Day One. Tex to Mex

We woke up early at Padre Island in Texas about 100 miles or so north of the Brownsville border in search of Mexico. After handling the visa and drivers permit we slipped into Mexico without getting searched by Customs. Needless to say there were quite a few unhappy travelers sitting in the humid heat waiting to continue with there journeys.


We drove through Matamoras which was just as confusing as Tijuana in terms of poorly marked and unmarked street signs. Jana was the navigator and I was responsible for watching out for the shady people and anybody else that may have been of concern to us. Just like in the movies. We made sure to follow the input from other travelers that have made the trip and made sure we learned from their mistakes.



Once we were outside the city vibes and atmosphere changed drastically. Our first destination was La Pesca, a port town 6 hours south of the border. We slept in the back of the truck at a pre planned campground/hotel on the water that was rich with jumping fish and thirsty mosquitoes. We kicked the soccer ball around until it was to dark and made some food before calling it a night.



Note to self: Fix the holes in the screen windows on the camper shell. The mosquitoes had us way out numbered.

From Cali to Tex Mex

Driving from California to Texas was a test. When they say there is nothing on I-10, they mean it. It is one long and often windy drive.

The drive from California to Austin, TX can be done in as little as 27 hours if driving straight through. With rest stops and sleeping, it took us more like 3 days from Los Angeles to Austin.

The highlights of the drive included Brad's little cousins dressing up in mullet wigs, stumbling across El Dorodo Hot Springs, AKA "the best place to get naked" in Tonopah, AZ and a giant metal bird at a New Mexico rest stop

The lows included watching a line of cars full of families leave a state prison after visiting hours, Coming down with a bad cold and contemplating the idea of having to spend an extra sick day in a motel room that looked like it had been staged for an Alfred Hitchcock thriller.

Facts:

The El Dorado Hot Springs are located seventy-five miles east of Quartzite, leave I-10 at Tonopah--Exit 94;

New Mexico visitor centers have free wi-fi, coffee and tons of tourist information. They don't make rest stops like that in California!

The hill country roads in Texas are actually more lush than California's Gold Country. Wild, eh?

9th St. Artwork

The first place I wanted to visit in Austin was the legendary bmx trails off of 9th street. I really had no idea as to where it was on 9th street, so Jana and I started cruising the area and with 30 minutes it found us. It is simply a work of art, I wished I had brought my bike.

Over the past 8 years I have only seen the trails through bmx videos and photos in magazines. There are over 50 different jumps and more than 10 rideable lines. All the jumps are handmade by shovel, and with water access these trails are ever changing and well maintained. The locals have built a small skatepark like bowl setup out of dirt that is amazing and as hard as concrete.

BMX = ART