A bit of background: a couple of years ago I stepped back from commercial shaping for mostly health reasons (okay, the post-Clark/massive imports context didn't help either). Now its just a wood board from time to time, mostly balsa, which is great by me at present.
So, I took the occasion to go back to school. Masters, check – Cormac McCarthy's western novels were a good way to spend two years. The opportunity then arose to continue on with my PhD – focusing on border issues, and more particularly the cultural hybridity that exists along the border. Which brings us to the real point of this post.
Among other things, I'm looking into the role of the border and the proximity with Mexico in the development of 'surf culture' – a term that I don't always like, but that's another story.
Growing up in San Diego, the early trips down to La Fonda or Popotla were massively important. Rosarito beach break, the reefs, you get the idea. Good surf, obviously, but way more than than that. Escape from the drinking age rules 'back home', the occasional craziness, but also learning Spanish, the food, the colors, the music, friends that married down south, etc.
I'd like to hear from anyone about their experiences – what motivated them, what the returns were (either social, personal, material). I remember the roles of certain things we'd bring back, from sandals to blankets to tequila, both as objects that showed we'd been, and as conversation openers at various spots.. The time frame that I'm focusing on primarily spans from the forties through the seventies, but I'm curious about the changes in recent years as well. Who first started making Baja runs and when? Length of stays? Frequency? How were the runs viewed at different periods... by those making them, by their peers, by the police or the federales... the fishermen.
If we can keep it non-politicized, I'm sure that a thread would make a great read.
I'd also like to communicate with people via mp's, e-mails, letters or phone calls, whatever is easiest for you. If you know anyone who was making the early trips, please put them in touch with me if they're willing to talk about their experiences. Even answers to a couple of basic questions would be great help. Drop me a message and we can take it from there. I'm of the opinion that those of us lucky enough to have experienced those trips across the border (even though most of mine were eighties and nineties) were really onto something special – something worth delving into a bit more.
What can I offer in return? My thanks and appreciation? Good tips or a hearty welcome should you make it to Southwest France? An excellent bottle or two of Bordeaux (or Margaux, or Saint Emilion...) for the next Sways gathering? I hoped I might get you on that last one.
Moderators: I know its not directly surf-craft related, but I'd much rather talk with those here than theorize on the subject with well-intentioned academic folk who have neither surfed nor crossed the border in person. If the post is moved, or changed, or closed if it gets out of hand as border discussions can – no worries.