Day 1 Mexi-American: A Tijuana-San Diego Start!
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For the second tour of 2021, the Boys met in San Diego, where they met in the Airport. Mike had an uneventful trip where Bone viscerally disliked the airline food and "fed the fishes" at 30,000 feet! Fortunately it was food poisoning and not the "C" word (Covid!) Meeting at the airport, the Boys got their rental car and started their journey,,,, as far south as you can go in California!
Do you wanna Tijuana?!?!
Where does the Pacific Coast Highway start? As Mike and Bone were to find out the starting and ending of PCH is a fluid point of view, depending on where you were! Not being sure, Bone decided the only way to make sure was to ..... Start in Mexico!!!
or the second tour of 2021, the Boys met in San Diego, where they met in the Airport. Mike had an uneventful trip where Bone viscerally disliked the airline food and "fed the fishes" at 30,000 feet! Fortunately it was food poisoning and not the "C" word (Covid!) Meeting at the airport, the Boys got their rental car and started their journey,,,, as far south as you can go in California!
"You don't need no stiiiinkin' Passport!" Hueso
The Boys drove the 20 minutes down to San Ysidro on the last US exit to park. Once parked, Mike and Bone had to consider a potential buzz kill, Mike did not have his Passport! Now Bone had gone to Tijuana many, many times without anything more than a drivers license, and half the time it was never needed! However, that was before Covid! So neither knew if Mike could get into Mexico, but more importantly getting back into the US!
Downtown Tijuana!
Throwing caution to the wind, Mike and Bone walked to the Border, asked a group of US Border Guards if there would be any concern with the Boys crossing in without a passport. The bored reply was "no, but you may have to ask a few more questions." Once across, Mike and Bone shared a taxi with a Californian of questionable morals to downtown. Tom (the name he shared) would come across 2-3 times of month to gamble, get hammered and "refresh himself" with the local women. As he put it, once across the border, he was no longer married. Mike and Bone declined his offer to have lunch with him in order to not get tangled up in, well what ever he was into! and started to walk around and check out the strange scene that it Tijuana.
Miguel & Huevos!
Tijuana, which is the western-most city for Mexico has always been a Mecca for gambling and drinkin' for the gringo's of Estado's Unido's with an edge to it. While not a 3rd world country, one must watch their wallets and everything you may consider ingesting. You can never be to sure of the quality of the food and or the drink!
More than once Bone wasn't sure if he was drinkin' bad tequila or kerosene in the sketchy bars in downtown Tijuana! However, Tijuana is known for the creation of that lovely the frozen concoction that helps Jimmy Buffet hang on! The Margarita was invented in 1938 by Carlos "Danny" Herrera at his restaurant Rancho La Gloria, just outside of Tijuana, created for customer and former Ziegfeld dancer Marjorie King, who was allergic to many spirits, but not to tequila, supposedly Tequila was the only alcohol that King would abide, so Herrera added lime juice and salt, hence the margarita! Actually Tijuana is also known as home for the king of salads , , , , , ,, , , , , , , or better still Caesar Salad!
All Hail Caesar! Salad ?!
Ahh the venerable Caesar salad! A lovely mix of romaine lettuce and croutons dressed with lemon juice , olive oil, egg, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, garlic, Dijon mustard, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper!! Many a steak dinners starts with this popular treat which was also created in Tijuana! The Caesar salad started with Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant who operated restaurants in Mexico and the United States. His daughter Rosa recounted that her father invented the salad at the Hotel Caesar in Tijuana, Mexico when a Fourth of July rush in 1924 depleted the kitchen's supplies. Cardini made do with what he had, adding the dramatic flair of the table-side tossing "by the chef. Interestingly, Cardini was living in San Diego, but he was also working in Tijuana, where he avoided the restrictions of Prohibition! Mike and Bone walked by but not in Hotel Caesars, not wanting to deal with Montezuma's revenge!
Statues with Ancients!
One of the cool things that Tijuana has done is place famous Mexican statues throughout the city from Mexico, the one above Las Limas, is person holding a child with a baby jaguar. After 20 minutes, the Boys decided it was time as Taco Bell says to "cross the border!"
A Strategic Retreat or much Adieu about Nottin' !!
Before the Boys got themselves in trouble with food or drink, they headed back to the border to deal if necessary with the tighter scrutiny of the border crossing, What Mike and Bone found out was . . . . . Nothing! The Border line was long, took about 20 minutes to get through, they simply asked what the Boys were doing in Mexico, and let them though! No fuss, no muss, no hassle! Now that they had "tagged" the start of the trip. The Boys drove out of the US Border parking lot, drove west along the Mexican border till they hit the ocean, and started the looong trek north!
Smelling Salts, the Sea Air!
It was no more than 10 - 15 minutes that Mike and Bone found themselves on the shores of the bucolic Pacific Ocean in sunny San Diego. After a 5 hour flight and then the pungent pestilence of Tijuana, the fresh, salt air cleared the Boys heads and reminded them that while it was 3:00 PM PST, it was 6:00 PM EST and they skipped lunch! so they sauntered up the coast to hippy, funky Oceanside for a bite!
Ogling Ocean Beach!
Oceanside must of been the city that the Mama's and Papa's California Dreaming song were in when they wrote it! Oceanside is a great example of a city that has only partially left its hippie past. It could be accurately noted that while it is not your grandparent's hippie community, it is their grandchildren's hippy community! The streets are lined with Millennial and Gen Z organic coffee shops (isn't all coffee organic?!) Mike and Bone simply parked the car and walked the couple of blocks down to Ocean Side Harbor Beach. Their they found a very cool local restaurant for a late lunch.
Lunch on the Ocean!
Since it was already pushing 4:00 they decided just have some appetizers and a few (non-booze) drinks. It was very cool sitting on their porch in the afternoon sun, slight breeze, and chomping on some tasty treats. After a few rounds of drinks and apps, Mike and Bone decided to figure out, where do they start this trip!!?!!
Where is PCH?!? Reconning Torrey Pines
Mike caught on Google that he saw PCH Start off of Torrey Pines. By checking the map, the Boys were able to figure out that what is called N. Torrey Pines Road, eventually is renamed PCH! Having figured out their start for the next morning, Mike and Bone stopped in to Torrey Pines State park to enjoy the early evening beach scene.
Early Evening in the Torrey Pines State Park!
The State Park and the adjacent Torrey Pines State Reserve are picturesque cliffs over a lovely sandy beach, where the Boys watch beach volleyball, surfing, and tons of hiking going on. After 40 minutes of beach fun, Mike and Bone decided to find a bunk in San Diego, in the oldest part of town!
Old Men in Old Town!
Old Town San Diego is called the birth place of California because in 1769 Father Junipero Serra, along with a group of Spanish soldiers, established the first permanent European settlements in California. Father Serra built the first of the 21 Missions that anchor the development of California for Spain. The Mission was originally built next to the Spanish fort called the Presidio, which is on a hill overlooking the San Diego River and what is Old Town San Diego today, which has restaurants, shops, hotels, and a cool re-creation of Old Town. The Boys found a nicer than normal, inexpensive Best Western, smack dab in the middle of Old Town. Checking in, the Hotel gave the Boys tickets for free margies of you buy a dinner, such a deal!! Our fearless frugal friends bought into the free drinks and ended up with very ordinary Mexican food and fairly good drinks! Afterwards, Mike and Bone decided to stroll the few blocks into the historic part of Old Town, San Diego State Historic Park for a nightcap and a little Latin music!
A Reincarnated Old Town
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, located in Old Town, is a state protected historical park that commemorates the early days of the City of San Diego and includes many historic buildings from the period 1820 to 1870. Established in 1968, it is a series of five original adobe buildings which includes shops, restaurants and museums. Other historic buildings include a schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, San Diego's first newspaper office, a cigar and pipe store, houses and gardens, and a stable with a carriage collection. In the center of the square that night they had a Mexican Mariachi Band with a lovely set of fire pits to sit around.
Bone grabbed an margie and the Boys sat down and enjoyed the band, the evening, and very much the vibe! After the looong flight from Meechigan, and a few margies, the Boys turned in around 11:00 PST after a great evening in "old San Diego!