Tuesday, January 7, 2020: Our adventure had an early start from the Valli Hi Motel in San Ysidro, just 3 miles from the Mexican border. While Mark and Ross drove across early, at 6:30AM, to beat the traffic (which they did pretty easily), The Golden Arches next door became the site of the breakfast of champions for the four who would cycle across the border separately to start the day. The crossing was unremarkable for both those cycling and those driving. The only step was to provide our passport information on a Mexican immigration card (along with US$30), good for 6 months (we will have to hang on to it, to present it on leaving or risk a fine).
While Mark and Ross took the scenic toll highway (the initial stretch parallelled the border walls, and then continued along the coastline), the cycling group took Highway 1, which proved slightly more challenging to navigate, especially with traffic.
We decided to make the first meeting point in the town of Rosarito, where we would all buy inexpensive SIM cards for the month at either one of the many OXXO convenience stores along the main drag of Rosarito. Since there is a Telcel office on this street as well, it was easy to iron out any cell phone issues before we continued on our way. Here is everything you need to know about getting a SIM card in Mexico: https://www.traveloffpath.com/sim-card-mexico/
After John had the first flat of the trip (on his “super durable” tires, no less, and on the very first 20k!), the second leg was an easy shoreline ride to our first day’s destination: Puerto Nuevo. This first ride of our trip was short and sweet, and otherwise without hitches–and tere were no complaints of saddle-soreness!