SAN FELIPE, BAJA, VACATION

SATURDAY APRIL 5 TO SATURDAY APRIL 19, 1997

15 DAYS / 2,314 MILES

DAY 1 APRIL 5, 1997: Let me start by stating that if the second 48 hours of this trip had been anything like the first 48 hours, I would probably have rolled both bikes over a cliff and jumped over after them. Fortunately, things brightened up considerably and I was not faced with this choice. Read on and tell me what you think. We had been hoping to leave by 9:00 a.m., but I was the slow one and despite a whole day’s worth of tying up loose ends yesterday I was still not ready this morning. While packing her gear, Dana heard a loud snap as she kneeled down; the sound was her new $110 sunglasses experiencing a fatal spinal separation. Expensive trip already. She had a backup pair of sunglasses so we were soon off on the road. The weather was nice enough for April, just a little cool, but we left with me wearing a tee-shirt around 11:00 a.m. Traffic was somewhat light and slackened to near nothing by the time we got past Brentwood. We jammed on down I-5, stopping only for gas in Coalinga, and a light snack at the Shop Stop at Apricot Inn. We left the freeway at Stockdale Highway, soon taking a gas stop in Bakersfield. I figured it would be cool at the Tehachapi Summit on Highway 58 so I put on my sweatshirt here but left my jacket off anyway, thinking it would be a short spell until it warmed up on the opposite downhill side. This was not the case and the chill that began on the way up the mountain stayed until we stopped. I put on my jacket in Kramer Junction but should have put in on earlier. We had only a half hour or so of riding after dark until we arrived in Barstow, our planned stop, around 7:00 p.m.. We had dinner prior to heading for the motel. We got a nice room and tonight was Daylight Savings Time set-back night, so we were looking at losing an hour sleep. Prior to dozing off I thought I felt a little tweaking rasp in my throat. No biggie, right????????

DAY 2 APRIL 6, 1997: We awoke around 9:00 a.m. but didn’t get rolling until after 11:00. We backtracked a little to Lenwood where the "Factory Outlet Stores" are located and where Dana figured to score a new set of sunglasses. Yes, she had broken the second pair, too. Rough girl - it seems like I should think about it before I let her handle anything of mine in the future…… We got to the stores where Dana found suitable replacement shades, topped off the fuel tanks and hit the freeway…… almost. It seems that Dana’s bike didn’t want to move out of first gear. Stuck in first; the clutch acted okay, the bike ran all around in first, but would not shift up into neutral or second. We got the bike off the onramp and parked over at Rip Griffin’s truck stop and grabbed the Yellow Pages and started calling. It was fortunate that Victorville Harley-Davidson, only 30 miles away, was open on Sunday, but unfortunate that it was only open for clothes and parts with no mechanic on duty. It was fortunate that they would take her bike if we could get it there within the next couple of hours but unfortunate that the store is closed on Monday and the bike would not be checked until Tuesday. We were then able to get a tow service that took care of bikes and that would even charge our tow policy so we didn’t have to pay a lot. The bike arrived at Victorville prior to closing time so we were all set. We transferred Dana’s stuff to my bike and jettisoned some of my stuff to make room for everything then headed out for Las Vegas, which was now farther away, but actually had been our planned stop for the evening. We were still on time, somehow, and Dana’s bike was safe so we could relax a bit more. About the time we were feeling sorry for ourselves we stopped at the rest Stop east of Barstow and found a couple there from Florida whose car had blown up and who were sort of stranded 3,000 miles from home with only a couple of bags of clothes. I somehow didn’t feel so let down after seeing these folks stuck out here with no car and no money. We stopped for a good lunch in Baker where we had the good fortune to see the World’s Tallest Thermometer. It was tall, all right, but neither I nor Dana could figure out if it was of the oral or rectal variety. What’s the difference, you may ask? The taste! Anyway we climbed up out of the valley after lunch and found it getting cooler at the summit. It wasn’t too much longer we were dropping into State Line then Las Vegas. We got our room and then took off on my bike to explore the town. We cruised "The Strip" then cruised out Tropicana to the Lucky Store for room snacks. That little sore throat that I felt last night had now turned into something that had my attention and had me hoping for divine intervention. Before going back to the room we stopped where I had a couple of large bowls of cream of broccoli soup in an effort to ward off a seriously sore throat. We went back to the room and hung out.

DAY 3 APRIL 7, 1997: I woke up around 3:00 a.m. with a throat that felt as if someone had shoved a hot coal down it. I couldn’t swallow and it felt glued shut. I laid around for an hour or so waiting for it to open up a little but if anything it got worse. I got up and dressed to go find a doctor or clinic and Dana woke up, too, saying she’d check the Yellow Pages and she soon found a nearby all-night "tourist clinic" down by Caesar’s Palace. We got bundled up and walked downstairs to find that my bike had been the target of an attempted theft. During the past four hours, someone had taken a pair of ViceGrips to the ignition switch and twisted it forcibly in an effort to activate the ignition. Well, the ignition doesn’t quite work like that, so the attempt failed and the would-be thieves left without the bike. But they left me a bike with an inoperable ignition switch. I couldn’t get it to turn on or do anything to get me to the clinic, so we just left it and called for a cab. After a brief going-over by a most righteous doctor who said things about infections, allergies, post-nasal drip and Bad Things In General, I was given three shots in the ass with square needles and had a prescription called in for antibiotics. Of course the visit couldn’t be charged to my local health plan from home so there went more trippin’ cash. The medication would be delivered free to my hotel I was told, and I thought, "How Nice." Then I thought if it can be delivered without charge it can’t be cheap. Anyway we did manage to find a free shuttle back to the hotel where I called the local Harley dealer and explained my problem. "We’ll fix ya up", I was told. A few minutes later a guy from the shop showed up with a trailer and took my bike away saying he’d get right on it and I should call later. Luckily, our hotel was right in the middle of the new part of The Strip so Dana and I walked over to MGM for breakfast then walked all over looking at the new casinos and their related touristy things. Very nice, indeed. We spent all afternoon walking around and at about 3:30 I phoned the H-D shop to see what was up. The man said the bike was finished and that if I was back at the hotel at 4:00 he’d have someone pick me up. Not a bad deal. We walked back over to the room where in passing the office I picked up my prescription and was able to verify my theory that the medicine with the free delivery was not cheap. "Mo’ money, mo’ money." We hung out for a bit and soon there was a knock on the door. What a great surprise we had - the man who was "sent" to pick us up was Gary Bang Jr., a very good friend from Atascadero, California Harley-Davidson who we had been missing since his departure from there a few months earlier. We had tried to visit him in Atascadero several times, but found each time that he was "gone" for one reason or another - vacation, working on his new home, etc. We knew there was more to it but the tight-lipped employees at Atascadero were not much help. As it turned out, Gary has bought into the complex of Harley-Davidson stores in Las Vegas and is spending his time at the main store, Southern Nevada Harley-Davidson downtown on East Sahara. He just happened to pass through the shop earlier that day and saw my bike and recognized it. He set it up to pick me up and what a surprise it was. Kinda like old home week. So now we know where he is and can visit often. Another surprise when we got to the shop was that there were other employees there that we know from California shops, so we had quite a good visit. I lucked out on my bike in that the repair was quite basic and other than the ignition switch nothing had been damaged. As it was a $ 180.00 knob/housing, I was glad there was no more. What with bike troubles and a slammed-shut throat, this vacation is already expensive. I realize always though that "it could have been worse." Before leaving the shop Dana presented me with a small but effective "Kryptonite" brake disk lock in a fluorescent orange, high-visibility finish. It was her feeling that the crooks who tried for my bike would not have been so fast to act if they knew they couldn’t have ridden the bike off, so perhaps this little lock will be a deterrent in the future. I’m certain that when combined with the new alarm that I’ll have soon, the lock will work out fine. I’ve never worried about any of my bikes being outside too much, what with eight Harleys that have spent literally thousands of nights in motel parking lots in 49 states and parts of Canada and Mexico, but this one lone experience in Las Vegas will prompt me to take a better look at security. About time, huh? One can be lucky for just so long. With one bike back in operation we were set for a night out on the town. We visited my Aunt and Uncle who live in town and who we get to see only every few years. After that we done a weird thing - we went and got married again, or at least kinda went through the motions. Oddly enough, this day was our anniversary and we had read some pamphlets that showed strange types of wedding chapels with even stranger ceremonies with some indicating they could "renew" or "reaffirm" wedding vows. Dana looked interested so I made a couple of secret phone calls and set it all up. I took off with Dana on the back of the bike and actually went to a drive-up window at a chapel and had the minister re-affirm our vows as we sat on the bike. Just like picking up a bag of tacos at Jack-In-The-Box, we drove up, told the guy (not a burger flipper but Reverend Juan) what we wanted and he set up a little music, read a little from the Bible, told us we were cool, relieved us of a few shekels and sent us on our way - without the tacos, but feeling pretty good anyway. Crazy? Weird? I dunno, but it was different, anyway, and since Dana and I still kinda-sorta like each other just a little teeny bit it was a nice touch. After that we jammed off to dinner at Battista’s Hole In The Wall, which was suggested by a friend back home. It was a very good dinner but our friend failed to mention the high price tag that accompanied the pasta. All in all it was worth a trip to say we’ve been there, but until they have a half-off sale, I’ll stay away. We sped around some more then went back to the room and walked next door to the Tropicana to lose our token bankroll. I only dumped a $20 so I didn’t feel so bad, especially since I walked out of here with a spare $250 last month when I was here with Kenny K. We stopped at the little mini-mart on the way back in and bought a couple of sodas and went back to the room for the evening. What a strange couple of days. With Dana’s bike still sitting in Victorville at a shop that won’t open to even look at it until tomorrow, all we could do tonight was kick back, watch TV and hope for a better tomorrow. Tonight, I parked the bike right in front of the hotel office where the guard hangs out until 5:00 a.m. Hindsight, foresight, etc……….

DAY 4 APRIL 8, 1997: We did not get much of an early start today, leaving the hotel around 11:00 am. We cruised out of town on the frontage business road, picking up the freeway at the west end. It was clear, windy and slightly cool, only cooling slightly more over the hills going into California. At the fuel stop at Stateline Dana called and found her bike was ready for pickup. As her battery had seemed to be a bit weak lately and seeing as how we were headed to Mexico where help is rare, I phoned the dealer when Dana could not hear me and asked that they install a new battery in her bike as well, and since it was a surprise not to tell her. We jammed non-stop to the shop and picked up her bike which had been the victim of a broken "pawl" in the transmission. It was cheaper to fix than mine had been so she lucked out there. We discussed our accumulative problems thus far and came to the conclusion that because our breakdowns, damages, etc., had occurred in such a manner that help was available, that we had actually had pretty good luck for having such bad luck to begin with. Confusing, I know, but it seemed to make us feel lucky that we were out here and on the go. I was afraid to ask if anything else bad could happen, so I didn’t ask and it didn’t happen, knock on wood. We relocated all the stuff to the proper places on the bikes, said farewell to the helpful folks at the shop (I had to sneak back in and pay for the battery) and jammed out intending to get past the metropolitan areas before rush hour. I told Dana about her new battery a very short time later and she was pleased. Traffic was light and it was still sort of cool and windy as we cruised through San Bernardino and Riverside. As the population thins out around Beaumont, we pulled off for some fast food there. It was a short stop and we hit the road again stopping for fuel in Indio where it had warmed to the high eighties. We left the interstate here for a very windy ride down past the Salton Sea. I’m talking 40-50 mph sidewinds from the right (west) that caused us to ride sideways most of the time. I looked in the mirror a few times to see Dana leaned over, looking like Kenny Roberts going through a tight turn. We got into El Centro a bit after dark and found our motel and unpacked. Later I grabbed a milk shake to help out my still-screwy throat. We done a couple of loads of laundry at the motel laundry and while doing so met a very nice young guy who had just hired on as a Border Patrol officer at the El Centro station. He was preparing to leave on an early flight the next day for his training academy in Georgia. He was an unusual guy in that he was from Idaho where he says illegal immigrants, or even non-whites are rare, but his mother is from Central America so he has been speaking both English and Spanish since birth. Now he is dumped in the middle of a border town where he is the only white boy. He says he likes it and I’m sure with his attitude and by the things he said he will be pleased with his career and will do his job well. I didn’t get his first name but his last is Snyder, so if you run into him while you’re trying to sneak back into the U.S., tell him HI for us. We just stayed in this evening and planned our next day. It cooled off wonderfully this evening and the wind stayed present all night.

DAY 5 APRIL 9, 1997: We were up at 8:00 a.m. and took off to do the preparations which included bagging more cash from the last Versateller automated teller in the U.S., then converting a load of cash into U.S. five- and one-dollar bills for ease and safety while in Mexico. Then we cruised off to the AAA Insurance place where we bought some Travelers Cheques and purchased Mexican Insurance. The insurance is required by the Mexican government and protects the motorist involved in a collision as U.S. insurance is not recognized there. We asked the AAA lady where to have breakfast and she suggested Burgers and Beer which was nearby so we stopped off for a very good and huge omelet. We returned to the motel, packed the rest of our stuff and jammed down to the border, a 20 minute ride. We topped off our tanks with the last American fuel we’d see for a while, then cruised down to the new commercial port of entry to the east, thereby avoiding long lines at the main crossing. Once inside Mexico I went to two federal offices to turn in our tourist card applications but the cops there said we’d be okay if we weren’t venturing past San Felipe. We cruised through greater downtown Mexicali, which is a dirty and busy area with much traffic and after several miles of this we found that the town slackened off to a slow pace. Eventually the road turned into a smallish two-lane road that left town. There was very little traffic after town and the road and scenery was great as we passed through some small farmlands and villages. The speed limits vary frequently from 55 mph to 35 mph, even slower while on stretches that would support higher speeds. Eventually the road crossed into a barren dry lake bed and continued in these environs until we approached San Felipe. The Mexican Army had two contraband checks set up along the highway and stopped all traffic and inquired as to the purpose of the trip, what was being carried, etc. The soldiers were very young and polite and treated us well, and despite our Harley-Davidsons and appearance would flag us through the checkpoints after a brief conversation, even though we saw them searching the cars of characters of a less shady nature. We must have just looked like "good" folks. Approaching San Felipe, the Sea of Cortez becomes visible to the east and the highway does an abrupt end at the sea wall in town. From there, there are two other paved roads in this small town, one going north along the waterfront and boardwalk and one coming back the next block over. These two streets are "town" although there are a couple dozen dirt roads that comprise the rest of the town. The air is very clean and as the wind usually blows out to the sea there is no heavy ocean type odors as in many places. The temperatures were in the mid-80s and cooler in the afternoons and evenings. We cruised town once to get the layout then checked into the Hotel El Cortez, a wise choice by Dana. The hotel sits on the beach at the edge of town a few blocks from the main walkway, which places it close enough to walk a few blocks to town but far enough to be free from the town center noises and traffic. We unpacked and checked out the immediate area then later walked to dinner at "Beans and Rice," a very nice café across from the beach on the main strip. This was Dana’s first time experiencing the "Baja fish taco," Baja’s staple diet item for both touristas and locals. The dinner was great and we were pleased by a roaming guitar soloist who is one of only a few who know Dana’s favorite song from the Antonio Banderas movie, Desperado. He sang well and we left feeling stuffed and happy. We walked around the shopping area and I picked up some snacks for the room and an ice cream, too. One of the first things Dana saw was a landmark restaurant, "The Bearded Clam." "Yuck!", she says, "we can’t go there." Okay, fine. After dumping the stuff off at the room, we walked down to the hotel’s lounge and sat on an outside balcony and watched the water, the fishing boats, the twinkling lights of nearby harbors and the constant fireworks being set off on the beaches nearby. After a beer and Margarita (one buck each) we walked back to the room where we found we were short a light bulb for the bed lamp. After we asked the office for a replacement bulb and then figured out they were pretty slow about things, Dana and I went on a military-style recon and recover mission during which the enemy’s bulb was liberated from an upstairs balcony by secret agent Double-Oh-Dana. After 11 years, I see she can be "stealthy." Scary, isn’t it? That was it for the day. We stayed in and listened to fireworks and fell asleep happy.

DAY 6 APRIL 10, 1997: We were up at 8:00 a.m. I’d like to report that my hellacious throat problem had cleared up, but it was still giving me problems. Just enough to let me know it hadn’t forgotten me, and the cough that was almost gone had returned. Dana surprised me with birthday cards - I had forgotten it was my birthday today, so what a neat surprise. She told me she’d take me to some place special for dinner. Too cool. Forty-five years old and having a Mexican birthday. Yowza!!! Dana took a jog on the beach and I kinda stumbled along behind her picking up shells and other stuff. Soon after, we walked to Beans And Rice for breakfast, this café having been adopted by Dana as a host for the week (they have a fruit salad plate for breakfast and fish tacos for dinner.) I had a great shrimp omelet and afterwards we took a short walk and went back to the room. My food and digestion schedules had been thrown off by the early morning wake-ups, the medication from Las Vegas (yeah, there was a warning to this effect on the label,) and all the walking and I almost didn’t make it back to the room after breakfast. Taking short steps with my knees together saved the day. We filled out post cards and walked up the hill to the post office to mail them. We also stopped at a computer Internet place next to the hotel. This American guy moved to San Felipe last year and has his little store where for $3.00 you can use his computer for fifteen minutes to e-mail stuff home or just surf the net. Dana e-mailed a short letter to her work and I done one quick message to a couple of folks with e-mail addresses I could remember. We bought juice from a local vendor and went back to the hotel where we swam in the pool and laid in the sun for a while. That afternoon I soaked the bugs off the bikes’ windshields and front ends so they wouldn’t stick too badly. We decided later that the big birthday bash would be at the "Rock-O-Dile", San Felipe’s premier hot spot. The sign indicated it was a bar and grill; when we arrived for dinner we found that all the grilling resulted in was a few snack items on a wall menu, so we left for better fare. We walked a few feet and there it was - dinnertime at the………… yep, The Bearded Clam. It was pretty slow, as was the whole town in mid-week, and we were one of only two couples dining here. There was a small local crowd at the bar. Dana was apprehensive, but the food was great, the service was superb and the prices were low. As an added treat, the in-house juke box was kicked into action by the bartender and for reasons I’ll never know, played the entire album, "Lone Star Beer and Bob Wills Music" by the Red Steagall band. Now most of you will never be able to even begin to imagine just what a treat this was, but lemme tell ya, this was positively the icing on the cake. I have owned this rare album since 1976 - that’s 21 years - and have never heard any of it played in a public place. So it was my obligation to sing it out to the rest of the patrons in the establishment. I didn’t get any applause, but the waitress did keep an eye on us from that point on. Yep, the whole honky-tonk album. It was a birthday I’ll always remember, I’ll tell ya that. I don’t think Dana was even too much embarrassed. Having been present for my numerous antics upon many occasions, she usually just shrugs and continues doing what she’s doing. Except maybe when I sang and danced at the New Orleans Hard Rock Café gift shop last year on the way to Daytona Bike Week, when I think she was getting people out of the way, but that’s another travel story. Anyway, yes, a truly gala birthday affair. Afterwards we walked around the central area. For the sore throat, I picked up a malt at the local Thrifty ice cream place while walking back to the hotel. Once at the hotel we heard another biking couple arrive. We introduced ourselves to Dave and Sparky from La Habra, California. He is a retired auto painter and decorator and she is employed at the public school district near her home. They ride a shiny red "new, experimental, prototype Porsche, hot-rod touring motorcycle" type of bike (yeah, he’s retired but still does tricky things to Honda ST-1100 bikes.) They unpacked and joined us for a walk to the hotel lounge for a short relaxing visit to the balcony again. Everything is $1 during happy hour so we had to sit for a few extra minutes. Dave and Sparky were on a long weekender, having just left home that morning and having no true itinerary for the next few days. Judging from his comments regarding his bike and bikes in general, and from looking at his present steed, I feel it is safe to say that Dave and Sparky don’t take too long to get from Point A to Point B. It was a fine bike indeed. We told them that we were thinking about a ride farther south to Puertocitos the next day and Dave indicated they may like to head north to Calexico and see something different. We headed back to the rooms around 11:00 p.m. and got rested up for the next day.

DAY 7 APRIL 11, 1997: I woke up at 8:00 a.m., after having coughed all night. We walked down town for breakfast at Beans and Rice again and found Dave and Sparky just finishing up there. We had yet another phenomenal repast ("divorced eggs" is quite a treat.) We walked around town for a few minutes again, picking up some cough syrup for "the sick kid." As we approached the hotel we ran across Dave and Sparky leaving town on their bike. They stopped and said ‘bye and left their address for future contact. Dana brought up the possibility that we may want to vacate San Felipe a day early and migrate over to Ensenada ahead of time. I thought maybe that would be okay and we tried to use several pay phones to call Ensenada TraveLodge but despite the help from several people at the hotel and the Tourist Bureau down the street we could never make the phones work. Looks like we’ll stick to the original plan. We fired up the bikes and hit the road for Puertocitos. What a road - what a ride. The road wasn’t as bad as some I’d seen down the west side of Baja, but you had to keep your speed down and your eyes open. Very large potholes were common and there were spots where 15 mph and much dodging were necessary. To be fair, there were many stretches where you could cruise right along. Once in Puertocitos, the pavement turned to dirt. The last two miles had been 10 mph roads and now a hard-packed dirt road was ahead. We stopped and Dana was turning around when a dirt biker stopped and told us the best part was only another mile ahead. He was insistent that we go or the trip would be a waste. We balked at the road and he took off and returned just two minutes later stating that he had make it to the end in that time. I left Dana and scouted out the road to the villa. It looked safe for Dana so I returned and got her and we went down to the villa, a café/bar/store with a patio and a view of the bay and islands. Yes, it was worth the short dirt cruise. We had sodas and a snack and headed back on the road. Knowing where the bad parts of the road lay on our return, we done the 55 mile return trip in about an hour an fifteen minutes as opposed to the two hour trip out. Not too shabby. It was cooler and a bit more windy on the return and we hit town around 4:45 p.m. We decided to pamper ourselves tonight so we went to the big Gringo restaurant, the El Nido Steak House. They have El Nidos in other places in Mexico we’d been before so we were ready for the American prices, but what we wanted was great food. That is exactly what we got in our steak and shrimp dinners with all the trimmin’s. A splendid dinner as is typical for El Nido. We left with bigger bellies and slower walks. Back at the hotel we were sitting outside and some other guest who had a bit too much to drink fell down the concrete stairs while trying to pull his lounge chair down to the patio. I helped him up and he seemed to be okay but I know he’ll feel it all later. We took another walk "downtown" later for an ice cream cone and some more cough syrup. I think the heavy doses of Noctyl (Mexican NyQuil) a few times each night are starting to help me sleep a little. Dana bought a real pretty multi-colored necklace for a couple of bucks from a street guy. A bit later a group of about 8 dirt bike riders pulled in and parked near our bikes. I spoke to them briefly and they had just pulled in from a long ride from Ensenada, during which they had traveled over 200 miles in the dirt across Baja, never on a paved road, sometimes in places where there was snow on the ground in the high mountain passes they crossed. They looked completely pooped out and couple were moving pretty slowly, but they looked happy about accomplishing such a feat and to finally be at the hotel where they could quit for the day. These guys hit their rooms and were not heard from again this night.

DAY 8 APRIL 12, 1997: We were up early and went to breakfast at 9:30 at the hotel restaurant. It was nice and we ate on the outside patio. I had some pretty good machaca and eggs while Dana opted for huevos rancheros. There were quite a few more people around town today, so many that it looked like a tourist town for a change. After a while Dana went to sun near the pool and I took both bikes up to the "7-elleven" (I never figured out if it was a real 7-11 or a weird play on words and copyright violation) to top off the tanks after yesterday’s ride. We later showered up and after a fiasco finding the laundry room key, done laundry at the hotel’s lavateria. Around 5:00 we walked to town and had dinner at Rosita’s, the café which belongs to the brother of the dude that runs Beans and Rice. Dana had her fish tacos and I had a huge Mexican plate. The food has been great in town all week and tonight was no different. We walked town again after dinner and I picked up a couple of Cuban cigars to try out. I don’t smoke but the fact that the U.S. Government doesn’t allow these into the U.S. just makes me want to have one. Like a little kid, I know, but hey - I got my "Cubano" and that’s all I have to say about that. We visited the Rock-O-Dile Store and got Dana a souvenir tee shirt and I picked up a magnet for the refrigerator while there, too. I had another ice cream for my poor throat and bought another jug of Noctyl/NyQuil and we limped back to the hotel around 8:30 p.m. Tonight at the hotel one of the guests was mad at a bunch of folks that were on the porch area talking and visiting. The man couldn’t sleep and was pretty irate. It seems the louder he complained the louder the group became. It was only about 9:30 when all this started so Dana and I didn’t quite see the problem. I mean, we’re in a resort town at a resort hotel - it’s barely dark and folks are talking and laughing. Maybe wait until 11:00 or even midnight to expect a little silence. Anyway, this guy tried to make the group leave by smoking them out with his truck which he backed up to the sidewalk and let idle. This would have likely worked with one of the local Mexican pickups that were all over town, but a new Ford Explorer with good fuel and all the California smog equipment? Sure, yeah, right. All he gave the group was good, clean heat. He eventually went to the manager and they sent a couple of guys to keep the peace and all was quiet a short time later. But the fireworks which had been down on the beach nightly since our arrival, sure seemed to be exploding closer to the dude’s door for the rest of the evening. Sometimes it is best just to go with the flow, do as the Romans do, don’t worry - be happy, etc. Then again, like Ian Dury and The Blockheads sing, "There have been some crazy bastards."

DAY 9 APRIL 13, 1997: We were up at 7:00 and took our time packing. The weather was nice but slightly cool and breezy. We decided to catch breakfast down the road instead of in town, and pulled out of the hotel at 9:00 a.m. There was a military contraband checkpoint at the edge of town and the guys there were nice enough and flagged us through after a few questions. Once we cut off onto Mex 3, about 30 miles north of town, we were on a little traveled road that climbed out of the sandy and rocky desert floor into some rugged mountains and over San Mattias Pass where we were at around 3,000 feet. From here we could see the rugged and rocky face of the Sierra San Pedro range and the Picacho Del Diablo, Baja California’s highest mountain at a little over 10,000 feet. The scenery here was still barren and rugged as it had been since leaving the U.S., but as we descended the west side of the pass we came into a valley of lush green fields and farmlands. We stopped at the Vista Bella Café, a small place on the highway at the edge of Valle de Trinidad (you have to exit the highway and drive a half mile to enter town). Dave and Sparky had suggested this place to us a couple of days earlier. The place was small but very neat and made us a couple of excellent plates for breakfast. The café is situated above town and offers a view of Valle de Trinidad and surrounding farmlands. We soon left and hit the road but were treated to mostly green scenery from here on out, passing small villages and ranches more frequently now. We had another military checkpoint at Ojos Negros, and like the others, this was staffed by polite, young soldiers who were interested in our motorcycles and at Dana having her own Harley-Davidson. We passed through and fueled up at a station nearby before continuing. By now the weather had warmed considerably but a few miles later you could feel the sea breeze coming off the Pacific Ocean a half hour over the hills. Our paradisiacal road bliss was soon shattered as we pulled over a hill and around a few twisties and ran full chat into the outskirts of Ensenada. We were being met by cars in the opposite direction, chuffing dark sooty smoke and razzing us with muffler-less engines trying to make it up the hills on their remaining three cylinders. The dirty streets and dusty parking lots and busy intersections increased in number as we cruised into the main part of town. We were fortunate that our hotel was easy to find and near the tourist area because all we wanted to do was park and hide from the hustle-bustle. Our hotel, the TraveLodge, was a well-placed oasis in the center of the busy tourist trade area of town. We had a nice courtyard to park the bikes in and our third floor room had a balcony over the street and the first television we’d seen in a while. We unpacked and went walking around the waterfront areas where there is not so much to see. We had shrimp cocktails at a small outdoor place then walked to the main shopping area, a ten block area a couple of blocks wide. What a contrast between here and laid-back San Felipe. Beggars were on every corner and some would pester shoppers quite a bit. We had to see the famous hot spots so we walked to the other end and visited Hussong’s Cantina and the Papas and Beer Cantina. We picked up a couple of souvenirs to drag home then walked back to the room for a brief rest. An hour later we took off in search of food and stopped at a nice hotel nearby, but the dining room was closed. The man at the desk suggested we try the Casamar a couple of blocks away and we stopped here. Did the hotel guy make a good suggestion? I hope to shout. This place had some of the best food we had eaten so far and the service was great. It was more upscale than most others and a three-man musical group were singing from table to table. They were great as well, even if they didn’t know the song I requested, "Donde Esta Mi Puelita?" Anyway, the food was delicious and we left stuffed and happy. We stopped at a small store on the way back for room snacks then went back and relaxed. ‘Twas a nice day indeed.

DAY 10 APRIL 14, 1997: We lazed around for a bit this morning but managed to hit the road at 10:00 a.m. Lots of traffic and general hubbub was present all through town but the road north along the ocean was very scenic compared to yesterday’s entry into town. It was cool at first but warmed nicely after a half hour or so. After seven miles we forked off onto Mex 3 having opted for entry into the U.S. at Tecate as we had never been there and as Tijuana is always such a bummer and hassle to cross. The scene immediately returned to the serene, lush valleys and verdant farmlands of yesterday. The two lane road was in excellent shape and there was little traffic. It seems there was always a ranch or village in sight and we had skipped breakfast hoping for a repeat of yesterday’s food stop somewhere along this route. The map showed Guadalupe as being a fair sized village that I figured would have a good food stop. We passed up this town as it was off the highway a little and I was looking for something at the roadside. The town looked very nice off in its own little valley, but we’ll pick it up next time. By the next town of Valle de las Palmas we were hungry but it was a very small place that didn’t look too promising in the eats department. Then as we passed, we saw that the very last building in town was a small place called El Vaquero. We stopped and found that the place was maybe an old house but it was very clean and well laid out with the appearance of being the place to eat for the locals. None of the people here spoke any English but we managed a great breakfast at Mexican low prices. A half hour after leaving here we were back in the hustle-bustle at Tecate. We didn’t linger to say any farewells to Mexico, but headed directly to the border crossing where there was no line at all. The Customs guy quizzed us for a moment then passed us through and we wheeled off northward on American roads for a change. The weather was nice and there was a bit of road construction around Dulzura but it was a short wait to pass and we were off again. Dana had expressed an interest in stopping at Disneyland on the way home and as we had an extra five days to kill, we hit the first freeway we saw and burned into Anaheim, arriving just as the afternoon rush hour was starting. We parked and unloaded at the place I refer to as the Rama-Dama Inn (Dana’s favorite and she deserves a little pampering from time to time) and got a room upstairs with a view. It is across the street from Disneyland and we’ve stayed a few times before and know of the conveniences here. We hit Disneyland every couple of years it seems, she more than I as she’ll take the kids and let me sit it out, but this time it was just us and her first time without the kids, so she was ready and excited about this. As Tony Roma’s rib place is nearby, I made a beeline with Dana in tow and we got there before the rush and were able to consume large quantities of terrific ribs and gallons of iced tea in short order. Back at the room I decided that I was tired of the persistent sore throat and Dana found a nearby hospital that set me up with an appointment in their clinic on my home medical card. We jetted out where I saw another doctor who explained that the doctor in Las Vegas gave me some good medicine and that he could no better in that department, but he gave me some cough syrup that would ease up the all-night coughs I had been having. He looked down my throat and said the irritation appeared to be hanging with me due to air being "blasted up your nose and down your mouth - what have you been doing???" When I told him we were on motorcycles he said that explained it all and the irritation would last until I parked the bike for a few days. As it turned out, he was correct about that. We went back to the room and while I was cleaning up Dana took the laundry to the hotel laundry room and done the wash. Later we hung out and watched real television and had a good sleep.

DAY 11 APRIL 15, 1997: I awoke to an already awake and busy Dana, running around getting ready for her day at Disneyland. I am always amused by her actions and habits anytime we’re together, but this next thing just tickles me more than anything - Dana is a "Room Service" freak and just loves having breakfast brought to the rooms when we’re on the road. It doesn’t happen a lot because I am the opposing force and a Motel 6 freak, so you see the problem here. BUT - here at the Rama-Dama, there is a McDonald’s in the parking lot out front and they actually have a McDonald’s Room Service with their own special direct phone number, etc. So once again we got to have McDonald’s room service in this fancy-assed hotel, which is unusual in itself, but always kind of fun for me as well as Dana. I mean how many people can claim to have had this treat??? Too cool indeed. We were off to Disneyland on the 9:00 shuttle and found it to be only moderately populated. We rode many rides, most of them our old favorites, and I even got to do a new one, the Indiana Jones ride. Dana and the kids had been on it last time but I stayed over at the hotel and relaxed that time. We done some kiddie rides, too, in Toon Town, like Roger Rabbit’s car thingie, and we done my old favorites the Haunted House, Pirates of the Caribbean and Jungle Cruise. The last ride is my absolute favorite, the Star Tours spaceship type ride. It’s the only one that I’d ever feel bad about missing. A true blast. The weather was great all day and we were wondering if we’d finish by the 7:00 p.m. closing time (usually we’re here when it is open until midnight) but by 5:30 we were done and ready to return to reality. Ah…….. but wait…….. I have always wanted to eat at the Blue Bayou, the restaurant that you see when you’re starting out on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride; you know, the little boat you're in slowly slips by the edge of a dark restaurant and you can see folks eating? I never even thought to eat there in the past as it is a higher priced place and with a handful of kids, I’d rather buy hot dogs. So we went over and had a scrumptious feast of Cajun food which was every bit as good as the stuff we have had in Louisiana. Yes, it was great and well worth the stop. We made it back to the lot for the last free shuttle back to the hotel and once there, being the little piggies that we are, went to Millie’s next door (they also do room service at the hotel) and had two HUGE hot fudge sundaes. I could get used to this vacation stuff, I’ll tell ya. We climbed back up to the room where I spent the rest of the night relaxing and drinking cough syrup. It felt good to relax after an all-day marathon type thing. I used to keep up with Dana, but it gets harder all the time. And I guess I should confess here that I didn't even want to go to Disneyland, not wanting to be stuck in L.A./Orange County's traffic and congestion, but Dana done what she always does and talked me into it then made sure that it was a perfect stop which I enjoyed totally. I don't know how she manages that but it happens more often that she knows.

DAY 12 APRIL 16, 1997: We were up early and I was pretty much packed and ready but today it was Dana that had the slows. While she showered up I walked over to McDonald’s for a snack then we took off around 10:30. Traffic was pretty heavy here but moved pretty fast and it wasn’t that long before we leveled out to a comfortable ride with less traffic at the north end of L.A. county. We stopped for gas in Agoura and Dana saw the IHOP and that’s as far as we got until she was full of food. It had warmed nicely this morning but as we neared the coast at Ventura, it cooled off quickly and stayed pretty cold until we went inland at San Marcos Pass in Santa Barbara. Once away from the coast it was warm and the trip past Lake Cachuma was great as it always is. We didn’t spend any time checking out Santa Barbara or Solvang as we sometimes do, but headed straight for Pismo Beach. A guy in a little car spun out for some unknown reason in front of us on the freeway but was off the road facing the wrong way as we passed by. I always think, What if we were 100 yards further when this crap happens??? We were into Pismo by 3:30 or so and got checked into my favorite Motel 6 and unpacked and relaxed for a bit. We decided that dinner and a movie was on tonight’s plan, and we hadn’t been to a Sizzler in a long while, so we tripped up the hill, parked at the theater and walked over to Sizzler for quite a little feast. Afterward we walked to the theater and watched "Grosse Point Blank", a strange comedy type flick about a government hit man who goes back to his hometown on business but gets involved in other things, etc. It was okay, I guess. I like John Cusak and Dana likes Minnie Driver so it held our interest anyway. The movie let out and we took off for our Pismo Beach Nighttime Routine which we have been doing many times each year for eleven years; we rode over to Von’s Supermarket to get some fruit juices and a handful of bulk candies that they always have. Well, it is apparently the end of an era for us as Von’s sold this store and moved to a huge new store across town. The new store here "Scolari’s" is very nice and I guess for most folks every bit as good as the old Von’s, but they failed to keep the bulk candies in stock. Bummer. They always had the tiny little Reese cups, Hershey bars, Hershey kisses, York Peppermint Patties, etc. Of course we could still go to the candy counter and get the regular big versions of all these miniatures, but hey, it just isn’t the same. So I complained (whined) to Dana about the beating I had just taken, how I just got bumped in the head and even worse (covering my butt with my hands to prevent further painful trespass) and we left. We have had many of these traditional stops and routines over the years and they seem to be dwindling at a frightening pace. Oh, well, maybe the new Von’s has the old candies, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Back at the room we relaxed and watched TV and read. We could have made it home easily today but Dana didn’t have to be back to work until Monday and didn’t want to waste her vacation, so we’re moving towards home very slowly.

DAY 13 APRIL 17, 1997: We got up early and showered and relaxed a bit. My throat may have felt a little better but just a tad. We took the bikes for a ride down by the pier and had lunch at the Pierside Café. After lunch we hung around the pier and walked around the close part of town but it was cool by the water and we didn’t stay long. We went to check out the new Von’s up on Grand and it was nice and big and new. It was originally a Williams I think but it didn’t last but a year or so. We scouted around and found that the New Improved Von’s did not have my favorite old, unimproved small candies that their old store had, so now I’m really sad. Gotta change our routine again! Later we caught the 3:00 p.m. showing of "Liar, Liar," Jim Carey’s new movie, in Arroyo Grande then afterward stopped by the library nearby for a quick visit. We got hungry later and around 8:00 p.m. rode over to Pappy’s and had a good dinner just before closing time. We returned to the motel and a while later I walked over to the AM/PM for some ice cream bars. We watched TV and relaxed a lot after that.

DAY 14 APRIL 18, 1997: We slept kinda late today, rolling out at 9:45. While Dana was in the shower I walked over to AM/PM and got her some coffee and grabbed some cold tea for myself. We were only four hours from home right now and we were finished with Pismo Beach, but Dana had to return to work Monday and didn’t want to get home too early, so to utilize her vacation day, we decided to take an all-day ride away from the route home and visit Santa Nella, another favorite stopover, and hang out away from home for one last night. We pulled out of the motel around 11:00. The Pismo Beach weather had been cool and cloudy for a few days and this was no exception. The weather warmed a lot once we got over Cuesta Grade and we stopped a few minutes later at Atascadero Harley-Davidson to pick up some knives that had been waiting for me there for a few weeks. I shed the sweatshirt there and we cruised a short ways later to Paso Robles to see if the Black Oak Restaurant had reopened since the last few times we had been past. It was still closed but I was in luck anyway. There was a McDonald’s nearby so we stopped for lunch. We were soon off to King City where we fueled up and headed into the canyons to the east to escape the Monterey Peninsula fog and wind which had been getting more apparent as we approached. Even though we were heading further inland, I had to put on the sweatshirt to be comfortable. We cruised Hollister and less than an hour after that were pulling into the motel lot in Santa Nella. We got our room and unpacked and wasted no time heading over to dinner. Dana was hungry "now!" and across the freeway was Pea Soup Andersen’s, a favorite of ours that specializes in split pea soup (all you can eat with dinner) and Danish dishes as well as American meals. Dinner was good and we pigged out as we usually do at this place (there are Pea Soup Andersen’s along 101 in Buellton, US 99 in Kingsburg and another on I-5 in Carlsbad, too - we stop at them when we can.) After dinner we stepped out to see a wet bike and sprinkles - our first rain of the trip and only 2 ½ hours from home. It looked like a short rain and that’s all it ever got to be. We got back to the room and dug in. A short time later a group of riders from Oregon on all different bikes rolled in and got several rooms next to ours.

DAY 15 APRIL 19, 1997: A short day today. The sprinkles had been just that and all was dry. We left the motel around 11:00 a.m. and had a breakfast in Westley at the Peppertree. It was pretty good and they had worthwhile biscuits and gravy. We had never stopped here before so we were pleased. It was still cloudy but not too very cold, but cold enough for a sweatshirt. Santa Nella is only two hours from home so today was a straight shot in.

All in all, it was a very good trip. As usual, Dana had a lot to do with that and is without a doubt the best traveling partner I can imagine. No, you may not borrow her. We could have done without the breakdown and damage and I could have survived without the weird throat/cough thing, but since the real problems were limited to the first couple of days, and since their solutions were so very simple and available, it’s hardly worth thinking about. I’d return to San Felipe in a heartbeat. The roads we traveled were great for the most part and no reason for concern. I can see a return trip in the future and if you need to take a motorbike trip with relaxation and good food on the agenda, this place should be high on your list. San Felipe offers more than described above - you can rent 3- and 4-wheeled ATV’s and can even use them on the streets as well as the dunes. You can rent Jet Skis and similar watercraft. There are fishing boats you can go out on for small or large fishing parties, you can parasail or just take a ride around the bay with a local boat operator. The accommodations are as bare and cheap as some may like or as fancy as others need down at the Marina. You can relax a lot or stay busy all day and most of the evening. Swim in the pools or in the Sea of Cortez, there is a lot to do here. San Felipe is only 130 miles south of the border so it’s a short ride from most parts of the Southwest and a short detour for anyone touring the area. Like any place, it is wise to check the tour books before setting sail, and be sure to remember that the temperatures here are very high in mid-summer, frequently reaching 110° to 120° and almost always in the hundreds in mid-day. MikeyA highly recommends this place as a motorcycle destination for an overnighter or a stay of several days.