Excerpt from “Scraping Bottom” by Jason D Olson

As I drove along the only paved road on the West side of Baja Mexico, every scenario played out in my head.  Everything from “Nothing is going to come of any of this when I get back” to “That bitch is going to have me picked up and put in jail for something” with the occasional thought of “That crazy fucking guy that tried to kill that cop is gonna have me killed if I show my face at the harbor again”.  Am I completely paranoid? Well, the answer is yes, I think I am.  Completely. 

My wandering mind was snapped back into reality as I approached a Mexican Military checkpoint.  I could see the lights as I slowly approached.  They have these checkpoints set up to thwart smuggling and assorted other things.  I think they also seem to enjoy harassing tourists, I guess I would too.  I slowly approached and was given the wave to continue forward.  “ALTO”! the fifteen to eighteen-year-old guard yelled.  Two other armed soldiers approached and began to dig through the bed of my truck.  “Que estabas haciendo aqui en Baja”? My Spanish is rusty at its best, but, I figured he was asking me what I was doing down here.  I answered “Por el mejor surf del mundo con mi amigo”.  Miguel wrote that on the top of my door so I could read it to them.  It’s the truth but best said in local lingo.  The guys going through the bed of the truck took all the Gatorade and water I had left and gave it to their buddies then waved me on. 

I quickly navigated Ensenada, then everything gradually got more Americanized as I headed North.  I moved easily through Rosarito, then through Tijuana toward the U.S, Mexico border crossing.  Never really cared much for Tijuana.  Some love the place and have great stories, and some don’t I guess.  I pulled a fast left and was met with a half-mile line of cars, six lanes wide, that will grow to twelve, then twenty-four as you get closer.  I’ve heard it said that the crossing between Tijuana and San Ysidro, CA is the busiest border crossing on the planet.  Looks like I’ll definitely have plenty of time to think about my future. 

Several hours later, I finally got close to the actual gate.  Thankfully, the many agents and their dogs that ran up and down the line of cars didn’t find anything in or on my truck.  Sometimes, people will put things into your vehicle without your knowledge, including themselves, just to get into the United States.  I made it to the gate and the agent snapped in a rather aggravated tone “State your nationality”! It pays to be calm and respectful in these situations.  “I am a U.S. citizen sir”.  He glared at me, stuck his hand out and said “Passport”. I handed it to him and he flipped through all the pages in a rather overly-dramatic fashion.  “What were you doing in Mexico”?  “Well, I came down here to catch the off-road races then stayed to go surfing for a bit with my friend”. This kind of piqued his curiosity.  “So, where’s your friend”?  “He lives in Ensenada, sir”.  After questioning me for almost twenty minutes and flipping everything I had in the bed of the truck over, he had no choice but to let me back in to the U.S.  I get it, really, I do.  I just feel that the Border Patrol could be a little less “asshole-ish” to those crossing, if you know what I mean?

I was facing about a three-hour drive back to Ventura, and whatever fate lay in store for me.  I swung off the freeway in Chula Vista and blew threw a favorite food joint again “Pollo Amigo” for a few taquitos to go.  I got back onto the freeway and absolutely murdered some of the best chicken taquitos on the planet.  I was eating as though my mouth was a chainsaw.  Shards of taco shell, lettuce and chicken were flying all over the cab making quite the mess.  Guess I figured if this is the last meal I’m gonna have then I better make it a good one.  It was late enough where I didn’t have to worry about traffic and didn’t need to pay attention.  The only thing I really had to worry about was “What am I going to do when I get back to Ventura”?

Well?  What do you think? Keep in mind this is unedited and raw.  I would love to hear your thoughts.  Please leave feedback here on my website http://www.ventsurfer.com or on my Facebook @MyAumakua , Twitter @ventsurfer or on Linkedin or email jdolson70@gmail.com.   I very much appreciate it and I’ll be watching for them.