We got an early start this morning from San Felipe, anticipating a long wait at the border in Mexicali and a long, hot drive home. Steve and Ryaan were not looking forward to riding back over the dirt road that we rode on yesterday, but we had no other option. It didn't seem quite so bad this morning, and after Steve finished it, he gave Ryaan a thumbs-up signal, and off we went... for about 1/2 mile. We stopped at a military checkpoint, were waved through, and the pavement ended. Reconstruction for a new highway was underway. Approximately 7 miles later after riding over dirt, ruts and some very old pavement, we were back on smooth road. The temperatures were still very nice and we rode through some very desolate desert - flat sand on each side of us for as far as we could see- for about a half-hour and then the pavement ended again. This time the "road" was even worse - loose gravel, ruts, rocks, and washboard hard-packed dirt that shook the bike with every foot we rode. We endured this for 10 miles until it finally, finally ended. A short time later we were in Mexicali. It took us 3 hours to complete the 120 miles from San Felipe to Mexicali. We all agreed that if we had taken this road at the beginning of the trip, we would have turned around and gone home, thinking all Mexican roads were like this. Once the reconstruction is finished, it will be a great highway, but in the meantime, we advise all motorcycles to stay off highway 5. We rode through Mexicali looking for the border crossing and were very impressed with the city. As opposed to most border towns with taco stands on the corners and locals selling their wares, Mexicali is a big city that is clean and modern with shopping malls, cineplexes, chain restaurants and hotels. We found the border and there was a long, long line of cars waiting to cross; however, there was a lane for motorcycles! We had no line and were through the border in just a few minutes. We were happy we didn't have to wait as there were protesters at the border with signs urging motorists "No Visite Arizona", " La Ley es Racista", and other anti-Arizona posters that we didn't take the time to decipher. We stopped for lunch in Yuma at Ryaan's favorite Yuma Mexican restaurant, The Palapa, where we toasted the end of our trip before we parted ways. Carol and Ryaan headed north to Prescott while we headed east to Chandler. This leg was what we expected - long, boring, and hot. Three hours later, we were greeted at our door by a very happy Golden Retriever. It's good to be home.
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