South Of The Border And More: 2/12 - 2/13 2015 Planes, Trains and Boats

Dinner with a vaquero sporting silver spurs closed out our evening in El Fuerte.

The next morning was spent hovering in the bar of the Hildago, sucking up the internet like dehydrated wanderers in an information desert that had found an oasis. No matter how far you get off the grid, you never let go.

With time to spare before our ride to the ferry and saturated with the Net, we had a leisurely lunch by the pool, enjoying a moment of calm before the frenzy that is ferry travel in Mexico.

Excited to be back on our bikes, we maneuvered them cautiously out of their prison, back onto the cobblestones. Free for a moment we tore toward Los Mochis and the Topolobampo Ferry. An interesting interlude occurred when we stopped on the side of the road and loaded two of the smaller bikes onto the pickup because the ferry fees for vehicles are exorbitant. That process was a story itself, just a hill and no ramp and five men officiating! The other part of the story is the swarm of kids on bikes that came out and buzzed around the motorcycles left on the road. No amount of pencils or stickers would appease them as they kept asking for dollars. Finally "no entiendo español " repeated dozens of times scooted them off.

Then on to the ferry. We arrived early for our 9 o'clock slot, but it really didn't matter, because departure was not until 12. Only the riders could accompany their bikes on board, so tired and hungry, the rest of us, as walk- ons waited for hours with screaming babies and over-tired kids crawling on floors walked by shoes fresh from the over burdened bathrooms. We entertained ourselves with spy games and conversation. Finally, giddiness set in and nothing really mattered anymore. This was Mexico, and we were experiencing all.

The actual boarding took hours. Men and women were separated as the Federales searched only the men for weapons and drugs. In the holds, dogs sniffed the bikes. All this for a 6 hour ride. After a midnight snack in the dining room, we returned to our cozy cabin, complete with bathroom. Charged from the events of the day, I thought I would never sleep, but the purring of the engines and the gentle roll of the boat lulled us to sleep immediately.

Leaving the ferry proved as difficult as boarding, and finally, after hours of waiting, and a tense unloading of bikes from the pickup, we were once again free. As soon as we tore up the edge of the Strait, leaning over cliffs, diving into sapphire waters, the Baja captured me and I was recharged.

We soared along the water, sucking up the sun and the salt, and sailed into La Paz, were we lunched surrounded by the aftermath of a Mardi Gras celebration. Turning inland, we crossed the penninsula to land at The Hotel California, in Todos Santos. Legend has placed this hotel as the reason for the song. As much as the owner denied it, the story stuck, so now they have embraced it in its fullest. Welcome!

An eclectic ménage of old and new, the ambience of this trendy place snared us. Then, the most memorable dinner of the trip at Los Adobes completed another classic Mexican experience.

At every turn Mexico thrills, appalls, excites and calms me. The lesson we learn here is that life is variable, not always meant to be perfect. But in each new curve in the road there is the inevitable chance that something so beautiful that it is beyond imagination will assault you. And this is why we ride!