Laura Pena

Hi all, I am new to the forum, and I am working on a project for which I am seeking advice and hopefully some folks who may be interested in working with me. A bit about me - I am a former ICE officer (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). I worked in both downtown LA and downtown San Diego for the feds there. I am also from a small border town in South Texas. In short, I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly about the US-Mexico border. I am proposing a ride from San Diego to Brownsville, Texas - along the U.S. side of the borderline where the wall will be built or is already built. My proposal will be to partner with Google Maps to help capture this area so that when (or if) the wall is built, there is more transparency about the specific areas that will be impacted by it. I may also partner with Facebook to livestream parts of the trip. But first things first. Is this even possible? I know one man has walked the 2,000 miles and a second man is embarking on the walk. But can we ride a motorbike the entire way? If yes, what do the routes look like, and what do I need to prepare for this trip financially and logistically? I am looking at probably an October time frame. I have estimated 100 miles a day = 20 day ride (ish). So let's start with the first leg - Imperial Beach to Yuma along the borderline. I would love your thoughts and if possible I would love to connect offline. I will be seeking to have captains in various parts of the ride that can sort of adopt me with their wisdom and knowledge. Hope to hear back! Laura

HI there! I live in Northern California, but used to live in Bird Rock and Carlsbad. I look forward to learning from all the experienced riders here! Most challenging ride I did was from Cabo San Lucas up to Los Barriles and then west over the sierras to Todos Santos. There were markings all over from previous baja races. It was gorgeous and super terrifying at the same time.

Thanks, David!

Modifying David's suggested route here - anybody have feedback on riding further south closer to the borderline? See suggested route below. https://www.google.com/maps/dir/32.5822623,-116.9125759/32.5784438,-116.6287275/@32.5866901,-116.8607387,18142m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m24!4m23!1m20!3m4!1m2!1d-116.8674717!2d32.5626464!3s0x80d940f23029602d:0x6aa2f31d084651cf!3m4!1m2!1d-116.8479648!2d32.5583024!3s0x80d940f23029602d:0x6aa2f31d084651cf!3m4!1m2!1d-116.7557724!2d32.5727696!3s0x80d96b4dc95b9ff3:0x5b81e11eb829f660!3m4!1m2!1d-116.7107795!2d32.5732885!3s0x80d96b4dc95b9ff3:0x5b81e11eb829f660!1m0!3e2

Super helpful - thank you David!! I do see the paths on Google Maps, but not street view. Love the cameras, and I am thinking about getting the Google camera and outfitting a bike with it. Any other advice would be appreciated!