We all managed to get up early and be ready to ride on time. We left Jerry’s around 7:40am so we could meet up with the crew at McDonalds by 8am. When we arrived I met Juan, Tom and Anne. Tom had a 2003 100th Anniversary Vrod and Anne had a sweet sportster trike that had been nicely designed and fit her well. Everyone, except me, got some breakfast at McDonalds. I opted for a “Naked” fruit smoothie and a cliff bar. I bought several cliff bars, because I was unsure how the food down there would agree with me…I figured at least I wouldn’t starve! After some bullshitting around the bikes we were loaded up and ready to go. I was told the reason we got up so early is that we had to stop every hour…even I know a Vrod from 2003 can go longer than an hour on a tank of gas, but apparently it wasn’t the bike that needed fuel…

Pit Stop

We made our way through the desert, as it quickly heated, across to the west on 86 and then a quick turn to the left to head south down 85 in the town of Why. We stopped every hour along the way and a 4 hour drive took more like 6. But we made it to the boarder…if you haven’t picked up on it yet, the group I was traveling with enjoys having a beer along the way hence the frequent stops. Plus, it helps break up the heat; I can’t say I was complaining to get a break in the shade with a cold bottle of water.

Pit stop…again

We finally get to the border and most of us make it through no problem. The line to get across was pretty long, you would think it would be the other way around, but it was also a good sign that the rally might have a better attendance this year. With the economy and all the drug violence the Rocky Point Rally had been in major decline the last 4 years or so. This year however seemed to be an uptick in the trend. We fought our way into the line and sat in the heat until it was our turn. We all made it through with no hassle except for Jerry and Carol. They were stopped and asked a few questions etc and we were on our way. It was a little shocking since I haven’t been to Mexico for 6 years or so. It was an instant change in the roads and all of a sudden my rusty Spanish was firing back in my head as I tried to decipher signs. For “speed bumps” they have a couple different types…one is like a half of a volleyball made out of metal with several others around it either in a straight line or multiple rows of them. On a Harley this is a little difficult to ride over, as your tire slips on the sides of them. The other type is unusually placed giant speed humps that literally got Anne high centered on her trike! The roads were rough and unusual, but we wer on our way to Puerto Penasco and the road opened up to an almost highway. With Tom on his Vrod in the lead, we all hoped the “Hassle Free Vehicle” signs meant we were not going to get in trouble for speeding! (We later learned that these signs actually meant that you didn’t have to have a special permit required for your vehicle if you venture deeper into Mexico) We arrive in Rocky Point and eventually after several turns that seem wrong we arrive at a small strip mall type of building where Jerry and Carol pick up their keys.

While we wait for Juan and Carol to get that all sorted out, Jerry, Barry and I head over to the Cantina on the end of the building. They want a drink, but I am starving and getting cranky. If you don’t feed me on a semi-regular basis I start getting irritable. 🙂 We get some chips and salsa and chill out for a minute.

Lunch

We head toward our hotel, guided by Juan and Jerry who think they remember where it is. We finally find our way there, but as we drive through the streets I realize that only a few streets here are actually paved. Everything else is SAND! Yep, sand! Apparently the beach and the desert are all one here and there are a ton of sand buggy vehicles and 4wheelers to prove it!

Not too much time to relax as we are meeting up with Tom and Anne at Playa Bonita where they have a camper they keep parked here year round. We meet them in the bar and as we are about to leave, we run into a bunch of Alaskans! What are the odds! We all chatted for a bit, and then we were on our way to find dinner. Juan was leading and it took us awhile but we found our way eventually. I ate some fajitas despite my apprehension and luckily I managed to make it the whole trip without getting sick from the food or the water. If you are not aware, you can’t drink the water there and if you know me, I have a pretty sensitive digestive system so I can be picky at times too! After dinner Juan is leading again, we nominated him primarily because he speaks Spanish and I think it was a slightly unfair assumption that he would be able to find his way around just because he spoke the language. He was able to ask for directions, but we all were pretty turned around. By the end of the trip we realized Tom and Jerry had the lay of the land figured out the best. As we are heading down one of the main drags “Cali 13” Juan makes a right hand turn. I am second in line so I follow. Jerry and Barry keep going straight. At this point I am a little worried they will get lost. Little did I know, we were the ones lost! We wind our way around and quickly we run out of paved road. We go up a sand road and as I am coming to a stop at the “Alto” sign I give it a little too much front brake and almost go down. To this point in my life I have never dumped any baggers. I am determined to not do it now, so I put my foot down hard and hoist it up before it gets too far. Juan innocently tells me “Oh yeah, this road is sand.” I refrain from yelling at him “NO SHIT” and simply smile. I will admit I thought it was harder packed and I was not prepared for the soft sand that it was. When we turn left, I pull off a wicked slide and fishtail in the sand and impress some young girls walking by…although it probably looked badass, I was terrified and thought I might go down after all!

Luckily we found pavement and the way to the hotel immediately after that! Finally home and luckily Barry, Jerry and Carol had already arrived. I am pretty sure I will be sore in the morning after my evening of riding.

Finally to the hotel!