We had a wonderful time in San Felipe, with most of the reason being the wonderful time we had with Bob and Sharon.  Our last night there Sharon fixed clam chowder.  Bill enjoyed many of Sharon’s great meals of salmon, white fish, and clam chowder.  We don’t often have fish at home, so Sharon’s cooking was a real delight for him.  After dinner we watched a little of the Oscars and then played a spirited game of “Catch Phrase”.  Sharon and I really beat the guys!

We awoke early the next morning with anticipation of our trip across the border.  We were going out the Mexicali border crossing and we had been told that U.S. customs could be tough.  We didn’t have anything to be worried about them finding, we just didn’t want them pulling everything out and going through it.

After a very sad farewell to Bob and Sharon and the El Dorado Ranch,  we drove by Pemex to get a last fill up in Mexico.  It turned out that the gas in Mexico is a little cheaper than in the states.  We were glad that our RV uses gasoline because it can be purchased in Mexico. If you have a USA diesel engine made after 2007 then you can not buy low sulfur diesel fuel in Mexico and thus Mexico is missing out on more US visitors.

We had a quick military checkpoint stop at the junction of Mexico 3 and 5, just like when we entered San Felipe, except this time it was very short. They were probably worn out from the big herd of race fans that rushed to get back on Sunday. We had to drive through downtown Mexicali which was one traffic light after another.  We had printed out directions to the border, but to our disappointment once we got close to the border checkpoint there were no signs directing us which was to go.  The lines of traffic was endless and it took us over two hours to get through the checkpoint.  Meanwhile there were Mexicans everywhere trying to wash our windshield and side mirrors and sell everything from water and drinks to windshield wiper blades and aprons.  It was a total mess.  The lanes on the Mexican side of the border were very narrow and we had to be careful not to scrape the side of the RV on a concrete barrier.

Once we reached the U.S. customs area we had to go through four checkpoints.  At the first checkpoint they checked our passports.  The second one was where they x-rayed the RV with what they called harmless x-rays.  The third checkpoint was where we had to get out and the inspector asked Bill to open all the bottom compartments on both sides.  He just glanced in one and did nothing else which was a relief to us because it would have been a mess to re-pack and delayed us if they had pulled everything out.  The inspector went inside but only briefly and never asked us if we had anything to declare or if we had any meat, fruit or vegetables.  I had cleaned the refrigerator out ahead of time expecting this to be done.  He put an orange tag on the RV and we proceeded to the 4th checkpoint where the tag was checked and we were sent on our way.  What a relief!  Though it had been frustrating with traffic and narrow lanes and lack of directions, we were thankful the rest of the trip through customs had gone smoothly.

We were very glad to see this sign,  and one of the first things we did was stop at a fast food restaurant and get us a big hamburger for lunch!  We really enjoyed our trip to Mexico.  The Mexican people are warm and friendly and eager to help.  They are very eager for tourist to visit.  We never felt the least bit afraid or threatened by anyone we met.  The only time we felt uneasy or unsafe was when we were traveling with narrow mountainous roads.  I don’t think I would be eager to travel to Baja again in an RV.  The food was an issue for me because I am a picky eater, but Bill enjoyed it very much.  We were surprised at how much the landscape looked like Arizona and California, except no billboards or hotels or restaurants.

We decided to push forward and drive all the way back to San Diego.  We were anxious to get back and get ready for the next adventure.  The traffic was thankfully light and the landscape interesting with windmills and mountains of rocks and several 4,000 foot mountains to pass over.

We drove into the San Diego KOA right at sunset feeling  a little like Dorothy…there is no place like home.

Many thanks to all of you for following our Mexican adventures.  After a little time in San Diego to rest, plan and prepare, we will be headed north.  Stay tuned!