Needles CA to SF Bay Area

Standing in the middle of the parking lot of the motel, I realized that today we’d have to travel 533 miles to get to my sisters. It was going to be a long day in the saddle.  This was a really painful day. Just best to get it over with as soon as possible. I’ve been driving 62/100 and once in CA the limits dropped to 55mph for trucks and 70 for cars.  Diesel mileage and safety simply would not let me go that fast comfortably, so I parked myself at 62 and ocassionally drifted up to 65.   I had snuck Kilo into the hotel after talking the owner down to $35 and wasn’t about to pay another $5 for Kilo (when he stayed in his “house” the whole time, tired out from his rabbit and bird chasing) but I felt horrific kharma as we left that morning at 6am.  I think we stopped twice the entire trip.  We took I10 to 58 and across to Bakersfield, picked up diesel and then over to I5 and hammered it homewards.  We got to my sisters around 4pm and surprised my mom reading to the girls and it was beyond great to be out of the car and “home”.

Some reflections on the trip:

There are various license plates (Belize is quite common and I’ve seen Cayman and Guatemala) in the area of Quintana Roo where we live.  From there on, it isn’t until about very northern SLP state that you see plates from the US or other parts of the country.  For some reason that really struck me, as we regularly see plates from all over the country (even the Baja states) at our supers.

I was pleasantly surprised to see how much exercise is a part of the culture in the areas we traveled.  As we rolled out at dawn in Monclova, the plaza (del parque) was ripe with people walking circuits around the plaza.  Our guide in Cuatrocienegas is a runner.  We saw cyclists (helmets, jerseys, etc.) ouside Villahermosa, Tabasco; Merida, Yucatan; Xalapa, Veracruz; and a couple other places in the north.  At Ixmiquiapan (sp?) there were sporadic futbol games while people were waiting for others to finish lunch (and after spending all morning riding the rides).  In contrast, the US had amazing facilities (that I found) for waking and running, but it wasn’t until Wilcox, Az that I saw anyone taking advantage of them.

People in the US in the south are generally found inside.  At least that was the impression I got.  It was hard to find anyone on the streets or in the parks except when we were at the Colorado River.

US currency is as ugly as ever.  Each time we come back to the US we’re struck at how boring and ugly our currency is.  Even our coins.  There is just something about pretty, colorful money.  Course, that could be the girl in me, but even the boys commented on that.

We had many military checkpoints throughtout the peninsula and through Veracruz state, but once we crossed the range outside Xalapa into the heart of Mexico, the checkpoints vanished.  Do drug smugglers never meander through the country?  The roads are definitely better than MX180 and other than boring MX57 (north of Monclova) much prettier.  Anyway, we had no checkpoints until Cuatrocienegas.  But by that time we were getting close to the frontera and I was waiting for them.

I would like to thank each surveyor and civil engineer and road builder in the US.  The US road system is absolutely stunning.  To be able to descend a mountain pass, from 4000ft at 62/100 without having to touch your brakes is an engineering accomplishment.  The US road system is amazingly safe and is really a joy to drive.  Thank you, US engineers.  It is also so lovely not to have to pay to drive a decent road.  I kept thinking, all the way through Texas, how much those roads must have cost and how lovely it was not to have to pay a toll.

After bitching about the topes throughout Mexico, I have to say that I really miss the opportunities they provide.  Fast food in MExico is generally made from scratch (love that versatile scratch!) and homemade.  Breads, tamales, tacos, fruits (already peeled and ready to eat), barbequed corn, fresh fish, coffee (beans or ground), you never really need to stop (other than at the tope) and all that is reqiured is to open your window and pay.  It also broke up the journey and kept it from being boring.  I was a little shocked when we got to Texas at the empty roads (we took 90) and lack of services.  I really wanted some tamales to break up that drive.  Or at least a bag of tunas.

I’m sure there is more and I’ll add to this later, but those are some of the things I’ve been thinking since coming back to el otro lado.