apparent it wasn't moving inland very fast, if at all.  I would occasionally catch myself not thinking about anything.  Just gazing out.

Riding -- Sept 5th

Today was a gorgeous day here.  It has cooled down dramatically and will now stay mild for the remainder of the trip.  Temps here are probably in the low 70s for highs--and with no humidity, it's fantastic!  We donned our riding gear and off we went.  Larry took us to the coastline where the first port on the Pacific Ocean was built.  There are still parts of the stone walls remaining.  It was really cool to see the remnants, let alone the stunning coast!  Just cliffs with little beach in this area.  The waves would slam against the rocks with such force it sent the water hurling towards the sky as if a bomb went off under the water.  Words can't really describe the beauty.

After that we motored on towards our lunch stop.  The restaurant we went to was a gem!  Gorgeous roofed patio for dining outside.  Bright and colorful flowers in abundance.  I had the Pescado Ranchero.  It was a fish fillet done in a sauce that included onions, tomatoes, and green peppers.  It also came with a Mexican rice and a small salad with tomatoes and avocado.  Delish!

Dinner was t-bone steaks with potatoes and onions done on the grill in tin foil as well as a vegetable mix.  Christine was mainly responsible for dinner.  She made this ginger sauce for the steaks..  My was it good!  Larry told Jimmy that he has a good woman and to not let her go.  No shit.  After dinner quite a few of Larry's friends that live in this town came over.  One of the visitors was Alejandra; she's 22.  Larry's teaching her to ride so she can race.  Everyone was really nice and fun to talk to, despite the language barrier.  I'm having to use more Spanish than ever.  But it seems that if you're thrust into a situation that requires learning, using, and understanding a language, you learn it a lot quicker than the "academic" way..

Mexico 101 -- Sept 4th

The ride down from Tijuana was interesting.  All down their coastal highway they have these HUGE resort/hotel buildings right on the ocean.  This goes on until around Ensenada and then it's just a twisty two lane road to get to here.  Some of the road is under serious repair due to the heavy rains washing out all of the bridges.
Got here, unpacked, chilled a little bit, convo-ed it up with Larry who is uber chill.  This guy is living the life, lemme tell ya.  He's as laid back as can be.  A US-born citizen but chooses to live down here in Mexico in this little town, called San Vincete.  He lives in a trailer right now but he is building a really nice house.  I'm staying in the main room and it's not finished but it's still very nice.  He's quite the gear-head and has the machines to back it up.  Over 10 bikes, a Baja race truck, 2 dune buggies, etc.
We decided to take a short spin after getting settled in.  It turned into a late evening ride, with darkness soon overcoming everything.  This dirt bike business takes some getting used to..  There's no electric start?  Kickstarting, huh?  ...and it takes a certain finesse along with Superman legs?  Crap.. problems and I don't even have the wheels turning yet..  But I am getting the hang of it.  Basically the short spin was a 'get a feel for the bike' ride and I handled very well.  Once I have a few days with this particular bike under my belt, most issues should be solved.  Oh, did I mention it's DUSTY down here?
Moving on to dinner.  Don't know what I had but it was GOOD!!  Larry ordered me the same thing he ordered because it all sounded so good.  Plus he goes there frequently so how could he go wrong?  Avacado, lettuce, grilled tomatos and onions, and beef all on the sourdough-like bread.  Total came to around $15 for ALL 5 of us to eat.  Yes, 5 people for $15.  We also made our own margaritas.  Baaannngginnn'!!

San Diego & Tijuana -- Sept 3rd

First day we wandered around in San Diego some..  We went to a store called Seafood City.  Apparently it is Philippine based.  Jimmy stocked up (12 cases) of Red Horse beer.  Then we went to the coast and walked all the way to the border on the beach.  That border fence isn't really robust.  You can see through to both sides because it is a chain-link fence with metal bars spaced about a foot or two apart.  As the fence goes into the water, the chain-link part stops and if you really wanted to swim and squeeze through, you could.  They had a border patrol agent stationed there to make sure that doesn't happen...

Then it was Tijuana time.  Walked across the border with what appeared to be everyone BUT Americans...  Wandered around the "flea market" part of town, which is quite huge.  Ate at some Mexican joint that has Dos Equis as their staple.  I had the beef fajitas.  After, we walked around and went into this bar/club.  Either Tijuana has tasteless alcohol or my taste buds weren't working.. I think I had 4-6 margaritas.  Then Jimmy and Christine sucked me into trying the mechanical bull.  I lasted pretty long, screaming all of the time for the guy to stop the "ride".  I fell off and landed right on the wooden base of the bull platform, of course.  I am now sore and have a raw spot on my back..  Oh well, fun no doubt!