tijuana gold

This evening marked the end of a long haul of dental visits,
for me anyway.
A couple extenuating circumstances had pushed the rear molar fix
to finish within a couple days of a year.

gold TJ crowns

If you've missed the detailed history it's been great fun.
Here's a quick pictoral evolution...

gutted molar

First the molar was gutted in preparation for the root canal.
Talk about good times!
The memory of drowning in my own saliva...

TJ root canal

After that a gold post was cast and cemented into place.
Later the original tooth was whittled down,
and a mold taken to make the crown.
Here's where I dropped the ball.
This was last year about the time of daylight unsavings time,
and instead of pushing through,
I let it slide.
In Mexico if you let things slide,
then you go to the back of the line.
Not the dentistas fault actually the crown maker.
Really I could have left it with just the post,
with that huge square chunk of gold in there.

gold molar post

Looking back it wasn't that big of a deal,
as the wait allowed the front gold crowns to adjust into place.
The bummer was the post didn't give any resistance to the top molar,
and after the winter my teeth didn't match the old mold.
Since the wife has her braces there,
I piggybacked the visits with her every month.
Finally it was time to wrap this up.

perich sled

I love riding the bike the couple miles to the dentist,
and at the last minute the red Shelby cruiser was picked to go.
Every other bike had a flat tire!
I've never ridden a prewar bike down there so this would be fun.
I grabbed the wife's car and sped off.

holey chit - accident waiting to happen

Check out that top pick.
This little kid was walking in the middle of the turn there,
while the mom was getting the other kid.
Holey Chit!
That would have been one horrific accident!

road to Gato Bronco - Manuel Clouthier Blvd

The old cruiser was a blast to bomb down the hill to Gato Bronco.
Nothing like an oily coaster brake hub!

Gato Bronco - TJ

Yeah this post is picture heavy!
Here's a shot of the dentistas storefront.
You'd definitely walk right past this place!

Dentista Monica Torres - Otay/Tijuana

And here's the crown jewel.
A fat chunk of gold.

gold molar crown

The technician sculpts the tooth to resemble what should be there.
It's a lost art,
as most US dentists are going with the computerized resin process.

dental mold contraption

Within a half hour the Dentista had cemented the crown in place.

Dra. Monica Torres - TJ Dentista

In celebration I couldn't resist a stop by the local chelada shack.

chelada shack

These guys make a mean bloody beer.
It's the recipe we try to copy at home,
but way better.
It's all about that dark red goop on top there.

bloody beer

This one is like a meal.
Who doesn't like shrimp and clams with their beer!?

clamato afrodisiaco

Now I was ready for the ride up the hill.
I've been wanting to get a picture of these driveway gates.
A throwback to the time of long american sedans,
just cut the gate to fit the car!

trippy gate engineering

The ride up Clouthier Blvd is much safer on the trailway.
It's a main thoroughfare for walkers.
Definitely not the place to go dressed up.

Gato Bronco 

I'm really surprised this area isn't developed,
it has a really cool view of the valley and the mountains.
Check out that little shack above the bicycle up there on the hill.
Not sure if it's a squatter or a legal house.

TJ singletrack

The trail farthest away from the road is much more fun.

overlooking gato bronco

Tons of graffiti growing on the walls.
Definitely a cinderella area,
I'm ok riding around in the day,
at night I'd rather take the taxi.
Chicken!

Shelby Bike in TJ

Civilization arrived on top of the hill.

honda pizza delivery motorcycles

Here is a concept that America hasn't grasped yet.
These pizza companies rely on these little motorcycles for delivery.
I think they are 150cc.
There are tons of them around the city,
delivering for pharmacies and restaurants.

pizza delivery motorcycles

Here's the main drag of the Otay side of Tijuana.
Tons of radiator shops and taco stands in this part.

Otay Tijuana

I went a different way,
so missed the liquor stop at Calimex.
Instead dropped by this tortilleria,
and scored 2 dozen tortillas and that crumbly cheese for $4.

tortilleria La Laguna

Near the border crossing this guy had a bunch of old bikes.
This was a cool Schwinn B6 or Autocycle.
Check out the bat holder,
it's a pair of handcuffs and a water bottle holder.

mexican schwinn B-6 or autocycle

The border crossing had no line and I zipped right through,
and met the sunset on the way back home.
It is much less hectic leaving after the rush hour traffic.

sunset

There's your virtual trip to TJ!

TP