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bryanmckenzie
Senior Nomad
Posts: 561
Registered: 9-23-2009
Location: 400 Km from Mexico Beach, Florida
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hot & humid --- not hot & dry.
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La Florida-San Diego-La Paz & Back: Oct 29 - Nov 19
La Florida to La Paz & Back: Oct 29 - Nov 19
 ... borrowed from the Baja 1000 website
As I am soooo tired and falling asleep, I shall make a valiant attempt to post today's photos and videos before bedtime. And a NOON root canal / crown
/ gum surgery in Rosarito Beach.
HI-RES MAP
[Edited on 2013-11-23 by bryanmckenzie]
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bryanmckenzie
Senior Nomad
Posts: 561
Registered: 9-23-2009
Location: 400 Km from Mexico Beach, Florida
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hot & humid --- not hot & dry.
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October 29: Getting to Baja
MCO-SAN with a quick stop in San Antonio. Okay, it's not Baja yet. But how many of you have seen Baja from 35,000 feet without actually being in
Mexican airspace? It was a beautiful day to be flying and I had the "A" seat (left window) in the last row. The hi-res images look so much better!
Shortly after flying over Tucson, the Sea of Cortez came into few, albeit a bit hazy.
I could just barely make out Puerto Penasco. Can you see it? Way out there across the Sonoran Desert.
Then suddenly Algodones. VIDEO: Flying over Algodones (WMV format)
Could the Colorado River be far behind? This shot is of the last out-take on the American side before sending a once mighty river, now mostly drained
of water, to Mexico just out of view along the top edge of this shot. See following photo for wider view.
Then suddenly in the distance I can see all the way to San Pedro Martir, Picacho del Diablo sticking its 10,000 foot peak just above the clouds. WOW!
Then on to Calexico & Mexicali, the straight border clearly visible.
At the far western end of town, you can see the straight border and behind it, faintly, the highway to La Rumorosa.
The La Rumorosa grade is directly under the red wing thingy.
After a few San Diego stops and car rental, I was finally back home, on the road south. VIDEO: Landing in San Diego (WMV format)
[Edited on 2013-11-23 by bryanmckenzie]
[Edited on 2013-11-23 by bryanmckenzie]
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bryanmckenzie
Senior Nomad
Posts: 561
Registered: 9-23-2009
Location: 400 Km from Mexico Beach, Florida
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hot & humid --- not hot & dry.
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Oct 30, Rosarito Beach: Dental Work
After doing a bit of shopping and an evening meal of tacos across the street, I slept pretty good, about 10 hours, even with many street noise
interruptions, in one of my dentist's FREE apartments --- when you have a major procedure or two.
ADDED EDIT I forgot to mention:
If you stay at Dr. Avila's or within a block or so, you have several good dining locations nearby on-foot; and two doors down there is a 24-7 Oxxo
where you can grab coffee & sundries; the Express Tire 2 doors down for honest, reliable vehicle service (ask for Juan/mechanic or Josue/service
manager and tell them that the cray guy with the VW Jetta referred you). McDonalds is 3 blocks away. Gusher Farmacia, also. They have a 30% discount
just for asking --- but bring a passport-size photo to create an ID. I save on meds this way.
Rosarito Beach sunrise at 7:30 am. The town comes alive with traffic and pedestrians on a cool and clear Wednesday morning.
Street scenes --- what you cannot see at the south end of town is the complete new curb-to-median-to-curb concrete pavement and median construction
that is on-going. WOW, it's smooth, looks great, new monuments and street lights, two lanes each direction instead of three, making backing out of a
street parking space much safer and more visible to traffic.
One of the three apartments. Dr. Oscar Avila, DDS, has a first-class dentistry practice next to the Tire Express at the north end of town.
[Edited on 2013-11-23 by bryanmckenzie]
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bryanmckenzie
Senior Nomad
Posts: 561
Registered: 9-23-2009
Location: 400 Km from Mexico Beach, Florida
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hot & humid --- not hot & dry.
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October 30: Das Dental Work
I didn't get up until 7:30, thinking it's about 5 hours to BOLA. Bad assumption, knowing that I would have multiple stops to post Gary Patton flyers
and some other errands (deliverying goodwill doggie biscuits from an all-natural dog treat bakery that my former wife and I co-founded 20 years ago).
Besides I take a lot of breaks, photos, enjoy the scenery and talk with people.
I depart Erendira at 9:00am.
There is much, long overdue highway construction / widening south of San Vicente. Be prepared for dirt road driving at a painfully slow pace --- I can
walk faster than this!
At one of my side-road stops about 10 Km N/o Colonet, who pulls up beside me from out of nowhere, but BornFisher. He recognizes me with my head in the
trunk of the car. He's decided to go to BOLA also and we decide to caravan as long as we can, each of us having different stops on the way. In Colonet
we pull over and he lets me use his phone to check in back home. We agree to meet before sunset at Guillermos.
On my to-do list was a definite stop in Vicente Guererro to see Baja Nomad, Irene, at Posada Don Diego. That's where BornFisher and I separated. There
was LOTS of traffic, quite a bit race-related. Buses. Semi-trucks. It didn't thin out until after San Quentin on the way to El Rosario. That's a fun
drive for me. There was almost nil traffic coming northbound.
A 1/2 hour stop.
There was a Federale police checkpoint 20 miles south of San Quentin before the road turns inland away from the ocean. They didn't seem interested in
this crazy Gringo.
The El Rosario checkpoint was mostly cursory.
See separate Gary Patton thread for Mama Espinoza's pictures from the guest book & other comments. I'm rapidly losing time and daylight.
And, therefore, Born Fisher who'll be camping at La Gringa (I'll be motelling it). I bought a tee-shirt and some other items at Mama's. A Baja Almanac
was nowhere to be had.
Another 1/2 hour stop.
Shoot! I'm still not even in Catavina yet. The sun is fading. The road is quiet. The lighting is excellent for photography. The Cholla & Cirrios
are beautiful. They deserve to have their picture taken with me. As do the Catavina boulder fields.
Another 1/2 hour stop.
The Baja 1000 race crosses Highway 1 north of Catavina. Time for some more pictures.
A stop in Catavina to hand out flyers. Buy ice, beer, jugo. Fix a beverage. Race support vehicles already abound. So do surfers and off-roaders and
caravans of Baja afficianados with super-duper nifty rigs and trailers and RV's.
Another 1/2 hour stop.
Check Campo y Restaurant Santa Inez to make sure BornFisher didn't wait for me here since he was having a late lunch here.
Shoot, daylight is fast fading. At least I know the road to Laguna Chapala (past twilight / dark) and then on to BOLA (REALLY dark; no cars the entire
way). Just pray for no cows or wildlife. Few people will be out in this part of the peninsula after dark. Oops, I thought I knew the road. Catavina
vado / washout. I got to the BOLA turnoff at 7pm. Or is that 6pm, beacuse of turning the clocks back? Which I didn't know until BornFisher reminded
me.
SIDE STORY: I'm fly southbound, light on in the twilight, when suddenly somewhere 20 miles south of Catavina I see a single
headlight approaching --- IT'S A BICYCLIST!! I slow down, turn around and come up next to him, passenger window down, and ask if everything is okay.
He's young, fit, saddlebags, has water. I state that it's about 20 miles in darkness on Highway 1 to the nearest anything (Catavina). And the road is
dangerous after dark even for cars, much less a bike. He says he likes pedaling at night. I sorta shake my head and say that I wish I had some
carbohydrates to give him, but I've got nothing in the car. I ask him where he'll stay or eat in Catavina and he says he's not sure. No dinero. I pull
out P$200 and give it to him, tell him to please be careful and good luck. I turn around and get back on my way. I have absolutely no idea what to
make of that event. Should / could I have done more? Did I do the right things? Was I the foolish one to approach him? COMMENTS welcome.
At 8:15 I arrived at Guillermo's with no BornFisher to be found (duh!). I'm 3 hours late!
At 8:35, I finally checked into das $40 a night (no hot water; scorpion story is somewhere earlier in this thread) Hotel Las Hamacas. Stayed here on
my first Bahia de los Angeles adventure in 1993 for $15.
Windy as heck! Maybe 50 mpg gusts. But then again, it's BOLA.
Epilog: it took a bit over 11 hours to drive 306 miles.  Hey, it's my driving
& Baja touring way to "do Baja."
[Edited on 2013-11-23 by bryanmckenzie]
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bryanmckenzie
Senior Nomad
Posts: 561
Registered: 9-23-2009
Location: 400 Km from Mexico Beach, Florida
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hot & humid --- not hot & dry.
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October 30: After Das Dental Work / Evening
Spent the afternoon BN blogging, photos, videos, having "beverages" before strolling down the street to my new favorite taco joint located below
Rubens Social Salon.
I know no one is going to believe this, but after 2-1/2 hours of dental work and minor gum surgery, the novacaine wore off and I had NO PAIN. Not even
at night. Or the next morning (today). Incredible. Yes, Dr. Oscar Avila is THAT good!. So here are a few photos from the rest of the day after major dental work.
Short video (WMV) from the apartment balcony overlooking Avenida Benito Juarez
[Edited on 2013-11-23 by bryanmckenzie]
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Ateo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5901
Registered: 7-18-2011
Member Is Offline
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You have an epic trip going on. Can't wait for more.
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bajadock
Super Nomad
Posts: 1219
Registered: 12-20-2006
Location: Punta sur de \'Nada
Member Is Offline
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The excuses that some people create to have adult beverages and tacos south of the border...
Love the dental photos to cover for the real agenda. Plausible excuse, highly plausible. 
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64854
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Oh Bryan, a trip report extraordinaire! Everything we enjoy seeing, and so much more! 
Neat shots along the border from cruising altitude! I like the photo of the Morelos Dam where all the remaining Colorado River water is diverted into
a canal and an empty river bed heads to the gulf! Very interesting to see!
Have a great trip!!
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Bajahowodd
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9274
Registered: 12-15-2008
Location: Disneyland Adjacent and anywhere in Baja
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Maybe could have lived without the open mouth dental photos, but otherwise you posted great photos.
Most Floridians that visit Mexico travel to Cancun, simply because it is a relatively short flight.
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bryanmckenzie
Senior Nomad
Posts: 561
Registered: 9-23-2009
Location: 400 Km from Mexico Beach, Florida
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hot & humid --- not hot & dry.
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Florida is new territory for me. Not by choice. Eldercare. My heart will always be on the west coast ... USA or Mexico or Canada.
Yeah, Bajahowodd, I debated that last night, too. It looked good after a few beverages, but now that I'm reviewing the thread, I've decided it's kinda
ugly. I'm pulling the open-mouth pics off. Thanks for reminding me. I was trying to put it "ALL" out there --- the good, the bad, the ugly, the real
life.
Hopefully there will be many more good pics during the next few weeks that I can share.
| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Maybe could have lived without the open mouth dental photos, but otherwise you posted great photos.
Most Floridians that visit Mexico travel to Cancun, simply because it is a relatively short flight. |
[Edited on 2013-11-1 by bryanmckenzie]
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”
-Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910)
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bryanmckenzie
Senior Nomad
Posts: 561
Registered: 9-23-2009
Location: 400 Km from Mexico Beach, Florida
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hot & humid --- not hot & dry.
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Hi Ateo,
It's not the usual rough & tumble off-road, 4x4 Baja Nomad camping-fishing trip, but it's going to be a fun one anyhow. Finally meeting some more
fellow Nomads and exploring yet another corner of the peninsula unseen so far. Maybe I shoulda walked the coastline. maybe I shoulda walked the Routa
del las Misiones, maybe walked the 1,000 miles with a dog and a mule. My trip is fairly mundane by those standards. But, you know what? I'm excited by
all of it. Even if the most of it is pavement and only some minor dirt. And learning about proper catch-and-release fishing. And hopefully swimming
with a whale shark in a few days. Thanks for playing along!
| Quote: | Originally posted by Ateo
You have an epic trip going on. Can't wait for more. |
[Edited on 2013-11-7 by bryanmckenzie]
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”
-Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910)
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bryanmckenzie
Senior Nomad
Posts: 561
Registered: 9-23-2009
Location: 400 Km from Mexico Beach, Florida
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hot & humid --- not hot & dry.
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Thanks, David. I'll see you on the northbound return trip for dinner. Yeah, those aerial shots really startled me into a new perspective. Seeing from
the air so much desolation and so much beauty of what I've seen on the ground. It was a bit surrealistic in that new perspective!
| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Oh Bryan, a trip report extraordinaire! Everything we enjoy seeing, and so much more!
Neat shots along the border from cruising altitude! I like the photo of the Morelos Dam where all the remaining Colorado River water is diverted into
a canal and an empty river bed heads to the gulf! Very interesting to see!
Have a great trip!! |
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”
-Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910)
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bryanmckenzie
Senior Nomad
Posts: 561
Registered: 9-23-2009
Location: 400 Km from Mexico Beach, Florida
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hot & humid --- not hot & dry.
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Hi Dock. CYA Saturday in Ensenada. I'll post the Nomad invite for 1:00 pm shortly. Laughing out loud at your comment. Tasteless, open-mouth dental
pictures removed.
| Quote: | Originally posted by bajadock
The excuses that some people create to have adult beverages and tacos south of the border...
Love the dental photos to cover for the real agenda. Plausible excuse, highly plausible. |
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”
-Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910)
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acadist
Super Nomad
Posts: 1125
Registered: 3-31-2007
Location: Spanaway,WA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Waiting for the Sun
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How did you like the new border crossing?
Dave
I moved to CO and they made me buy a little rod to make it feel like a real fish
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bryanmckenzie
Senior Nomad
Posts: 561
Registered: 9-23-2009
Location: 400 Km from Mexico Beach, Florida
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hot & humid --- not hot & dry.
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Hey acadist,
I'd watched a Nomad's video of the drive from I-5 through the crossing and onto the Rosarito "scenic" road, so I was somewhat mentally prepared for
the changed scenery. Weird after 25+ years to see such a dramatic shift. But nice. I love the 3529 lanes that now go southbound into Mexico instead of
the usual 6. 
| Quote: | Originally posted by acadist
How did you like the new border crossing? |
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”
-Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910)
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acadist
Super Nomad
Posts: 1125
Registered: 3-31-2007
Location: Spanaway,WA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Waiting for the Sun
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I went through it when it first opened but did not need to stop for a visa, flew last time, but will be driving in 3 weeks and need to stop with the
kids. Will feel like the first time again!
Dave
I moved to CO and they made me buy a little rod to make it feel like a real fish
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64854
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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There is something about going to Baja that makes it always seem like a first time or a new adventure... no matter how often I have gone before!
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
Member Is Offline
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I think my favorite part was your inclusion of dental x-rays in this thread. Nobody has done that before.
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bryanmckenzie
Senior Nomad
Posts: 561
Registered: 9-23-2009
Location: 400 Km from Mexico Beach, Florida
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hot & humid --- not hot & dry.
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I thought so, too. Also the 2 inside of the mouth work-in-progress shots. But I pulled those out. Maybe a bit too 'personal.' Has anyone else done the
in-the-dentist-chair-with-novacaine-needle-in-mouth photos??
| Quote: | Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
I think my favorite part was your inclusion of dental x-rays in this thread. Nobody has done that before. |
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”
-Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910)
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bryanmckenzie
Senior Nomad
Posts: 561
Registered: 9-23-2009
Location: 400 Km from Mexico Beach, Florida
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hot & humid --- not hot & dry.
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October 31: Shopping, Phone, Online/Trip Report, Halloween
Managed to sleep in again. Nice! Woke to a cool 60's morning. Warmed up quickly to 70's. Spent alot of time online on here and with scheduling to meet
BN's. But I also got daily needs shopping out of the way at Walmart ($9 corded phone for the MagicJack), picked up a TelCel phone number for this
trip, got all my RX meds for myself and friends back in the US purchased, basically mundane stuff. Tomorrow it's to get the usual curios and blankets
and such. Opened and inventoried the all-natural dog treats that I ordered and had arrived in San Diego for my pickup and transport south as donations
for rescue organizations.
Lots of Lala yogurt for breakfast. And Activia yogurt shake for lunch. Hey, I'm on 7 days of heavy duty antibiotics. I know it's going to kill all the
good bacteria in my gut again. So trying to keep those little buggers alive and well, it looks like that's the morning and lunch dining routine for
the new week or so. I'm not sure if the vodka and cervesas help or not. 
Then, finally towards evening HALLOWEEN madness begins (separate post).
[Edited on 2013-11-23 by bryanmckenzie]
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