so made it to the camp pendleton visitor center next to the main gate on the southern (oceanside) end of the base.
expected a new building since the old portable one supposedly closed down due to mold. surprise! same old building.
got there around 12:30pm and there were 4 people ahead of me in line. brought the valid passport, valid tsa card (for giggles)
and current ca (not a real id one!!) drivers license. roughly a 45 minute wait to check in. got asked for drivers license and to
sign one form (rules of the base, misuse of the visitor pass, et al) and fill out a shortish one with full name, ss #, phone number and dob.
sat down and filled out the forms (took like less than a minute) and waited to be called. took about five minutes to be called. presented the forms and
ca drivers license again and sat back down. five minutes later, different clerk called me up, returned my ca dl and handed over the 8.5x11 yellow
and thick paper stock yearly pass and that was it. took exactly one hour.

even though it took an hour from start to finish, suspect it would have been 10-15 mins longer had i been a first time applicant. the info form i filled out
this go round was much less detailed than the previous one from the visits over the years. they also did not ask me to take a picture, instead using the
one from the last application. so that sped up things a little. thinking 1st time applicants will have the more extensive form to fill out...will def need to have the ole
pic (no cycling caps or bandanas or helmets!) taken.

yes, it's still free to get the cycling pass and it's good for exactly a year. must sign it and present it any time you wish to enter the main, southern gate or the las pulgas gate on the other end. cycling route still hugs the 5 freeway (no changes there) and is decently signed. pavé is a 6.5/10 currently through that 7.5-8 mile stretch. general bugaboo
is plenty of gravel grit/sand on both (especially southbound) sides of the road. if the road got a decent sweeping, it would likely be a 7/7.5. only real road hazard were 3-4,
well-raised, tree roots under the pavement, grouped successively together in the shade on the southbound side at the start of the stuart mesa housing area (just after the "s" curve and before the school).
those could do a real number on you and/or the bike if you're not paying attention. more worried about it in a group (2+) situation but don't forget about them. they've tripled in size in approx 2.5 years.