Viva la Mexico!

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Winter has come, there's snow in the mountains, the temperatures have dropped, and my Christmas Tree is all lit up. While it may be the Season of Santa Claus, baseball is still on my docket for life as I make my trip south of the border to Mexico and the city of Mexicali to see the Mexican Pacific League Aguilas play. Unlike last year, however, I have expanded my itinerary and broadened my horizons. New adventures await me there, and I can say that I am even more excited for this trip than I was last year.

On Sunday, I will throw my bike in the back of the car and drive the two-and-a-half hours to the US Border town of Calexico. I'll park at the mall on the US side and proceed, on my bike, to the border. It is here where my adventure really starts as I, for the first time since 2009, ride my bike in a foreign country. I'll proceed south and make my way to the Mexicali Zoo. After the zoo, I'll wind my way through the heart of the city to the Cucapa Brewery. Once I have had my brewery fill, I'll make my way to the Estadio Casas Geo to see the Aguilas de Mexicali play host to the team from Obregon. After the game, I'll cross back over the border, load the bike up, and drive home.

As you can see, I am planning an extraordinary adventure. It all starts with the urban biking in the gritty city of Mexicali. I remember from last year that it is very busy and, in places, rather seedy. I'm a little nervous about the experience, but I think traversing the streets of Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Palm Springs have given me my fair share of urban biking experiences to adequately prepare me for the trip. My real concern when it comes to the bike is my ability to avoid getting lost. To counter this, I've been studying maps of Mexicali and familiarizing myself with the main streets and thoroughfares in the city. Hopefully my cartography skills will pay dividends and the directions I have written for myself will prevent me from becoming lost.

I think the last time I went to a zoo on a Baseball Road Trip was when I went to Old Time Baseball back in 2009 and the Oregon Zoo in Portland. The Mexicali Zoo is supposed to be pretty good and have some good animal collections to see. When it comes to zoos, they merge well with Baseball Road Trips as I have seen zoos in DC, NYC, and Portland, and they offer a neat place to relax and chill for a few hours, not to mention see some cool animals.

And, let's be honest with each other, how can it be a Baseball Road Trip without some visit to a brewery? And a new brewery to boot! I've read some reviews of Cucapa Brewery online, and I know that they have distirbution around me in Highland and San Bernardino, but the real location of their brewery within Mexicali is still a mystery to me. Before I cross the border, I will visit their distribution shop in Calexico and try and track down the exact location within Mexicali of the brewery. If it is close to the park or on my route, I'll definitely stop by. If not, there is a bar that is on the corner of the street Estadio Casas Geo is on and the main drag going north to the border crossing that is owned by the same people who own the brewery. That will be my backup plan, and I will definitely make a quest to seek out some authentic Mexicali brew, no matter what.

When I visited Estadio Casas Geo, I was really timid and shy about exploring. I feel a lot more confident about my surroundings, and I really would like to engage the ballpark experience more. I am not going to make the mistake of bringing American dollars to the park as I will convert all my cash to pesos before the border. I would like to, maybe, try some of the food there, just to make the experience truly authentic. Also, I'd like to pay a little more to get a seat that isn't in the upper deck because, if you recall from last year's blog, whole sections of the upper deck were cordoned off presumably because they had been condemned.

Above all else, my biggest concern, and the one that has my stomach filled with butterflies, is the issue of safety. I registered my trip on the US Department of State website, and, consequently, in the past 48 hours, I've received travel warnings from them advising travelers to exercise caution this holiday season. I don't know how Mexican drivers will react to me on a bike, and I am certainly conscientious of my personal safety as I travel about the city. There hasn't been violence against American tourists in Mexicali proper, but vigilance is my strongest ally. Mexico, in general, is in a state of upheaval and protest as many people are upset at the government's role in the killing of 43 Mexican students. However, that anger has been more directed towards authority figures and police rather than tourists. Bottom line is this: I have strong street smarts and I trust my gut to tell me that if I feel that something is not right or I am unsafe, I need to ride away. Going to baseball games is so much fun and I really, really enjoy it, but that shouldn't have to come at the price of my personal safety and well-being. I will have my cell phone charged and at the ready the entire day. I am amending my plan to make and receive calls internationally an to have text and data service, as well. I'm sure I will be fine, but you can't be too prepared.

This is going to be a Baseball Road Trip for the ages. I can't tell you just how excited I am and the anticipation I have. The trip I just laid out to you connects so much of what I enjoy about Baseball Road Trips, and I am sure that when I get back on Sunday night, I will be able to fill this blog full of incredible stories and adventures.

As always, keep an eye out on social media for updates. I would assume that I will be charged up the you-know-what for data usage, so Twitter will probably be your best bet. I can send tweets via text message, so that will probably be my most feasible option. There are Starbucks and McDonalds in Mexicali that, presumably, have WiFi access, so if I have some down time, I'll try and link up there.

Until Sunday...

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)