Off-roading chronicles and the UCSD-Guardian

On a Saturday morning, Julio and Kelly from La Jolla set off. It was 9 a.m. – early for the schedules of these students. Julio drives a Toyota 4runner and Kelly a Jeep Renegade, both cars with all-wheel drive functions and perfect for off-roading adventures. With a clear blue sky and a warm winter sun we both started our trip to Otay Mountain.

How did we get this adventure?

We had planned to take our vehicles in off -road since we found that we had both capable cars. The great thing about the off-roading community is that it is not about how you are experiencing or how much you know about cars. It's just about going outside and exploring nature. In contrast to what most people would consider for a relaxing Saturday afternoon, we decided on this off-road escapade and said: “You have soft hands, brother”, for all haters. When we switched to all -wheel drive and closed our rear differences, we let them sit in a cloud of dust and loose gravel.

Stop 1: Dangerous beginnings

According to our previous examinations – as in the review of Google Maps – we should enter the northern entrance of the Pio PIO PICO campground. When we arrived, we found the way closed, supposedly due to an active examination of the border patrol. An off-roader started in a knitted Toyota 4runner and directed the Park Rangers to let us track.

Excited that our long journey down 805 was not wasted, we followed the park employee to the goal after making a few calls, but when we drove to the starting point, two border patrol vehicles drove past us. They shot us through their surrounding sunglasses, their vehicles, which were covered with dried mud, but left us alone – for now.

Stop 2: A breathtaking view

After this concerned start we shook our worries and made our way along the gravel and sand path. That means that was Not a “beginner -friendly way”, despite what Google Maps has advertised. It contained steep slopes, numerous hairpin curves and steep 30-foot stabbing on our right side.

Finally we reached an intersection on the top of the mountain. We went into a glance and were on breathtaking scenes of the southern San Diego County. With a view to the south, the vastness of the Otay mountain was covered with a slight haze over the foothills of the mountain, like a small distance from a video game. On the left we noticed a street that led to a radio storm on a nearby summit.

Before we could reach the tower, we were stunned by the sight of another border patrol vehicle. Fortunately, the officials didn't seem interested in us – and we didn't want to give them a reason – so we quickly made our way back to our vehicles and drove. Then we heard the familiar sum of a helicopter. We looked up to find a black military helicopter that circles and scans the area in search of something. This was our sign to get started.

Stop 3: A bunker of World War II

We had heard of an abandoned bunker of the Second World War nearby, so we decided to go there. The prospects of the bunker were okay. In addition to a mountain covered with green and weak outline of mountains in the distance, there was nothing left to see. The bunker was simply a concrete box with a closed door, without a window and a cool interior that was littered with handful of ball sleeves and broken bottles. Outside we discovered a car door with ball holes -it was clear that Oty had served as the ideal remote control area area.

We discovered a steep rocky slope near a distance and felt called to find them. The slope was initially smooth, but the middle section proved to be challenging with several rocky divots that had to be avoided.

We assigned Julio as spotters, while Kelly did not follow far behind. In centimeters we crawled on the hill for the first time and were thrilled to have on rock crawl for the first time!

Stop 4: Mountain view of the Grenzmauer

Then we drove along the main street. On our right was green and open space, whereby the Pacific Ocean was hardly visible beyond the sea layer. On the left we saw a skyline of buildings and streets that intertwined and showed the liveliness of the city. We had a perfect view of the border between the USA and Mexico, including the wall itself, which had extended far beyond the infrastructure of the neighboring streets and cities. We were both amazed at this perspective because we had never seen the border, except when we crossed in Tijuana.

The way back the mountain was just as tricky as the trip. We had to travel slowly because every decline of a gradient of more than 10 degrees became a fight to save Julios brakes to the disadvantages of off-roading with a 30-year-old vehicle.

Stop 5: A dangerous encounter

We made our way down the mountain and passed even more border patrol agents. At some point you were even caught behind us, and when we let her pass it, they rolled with the same intimidation as their fellow human beings from before.

When we finally approached the bottom of the mountain, we saw how border patrols questioned and imprisoned two men. In order to avoid that we were stopped and interviewed, we have not inspired ourselves for too long, but our speed of avoiding the situation was not enough. When we drove to the big yellow gate at the starting point, we were blocked by another border patrol vehicle.

A younger looking man got out of the vehicle. We waited for a few tense moments when the man approached. Julio rolled down his window.

“You shouldn't be here,” said the agent when he came to Julios car and watched Kelly from behind. Although we explained how parking agents let us in, the agent repeated that people from a different direction can only be approved from the path. “Could you roll your back window down for me?” asked the agent. He took a quick look into our respective rear seats.

“I'll let you out, but you are lucky that someone was here to do this. This gate is usually closed. ”

When he returned to his vehicle and reversed him to clear a way, we thanked him, drove past and touched the sidewalk for the first time since morning. It felt so good to be back on the smooth road.

Stop 6: Burritos and debriefing

After our eventful day we were starved. We found a Filipino-Mexican fusion restaurant in our ever reliable Google Maps and made our way to MJS Joghurt Time and Deli.

We each have the house-famous 805 Burrito, named after the highway, which runs through Central San Diego. The protein was cooked with Filipino influences – Julio got Longanisa and Kelly had braised marinated pork. Imagine a Californian burrito that has added the length of an arm. We both devoured absolutely.

When we ate our burritos, we recalculated our first day for Kelly. This was her first time that she put her jeep in the true off-road test. For Julio, this Mexican and Filipino fusion feed was a first. What none of us expected was our first-hand encounter with the daily operating processes of the US border protection authority-a strong change in the pace for two protected UCSD students. It was humble to think about how happy we were without warning, since many of our communities do not have this privilege.

Our encounter with Border Patrol was certainly not the standard. When we wrote this piece, we found 1.5 million enforcement measures In 2024. After the reflection, we recognized how unprepared we protect our colleagues and decided to improve. So what can you do if you or someone you know about has met a border patrol? Remember that you have the right not to answer questions about your immigration status if you are addressed on the street. If you are arrested by immigration officers, you have the right to a lawyer and visits to family members. And remember that we have your back.

While we wanted our chronicles of off -roading to remain easy in San Diego, the reality of our society prevents this. Our experience on this Saturday reminded us that the best ways to have fun have to include the protection of the other, and at the end of the day our trip was an important memory of how much privilege is on a free journey and how you can remain informed to remain safe.