NOB, Ensenada, and Back, Barely: Sunday
George Pollard
Shirley, keep them full while I finish this saga with the worst 180 miles
I've ridden on two wheels.
Sunday dawned wet. Rain was coming down as I began to awaken. RE was up
first, and tried the shower. He reported the water as not quite cold, but
not hot either. Nancy wasn't feeling well, as she had lost her voice the
night before and had coughed the night away (she said, anyway, I was
asleep). Some comments were made about my snoring, which I ended by
reminding them I had offered earplugs the night before.
After a while, the rain stopped, and RE packed up. As he had bought
Mexican insurance only for 24 hours, he had to leave the country by 11 AM.
He pushed off for Phoenix, it wasn't raining when he left but I understand
by the time he got to Arizona he found some precipitation.
Nancy and I lazed around for a while longer, listening to the rain, which
had returned. We got stirring by the noon check-out time, and resigned
ourselves to riding back in the rain. We packed up, Nancy donned the rain
togs loaned to her by Steve Reyer, and we headed out into a pretty steady
rain.
Before we got out of Ensenada we hit the first pool of water, about 6
inches deep. I was leading, so I hit it like usual, too fast, and sprayed
water all over myself, as usual. Nancy took it at a more circumspect
rate, and probably didn't get as wet there as I did. The road was wet,
with occasional spots with inch-deep runoff trails crossing, so we were
able to proceed at around the speed limit through town and up to the first
tollbooth. I was carrying the tools for this leg of the trip, so we
pulled up, warning each other of the slick, oily road surface.
Once the toll was paid, the road opened up nicely. The rain was still
falling, but I was relatively warm, and my leather jacket hadn't soaked
through just yet. My legs and feet were wet, but that happens when riding
in the rain, so I paid no attention to it. I did find out that it takes
40 miles for the front of my jacket to soak through and hit my chest
through a sweatshirt.
We went by the Puerto Nuevo exit, which we would have taken if we were
going to El Jefe's bar for the party he threw for those on the run, but
Nancy and I had discussed stopping there and decided since it was raining
we would just press on.
After a damp, but not particularly nasty ride we came to the second
tollbooth. After paying toll here, we took off, only to be redirected off
the main highway onto the ramp leading into the town of Rosarito. We were
thinking at the time that there had probably been an accident or something
on the toll road. As we sat in the traffic into Rosarito, we came to the
first intersection and discovered the real problem: water flowing across
the road, making it.s way from hill to ocean. For the next couple of
miles, every block would have from 6 inches to a foot of water flowing
from our right to left, with trash, mud, rocks and whatall. We split
lanes, rode the shoulder, took back roads, and finally made it to the
north end of town, where Nancy stopped at a Pemex for petrol. We laughed
at how completely dirty these bikes were. This paragraph doesn't really
express the work and struggle it was to ride through this town, but I am
repressing the memory.
Once back on the highway, I, being an eternal optimist, thought we had it
made, until we got to the bottom of the first hill where a storm drain did
not stand up to the load and caused a nice pool in the roadway, along with
six inches of mud on the outside lane. We made it through, and after a
few more such spots hit some hills again where the road was clear. It was
along this stretch where the hillside managed to dislodge a couple of
bowling ball size boulders and roll them across the road in front of me.
They had come off a 40 foot cliff and were a couple of car lengths in
front of me. I switched to the inside lane real quick in case there were
any more, but it seems that was the hill's best shot. Nancy, being behind
me, thought the boulders were closer than they were and was sure I was a
goner.
Eventually we reached the end of the toll road and paid our last toll. At
this point we were about 5 miles from the border. Piece of cake. No
problem. Just take this exit right here where the police car is blocking
the ramp.
Damn. Now we ride into Tijuana. Traffic is backed up to no end. We
aren't sure where we're going, but we press on. We hit the shoulder,
passing all these cars, but they are dry, and I'm soaked by now. We start
down a long, long hill, stopping at every red light. By now, we're used
to riding in six inches of water, it almost seems normal. We were on the
last steep part of the slope when Nancy, riding in front of me, hit a hole
in the road. I'm not real sure exactly what it was, possibly a manhole
with dislodged lid, but the water we were in was dirty and I couldn't see
through it. Her front wheel dropped into the hole, then came out. I'd
estimate it to be about 6 inches deep and we were going maybe 5 miles an
hour. Her back wheel dropped in and came out, but it robbed her of
momentum, and being a complete surprise, she was not able to keep the bike
up. It laid over on the curb on the crash bar. I stopped, jumped off my
bike, and made sure she was all right. We picked the bike up, and checked
for obvious damage. None was seen, so Nancy tried to start it up. It
didn't start, and as we were in the traffic lane I suggested she coast
down the hill to where we could pull over a bit. After a few moments the
Sporty kicked right off, and we continued the adventure.
Let's recap. We are in downtown Tijuana, with no idea of how to get to
the border. The rain has slacked off a bit, but we were soaked. Traffic
was horrendous, just like you would expect in a third world country right
after a downpour which flooded part of town and closed roads. In other
words, we were a long ways from having fun.
After some lane splitting practice, and dodging the open manholes, and
suddenly finding ourselves out of the worst of the traffic, We realized we
had gone too far. We saw a sign behind us that had I-5 listed on it with
an arrow, so we U turned and headed back. I saw an arrow pointed straight
for I-5, but Nancy didn't, so I may have been hallucinating. Anyway, we
went down another road until the road was blocked, then I saw a police car
on the side of the road. I was going to stop for directions, but I
thought the car was empty. Nancy did stop, and there was a guy in the car
that told her to turn left, then left again, or something like that. I
let Nancy lead from there, and we soon found the traffic. Some more low
speed lane splitting in the bumper to bumper traffic, and I could tell
Nancy's clutch hand was hurting. I am so intuitive; I knew it because she
told me.
I told her to stop and rest, so we pulled into a parking place for a few
minutes. I had a bottle in my tank bag, so we passed it back and forth
while watching traffic inch forward. No, it wasn't Heaven Hill, but it
was tasty, good old agua. By now, I was getting cold, and Nancy has
already told me I haven.t been mentioning how cold it was this whole time.
After she got her clutch hand working again, we took off, working our way
through the traffic. We finally reached the ramp to the highway to the
border, which of course was packed. It was here that the motorcyclist had
the advantage. I led us through the stopped cars, dodging the trinket
vendors with a Perdoname here and a Gracias there, and we shot right up to
the border.
At the US border, we pulled up to a somewhat bored looking Customs man.
He asked me, "Where are you going?"
I replied, "Anaheim."
"Do you live in Anaheim?"
"No, I live in Austin, Texas but I work in Anaheim."
He waved me through and turned to Nancy.
"Where are you going?"
"San Diego, then back to Hawai."
"Is this your bike?"
"No, it's a rental."
He looked at the bike for a minute, and then they both started laughing.
He waved us both through, and we were back in the home of the brave. No
IDs were required. Good thing the FTLMF wasn't with us.
After the border, the highway was clear, the road surface fairly dry, and
we made pretty good time into Ocean Beach, where I left Nancy at the OB
motel. It took us about 4.5 hours to go the 90 miles. We said our
good-bye's and great riding with you's, and she checked in and I headed
north some more. By this time I was ready to be home in a hot shower, so
I hammered it up I-5.
I was going good until it started raining again, so I had to slow with the
traffic. I did just a little lane splitting, dodged the occasional
no-looking lane changer, and got back to Anaheim at 6 PM, slap wore out.
Epilogue:
Everything I had with me was soaked, except for the electronic items I had
stowed in a plastic bag in the middle of a bag. I could not have been
wetter had I jumped into the pool.
Nancy had a little trouble with the bike rental folks, they thought she
had been riding on the beach because there was sand all over the bike, and
there was a little damage from the laydown.
All in all, I had a blast and would repeat the whole adventure again.
This time, though, I think I would stay in Mexico an extra day and let the
storm pass and the water run off. RE and Nancy were fantastic riding and
partying partners and I can't wait to see and ride with them again.
Another round for those who have lasted this long, and I'll be quiet now.
Be...@hotmail.com
>
> Sunday dawned wet. Rain was coming down as I began to awaken...
================================ Snip ===============================
> All in all, I had a blast and would repeat the whole adventure again.
> This time, though, I think I would stay in Mexico an extra day and let the
> storm pass and the water run off. RE and Nancy were fantastic riding and
> partying partners and I can't wait to see and ride with them again.
George,
Thanks for the write-up. Sitting here in the cold North, I was able to enjoy the
ride vicariously - - and up until *this* day, I enjoyed the ride-along. /;^)
Rain gear is your friend, but in this case, sounds like you needed a wet suit :)
Glad you made it back home safely!
--
(^::^) SENS NEWT#11 BS#188 MISFIT DOF#YES
(_o_) 99 FLHR "GRZLY" 80 XLH (soon to be reborn)
BEAR RMH FAQs - http://rmhfaq.com
Reply-To: gtodd at eye_ex dot netcom dot com
fins
news:103u9mk...@corp.supernews.com...
>
> Shirley, keep them full while I finish this saga with the worst 180 miles
> I've ridden on two wheels.
>
your natural slimy coating would have repelled some of that water!?!
Have a drink on my tab.
--
Fins BS#221 CVNS G&W MINCE
Al
>
> Shirley, keep them full while I finish this saga with the worst 180 miles
> I've ridden on two wheels.
>
<------->
>
> All in all, I had a blast and would repeat the whole adventure again.
From start to finish that was a great trip report George.
--
BS205 DOF5o CVNS G&W FD1
'01 FXST "Sluggo"
George Pollard
:>
: Great set of posts George, thanks for the ride-along. You'd a thunk that
: your natural slimy coating would have repelled some of that water!?!
Thanks. The slime coat was getting pretty thin, for sure. May have been
the salt on the margarita.
: Have a drink on my tab.
: --
Now we're talkin'.
--
George Pollard
BS235
"An organic pain collector, racing to oblivion"
Redbeard Emeritus
writ:
>Shirley, keep them full while I finish this saga with the worst 180 miles
>I've ridden on two wheels.
I've been prep'ed, but go ahead and set 'em up; I'll nurse one (or 3)
thru th' tale.
>Sunday dawned wet. Rain was coming down as I began to awaken. RE was up
>first, and tried the shower. He reported the water as not quite cold, but
>not hot either. Nancy wasn't feeling well, as she had lost her voice the
>night before and had coughed the night away (she said, anyway, I was
>asleep). Some comments were made about my snoring, which I ended by
>reminding them I had offered earplugs the night before.
>
>After a while, the rain stopped, and RE packed up. As he had bought
>Mexican insurance only for 24 hours, he had to leave the country by 11 AM.
>He pushed off for Phoenix, it wasn't raining when he left but I understand
>by the time he got to Arizona he found some precipitation.
I got bogged down in rain and run-off across th' road before I reached
the border. The radio on th' bagger had gotten wet and the faceplate
went blank so I'm not sure when I reached the border. It wuz probly
after 11. I wuz struck by the irony that the fuckin weather that made
riding so trecherous was keeping me in country after my insurance had
expired.
Crossing in Tecate is easier, 'cause there's far less traffic, but
it's slowed by the lack of border patrol. Felt good to be back in th'
good U S of A.
>Nancy and I lazed around for a while longer, listening to the rain, which
>had returned. We got stirring by the noon check-out time, and resigned
>ourselves to riding back in the rain. We packed up, Nancy donned the rain
>togs loaned to her by Steve Reyer, and we headed out into a pretty steady
>rain.
>
>Before we got out of Ensenada we hit the first pool of water, about 6
>inches deep. I was leading, so I hit it like usual, too fast, and sprayed
>water all over myself, as usual. Nancy took it at a more circumspect
>rate, and probably didn't get as wet there as I did. The road was wet,
>with occasional spots with inch-deep runoff trails crossing,
Welcome to Baja. They probly get all of 2" of rain each winter.
Musta all come that weekend.
>We went by the Puerto Nuevo exit, which we would have taken if we were
>going to El Jefe's bar for the party he threw for those on the run, but
>Nancy and I had discussed stopping there and decided since it was raining
>we would just press on.
Damn th' luck. Fine spot and a fine party. Hope you can get to know
El Jefe better one of these days.
>Now we ride into Tijuana. Traffic is backed up to no end. We
>aren't sure where we're going, but we press on. We hit the shoulder,
>passing all these cars, but they are dry, and I'm soaked by now. We start
>down a long, long hill, stopping at every red light. By now, we're used
>to riding in six inches of water, it almost seems normal. We were on the
>last steep part of the slope when Nancy, riding in front of me, hit a hole
>in the road. I'm not real sure exactly what it was, possibly a manhole
>with dislodged lid, but the water we were in was dirty and I couldn't see
>through it. Her front wheel dropped into the hole, then came out. I'd
>estimate it to be about 6 inches deep and we were going maybe 5 miles an
>hour. Her back wheel dropped in and came out, but it robbed her of
>momentum, and being a complete surprise, she was not able to keep the bike
>up. It laid over on the curb on the crash bar.
Yikes!
>I stopped, jumped off my
>bike, and made sure she was all right. We picked the bike up, and checked
>for obvious damage. None was seen, so Nancy tried to start it up. It
>didn't start, and as we were in the traffic lane I suggested she coast
>down the hill to where we could pull over a bit. After a few moments the
>Sporty kicked right off, and we continued the adventure.
>
>Let's recap. We are in downtown Tijuana, with no idea of how to get to
>the border.
Too late, quite some time after I'd left Ensenada, I realized I had
meant to coach you about getting back to the border. Thought at the
time there was a fair chance of a problem. Might have been anywho,
but I do regret the brain fart.
>At the US border, we pulled up to a somewhat bored looking Customs man.
>He asked me, "Where are you going?"
>I replied, "Anaheim."
>"Do you live in Anaheim?"
>"No, I live in Austin, Texas but I work in Anaheim."
>
>He waved me through and turned to Nancy.
>
>"Where are you going?"
>"San Diego, then back to Hawai."
>"Is this your bike?"
>"No, it's a rental."
>
>He looked at the bike for a minute, and then they both started laughing.
>He waved us both through, and we were back in the home of the brave. No
>IDs were required. Good thing the FTLMF wasn't with us.
FYYFF!
>Epilogue:
>
>Everything I had with me was soaked, except for the electronic items I had
>stowed in a plastic bag in the middle of a bag. I could not have been
>wetter had I jumped into the pool.
>
>Nancy had a little trouble with the bike rental folks, they thought she
>had been riding on the beach because there was sand all over the bike, and
>there was a little damage from the laydown.
>
>All in all, I had a blast and would repeat the whole adventure again.
>This time, though, I think I would stay in Mexico an extra day and let the
>storm pass and the water run off. RE and Nancy were fantastic riding and
>partying partners and I can't wait to see and ride with them again.
Truly a most excellent weekend. Ain't it amazing how the "as-builts"
can come out so different from the design and yet there remain very
few regrets and many fine mammor^H^H^H^memories.
--
R.E. #92 FTLMF#2
"The road to the future is found in the past
We take the old route from grains to glass."
-- Route 66 Brewery, Union Stn., St Louis