Global crude oil prices climbed higher amid prolonged geopolitical uncertainty and Strait of Hormuz supply disruptions, instantly ruining the day of nobody currently parked in a van outside Pescadero. While economists hyperventilated over energy futures, local expatriates successfully navigated the crisis by simply riding their bikes to the beach and ignoring the check engine light on their 1998 Ford Rangers. As international shipping lanes faced chaos, the only bottleneck on the Baja peninsula was a herd of goats blocking the dirt road to San Pedrito.