First dirt road!

The bus arrives in downtown San Diego at 6am. I'm a bit tired and stiff and head to the gym for a morning workout, hoping to regain some energy. It doesn't work, so I head over to Andy's house for breakfast and a short rest. He reminds me of motorcycle insurance for Mexico and helps me get it online. I notice that I forgot the registration at home. This is pretty bad and will definitely be a problem if I get pulled over in Mexico.

The drive down to Tijuana is less than 30 minutes. No traffic at all at the border. Immigration guard tells me it will cost 262 pesos to enter Mexico (1 USD = 13 pesos). I reply "huh, it's supposed to be free?". So he gives me another form to fill out and I get to enter for free. Welcome to Mexico!

I drive straight down to Ensenada (1.5 hours), have lunch, then head to La Bufadora, a geyser 45 minutes south of Ensenada. Then I decide it's time to leave the paved roads and I select a 40 mile dirt route that will take me from highway 1, to the coast, pass a camp site, then back to highway 1. This should be a good warmup before I cross the desert. I'm a bit concerned since I've never driven on dirt before, but it turns out to not be complicated at all! It's a little bit like mountainbiking on dirt, except that the motorcycle weighs 250 pounds. At dusk I meet a farmer on the road and ask him if it's far to the beach. "No no, just 30 minutes." I drive for approximately 1.5 hours before I find an old abandoned camp site next to the water where I spend the night. Freezing! I have to wear all the clothes I brought, including the motorcycle gear.

What I learned today:

Don't park your motorcycle in a downhill. It will roll away.

La Bufadora. Super touristy.

Mexican immigration, Tijuana.

Geyser, La Bufadora.

When I see this I proclaim "no mames!!!"

Hmm. Let's go back and try another road.

Bulls and wild dogs roam the backcountry.

Campsite sign.

Campsite office??

Ensenada, Mexico