Author: docsurf

So we started from Santa Rosalia after a good night’s sleep and of course the first thing we did….climb out of town.  Oh by the way, have I mentioned that the roads in Baja have been pretty decent?  It’s true, however the same cannot be said of the roads in most of the towns.  It seems the federal government has been working on the quality of the roads in Baja and it shows, unfortunately the local municipalities must not have the money and the road work shows it.  Cobblestones don’t have anything on the roads in these towns.

Anyway, getting a late start overrides any benefit of a good night’s sleep.  We were about 2/3rds of the way to Mulege when a little oasis popped up on the radar screen.  I sucked down a gallon of water and tried to rehydrate as Dom and I shared a few moments with our two new friends.

 

Somehow I managed to convince myself to swing a leg over and continue on.  It wasn’t too far down the road that Dom told me he was getting a headache from the sun.  He told me he was going to continue on at a bit higher pace and was going to meet me in town.

The two guys we had just left said that there were a few hills followed by a decent into Mulege…they lied….the bastards!  It’s funny how people who aren’t bicyclists have a different view from me about roads…that goes for Dom as well.  They forget that I’ve yet to get my sea-legs…so to speak.

Anyway, many ‘hills’ later (some having been pushed up) I was on the descent into Mulege and none too soon.  By the time I got there I was spent.  I was so finished.

I pulled up and started sucking down water and pouring it over my head in an attempt to cool off.  All of a sudden “Bam”.  My rear tire had blown up!  Apparently the heat must have expanded to a degree that the tube/tire couldn’t stand.  This would be my Schwalbe “Marathon Racer”.

So we got a relatively early start today.  We hit the road at 8am.  I was feeling quite sluggish and can only contribute it to being out of shape, slept like shit (dogs barking, mosquitoes buzzing and head filled with a bit of dread) and didn’t really eat anything for breakfast.

Regardless we got out of town, and wouldn’t you know it…hills…friggin’ hills right off the bat (thank God no tequila).  As a side note, yesterday my front derailleur wouldn’t shift into first gear, so my hill climbing was done in second gear, so with Dom’s help I made some adjustments and got it to shift somewhat properly.

Apparently my mechanic skills need a bit more honing as I still couldn’t get the damn thing to shift until I got to the crest of the hill…..thanks a whole fukkin’ lot!

Anyway….the good news is I didn’t have to get off and push the damn bike today…although there were a couple moments when I thought the vein on my forehead was going to burst!

This bit of climb was complicated by the fact that the road we were on was under construction.  This means the already hilly climb had damn little traction under my tires.  Ah well, quit whining!  I made it to the top and told Dom I needed to stop for a moment.

Thankfully there was a little place at the top which sold quesadillas.  As we pulled in so did a pickup truck with Calf. plates.  I wobbled inside and the driver asked me where I was from?  I told him and he mentioned he was from L.A. on his way to Cabo with his wife.  That was all there was to it till Dom nodded towards him and mentioned that perhaps this was a good day to hitch a ride to our destination.  Didn’t take too long for me to make up my mind!

We threw the bike, along with all of Dom’s gear in the bed of the truck and off we went.  Holy Shit Batman, this guy drives fast!  I decided to put my fate in God’s hands (funny for me to do), shut my eyes and let the world speed ahead at breakneck speed.

Not long after we pulled into Santa Rosalia.  As we rounded the last corner the air cooled and the Sea of Cortez pulled into view.  My host/driver pulled off to the side and obviously was ready to be rid of me (don’t get me wrong, this was a hellofa nice thing for him to have done and I appreciated it very much).

So here I am sitting on the side of the road with my bike, my gear, and all of Dom’s gear….WTF do I do now….well, I quit whining and load it all onto my bike.  Bungee cords are a wonderful thing!  I got everything loaded up and pushed the bike into town.  A short walk around the center of town confirmed my hotel and shortly thereafter I was enjoying a brief nap in air conditioned luxury!

I sent Dom an email (we both get via Kindle Keyboard) telling him where I was and it wasn’t too long after he showed up.  You should have seen his face when I told him I had everything loaded on my bike!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So here we are, lunch devoured and cervezes  downed…working on our respective blogs.

WTF??  What happened to the “He-Man, Master of the Universe”?  I’ll tell you what happened, he got fat, old and outta shape!

And this is scary for a number of reasons; the climbs we had today weren’t really considered climbs by anyone in the biking community outside of me.  I actually had to get off the bike and push them up the last two hills.  The last one was especially eventful as there were several vehicles waiting for me to get over the crest so they could too.  The roads are narrow as hell, so they can’t swing wide without potentially doing a header into someone coming the other way.  I was too wiped out to get my leg over the saddle and head down the other side.  So, we endured several irritated drivers sharing their feeling with the crazy “once upon a time “He-Man, Master of the Universe”.  They were not amused.  And quite frankly I don’t blame ’em.  This is a land of survival, and so far I got a bit of catching up to do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thankfully the rest of the way into San Ignacio was a downhill ride.  Regardless, by the time I got to the swanky (Dominic’s words) Desert Inn Hotel, I was done…baked…stick a flippin’ fork in me…done!  I sat on the steps of the majestic hotel (too expensive 700 pesos [including a continental breakfast]…$51 bucks) in the shade cooling off while Dominic rode into town proper and scouted it out.  It wasn’t too long after I heard the bicycle bell (love/hate relationship) indicating he was back.  Apparently a half mile further was suitable ‘cheap’ accommodations.

We got a room at the “Hotel Posada”, unpacked and crashed!  I briefly spoke to an nice American Lady, who I informed that I needed to lay down prior to falling face first on her flowers.

Not long after I roused myself and saw Dom was out.  I got all my dirty clothes together and rode to the local ‘lavanderia’ in order to get the squared away.  Another side trip to the local ‘mercado’ scored me with a 12 pack of cold cervezas.

Dom was still out when I got back so I sat outside in the shade and made short work of two cans of Pacifico.  They performed the miracles of transforming the day into a workable fashion of ‘rosy’.  Shortly thereafter I saw the nice American lady “Sava” (not her real name, but that’s another story).  We sat around drinking cold beer until Dom joined us a short time later.

We agreed to a slight trade, Sava would drive us around the community and we would buy here dinner.  I think she got the better part of the deal, but it was enjoyable all the same.

We went to “Rice and Beans” for dinner (soup and fried fish) and into the local square after.  Sava took us to a friend’s house…Juanita, a nice lady who’s done a great deal to make her slice of Baja particularly wonderful.  Afterwards it was to the center of town.  Dominic decided to walk back while Sava and I went to the ‘mercado’ (market) and I got some snacks for the next days ride along with a gallon of water and some ice.

I surprised myself by drinking over half a gallon of water…pee’d twice…hmmm perhaps a bit dehydrated??

I enjoyed the company of Sava’s cat, who apparently appreciates the company of men to women.  The door to our room was open and she jumped up on the bed, on my chest and made herself at home.

It wasn’t long after that the cat left, the mosquitoes came, and we shut the door.

So this morning Will called and gave us his girlfriend’s Mom’s name and info in Guasave (just north of Culliacan). We went to the post office, but through much gesturing and using both Dom’s and my spanish, we learned that we couldn’t simply send the package(s) along their merry way. It seems that Baja is considered a “frontier” territory and as such any mail going to another state (in Mexico) or to another country has to be approved by a customs official. There are several reasons for this, but I won’t go into at the moment. However, all is not lost dear reader! I was anxious to lose the extra 20 pounds of weight. They did tell us we could forward the backpack and contents along to La Paz and they would hold it for me in general delivery. I could talk to an official in La Paz in order to mail the stuff back to the states and make another decision based on what we’ll find out.

So now that that bit of housekeeping is done it’s time to be on our way.

The morning started off pretty chilly and I wondered if I would warm up?  Duhhh!  Once the sun came out, yeah I warmed up…plenty!

Lots of desolate riding…think of riding from Vegas to Tonopah…or Alamo.  Either way you get the idea.

It was flat riding all the way to Vizcaino…a couple of bumps on the road, but nothing a “he-man master of the universe” can’t handle (oh, how I’ll eat those words later).

We got into Vizcaino around 6pm and yeah, it got warm just fine.  Thanks Mom for your voice ringing in my ears to put on sunscreen.

We got a hotel just off the main drive, got cleaned up and hit a nearby taco stand for dinner (a couple of Baja state police were enjoying their dinner too and I took care of their check too…can’t hurt to make the local cops happy).

Needless to say, I slept well.  Knees weren’t hurting too badly either.

Well, here’s the story of the first day’s ride from Guerrero Negro to Vizcaino…it didn’t happen. We started off down the road and I swear to God I was riding a wet noodle. Where did my strong steel steed go?? Apparently even the strongest of steel has a bending/breaking point and I could tell mine was rapidly approaching the point of no return.

We had pedaled perhaps a kilometer out of town before I hailed Dom. I told him what was happening and we agreed it would be foolish to continue.

We checked into a little motel on the outskirts of town and began to methodically go through all my gear. By the time we finished there were two piles. One was stuff I’d decided to send back to Vegas and the other was my cold weather gear. I figured I could forward this along to Culiacan.

I couldn’t send anything at the moment since I didn’t have anyone’s address in Culiacan. I called Will and he didn’t have any of their info either but said he would get someone’s by the next morning.

Dom and I retired to our hotel where they happened to serve dinner. A bowl of soup and a fillet of fried fish put an end to an otherwise somewhat dismal start.

So yesterday morning I got the last of the things off to donations right before Terry Leavitt (that great American) picked me up to take me to the border.  It was a fairly uneventful drive down to San Diego (but not before meeting two beautiful eyed workers @ Chocolate & Spice…had to have a bite to eat of course).

Terry dropped me off with Rosa’s son Will.  Will lives in S.D. and knows TJ like the back of his hand.  So we off loaded the bike and gear from Terry’s SUV into Will’s Civic hatchback…a tight fit.

We did a quick money conversion (no more dollars for me) and breezed through the border….as a matter of fact we breezed through without stopping at immigration and getting my visa…ah well, it’ll give me something to do in La Paz. Whoops!

Got to TelCel and got my iPhone up and running.  Last stop…the bus to Guerrero Negro where Dominic awaits.  We got to the station at 5:40p and the bus leaves at 6p.

Will goes to the ticket counter and tells me they don’t want to take a bike, however they are willing to look it over…a well placed 100pesos later and the bike and gear are okay’d to go.  The bus ride was a long 12 hours…made longer by the way the seat tilted forward constantly trying to dump me out on the floor so my foot was used to prop against the seat in front to resist the urge.

Needless to say I didn’t get much of anything close to sleep, however the young kid in the seat next to me did…after he threw up on my leg.  Ah yes the joys of public transportation.  It’s all good.

We pulled into Guerrero Negro right on time and I see Dom sitting with a big grin on his face.

We’ve gone through my gear (Dom wants to know if I actually sold anything or brought it all), gotten all his gear to him and re-packed it.  This will no doubt be done numerous more times trying to get it right.

We’re off to get some food and then ride 40 miles to Vizcaiano.  God’s speed I hope.

Oddly enough I’m leaving behind my biggest strengths in order to do this trip…family and friends.  I have been blessed with an incredible family and die-for friends.

My sons, Ryan & Aaron, are the best.  They’ve stuck with me through thick and thin.  I want them to know how much that is appreciated by me.

Mom, what can I say about my Mom?  I have learned more about parenting through her than anyone else.  Perhaps that’s part of the reason the boys are who they are.  I know that just because a person reaches adulthood it doesn’t mean the job/responsibility/pain/joy of parenting is over.  It would probably be a safe bet that as an adult I’ve given Mom more grey hairs than I ever did as  a kid.  I’m glad you have Gene…God knows you need someone to supervise.

My big brothers, Greg & Wes, even though they both are shaking their heads wondering what screws got knocked loose on my motorcycle accident, are supportive of me heading out.  Though they continue to shake their heads…I mean, why not at least on a motorcycle, right?

My friends…where to begin…

My tequila drinking pal and teacher of all things relating to motorcycle riding Wayne Petersen.  Oh the stories we could tell on each other!

Dr. Scott MacLeod.  Scott is my second resident know-it-all.  His knowledge encompasses so many topics and he has always been willing to share it with me whenever needed.

Paul Wasik was a fellow employee at the Monte Carlo.  Paul worked for me but I learned more from Paul about leadership than I did from anyone else at MC.  Paul is also entrusted with keeping a certain house from disrepair.  I hope he enjoys it as much as I always have.

Dr. Bill Muir.  Bill is my go to man when it comes to sharing a cigar…or begging one from him.  I owe Bill many thanks for giving my cigars (and humidors) a home that I know couldn’t be better.

Regardless of our current situation Rosa Jepsen, is/was and hopefully always will be someone I count as a friend.  She is the keeper of the baddest ass cats in Las Vegas, and one crippled little dog.

One of the few former partners I keep in contact with is Joede Vanek.  We don’t see each other often enough, but coffee always tastes better when we get together.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Mark Baker.  Mark and I rarely socialize but he is nonetheless a damn good friend and always has a viewpoint worth looking at and listening to.  Mark is also one of the most trustworthy people I’ve known.

When I speak of IT stuff I reach for Mike Balasko.  Mike was never so happy as to when I quit dial-up….yeah he’s been helping me out that long.  Damn, he was just a kid then…wearing flaming shoes!  Mike has helped me out with anything tech and geeky.  I will keep his cell number close at hand and hope that he answers.

Perhaps saving the best for last, my best friend Terry Leavitt.  Terry and I have known each other for a long time and have been through the best of times, and without doubt, the worst of times.  Terry is my number one resident know-it-all.  Most people don’t have one of these and I’m blessed with two.  How lucky am I.

 

Hurry up and wait.  How many times have we all had to deal with this?

Today Juan and crew (of one) finished up the repairs on the house.  Place looks great, it echoes because it’s so empty, and dammnit, if I’m gonna sleep on the floor I may as well sleep on the ground camping in Baja…..I’m ready to go!

But wait Batman…your time in Gotham isn’t done yet.  You gotta pay your dues.  So here I wait, being held hostage by my insurance company.  In fairness they’ve done this in pretty short order and I’m hoping to be on my way this weekend.

 

Enough whining.  Today I went to see my on-again, off-again, on-again family doctor, Dr. K.C. Shin.  Doc Shin and I saw each other for a lot of years and they drifted apart…well, he left the business for a while, but came back right around the corner from my house.  I went in to see him about getting my regular prescriptions refilled prior to hitting the border and I’m glad I did.  He’s a good chap and is deliciously envious of me going on my adventure!

As I was leaving Walgreen’s (filled the scripts) I saw an older gentleman hobbling along with a walker.  I said “Good afternoon” as I swung my leg over my bike and got ready to leave.  I thought he wasn’t going to say anything, but surprised me when he said “I wish I could still do that”.  We spent the next half hour talking about my upcoming adventure and his past adventures on a fishing boat in Alaska and afterwards in the Navy.  His name is Dwight and he was a delight to chat with.  He made me feel pretty good about this trip.  He said to never look back and regret the decisions made.  I like his outlook.

The countdown is on…

That’s my mantra, I tell myself probably 20 times a day.  I say it right after I thank God for letting me wake up and I say it right before bed.  I guess I say it to help myself believe it.

I wouldn’t have changed going home to visit family for anything, but it had me spinning when I got back trying to tie up all the loose ends (and believe me, there were far too many).  As it turns out this disaster has forced me to slow down, take things in stride, pick up the pieces and move on.

I’m more confident about leaving than I was before, I’m more prepared and have given things more thought than I’d been able to prior.

My bike is prepped (a couple of small things remain), my gear is almost dialed in (at least until I begin to ride) and my mind is mostly right…mostly.

Living in the house, since they pulled out all the dryers and fans, has been a study in quiet.  I’ve taken to keeping it that way with the occasional outbursts of music while working on the bikes.  I hear the lives of others going on around me and realize that I never really paid attention to them before.  It has caused me to smile and look inward a bit.

So I’ll leave you with a couple pics of the house as it stands now.

“The best laid plans of mice and men…” Steinbeck wrote it based off the Scottish writing of Robert Burns in the 1700’s (apparently this thought concept has been around a bit…obviously well proven).

Those of you who have been following along know that I was planning on leaving Tuesday morning on the way to L.A. to meet Dominic and begin the ride, but as fate would have it, things took a turn.  Today was the Peccole Community Assoc. garage sale.  This happens twice a year and has a huge turnout.  This was going to be the last opportunity to get rid of whatever remained prior to going to donations.  I left Rosa’s around 5:30am with the intention of having everything laid out for whoever showed up early, but as I walked up the driveway, I was greeted with a small stream flowing to the road and heard the thunderous roar of a mini Niagara.  It took me a moment to realize my water heater had blown up.  After I got the water main shut off I surveyed the damage hoping like hell it was contained to the garage.  Imagine my surprise when I opened the door to the house and had water spill over the threshold!

Then entire bottom floor had anywhere from a half inch to almost two inches of standing water…fairly warm water to boot.  I have to give the water heater credit…it was doing its damnedest to keep up.

The first guy on the repair crew showed up about an hour after I called the insurance carrier and shortly thereafter an entire crew armed with water extractors, blowers and dehumidifiers….enter bad memories of the Monte Carlo fire.

So as we took stuff to the garage, to remaining higher ground, the crew was surprised to see the amount of people who began showing up wanting to but things we were hauling out.  People will buy anything.

So at this point I know my departure will be delayed but I don’t know how long or how this will affect things.  I do know its not a good sign when the crew removed the slate baseboard and the kickpanels of the cabinets in order to dry the soaked studs behind them.