YEAR IN REVIEW - 2011

It's been another busy year here at The World on Wheels. It's true we had some different goals at the beginning of the year but other work issues crept in and made us wonder if we'd even get out of the house.

Luckily, some things fell into place, others fell through...opening up new opportunities, and some wishes were fulfilled. 

Here are the new, and revisited, destinations we got to in 2011...

Yuma, Arizona - We started the year in this riverfront city in the southwest corner of the state.  Long a crossroads, Yuma sits up next to California and Mexico. A lot of history has happened here but the city is pretty overlooked by most travelers.  For us, it kicked off the entire year's worth of journeys.

Yuma, Arizona - 2011

Tucson, Arizona -  Coming here was supposed to be a warm getaway from a chilly wintertime Southern California and our first extended trip.  Didn't quite work out that way as we had freezing weather and even snow in this southwestern desert town.

Tucson, Arizona  - Part 1

Tucson, Arizona - Part 2

It was then a few months exploring our home surroundings of Southern California with a string of new reports and videos showcasing our home base...which is a big tourist magnet in itself.

Three Meals a Day, All Across L.A. - A video tour of three of our favorite L.A. restaurants accompanied by a report and list of several of our all time favorite places to eat here.

California's Hidden Wine Country explores the most endangered wine producing area of this great wine state. Just a handful of vintners stick it out against urban expansion in this historic area.

Pasadena, California - Several travel writers seemed to discover the Crown City, home of the Tournament of Roses, this year.  This is truly in my neighborhood so here is my take on the "other" city just north of Los Angeles proper.

L.A.'s Other Pier, Redondo Beach - Tim's favorite beach location makes for a great day along the water.

Southern California's Best Beaches - We're locals...want to know the best places along the ocean? Here are our picks.

In May, we realized a long-held goal...the only trip we had planned to take this year that actually came to fruition as we had envisioned.  A trip to the Napa Valley of Beer, Denver, so we could experience it in all it's boozy splendor and take in a baseball game at a new-to-us stadium.

Denver, Colorado - Part 1

Denver, Colorado - Part 2

Denver, Colorado - Part 3

Colorado Springs, Colorado - While we're in the neighborhood, why not extend it a little bit to Denver's southern neighbor, full of natural beauty and tall peaks.

June found Letty and I by ourselves for a few days while Tim was at camp. We spent it wine tasting among the elephant seals and watching calf roping in beautiful Paso Robles on California's Central Coast.

Paso Robles, California - Part 1

Paso Robles, California - Part 2

Paso Robles, California - Part 3

America's Breadbasket - When we retrieved Tim from Camp...who had to leave a day early due to sickness...our next adventure took us to another off-the-beaten track destination in California's Central Valley.

Monterey, California - Yes, we've been to Monterey plenty of times and have reported on it here too. This time, we get to know some lesser known parts of the peninsula, go for some wheelchair-acessible hikes, and even spend a day at the fair.

Monterey, California - Part 1

Monterey, California - Part 2

Laughlin, Nevada - this little gambling mecca on the Colorado River has not been on our radar for several years but a chance to see Vince Gill in concert brings us out to this desert oasis.

Laughlin - Part 1

Laughlin - Part 2

Route 66 - an out-of-the way detour on our way home provides fodder for a video and photo essay of one of the world's most historic and beloved roads.

The Dominican Republic - A yearning for a warm, tropical beach vacation started us on the road to this trip. Trying to find a wheelchair accessible beach led us to the DR. Our biggest trip of the year yielded a lot of information, pictures, video, and...most importantly...fun!

As of this writing, we only have one trip in the planning stages for next year but I'm sure many more opportunities will come along, after all, we'd only hoped to go on three trips last year but ended up with nine trips plus five new articles on our home area.

We hope you've enjoyed the trip this year and will continue to come along as we find some new adventures next year.

-Darryl
Copyright 2011 - Darryl Musick
All rights Reserved

THE DOMINICAN INDEX

We say goodbye for now to all things Dominican Republic today with this last post. What a great trip it has been!


Here is our complete Dominican Saga, listed in this index below.


If you've missed anything, it's down below.

REPORTS


Dominican Republic Trip Report, Part 1


Dominican Republic Trip Report, Part 2


Getting a Proper Room for a Wheelchair - Our first night shenanigans and how we fixed it.


Wheelchair Features in Punta Cana and the Riu Palace Resort - What you'll find and how to get around in a wheelchair when you arrive in Punta Cana.

COCKTAIL HOURS


The Bavaro - A new drink created by Tim and I on location using the liquor dispensers and mini bar from our room.


Dominican Resort Drink Tour - A drinking tour of the resort using our all-inclusive access to the bars.


The Blue Coral - Tim and I recreate this drink we discovered while on the trip when we get back home.

PHOTO ESSAY


The View from the Window Seat - A photographic journey taken by my wife at 40,000 feet as we make our way to the Caribbean

TRAVEL TALES - Getting a Room That Will Work With Your Wheelchair

Traveling with a wheelchair poses many logistical barriers to overcome. One of the biggest is getting a proper room to sleep in.  The needs can be different for every traveler.  Some absolutely need a roll-in shower, for instance. We can get by with a tub and a shower chair as long as there's enough space to lift Tim through.

Watch the Video!

In the U.S. and developed countries such as you'd find in Europe, this is getting easier. Third World countries are still quite an adventure...the boundaries of the ADA have long since been crossed.

Before we get into the actual report of our trip to the Dominican Republic, I'd like to share this little room adventure with you.

First, out of around 20 resorts contacted, only one...the Riu Palace Punta Cana...would guarantee an accessible room for us. Others would just say "make the reservation and we'll see what's available when you get here." 

Next, we give our travel agent our specifications. While a roll-in shower would be nice, it is not absolutely necessary for us. More important is step-free access to, and within the room with doors wide enough to fit a standard wheelchair through.  It's this second part that many people we contact just don't get and can cause problems.

We don't want a roll-in shower if it's the worst room in the hotel.

The maid left this for us on our bed. Yeah, I know what it looks like but I think she was going for a heart.

On arrival, the hotel did indeed have a room with a roll-in reserved for us.  The room itself was actually pretty nice, two double beds pushed together to make a super-sized king bed, a sitting area with a sofa (not a sofabed as we'd learn to our dismay), a nice little patio, great mini bar with four bottle liquor dispenser.

There were a few minor problems right away...no place for Tim to sleep, no remote for the TV, a barely hanging shower curtain, and a very loose toilet seat.

Complaints to the management secured us an extra bed (not a rollaway, an actual third bed), and a new TV and remote. The toilet seat and curtain were not fixed.

Major problems arose the first night. The location of our room was way, way in the back of the hotel...about as far away from the beach and pool as you could get. It was also right next door to another room that the staff were using as storage and right around the corner from the main work room of housekeeping.  It was noisy all night long but they did quiet down a bit after I went outside and asked them to keep it down.

The next morning, I took my bloodshot eyes along with Tim and Letty to the front desk to complain. We were moved to a much nicer room, albeit without the roll-in shower, with step free access in a quieter, nicer location.

To their credit, management at the Riu were very accommodating in making us happy and after the move we had a very, very good time.

Looking back, if we had needed to keep the roll-in room, I'm sure that they would have taken care of all our concerns but on the first day when we didn't know how well they respond to complaints, we had no idea if they would or wouldn't.  Since we could do without it, it was time to make that move.

Just one of the many adventures that await you as a wheelchair traveler...remember to always pack your sense of humor and be willing to roll with the punches.  You'll have a great time.

-Darryl
Copyright 2011 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

PHOTO ESSAY: The View from the Window Seat

I'm an aisle seat guy. Letty likes to curl up by the window. It works for us. 
(Scroll down for more...)

Sometimes she brings her camera down from the overhead and starts snapping away.  Here are some pictures we took on our most recent flight.

Looking down on the Bahamas.

The shuttle assembly building and launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Somewhere over one of the hundreds of islands of the Bahamas.

Turks and Caicos.

Descending over the Dominican Republic.

On the tarmac at Punta Cana International Airport, Dominican Republic.

...and one last shot over Florida, looking at the sunset heading into Atlanta.


All pictures taken by Letty Musick.
Copyright 2011 - Letty Musick
All Rights Reserved.


-Darryl

CLASSIC TRIP - Laughlin, Nevada 2000

While you wait for Part 2 of our new Laughlin trip, let's take a trip back in the Wayback Machine to see this trip we took back in Y2K...

Down in the southern tip of Nevada is a surreal strip of landscape called Laughlin. Coming over the desert from nearby Needles where your scenery consists of sand and sun-baked scrub bushes, suddenly the Colorado River emerges and soon after that the neon-lighted row of casinos can easily think you are suffering from a heat-induced hallucination.

Although the summer temps here can easily climb into the high 120's, this is no sweat dream. Nevada's newest boom town exists to siphon of travelers of interstate 40 and those who are tired of Las Vegas' assault on the senses.

First a very brief history lesson. For years a basic bait shack & small village across the way from Bullhead City, AZ, Laughlin took hold when it's namesake, Don Laughlin, built the Riverside resort complete with free ferry rides over the river to his new casino. Soon others followed and now it's a very busy little stretch of activity.

What sets Laughlin apart from its larger sister to the north is that there is a lot more to do here than gamble and watch Disney-esque pirate battles or man-made volcanoes. Here you can actually get out and enjoy that which nature has willingly provided, mostly on the west's lifeblood, the Colorado River.

Most people arrive in Laughlin after a long drive from California or Arizona on Interstate 40 (just drive to Needles and head north from there or cut up highway 95 on the Arizona side of the river), but there is actually an international airport over on the Arizona side of the river offering scheduled service. Okay, it is a dinky airport, but it's long runway was actually used by a 747 to get that international certification.

In Laughlin, there is a plethora of accomodations to choose from. Here's our quick observations of the hotels:

The Good

Harrah's is the best we've tried, but unusually hard to get reservations at on a weekend. One of only two in Laughlin that actually have a sandy beach on the river. Also has a no-smoking casino. Unfortunately, their web page is very lacking.

Harrah's is one of only two local hotels that actually have a beach.

The Tropicana Express is also top-notch. Not actually on the river, it's across the street. Railroad themed with free train rides around the parking lot. Laughlin's best buffet and best Italian restaurant are also here. Highly recommended.

The Avi Resort is the other hotel that actually has a sandy beach. Actually located a few miles south of Laughlin and owned by the local Indian tribe. A more low key atmosphere with a friendly staff, good casino, and lots of ancillary activities.

All the above have accessible accomodations. The Avi also has very affordable suites with in-room spas.

The Bad

We cannot recommend the Riverside or the Edgewater. There was nothing to enjoy at either one.  All the above have accessible accomodations.

The Unknown

Other hotels here include the Flamingo, the Golden Nugget, and the Colorado Belle. We have not stayed at any of these and have no opinion either way.

Our trip to Laughlin...actually this is a mosaic of many trips...begins with our drive to the desert spot. The quickest way for us is via Interstates 15 and 40 from L.A. If we have time, sometimes we'll dip off of the freeway for the interesting detour route 66 takes through Amboy. If you like desert scenery, you'll love this detour with it's remnants of highway life, old vacation cabin ruins, and the Amboy Crater. If not, stick with the freeway.

At Needles, we take the Laughlin turnoff and head north another 20 miles to our destination.

Tired after a long drive, we have a little snack...maybe a drink...and retire. The next morning, we'll get down to the buffet and gorge on the second thing casinos are known for...lots of cheap food! This will fortify us for most of the day.

Next, we drive back to Needles and head to the east side of town to the very lovely Park Moabi Regional Park where we meet with Vaughan at the Park Moabi Marina. Here we pick up a patio boat for the day...you can also rent ski boats or fishing skiffs...and head south on the river.

Tim takes a turn at the helm.

We head that direction because of the beautiful and unspoiled scenery of the Topock Gorge, a 17 mile stretch of wilderness that is accessible only via boat. We ready for this trip...we have an ice chest full of beer and soda and enough sandwiches to rescue the Donner Party.

I might also say that this trip was in August and the days temperature reached 128 degrees - no that is not a typo.

The heat posed no problem...except for getting back in the car later...because we're on the river. Get hot? Pull over and jump in the water! We followed these tried and true steps all the way through our 2 hour navigation of the Gorge.

At the other end is Lake Havasu and a quick journey takes you over to the crowded little channel that winds under the London Bridge. Here, if you can find a spot, you can beach your craft, jump into the water, and have a drink at the bar overlooking the whole scene.

As the sun drops towards the horizon, we head back through the gorge marveling at the show the lengthening shadows create on the surrounding cliffs. This is the time of the day that many of the local animals come out to feed. We see eagles, herons, rabbits, and coyotes chasing rabbits as we slowly head north.

The graceful arch of the Interstate 40 bridge that connects California to Arizona signals that we have arrived back in civilization and we turn in our boat. The cost was $110 for half a day of cruising ($180 for a full day), plus $40 more for fuel and oil.

We head back to our digs at the Ramada Express and have a wonderful Italian dinner followed by a train ride around their huge parking lot (the train is accessible via a ramp and has three accessible station stops around the property).

That night, classic movies are being shown in the hotels auditorium and we end it by relaxing in the pool & spa that are shaped like a locomotive...everything here has a railroad motif from the "berths" (rooms) to the "station" (checkin) and especially the wonderful model trains sprinkled throughout the casino. Also here is a top-notch model train shop.

The next day we take to driving around the surrounding area. We stop at Oatman, an old mining town on an old, narrow stretch of route 66 that has gone from mining town to ghost town to hippie town to tourist mecca today. Wild burros, decendants of those abandonded by miners, roam the town freely. Mine shafts surround it and some can even be explored by the adventurous. About half of the towns shops and boardwalks can be negotiated by wheelers.

There are many mine shafts to explore in Oatman but you'll never know what you'll find inside.

Oatman's fun, if a bit touristy, but Tim is bothered by the noise generated from the mock gunfight put on. It's also a rather small place and can be thoroughly covered in a couple of hours.
We head over to Kingman, a pretty little railroad town about 40 miles east, and have a nice steak dinner at the local Golden Corral.

Then, it's back to Laughlin where we take a quick look at the outlet mall next door to our hotel and decide there's not much there and head back to watch another movie and relax in the pool.
Our last morning there, we have breakfast and slowly get ready to head home. Have we forgot anything? Oh, yeah...they have a casino here!

The wife and I take turns dropping some money into machines and onto tables (someone has to stay with Tim, kids alone in casino arcades are not a good idea after what Strohmeyer did) and even come out $40 ahead before we check out and drive home.

-Darryl
Copyright 2000 - Darryl Musick

The Cocktail Hour - Belgian Beer Festival

The World on Wheels crew gets out of the patio this week and goes on location to Lucky Baldwin's Pub in Sierra Madre, California just east of Pasadena.  There's also a Lucky Baldwin's in Old Town Pasadena. It's the 11th annual Belgian Beer Festival where, in their words, the largest selection of Belgian beers in the world are served on tap.

Maybe, I don't know. But there are 46 taps and 29 of them (on this day) are dedicated to the Belgian brew. The kegs are rotated, so what's on tap today may not be what's available on Monday. I do know that they will be serving around 60 Belgians on tap during the festival, which happens in February and again in the summer.

The way it works is this... 6 oz tastes are $4 with an extra dollar tagged on for the ultra-premium brews. Pints are $7-9 dollars. You can get a package with a souvenir glass and t-shirt for $20. The glass comes filled with whatever brew you want. Come in anytime during the next year, and get a dollar off of your beer. It's not as good as it sounds because the glass is only 12 oz. and they usually sell pints. You can see the glasses at the end of part 2 of the video.

I'd put the entire video up at once, but YouTube only allows 10 minutes at
a time, so I have to break it into two parts.


Here is part 1 of the video...

and here is the conclusion...

Enjoy!

-Darryl

The World on Wheels - VIDEO CHANNEL

Don't forget, this is a multimedia blog.  We currently have over 40 100(!) videos available covering trips from the United States and Europe, plus our popular Cocktail Hour videos.


To celebrate our 100th video, we've uploaded a new trailer for the video page.


Watch the trailer below for a sample and then click the link below that to see the entire collection from our video channel.

The World on Wheels Video Channel - click here!

-Darryl

CLASSIC TRIP - Campo, California 1998

Back in 1998, we took this train excursion along the border in San Diego County.  A bit has changed since then, but you can still go down there and ride the rails.

A Trip Back in Time
...an accessible & affordable adventure to the borderlands of California.

Where is it?

Campo, California and Tecate, Baja California, Mexico

Campo is a tiny speck of a town along the U.S. - Mexico border located halfway between Tijuana and Mexicali (or San Diego and El Centro on the U.S. side) across the border from Tecate, Mexico. The challenge here was to make a nice weekend in Campo instead of it being a side trip from San Diego.

Campo is located 9 miles northeast of Tecate, Mexico on the U.S. side of the border. From L.A. we took the 10 (San Bernadino) Freeway east to Interstate 15, then south to Interstate 8 in San Diego, then east on the 8 to Buckman Springs Road (about 35 miles). Then south on Buckman Springs Road to Highway 94 in Campo. Right (west) on 94 to Forest Gate Road. The entire drive took just over 3 hours. From San Diego, count on about an hour.

Preparing for this trip was difficult. There are no accomodations in Campo - period! There is some camping nearby, but roughing it was not what we had in mind with our son Tim & his 200 pound power wheelchair. We were also taking along some guests and needed to have room for them too.

Calling ahead to Campo produced no good information on where to stay nearby. We had considered staying in Tecate but could not get reliable information on accomodations there outside of a very pricey spa. A bed & breakfast in nearby Dulzura offered some intriguing possibilities but, alas, they were booked for the weekend.

Two others within a 20 mile radius looked interesting, Jacumba Hot Springs and Stallion Oaks Ranch. Both had hot tubs to soak off the desert dust, and both were reasonably priced. A call to Jacumba Hot Springs revealed that although they were only about 20 miles away, the drive to Campo would take about an hour on the narrow, winding roads in the area. Stallion Oaks also offered a 2 bedroom cabin we could stay in for a little less than 2 motel rooms at the hot springs. Stallion Oaks got the nod.

Stallion Oaks Ranch is in Descanso. From Campo, backtrack to Interstate 8, head west back toward San Diego and exit on Highway 79. Go north one mile to Riverside Dr. and turn left. Turn left again at Viejas Grade and make an immediate right on Oak Grove. Turn right again on Boulder Creek Road. Stallion Oaks is at 10950 Boulder Creek Road. (619) 445-0271.

(UPDATE 2010: Much of Stallion Oaks burned in a 2003 fire, it is now the Unity Center Retreat Center and a subsequent stay at Jacumba Hot Springs was horrible...can't recommend)

To Tecate, the easiest way we found is to go back to Campo and head west on Highway 94. Turn left (south) on Highway 188. The International Border will be 2 miles straight ahead.

The trip:

Bright and early on a beautiful May Saturday, we set out on our adventure. We had picked this particular weekend to go because the San Diego Railroad Museum was scheduled to be using their restored steam engine on their excursions out of their historic Campo depot. Most weekends they use a diesel engine (you can check the schedule out at their web page at www.sdrm.org or by calling toll-free at 888-228-9246).

First stop was for some breakfast. Today, we were going to the great Homestyle Cafe in Guasti (exit Archibald Ave. off of the 10 freeway in Ontario. Turn right (south) and turn left into Guasti...follow the signs).

If you're hungry for breakfast...really hungry...this is the place for you. Mammoth portions of great homestyle cooking are in store for you here. One meal is plenty for two people. We had eggs & ham, eggs & sausage, and Tim had a pancake. All except Tim's meal came with biscuits & gravy and potatoes. Tim's pancake was 12" across and an inch thick.

We saw plenty of people here ordering short stacks only to be amazed at the 3 square feet of pancake they had ordered. Plenty of take out boxes were in use here.

This drive is particulary scenic...once you get on Interstate 15. First, you drive past all the dairy farms of Chino & Norco (scenic but also aromatic), then through the rolling hills of Temescal Canyon, into Lake Elsinore. From there, you come upon Southern California's premiere wine country, Temecula.

We stopped at Temecula to pick up some sandwiches at the local Togo's Eatery to take with us for later. Togo's makes great sandwiches and are very reasonably priced. Togo's in Temecula is located at 28150 Front St. at the Rancho California exit off of Interstate 15.

The plan was to eat a picnic at the depot in Campo, but we were all still so full from that huge breakfast that we skipped lunch and saved our sandwiches for dinner.

For being on the edge of one of the hottest deserts in the nation, Campo is amazingly green. This is due to the extremely high water table in the area. The Campo depot itself sits on the south side of the lush, green meadow that is visible throughout the town.

We arrived at the Campo depot of the San Diego Railroad Museum at 1:00pm, 90 minutes before the next train was scheduled to depart. One of the museum's docents was just about to start a walking tour, so we grabbed some cold sodas out of the ice chest & tagged along.

On the walking tour we saw some great old railroad equipment & rolling stock all in various stages of restoration. Pullman cars, old San Francisco streetcars, cabooses, diesel & steam locomotives and more.

We learned that this particular railroad was built around 1915. In fact, you can see that date stamped into the rails and many of the bridges nearby.

Next door was Fort Leggett, the last mounted cavalry post in the U.S. At the start of World War II, this base housed 5,000 men and 10,000 horses. As the cavalry was motorized, the base became a hospital unit and a POW camp for Italian and German prisoners. Many of the POW's contributed to the construction of nearby buildings and roads.

After the tour, we headed back to the depot area to await the train. The train consisted of the antique steam locomotive, 3 restored passenger cars, and one restored baggage car that served as an on-board snack bar as well as housing the restroom facilities. The doors on the baggage car are left open to provide a scenic spot to stand and get some fresh air as you travel.

The star attractions here, of course, are the trains. The museum has plenty of rolling stock on display and in use for their excursions. We came today to take to regular weekend excursion offered by the museum to nearby Miller Creek. Today though, we would be pulled by vintage steam power as opposed to the old diesel that usually runs. (Note: The museum also runs special occasional trips the other way into Tecate, Mexico combined with wine or brewery tour and also sponsors special one-of-a-kind trips such as to the Copper Canyon or recently held Comet Trains at night to watch the Hale-Bopp Comet. Visit their web site or call them for more information on these special trips.)

Kids of all ages just seem to love trains. Especially old ones (trains and kids). The ride lasts about 90 minutes and goes through some absolutely gorgeous scenery. Throughout the ride you see exactly one road and only sporadically at that.

You end up in a area that has seen absolutely no development in the last 100 years and looks exactly as it did when bandits, cowboys, & Indians freely roamed the area. In fact, not much has changed...this area is still heavily used by smugglers to bring undocumented aliens and contraband into the states. The U.S. Border Patrol is a much seen presence in the area trying to combat this. Today we see no criminal elements at play but do not have to try very hard to imagine why such a land has attracted outlaws throughout history.

Museum docents provide an excellent commentary on the area, it's history, and the train's history as the journey commences. Noticing the frequent whistling of the train, they remind you that you too would be pulling that whistle every chance you got if you were doing it for fun.

That's because the engineers, the conductors, the brakemen...in fact everybody working here...are unpaid volunteers doing this just for fun. You can even sign up to ride in the cab and take a few minutes at the controls yourself.

With the trip over we headed back the way we came to find our cabin at Stallion Oaks in nearby Descanso. Fortunately, the folks at Stallion Oaks had faxed us the directions before we left or we would have really been lost.

Stallion Oaks is located in the foothills that lead up to Julian. It's way off the main highway set on 200 private acres of oak forest and meadows. We rented a 2 bedroom cabin that also had a living room, dining room, kitchen and fireplace. Very clean and nicely decorated. The price for all this? $99 per night, split between us and our guests that came to $49.50 for each party.

There are also motel rooms here that start at around $50 per night and luxury "romance" cabins that have their own spa for around $130 per night. There is also a campground with everything from tent spaces to full-hookup RV spaces.

Facilities here include a pool, a spa, a fishing lake, covered bridge, carriage rides, general store, and more. We settled in for a nice long soak in the spa that really cut the day's road dust off of us. Afterwards, when Tim found that the TV would not get any stations here, we went for a moonlight walk in the nearby meadow. We only got a couple of mosquito bites, but they are out there.

In the morning we hiked to the lake which is about a mile from our cabin. It was then that we noticed all the poison oak lining the road. Luckily, we must have missed touching any the night before because no one got a rash. We got to the lake, which was a little low at the time. It was still a nice walk, including a covered bridge, although it was a bit buggy with flies & gnats.

After the hike, we packed up and headed down to Tecate where we planned to eat breakfast.

Even though we had a map, we made a wrong turn and ended up going about 40 miles out of our way. The backroads down here are very easy to get lost on! It's a very scenic area though so it was still a nice drive.

We crossed the border at 11:30am and, after a quick inspection by the Mexican border officials, we were on our way. It's a grand total of 2 blocks from the border to downtown Tecate where we parked at the town plaza and set out to find some food. You might even want to park on the U.S. side of the border and walk in (U.S. auto insurance is void in Mexico) but beware it’s all uphill coming back.

We quickly found Cafe Los Pinos on the east edge of the plaza and ate there. The meal for the 3 of us consisted of quesadillas, 2 bowls of menudo, and four tacos accompanied by refried beans and soda. Great food and only $11.00 for everything.

After that, it was off for an afternoon of shopping where my wife picked up some pottery at great prices (watch out though, because there are some reasonable pottery stores and some very unreasonable ones...shop around and bargain).

Tecate is unlike any other Mexican border town I've seen in that it is more like a small Mexican town and unlike the anything goes atmosphere you find in other border towns like Tijuana. It's quiet, pretty, and peaceful. Be aware here that the border closes at 8:00pm...if you're in Tecate after that, you either spend the night or drive to Tijuana or Mexicali to get home.

Tecate is also the home of Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma, makers of town's namesake beer. Brewery tours are available, along with free samples in their beer garden, if you call in advance....

After our afternoon in Tecate, we headed back to the U.S. There was a total of 4 cars in line at the border crossing making for a very quick crossing. As you might know, this compares with a few hours that a Tijuana border crossing can take on a Sunday afternoon.

After getting lost in the morning, we decided our best course of action was to head back toward Campo and travel back out through there. From here it was a nice, uneventful ride back to L.A. and the reality of our jobs. All-in-all, this was a very pleasant overnighter that didn't even come close to breaking the budget.

-Darryl
Copyright 1998 - Darryl Musick

COLORADO INDEX - 2011

Here are the links to all our content for our Salute to Colorado:

Denver Part 1 - Where we arrive, take in a game at Coors Field, and have a wonderful dinner at 
the Wynkoop Brewery.


Denver Part 2 - Downtown Denver, LoDo, 16 Street Mall, and the Denver Zoo


Denver Part 3 - Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater


Colorado Springs - Garden of the Gods, Seven Falls, Pike's Peak, and Cowboy Steak Dinner.


Denver Pub Crawl Part 1


Denver Pub Crawl Part 2


Fields of Dreams - Coors Field, home of the Rockies


Denver Transit Report


-Darryl

LOS ANGELES: More Walking in L.A...Fountains and more.

Please join me for another edition of Walking in L.A...

Let's start off with this military flyover as we exit the train at Union Station.  That building is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Water District.

Here's a closer look.

Walking up Main Street from the station, we go past the United States District Courthouse, solidly built in 1937 as a WPA project during the Great Depression.

Turning up Temple, we come to this little art installation/fountain in from of the Hall of Records.  It's one of my favorite fountains.  It's hard to see, but that represents a map of the southern half of California and all the sources of Los Angeles' water.  A trickle runs down each river and aqueduct ending up in the pond at the bottom that represents the city.

Moving up the street we come to the Music Center, home of the the Ahmanson Theater and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.  This ever-changing fountain cools visitors off in its plaza.

Around the corner on First Street, next to the Stanley Mosk Courthouse is this nice little fountain.

Don't you want to just jump in?  Go ahead, I don't think anyone would mind...

Across the street is this temporary pond, where the state government building used to be.  Now, it's a giant hole in the ground, owned by the federal government which plans to build a new courthouse there someday.  For the time being, it collects rainwater and runoff.

We'll finish up this walk by going south on Olive to Pershing Square where you can get this great view of Bunker Hill's skyscrapers.  You'll need to go on Wednesdays, though, if you want to go to this nice little farmer's market.

-Darryl
Copyright 2011 - Darryl Musick
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