A little bit of my rural life in Mexicali, B.C. Norte.

[Bajabro1]

To all those who love and know Baja.

People who live in the Northern and Southern geological areas of Baja know that Baja is a very diverse, mystical and cultural place. Filled with excitement, craziness, delights and pleasure. I was very fortunate to live in Mexicali as a young kid. I still remember going to The Rumurosa, a little city with a lot of findings and scary stories.

My Father

My father was a very important figure in Mexicali. He was one of Baja's first premiere long-distance runners. He was known in Mexicali to run up The Rumurosa once a week. For those who don't know The Rumurosa, its a small city on the outskirts of Mexicali heading towards Tijuana, B.C. Its about an 18-mile drive from the bottom of the mountain to the top. It took my dad on a good day less than two hours to get to the top.

My Life

I lived right in front of one of the most famous and guarded borders in Mexico and California. I lived right in front of a canal that had a fenced perimeter around it. The fenced gate stretched from Calexico, Calif., to the east part of Baja. It was crazy to see people swim to the gate. Sometimes I would witness people drown right of me. MIGRA (Immigration Officers) were responsible to guard the fence from anyone crossing over or swimming in the canal.

I remember one time in 2005, I was on a training run running eight miles along side the border and was followed by an immigration officer for the whole eight miles. The officer never told me anything, he just followed me to see if I'd tried to jump over. Obviously, I didn't. I've been an American citizen since I was born.

I know it has changed a lot ever since I left in the late '90s, but Baja is still the same to me. I love Baja...Period!
There hasn't been a better place where I can have a good time without having to worry about anything. My biggest dream in life would be to reside in Ensenada, B.C. Sur, with my future wife and race career. I've always also had the dream to become a Baja racer. I think conquering the Baja 1000 would be the greatest challenge anyone can achieve.

Thanks for reading,

Vayan con Dios

-Jose

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[Brokenbronco]

Thanks for sharing your story! Best of luck to you in fulfilling your dream.

[baja619]

Interesting learning about The Rumurosa. I have been up and down the MX grade many times but never heard of an old town or city. Any links or more information about this place?

[Ramsey_ElWardani]

Running up that "little hill" would be tough for anyone, I'm impressed. Get yourself out of Chico and back down south, hook up with a team and live the dream. Thanks for sharing.