My friend John took me to meet a friend of his who races in Baja to discuss my trip. This man know Baja inside and out. I saved hours of reading and now had my plans set.



I was getting pretty excited about riding some serious dirt. I felt instantly that this was someone who I could completely trust. It was the same feeling, interestingly, that I had when I met J.N. Roberts.

I was getting spoiled at John’s house in Chula Vista and forced myself to get me act together. The night before departure was a long one.

A quick Sunday morning ride over to Tecate and ‘estamos en Mexico!”

John had been nice enough to ride down to Ensenada with me and have lunch.

Unfortunately, my first night in Mexico ended badly. I had been befriended my a Mexican who claimed to have lived in NY and wanted to show me around Ensenada. I let my guard down and didn’t really worry as long as we were in public places. However, later that night the guy ended up robbing me. Fortunately, I didn’t have much money on me, especially after spending in at all the places we went to in Ensenada. It is an embarrasing story, especially for a New Yorker who knows better, but better to warn others than keep it to myself.