The Road to Ensenada A true story of two twenty-two-year-old Returned Mormon Missionaries who set out in 1969 in a little green Sunbeam Alpine for a long distance road trip to the Mexican border—and a legendary character named Big John. What begins as a simple quest for adventure quickly turns into an unforgettable odyssey. Majestic cliffs, burning fires, locked gates, friendly porches, and the wild, untamed California coast before it was paved over. With little more than curiosity, a speargun, and the unshakable belief that things would work out, Dan and Steve face starter failures, flying sleeping bags, money shortages, riots, run-ins with the law, and Montezuma’s revenge—yet every mishap becomes another story that pulls them closer as friends. Half a century later, in 2025, the two co-authors look back on that journey—not just as a road trip, but as the space where innocence met the world, kindness appeared in the strangest places, and a lifelong friendship was forged. From the bishop’s wife frying fish for strangers to a naked dive-shop legend keeping his word in the dead of night, The Road to Ensenada captures a time when the world felt bigger, stranger, and more forgiving—and reminds us that the best roads are rarely straight. A heartfelt, funny, and deeply human tale of youth, discovery, and the enduring power of true friendship.