Today is our last day to ride and hence the earlier then normal start at 11:24am. Using a tried and true system of sign language Peter and I have developed that borders on seal team gestures and professional baseball… signing, we realize that we are on the 2 track headed to San Tomas, a crusty one pump, one cantina outpost on the Baja 1000 route. Here we will refuel the bikes and meet Gordie for lunch.
Pausing at the top of the tire shredding cactus-infested plateau, we look back for one last spectacular sweeping Pacific panorama. Peter Furler , an avid standup paddle border when not on tour, points out whales breaching the coastal waters just off the coast. It is going to be hard to leave this amazing coast but it is going to be even harder to set Kellie (my KTM) on fire to stay warm if we get stranded out here at night. So we crank the bikes up and head east to San Tomas through lush farmlands and vineyards, winding our way through the canyons and riverbeds like a rabid rattlesnake in strike mode.
Triumphantly we enter the cantina like butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and head straight for the… banjos. A loud screeching halting sound outside the cantina and a massive cloud of dust indicates that Gordie is here with the support truck and it is time to place our last order of tacos, chili rellenos, and salsa picante. Gordie is happy to see us alive and dives into the chips and salsa while we relive our last ride in staggering exaggeration.
After sharing our last delicious Mexican meal in the Baja, I present Peter and Gordie with the Habibi Award for “Friendship and Faith” celebrating 17 years of riding together. Each trophy is about 2 ½ feet tall, the perfect size to be an awkward and 
cumbersome reminder of amazing times in the Baja! Once the support truck is loaded, the bikes tucked in and strapped down for the ride home, we say adios to our dear friend Gordie and head north again for the US border, exhausted and dreaming of the next Baja ride…
