We figure the title of this post will coax you to read on…

First the boat status: The good news is we still have nothing too exciting to report. Each and every time we take the boat out we get more comfortable with her; more familiar with the routines involved with getting ready to go out, going out, and shutting down; and better at running her and manuevering her. Usually the wind is from the west and about 7 – 10 knots. The last two weekends we have had wind that is much heavier than normal and from the Northwest, which has helped us to practice departing and docking in more diverse conditions. Normally, we back out into the wind, so our strategy is to back out as far as possible into the channel without crashing into the boat behind us, then making our turn before the wind blows us back into the dock we came from. With the wind coming from the northwest, in addition to our usual concerns, we also have had to pull in and out more quickly to avoid being blown into the boat next to us. So far, so good and we have departed and docked with no problems. Knock on wood.

Last weekend we had more friends come down and stay with us for the weekend. As always, it was a fun time, complete with some fish, sea lions and dolphins putting on shows for our guests.

Since we always talk about the boat and our boat rides, we thought we would talk about something different for a change — our car ride. The trip from Ensenada to San Diego is lovely. If you choose the Tijuana border crossing you follow the ocean the whole way. If you choose the Tecate crossing, you drive through the beautiful Mexican wine country (yes, we were also surprised to find out about the booming Mexican wine industry. It is supposedly excellent wine). Here are some photos of typical views and interesting sites on the drive to Tijuana (we usually choose Tijuana):

The rugged cliffs overlook the ocean near Ensenada.

This immense full color statue of Jesus is quite a sight. At night he has a flashing light (halo?) on his head.

Very close to Jesus is another eye-catching structure. The “boob” house.

You can see the contrast, Mexico on the right, USA on the left. Notice the wall.

And as we drive over the exact border line, marked by these metal bumps.