Saturday, August 6, 2016

Baja California Ride. Part 1: Southern California

Part 1 :  Southern California

This blog is about my ride through the Baja California Peninsula from August 6th through 20th of 2016.  The ride took me from Woodside, CA all the way to the tip of Baja Peninsula to Cabo San Lucas, and back.

The inception of an idea to take a trip comes from various sources.  A picture you saw somewhere, a program on TV, you overhear someones comment, is what makes the imagination of a trip.  The trip itself, and a few roads I digressed stemmed out of articles I had read several years ago.

More and more I realize, a motorcycle and the roads not necessarily make the trip.  The memories of a trip are made of adventures and mis-adventures.  People you meet on the way, the stories you hear from strangers, the camaraderie, help and hospitality from people whom you never met nor will you may never again.  The food, the culture of the people.   The rains, the wind, the sun, the aroma of the land.  

Route

I have taken many a trip, which were in the safe confines of US and Canada.  This was my first ride to Mexico.  Initially, I had a lot of apprehensions about riding to a place where a lot were unknown - starting with the language, rules, road conditions, safety etc.  Many a folks warned me, even told me not to do so, as travel in Mexico is not as safe.

But the wanderlust was there, which won over the forebodings.  I tried to learn as much as possible by talking to people who knew more about the land.  Those who have been there were in general more upbeat about the idea than those who did not.

One of my friends, Liam lives down the Baja peninsula, and has done many times roadtrips from and to Bay Area down to Baja.  He assured me its safe to travel, provided we use the same common sense travelling to any new area - not to be in lonely places after dark, be careful and watchful of the surroundings, be courteous etc.

I found out that my travels through Mexico, were perfectly safe.  Other than the language spoken was unknown to me, people were genuinely nice.  Life moves at a different pace, tho.  Folks are not caught up with the high tech gadgetry like in Bay Area.  For example, I did not see even a single person walking staring at the magic mirror on hand, which has become a common scene, at-least in Bay Area.


There is a lot of Military presence down the stretch than the normal police.  There are about 6-8 Military check points down the stretch of the Hwy 1 interpensular.  Guess much is to blame on the drug related issues.

My first day's ride was took me to Borrego Springs, a little off the route I was going.  This article that I had read a while ago, made me make it part of my experience.  Whatever! – Ode On My Favorite Road.

Peeling off of Hwy 15 at Temecula, California Hwy 79 and S22 certainly matched up the description in that article and more. 

An unexpected site greets me on the side of the road - A collection of metal sculptures!  Almost all of them spectacular, rusty and roasting in the high temperatures that are common to this area, which sport a desert like weather.  Later I come to know that these are the works of Ricardo Breceda, which make the road quite scenic and memorable.











After I take a few pictures, I realize the sun was going down, and hence I decided to do a non-stop run to Borrego Springs, through S22.  My GPS was very handy letting me know how many more miles to go.

With the sun setting on my back, I could not have chosen a better time to ride this road.  The hills turned into golden yellow as the day starts to fade.  The desert breeze much pleasant, and the ST purring smoothly between my legs.  What a spectacular road !!!  Mankind has spent years laying these roads, and here I am just passing through, enjoying the fruits of labor of such unknown/forgotten people laying these roads...

Once I reach the summit, and start the decent into Borrego Springs, I realize something wrong with my breaks.  It catches my wheels very abruptly, and the slowing down was not predictable anymore, and the ABS warning was flashing all over.  Even though I had done a full service just before the trip, something was not right.  While this problem started to nag my mind, I slow down to a crawl and get through the road.  I really have to go back when my bike is in a better shape later to do this road again.

When we rely too much on technology, sometimes we are in for a surprise.  Getting to the small town of Borrego Springs was not the problem.  My GPS told I reached my destination of Casa del Zorro, in the middle of nowhere.  So, I doubled back to the little liquor shop, which I remembered was still open to ask for directions.

Here is where I meet the first angel of my trip.  Denny, was buying some beer and was stepping out of the shop when he saw me talking to a lady asking for directions.  He volunteers to lead me to the hotel, for which I gladly accept, as I was already fatigued after a 500+ miles day to try to remember the directions.  Once we reach the hotel, he even volunteers his phone number and tells me I could call him if I needed any more assistance while in town.  While that sounded strange, little did I know its going to come in handy!

With the break problem still nagging my mind, I quickly check in to the motel, and call my mechanic in Bay Area.  Luckily, Jim is still there.  I describe the problem to him, and he tells me to not to continue my trip, and find a mechanic.  All of my dreams got shot, and if I get delayed in my trip, I will not be able to meet with my family down in Cabo San Lucas, four days from that point.

Borrego Springs is a fairly small town, and any hopes of finding a mechanic is almost impossible.  After I order some pasta for dinner, which was spectacular.  Having known but one person,  I tried calling Denny to find if there is a mechanic in town.  A cheerful voice on the other end tells me, "You cannot find a better mechanic than me in this town.".  Later I come to know that Denny himself is a passionate offroad rider, and also has a Harley Davidson in his garage.  He does all the maintenance on his bike, and he told me if my mechanic can guide him, we will try and fix the problem.

With the peace of mind, I explore the surroundings.  Casa del Zorro is a mighty nice desert resort.  Would certainly come back to stay here.

  





The next day, Denny took me to his house, and we called Jim to figure the problem.  The break calipers on my front wheel seem a little loose.  He guides us to take the plastic off the motorcycle, and call him back.

As we took the plastic out, Denny figures one of the nuts is very loose, and my mechanic confirms that's indeed a big issue.  So, we tighten the nut with Lock Tight, and I take the bike for a spin.  The breaks now work like a charm.

During this time, I get to know Denny a lot better.  We share a lot of stories, and a lot more beer during the hot summer afternoon in Borrego Springs.  I felt my trip is off to a good start, as I had a memorable day with a stranger.  In addition, I also learn a lot about the local history, the flash floods, the best time to visit the place and so on.  As a token of thanks, I fill up his truck, and head out to a local restaurant to have a snack.  I have chilli, and he gets a plate of stake bites.  Also, he introduces me to the locals, who seem happy residents of this little town.

I hear the story of an irish immigrant, who came to this country even before I was born, about how he served in the army, and chose this place to retire.  His wife, a nice lady, had been to Mexico many times, and she gives me a lot of pointers, and assures me I would have good time there.

The next day, after a quick good-bye to Denny, I leave Borrego Springs.   

The back roads out of Borrego Springs is spectacular also.  

Head over to San Diego to cross the border.  There is an exit that announces its the last exit before crossing the border.  I quickly take the exit and look for a gas station.  I can already see how the place is changing.  A lot of spanish people entering and exiting USA.  In the gas station, I am surprised to find that they take only cash.

I fill up the tank, and send an update to my family and friends that I am now venturing into Mexico, and cross the border.

Next:  Part 2 Baja Norte (North Baja) 

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