April 14-15, 2007
Ensenada, BajaMex (map)
(Almost) The End of the Road

We pulled into Ensenada about 4 pm yesterday after a fairly grueling 9-hour ride, being passed by 83 semi-trucks, according to the count of a fellow traveler. The road widened a bit along the way, so the ‘thrill factor’ abated somewhat. Lots of dicey mountain roads, with some of my

favorite edge-of-the-cliff driving, which churned my innards. Seems as though the whole driving experience on the trip was to prepare us for the length and difficulty of this drive. So glad the worst is over.

The Estero Beach RV Park is probably the nicest we have stayed in on the journey. Near waters edge it is clean with growing grass!

Today’s morning activity was a round of golf at the Baja Country Club, very reasonably priced at $35 with a discount coupon from the RV Park. The course was surprisingly nice. For all the billboards that have been put up promoting the place, their internet presence is pretty meager. Light rain began to fall by the 18th hole and sporadic showers continued throughout the day, culminating in a major downpour just as we finished our final dinner together. It drummed on the roof of the rig, providing a nice reminder of past rainstorms on the road.

Ensenada is a classic border town, with a mix of Mexican and US enterprises. Since cruise ships stop here, there is a thriving tourist zone. Fairly modern, it still has its share of shacks and one-person storefronts. Couldn’t help but feel sorry for the less fortunate tonight as the rains fell. Roofing is not a sure thing with some of the ramshackle dwellings we have viewed.

My last visit to Ensenada was about 40 years ago when several of us college fellows decided in Davis, on the spur of the moment one warm summer night, to drive nearly 1000 miles starting about 1 a.m. We simply wanted to escape the valley heat for the cooling of the Mexican surf. (If you believe that, I would like to sell you a desert oasis near Catavina.) The Bahia Hotel on the strip is still standing, no doubt with historic instructions posted somewhere not to allow those gringos from Davis on the premises again. Such was the foolishness of youth for the 8 of us who made the journey.

Visited Costco en Ensenada for provisions, and I savored a Costco hot dog, all 180 pesos worth. Good American chow!

Tonight’s dinner was a poignant gathering. We had, as a group, endured 38 days together, many fun, some (driving-wise) very tough. We survived with but a few scratches to our rigs, and only a few minor health issues. It was an adventure that none of us will ever forget.

It has been 35+ days since we have viewed television. No talk radio. No newspapers for the same period. And not a single cell phone call the entire time.

We have enjoyed this moving snapshot of the Mexican countryside, some of its cities, lesser burgs, the vast and vacant countryside, and a brief taste of its culture.

To those who may think some of my commentary along the way has been shaded towards the negative (I prefer to call it "wry"), realize that I write this blog to provide a semi-informed chuckle to the reader (and to me, 2 years hence, when my memory has been cluttered with subsequent events and places. At that point, I will not care whether the piñata on a given occasion was a donkey or a cow.)
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After a few days reflection, when I am seated in front of my computer at home with a nice cup of coffee flavored with hazelnut coffeemate------ I will put down some final thoughts on the 38-Day Copper Canyon Journey. In the meantime, we will be heading north, first for a visit with friends at their casita north of Ensenada, and then to Calico for a reunion with Carly, dutifully to be delivered by daughter Julie, whose dog-sitting over the past 6 weeks has allowed us to make this journey in a somewhat less complicated fashion. The caravan will leave without us, heading to a border crossing at Tecate before officially disbanding. Vaya con Dios, muy amigos....