The other day I was in San Felipe Mexico on the Baja and had to head back to the U.S. to ship a camera to someone in Washington DC. No big deal, a few hours drive, very nice ride through the desert and I would have been back in San Felipe within the day.

I’m pulling into the U.S. customs lineup when I see a black 1961 bug heading towards me. Cool but not overly uncommon in Mexico except that the dude flipped me the peace sign. So I pulled into the line behind him and after about 5 minutes he walks back to me bus and says, “You’re wanderglobe aren’t you?”

“Ummm, ya, Scott. Nice to meet you.”
“Hi, I’m Jim. Want to grab a drink once we get to the other side of the border.”

Cool. I’m crossing at Mexicali and this dude recognizes Dante from my avatar. Anyway, he’s from Imperial Valley and so we head back to his place with a few pops and some meat for the BBQ. Well lo and behold when I get there I see 6 bloody Bays. One for a customer, one to be parted and 4 very nice ones. Man. How comes the guy is driving a bug?

Turns out Jim calls it the VW Bus ranch and his wife also has a pink Thing as well as a Karmman Ghia. The two met through a VW show, his brother in law owns a bus and a few bugs and they’re members and founders of the Mexicali VW Club. Not only that but Jim is a co-founder of Save The Bays.

Now I know I’ve been real lucky on this trip but to meet this guy by fluke in the US Customs lineup in Mexicali is more divine intervention that just coincidence. The Bus Gods were smiling on me.

So I hang out with Jim for a few days in Imperial Valley and then he invites me to head over to Mexico to hang with his Mexicano VW friends and his wifes family. Very very cool.

We arrive in Mexicali, grab a few beers and head around the corner to a VW shop, Mayoral,( http://www.offroad.com.mx/cgi/fotos/albums/userpics/10001/060.jpg ) where there are 3 generations of VW mechanics working, and the last one isn’t a kid either. Grandpa worked with VW engineers back in the day when they wanted to make them function better in hot climates. I’m sitting here drinking pops with icons and the shop was just the cats ass. VW everywhere, beer in an ice box on the floor and you peed in the drain.

Next evening we got together and went to a parking lot for a bus meet but there were just the 3 of us there plus another fellow in a bug who showed up. Still, it was a nice drive and cool to hang out. Over the weekend we also tried to get in touch with another of Jims friends but he wasn’t home. I’ll tell you who was home though. 3 mints bay windows, a thing and a bug in the back yard.

I had yet another great time with a VW brother on the road who was overly kind and hospitable and who took the time to introduce me to his family, only in his case his VW family was also his real family.