Day 125 to 127
| From November 8th to the 10th, 2007 |
BIENVENIDOS EN MEXICO !
Anxiety and nervousness are at their peak!! We're at the Mexican border!
We hold Minnie in our arms real tight...Folks told us we could'nt bring her into Mexico
since she had her shots less then 40 days ago...God, we hope we can...
Heuuu...We also got quite a bit of grocery before crossing, but we don't know for sure
what we can or can't bring...
A thousand questions come up in our heads...Do we have all the necessary papers?? We
have no insurances for our quads in Mexico, can we bring them in anyway?? Etc...Etc...
To help us cross the border, we hired Mark Brenton of Jet Rent. He will trailer us for
5 miles, just enough to get us across customs. Seems crossing the border with quads on a
trailer is pretty straight forward where as getting across riding them might have
jeopardized the rest of the trip. Véronica, his wife, is fluent in Spanish. She could act
as an interpreter, if need be...
As a matter of fact, we did need her interpreter talents! She translates to us that the
customs officer explains we need to have a temporary visa if we are going to be in Mexico
for more that 7 days. We had read that before but, thrown at you in really fast
spanish...WHOA!!
Cost: $30. US each, payable in any Banco!
A little bit of paperwork later...Mr. Custom Officer was happy, and so were we!
About the dog: Think they did'nt even see her!
About the food: No questions asked!
About quad insurances: No questions asked! (It is our understanding however, that, in
the event of an accident, we would be thrown in jail until we can prove that we can pay
for damages we done...)
The only thing that mattered really was having the visa. Viva Mexico!
Thanks Mark, Véronica and the girls, for getting up sooo early (6:00am) to bring us
here!
...And off we go!!
What's really interesting is that, in Mexico, everything is street legal...
EVERYTHING! (Note the helmet...)
Bienvenidos en Mexico!
Mexico's different...And it's not only the language...Everything is different.
Roads are different (NO shoulders, speed bumps on highways...), the scenery is
different, the people, the habits, the food...Even the smell is different. One must be
ready to experience a change.
After looking for a way to ride the dunes (south of Glamis) for numerous miles, we quit
looking and decide to ride the highway for 50 miles to Mexicali, Baja California Nortes'
capital.
It's in Mexicali that we'll meet Jim Greene and his wife Karen. Jim heard about us by
chance and wrote us to see if he could tag along for a while. Ex dirt bike racer, Jim has
been riding Bajas' trails and back country roads for over 20 years. He knows all of them!!
The peninsula is about 1000 miles long and he knows it like the back of his hand! He also
worked many years for the Honda Racing support team.
At 51, Jim recently retired and started a new guided tour outfit in Baja with a
partner. Please check out www.bajautv.com
for all the details of his tours. If you'd like to ride Baja, there's no doubt he can take
you where you want to go! And in style!
Let's go visit Mexicali!
We were very fortunate Jim was there, or else we probably would still be there!
Aaahhh!! That's Baja!
Hurry up while we still have some daylight!
While in Mexico, everything should be juged according to Mexican standards. There are
Canadian and American bad roads...And then, there are Mexican bad roads. Above is an
excellent secondary road...30 miles of severely washeboarded dirt...Enough to bring a
Hummer to tears...Mexicans must drive really good cars...
Today Jim brings us to Guadalupe Canyon. An oasis in the middle of the desert! After
riding for hours in the dust and gravel, we are surrounded by palm trees. We set up under
a palapa and enjoy a beautiful evening in our own hot tub filled with water coming ot of a
very very hot spring!
 
Yeah ! We're in Mexico!
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Border crossing went smoothly, thanks to Mark and Véronica! |
| Bof... |
50 miles on the road and riding across Mexicali. |
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Not exactly what we came looking for in Baja. |
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They had a raging fire here, just 2 months ago.
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The forces of nature. This small palm tree comes back to life after being
completely burned. |
Did we mention the water was HOT! Forget about that!...Lets go for a
walk.
There is suppose to be some water falls somewhere. WATERFALLS!! We're
in the middle of the desert, remember?
Not exactly Niagara Falls but...
The water here definitely is'nt coming from a hot spring! It's freezing cold! Pretty
unbelievable, is'nt it? It did'nt rain here since many, many moons ago,,,
Aaaahhh....At last...The perfect temperture! It's ideal!
Nice skirt! (On the palm...)
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What a shame! After all those years of good service, this one did'nt
survive the fire... |
The road to the other campo...
Leaving Guadalupe Canyon, heading back north to reach La Rumorosa. A quad freeway: 25
miles, not one dip, not one bump, not one curve...We're running a dry lake bed. Laguna
Salada. The Popos pistons are hard at work! This is also the lowest point
of the trip yet: 32 ft below sea level! It's hot here!
Polaris
Industries - Canada
Polaris Industries - USA
La Rumorosa sits right up there, on top of those mountains.
A few zigs zags later...Back to 4000ft. Near Rumorosa.
From there we head for El Hongo, via the road for 25 miles. We camp just south of El
Hongo, in Santa-Véronica.
This is not a joke!
This is the local police car! |
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You know, it's not always easy...Sometimes, France needs a back-up pilot...
| "Don't take it so hard, Honey!" |
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UNRELATED:
Dead cow standing... |
Here's our destianation for today. The "Parque Nacional Constitucion 1857"
Our friend and guide Jim took us here 'cause it's a very popular place. Lakes are rare
in Baja. France asks him if we'll be able to camp on the shore of the lake.
"Sure! Of course!" Says Jim.
A good swim, France? Last time there was water in the lake was in 2003...
No, there is no mistake! We are still in Baja, Mexico! If it looks like it's cold,
that's because it is cold!
A pine forest...Not exactly the Mexico you were expecting? Don't worry, Same here!! Near
Laguna Hanson you can find a old fire watch tower. This photo was shot at the foot of it.
Here's our "acampar" site for the night. Soon as we get here, we get busy
gathering firewood. If it was this cold today, it will probaly be brutal tonight.
Really does'nt feel like Mexico...
Completely exhausted, we slip into our sleeping bags...at 7:30 pm.
It's a freezing 30 deg. F....
...T.B.C...
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