It's a little long, so I will send this in 6 installments. This is part 1 of 6. Cross border mid-morning. Spots north of Ensenada are waist high, crumbly, unremarkable. San Miguel looks very pacific.
Air is cold.
South of Ensenada, we start hitting paramilitary checkpoints along the road. The Federal Narco guys dress like a SWAT team and are pretty thorough. We are wise enough to bring no mota on this trip, so we endure searches with no worries. I try to stay calm. On the coast south a ways, a small NW swell starts lighting up lots of spots with shoulder high sets.