Independence Day in Tijuana

So we went to a friend's house in Riverside for the 4th this year. A hilltop nearby holds their local fireworks show, and it's easily visible from the backyard. We knew we were in for a treat because we could sit in the comfort of their yard and still get an awesome show for free. What we didn't know, however, was that every freaking neighbor within a 3-mile radius was going to be lighting off their own illegal fireworks all night long, leaving tons of smoke and ash in the air and tons and tons of debris in the streets and on the sidewalks. We also didn't know that of these 300 or so houses in this particular housing track, there was ONE exit and route back to the freeway. So not only did we sit all evening in danger of being ignited by illegal fireworks from Mexico, we also couldn't really escape the danger for over an hour. It took us 1 hour and 12 minutes to drive 18 miles. Ugggh. It's safe to say that next year we'll be staying home and watching the two fireworks shows that are visible from our house. Why we chose to venture out of our comfort zone this year is a mystery to me.