Yesterday, as I rolled into the pit of LA it started raining - a lot. By the time I hit the center of the hole it was monsoon-downpouring Noah-and-his-ark rain. It's the first rain of the year and all the storm drains are backing up and in large areas ponds have developed on the freeway and in sections water is splashing in waves onto my lap from the oncoming traffic - I was wearing gear and I was still soaked to the cahones. Don't forget there are about 300 merging freeways with overcrosings and merging messes designed for about one-half the traffic and southern californians wet their pants at the first sign of a drizzle. Somewhere about Pasadina I should have pulled over and taken a pictute. Anyway, I continued south towards San Diego and as I'm passing Carlsbad I pulled over for gas and looked up my aunt carol who has always extended an open invitation - she graciously invited me in and then made dinner too... Thanks Aunt Carol!
I got a late start leaving Carlsbad this morning (11:15) and rolled across the border at 13:00. I took the bypass around Tijuana - they moved the border crossing since last I traveled south - as before, entering Mexico is easy - but the return back into the EEUU looks like the biggest cluster-fcuk since Gorgito declared shock and awe against our Frankenstein - We're talking grinding traffic FOR MILES AND MILES on two-lane surface streets with intersections. I guess Mexico didn't get that memo while we were busy building a whole new freeway and ICE checkpoint...
And then there is Tijuana.
After I crawled over 10 miles of ill conceived and poorly built "highways" I finally hit the "scenic route" and drove under a huge sign saying "Thank you for visiting Tijuana" - Por Favor, NO BODY actually visits Tijuana.
There was a time when the highway south of TJ was fairly pretty with beaches down in Rosarito that welcomed crazy kids and sailors - that was until the would-be expats (but they had to be close enough to physically cash their social security checks because this was before electronic deposits and international banks) started building. Then came deregulation and the age of excess when we all just had to have a beach house in Mexico. Jump forward 10 years and now there are PUDs full of poorly built concrete McMansions and condo towers interspersed among McCheesy hotels and Tecate distributors. Today it appears they were a little late (again?) getting the memo about that whole housing bubble thing. There seem to be a lot of Seriously-Nasty condo towers with huge signs reading "Priced from the low 300s" and I'm wondering: Pesos? 'cause I just can't see $300k US walking south to buy a concrete-box next to a freeway with a lagoon that doubles as a water treatment plant. It's become this twilight zone with the wanna-be's invading the poorest poor (and visa-versa) for 60 miles and it ain't working. OR, maybe I'm completely wrong and Tijuana has developed a burgeoning middle class that has been infected with an enthusiasm for self agrandisement; NYET.
And then you get to Ensenada, poor dear Ensanada. She was never pretty, but then the low-budget cruise operators had their PR departments reinvent the place on paper (and probably to a few, select officials), but in the mean time a rustic sea port and drinking heaven for SoCals wonderlust rich kids (pre-cancun) has just gotten denser and dirtier and feels like its become an extension of Tijuana (or Compton) and that's really too bad. But that big white cruise ship sure looks pretty from a distance and I'm sure the captured tourists wandering the same 12 streets have boosted the economy of about 1200 families.
This "prosperity" extends in an industrial and very third-world way south to about the turn off for La Bufadora" and then it turns back into the Baja California of old.
I hit two military check points today. I guess children in uniforms with guns is better than children with guns without the uniforms.
The Federalis are back - except now they have these tricked-out flat black Cameros and there are local Policia everywhere driving Chevy Silverado pickups painted black and white with a large chartruise stripe wrapping the thing... Somebody and GM (oh, and the police) made out on that deal...
When driving in Mexico learn this
AGAIN, Nick - When you see gas - BUY GAS! I got down to a quarter tank and then for the next two hours every town I hit had no power. No power = no gas pumps. I finally pulled into El Rosario as the shadows were getting long. It's a quiet little town on the west coast that's gotten a following and boost from the Baja 1000 riders. All the fishing posters are slowly being covered with motorcycle parts logos and dot-com bumper stickers.
I got the no-power hotel rate (200 pesos) and wandered over to Mama Espinozas for a meal and a beer by candle light.
If you're looking at a map El Rosario is along the coast before the highway does a dogleg inland about 1/4 of the way down the peninsula.
Tomorrow I'll take more pictures.
Sent from my phone
When driving in Mexico learn this AGAIN, Nick - When you see gas - BUY GAS! I got down to a quarter tank and then for the next two hours every town I hit had no power. No power = no gas pumps. I finally pulled into El Rosario as the shadows were getting long. It's a quiet little town on the west coast that's gotten a following and boost from the Baja 1000 riders. All the fishing posters are slowly being covered with motorcycle parts logos and dot-com bumper stickers.
