Day 3: Gulf Coast to the Pacific Coast

After breakfast and emails we were back in the car for another long day of driving. It would prove to be another hot day in the 3 digit zone. It was nice to share the road with our new friend Glenn. If anything were to go wrong anytime, anywhere we would offer backup or have backup. That’s a good feeling in a foreign country that’s getting so much bad publicity lately. Don’t get me wrong they get 2 thumbs up from me… well, sort of.



Today we had a little directional melt down. We managed to miss our exit twice and added 2.5 hours to the day. Oh yeah, not to mention we had our first shakedown by 2 heavily tattooed Policias with machine guns. Both men demanded money from each vehicle in order to cross the road and drive in the right direction. They were clowns, but it was a little unnerving all the same. If this ever happens, just do your best to keep the price low, pay them, and get on with life.

We broke rule numero uno and drove into the night. There was nowhere to stay along the trans-isthmas highway, Mex 187, between Vera Cruz and about 30 minutes east of Salina Cruz. Glenn and I talked some employees at a grocery store into letting us stay in our trucks in the parking lot. This was in a town just short of Salina Cruz. A little shady without a doubt as prostitutes worked the local bus stops 50 feet from where we parked. I slept with the machete under the pillow to help Jana fall asleep faster.

Dear Diary: After driving 12 hours today we have put over 2,000 miles on the truck in the last 36 hours. I need to stretch my neck and my back.B

Day Two: Gulf Coast

We had our work cut out for us for the day as we wanted to see the El Tarjin ancient ruins. We were only stopped at 1 of the 4 search points. I chatted up the Federali that searched the truck. He was surprised by the organization and the custom drawers under the bed. We gave the crew of 20 year old military kids with semi automatic guns in there grip, a bottle of water each and jumped back in the car to continue the drive south.

After a nice relaxing lunch we made a new friend sitting in a traffic stop due to construction on Mexico Highway 180. I heard a voice outside the car yell, “Hey bro, where you from in California?” Turns out the guy behind us was from San Diego and wanted to know where we were surfing. He was headed to the infamous Mexican Pipeline; Puerto Escondido. We decided to caravan the rest of the trip through Mexico until we went opposite ways.


The caravan travelled into the witching hour of dusk. Unfortunately we couldn’t find our planned destination so we ventured on south another 25km to a city called Guitierrez Zamora. So, we didn’t make it to El Tarjin after all but we did find a “nice” hotel in the middle of town with safe parking. It´s called The Palencia and is in town square. For $39 US you get air conditioning and super secure parking.

Buenos Noches.

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.

Austin - In Texas, it’s weird.

In our efforts to avoid Baja California mayhem, we decided to detour our trip through Austin, Texas to visit our good friend Kathleen and finally see for ourselves what this iconic city is all about.


Austin is a delicious little secret. Even reading this, you will not believe me. Who would? Texas is after all home of Little Bush, big hair and big oil… you don’t mess with Texas, right?

The nature of Austin does nothing if not mess with the establishment of conservative Texas. Given all that Texas is in the collective mind of liberal Californians, Austin is truly an anomaly.

Austin is comprised of gangsters, gays, hip hop, blues, Christians and atheists; All of the polar opposites that make a city diverse.


Our two weeks in Austin ran the gamut of diversity. We stayed in the gentrifying hood of east Austin, where our neighbors wore grills like white girls wear bangles. We participated in the Dottie Jordan Park clean-up organized by our host, all star vollunteer,Kathleen McMullen.
And we went to a beautiful exhibit at the University of Texas at Austin, showcasing the works of the Beat Movement masters and equally inspirational yet infrequently mentioned poets of that infamous counterculture.


We ate barbeque. Oh, we ate barbeque. We listened to the sultry blues of Sarah Sharp and the rockin’ country of surfari collin: Shooter plays Antones'>Shooter Jennings. We witnessed the disgust and despair of locals protesting the development of open lands as bulldozers edged towards the Pecan Grove RV Park, immortalized in the ballads of country legends.
And how could I not mention the Mean Eyed Cat? The coolest Johnny Cash tribute bar this side of the Mississippi.



We swam in limestone swimming holes the size of two Olympic pools at Barton Springs. We fell in love with Austin as if it were a long drink of water after a year long drought.


If you find yourself in Austin, falling in love, tread lightly and be aware of our nature as humans to inadvertently destroy all of the beauty we stumble upon through overdevelopment and pollution. Buy used and protest the development of new condos along the river… go ahead and help KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD!


P.S. Thanks for letting us crash your pad Kathleen!

The Infamous Surfari Mobile is here!

Finally! The much anticipated Surfari mobile build out is here!






For those who don't know, I bought an 89 Toyota pickup that is already familiar with life below the border, in fact the truck was already modified for the rough roads in Mexico before I bought it. The suspension system on the truck allows me to make it hard or soft. Once we hit the dirty washboard roads all I have to do is hop out, twist a knob and we can drive the roads at 40-50 mph instead of 10-20 mph. The bottom line is a bumpy road is a comfy road. The price was right and the previous owner was happy to see his truck leave for another adventure.

The truck and I visited my brother Ross for a makeover a couple weeks ago, and boy does it look different. Ross was the mastermind behind the project and knew exactly what had to be done in order to get this truck ready for the long haul. I on the other hand was there to pay for everything and lend a helping hand when needed, but for the most part my job was to stay out of the way.
After Ross' birthday extravaganza, we shook off our hangovers and started the build out. Ross had already lined up a lumber rack for the truck. That was the first project. Little did I know he had a few ideas up his sleeve. We got the lumber rack on and headed out to a friends farm to weld the puppy on. Ross informed me that we would be adding a flat mesh grate on top of the lumber rack for better storage; which is also convenient as a second story sun roof and or surf lookout. Genius, Right? Ross is full of ideas like this.

We also lined up two spare 33'' tires which are an absolute necessity for the roads we will come into contact with. Again, Ross knew exactly where and how to mount these tires on the new lumber rack. He welded a place for the tires right above the cab of the truck and to top it off he set it up so the tires would be sitting flush with the frame and could easily be locked down. He basically customized a regular lumber rack into an open, second-story penthouse.

My main job while Ross welded everything together was to sand and primer down every scrape or blemish on the truck. As you know there is a lot of rain in central America, and once that rain got to us we would be one rusty truck. By the time I finished primering the truck it looked like a cheetah. Once we saw Jana's reaction to the cheetah primer though, we decided we needed to clean it up. We taped everything off and gave it a nice and organized "Mad Max" look.

To give it the real off road touch, Ross gave me 4 KC lights for the front and rear of the truck. Ross wired it all together adding 2 switches in the cab so I can turn them on while driving. The lights are so bright I will be able to light up an entire soccer field, and that will go over great with the locals down south.

The next move was to build out the interior truck bed, or should I say bedroom? We took all kinds of measurements and started cutting the plywood. Ross made the cuts and I painted the wood. We glued and drilled and crossed our fingers that the new bed would fit in the back of the truck. Luck was on our side, the cabinet box fit like a glove. Now that the bed was made it was time to make the drawers that slid into and underneath the bed. A few splinters and beers later we were good to go.

Now it was time to get the camper shell back on and make sure it was water proof. It took a few trips to the hardware store to get the right amount of weather tape, but in the end, we got it done.

I added a 4 foot high lift jack to the list and Ross locked that down on the roof with a shovel attached so that those who want it, can't get it. Ross showed me how the high lift jack and some rope could also be used as a winch in case of an emergency. Which was good to know; because I didn't know.

After three long days of drinking, oops, I mean working on the truck, we had finished. All that was left to be done was packing and organizing. Jana and I had some downsizing to do and I don't want to take anymore of your time. Thanks for reading, we'll be in touch.

Oh yea! Thanks again so much for your help Ross, this trip would not be as much fun if you didn't get involved. The Surfari Mobile is complete I couldn't be happier.

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?