motorhomediaries

We're sitting outside at the Internet Cafe at La Palapa, the poolside restaurant and cantina at El Dorado Ranch.   It is a beautiful day in San Felipe, a town that boasts "No Bad Days".  There is a a pool volleyball game about to start, complete with officials; not just one, but two.  They take this stuff seriously!.  We had lunch.  I love that everything is so outdoors oriented.  We did not get up to town to watch the races.  Some of the racers have, obviously already finishes or washed out, because many of them are here at La Palapa.  The After Race dinner is being held at La Ventana Restaurant here on the ranch.  Which is a lovely venue, right on a lake, the golf course, and with sea views.  We had to get some business taken care of at the office, then came here for lunch, are updating the site, and then heading into town to do more business.  I didn't bring the camera.  Shucks.

I'm a couple of days behind, and its been a very busy couple of days.  We've met with a couple of builders.  We have floorplans we beleive represent us and how we want to live...again geared toward the outdoors.  The advice from most people we're meeting is "think of the future".  Then they see the plans, and the contractors have been impressed with 1) how prepared we are and 2) the flow of the house in general.  We've also speced out almost everything tha will be in the house.  But that's a different website. 

We went up to the property on Wednesday.  First of all to make sure it has electricity because several people had us panicked there.  Yup, there it is, and we're right across the street from the transformer.  The property is lovely.  We have two magnificent ocatillos; and a cholla.  Gotta watch those chollas; they're the ones that shed body parts and throw them at passerbys.  Its at the edge, so I'll stay away from it.  One of the contractors went up to scope it out, and thought it was a beautiful piece of land as well.  In a better spot that hers, if I do say so myself.  We're pretty high up, and right on the "greenbelt"  I call it a brownbelt, because it is, but it's legally called a greenbelt and is protected land.  Can never be built on and is closed to offroading.  We can hike it, and will create trails. 

 We were already in town meeting with a contractor so we decided to stay for dinner.  The racers from SCORE for the Baja 250 are already arriving and town is pretty lively.  And a bit noisy.  These guys are all driving their offroads into town.  But the SCORE races infuse the economy down here a ggreat deal.  The restaurants and bars were running a lively business.  The businesses all had Welcome Racers signs, and officials were starting to set up tents and vending all along the Malecon.  We had dinner at the Taco Factory, becauuse its our favorite place. 

The last few days of February and first few of March were spent treading water.  Wating to find out where we wold be authorized to cross the border with Bogart.  So we hung a few days in Yuma.  MAN.  What a disappointment.  we were disappointed in Yuma two years ago when we were here.  The Mecca of southwest Cowboydom. Isn't.  The "Old Town" isn't.  Old, interesting or anything else.  its mostly ne construction made to look old.  Badly.  And a lot of empty storefronts.  We didn't do much in Yuma.  And worse, as we were getting ready to head out, billions of people were heading in for a car show.  Impetus to head out, let me tell you.  Considering Yuma is, like, the snowbird capital, there's really nothing there. 

So then we find out that there is no way outa having to cross at Otay Mesa.  We cannot cross with Bogart at Calexico.  Dammit!  We have to go all the way back to San Diego to present her to the Fish and Wildllife inspector for a 5 minute check, some papework and an obscene amount of money.  The guy was a sweeetheart and very apologetic for the ridiculousness of the scrtiney for an creature that is obvious a long time pet.  Anyway.  We took the toll road from Otay Mesa to MX Hwy 5.  It is a well maintained road, but the winds were frikkin' unbelievable going over Mt Diablo.  And a big rig bit the dust so the traffic was stopped at the summit.  We took the opportunity to pull out at an overlook and have lunch.  Lovely road, lovely views, horrible wind.

Toll Hwy 2 D from Otay Mesa to Hwy 5, Mexicali 

The guard at the Otay Mesa border crossing was young, cute, soft spoken, charming and courtious.  I didn't take a picture.  Mark doesn't think that's appropriate to do, so I didn't.  The gentleman in the office where we obtained our FMM visa was also very courtious.  Around Tecate, we went through a military checkpoint.  Again, very pleasant young soldier comes on board, tells us our motorhome is "muy bonito" and he makes conversation as he checks out the rig.  The last checkpoint is on Hwy 5, right at the crossroad to Ensenada.  WOW.  Have they improved that interchange.  This one was pretty brief.  I have no problems with these checkpoints.  We went through them in Arizona also, heading back to Tucson.  The roads are under construction pretty much from Mexicalli to this particular interchange.  Ome of it is because of the big earthquake last year in Mexicalli that buckled the brand new freeway.  That was unpleasant.  And then further on, they're building bridges over the washes so the road will stopped being washed out evey monsoon season.  Last time we were down, the road between the Ensendada interchange and San felipe was torn up.  Its finished now and fabulous.  So, I look forward to the road being finally finished all the way.  It won't be so bad in the Baja, but it was unpleasant in the motorhome.