A quick trip to Mexico

Today we drove to Los Algadones. It was time to stock up on a few meds and although Los Algadones is 190 miles away, it was worth it to get a year's worth of meds. We wouldn't want to do it every day, but it was a fine day-trip today.

We drove south until we reached the outskirts of San Diego, then turned east onto Highway 8. Whenever we get away from development in Southern California, it is amazing how dry, dry, dry the ground is. And rocky, too. The hillsides look like mounds of rubble pilled up.

And yet, people are constantly irrigating this desert to turn it into something else. One stretch of this highway is planted in big flowering bushes, just like the road between LA and Bakersfield. There is no way these will live without constant watering.

California is well into it's fourth year of drought and there are public service announcements everywhere about conserving water. I love these bushes, but I think I would start here. Take these out and plant some nice, desert-loving plants.

Highway 8 continued east, through the rocky desert and into a sandy desert. Just before the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area, the road runs pretty close to Mexico, and in the distance the black border fence runs along the horizon. 

The first thing we did when we got into the area near Yuma was stop for gas. And we both remarked on the low, low price of gas in Arizona! Here we found some at $2.29 a gallon, while the lowest price we can find in the Vista area is $2.99.

Then we drove 5 miles back west to the parking lot at the border. The cost of parking has gone up to $6, but it's still a pretty good deal. Passports in hand, we walked across the border into Mexico. First things first - we got the meds we wanted in the Purple Pharmacy. Then we went searching for a great price on scotch. Didn't find one. There are several liquor stores and Mexican alcohol is very modestly priced, but USA alcohol isn't. 

So we just went to get lunch. We usually get fish fish tacos, but decided to go elsewhere this time. We've stopped at this restaurant before in 2012, although I have never learned if it has a name. What is does have a a wide range of meats offered. 

As usual, the tortilla chip appetizer came with a lot of sides: salsa, sauce, cucumbers, thin crema and a very mild avocado sauce.  We ordered tacos, sopes, beans and Mexican Coke/Coke Light. 

During lunch we were serenaded by a young man with a guitar and a set of reed pipes. He was good and we enjoyed the food, but their fish tacos aren't as good at the other one, so we will probably go there next time. 

The guys at the table next to us asked for really hot salsa. The owner took a bowl of salsa off an empty table, added a bunch of seasoning, and presented it to them. I assume it was good - it was made to order!

As usual, people were constantly asking us to buy their wares. Even while we ate, people walked up to our table to try to sell us things. We said 'no' to everything until this young man showed up selling cheap fans...and I couldn't say no. 

After lunch it was time to leave. We had another 190 to get back and wanted to be home before traffic backed up. We ran into a little traffic on 5, but not much, so we made it home in time to let the doggies outside before they had an accident.