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Day 281-285, 18-22 April09: Trucks, dust, wind, heat: Baja California Norte, Part2
18-21 April 2009, past San Quintin –Rosarito, via El Rosario, Sonora & the desert.. The roads were dry and empty but the fresh sea wind kept us cool. That is, until we headed inland and up a very steep hill. After some pushing we ended up at another military checkpoint on top of a mesa, before the road dropped quickly into the dusty town of El Rosario. We bought some yoghurt and even though we had only cycled 50km, we decided to stay the afternoon and work in the Internet cafe. The previous owner was the current pharmacist and he send us to a place on the far side of town to pitch our tent:...
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Day 274-280, 11-17April09: Trucks, dust, wind, heat: Baja California Norte, Part1
We stayed a few days in Ensenada. Gerardo, who lives in the US, came down for a day, to resupply the local bikeshop (‘TNT’) with new bikes and parts and took us out for breakfast in the centre of Ensenada, where we visited a nice coffeeshop with Wifi. The town was virtually deserted, no tourist in sight. Ivana’s knee was still hurting a bit, but we enjoyed the little house that Gerardo has opened up for cyclists passing South. We visited his friends Delia & Jose Antonio often and enjoyed just walking around the neighbourhood. 15th April, Ensenada – Santo Thomas, 35 km It was time...
[Read more...]And just before that...
Day 268-274, 5-10 April 09. Into Mexico, a different world
5th April: Point Loma, San Diego – Tijuana, Mexico It took only a few hours to get through San Diego, over some bike paths and then into San Isidrio, the border town. We had been warned that we should not try to use the pedestrian crossing at the border, having read horror stories about crunched bikes and bags. So we were happy to see a sign that basically said: Bikepath to Mexico, not for pedestrians. That sounded like a plan, but alas, the short path ended up in front of the pedestrian turnstiles. Se we headed back up the ‘one-way’ short path and decided to take the final 100m of the busy...
[Read more...]This is old news by now :)
Day 242-267 10Mar- 4 April 09: at home in San Diego & Ocean Beach
San Diego is the end point for most cyclist who travel down the West Coast, usually starting in Vancouver. Just 40km North of Mexico, it has the luxury and practical advantages of the USA while combined with the weather and relaxedness of the Mexicans. Our friend Romke (from The Netherlands) had already told us that he loved it there and that he would love to move there and had sent us some addresses of friends he had met there. We were planning to let our bodies and mind rest for a while here. After staying with Daniel, we headed over to the nice Balboa Park for a relaxed day in the park, enjoying...
[Read more...]Ancient history....
Day 234-241, 2-9March 09. Back on the bike, LA to San Diego. Jai Ho!
2nd March 2009: LA – Lomita via Santa Monica, 50km We spent one more day and night with Claudia and Diego, watched our new favourite movie, Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire (Jai Ho! became our new motto :)) and then we headed out again. We wanted to start again, where we had been picked up by Diego, so we actually first went North-west, back to Santa Monica. It took us about 20km right through Los Angeles, which simply confirmed itself to be a rather ugly place. Not that we ever felt any danger (besides from ridiculously oversized trucks and SUV’s of course), most of the people on the streets...
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Go Green
1000 Americans: Matt & Rita, San Luis Obispo
Matt & Rita are avid cycle tourists, having toured by bicycle in Italy, The Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Australia and the US. They actively promote... »»»
1000 Americans: Victor Antonio, peacemaker
Victor, originally from Puerto Rico, though he grew up in San Antonia, Texas, has been on the road for a while, walking to promote peace through Marijuana. This... »»»
1000 Americans: Rose, Diego & Ximena, Pacific Grove
Rose, Diego & Ximena are housemates in Pacific Grove, adjacent to Monterey, California. All are active environmentalists, preferring the bike over... »»»
More Go Green PostsTips & Tricks
1000 Americans: Tom & Sandy Hubbard, Vancouver, WA
When I found out that Tom Hubbard and his wife Sandy were living on our path, I wanted to meet them. As a photographer, it is a pleasure to talk to Tom,... »»»
Water: refill, not landfill please…
When cycling down from Alaska, we often asked passing RV’s for some water. We noticed that most of the time, people were carrying trays and trays... »»»
Tips from the road: Couchsurfing, WarmShowers & Hospitality Club
This post is a thank you to all the wonderful people that have hosted us on the way and offers advice for travelers as well as hosts. For those new to... »»»
All Tips & Tricks1000 Americans
1000 Americans: Mother and kids selling fruit, Villa Jesus Maria, Mexico
In the middle of a long dusty stretch of road, this family parks their van, fixes a tarp and carves and sells fresh fruit, a small oasis in the desert.... »»»
1000 Americans: Don Santiago & Alonso Romero, Sonora, Mexico
Don Santiago is in his sixties and lives with his mother in a small lone ranch in the desert of Baja California. They sell animals carved out of marble... »»»
1000 Americans: Ed & Duffy, El Rosario, Mexico
Ed ‘Eduardo’ Lusk is married with a Mexican woman and they run the well-known Baja’s Best restaurant together. His neighbour and friend Duffy also... »»»
More 1000 Americans PostsGear & stuff
Day -1: Amsterdam to Fairbanks
After all the planning, we were anxious to get on the plane. Romke again suffered sleep deprivation because of our trip and woke up with us and took our... »»»
Day -x: Preparations: making a mess and saying goodbye
We are now several days on the road and have some time to write some proper reports. Frankly I am amazed I can type this, as I was sure that the constant... »»»
More Gear & Stuff PostsTranslator
