BajaNomad

All My Guadalupe Canyon Photos (Web Link) and Report

David K - 5-2-2005 at 11:37 PM

The web page for our 4-05 trip is:

Guadalupe Canyon 4-05

Here is a trip report to go with the photos:

Hola Amigos y Nomads,

Crossed into Mexico Friday evening and went straight to CASA VIEJA for dinner... was so very, very good. We got a menu, and I will try and post it in the Restaurant forum later...

Bought some cerveza and then headed east. Got to the canyon around midnight. Tecate to Guadalupe Canyon takes me 2.5 hrs., we used the dry lake route.

Hotschott (Steve) and his amigo Keith waited up for us and helped us into our camp 'LA JOLLA B' in Arturo's Campo #1 http://www.guadalupe-canyon.com

After the camp was set up, we enjoyed a dip in the hot tub... and watched the moon rise... was awesome!

Saturday, I showed Elizabeth the canyon's three independant campos and the source hot spring for them all... then another dip... then a nap, and another dip... Elizabeth has Baja Fever and really likes this special place!

Saturday evening we have dinner with Hotscott, wife Val, and Keith... some awesome pollo asada! Campfire, more hot tubbing too, and some good sleep (although the wind was blowing since sundown).

Sunday, breakfast with Hotschott, Val, and Keith... some more photos, more hot tubbing, then pack up the Toyota for the trip home...

We stop for gas in La Rumorosa and tortas in Tecate...
Toll boths were $4.25 in El Hongo and $1.25 in La Rumorosa.
Border wait was 50 minutes starting at 5pm... through the new Tecate U.S. gate... The access road for the U.S. border line is now further east, just east of the traffic circle, and is very well signed. I have the GPS for it: N32-34.52' W116-36.82' on Mex. 2. The new border is at: N32-34.59' W116-37.53'

[Edited on 5-3-2005 by David K]

pascuale - 5-2-2005 at 11:42 PM

Hey David,
Do you know a guy named John Nelson? He built alot of the hot tubs there a few years back. Just wondering if you knew him or not. Nice pics, looks like an awesome place!

[Edited on 5-3-2005 by pascuale]

David K - 5-2-2005 at 11:44 PM

Yes, I met him in Rancho Santa Fe on a landscape job Hotschott and I were on... I hear (and seen) he is very good at what he does!

pascuale - 5-2-2005 at 11:55 PM

Yeah, Hes one of the most unique and smartest guys ive ever met. I used to date his daughter in high school and he took us on my first baja trip to Punta san Jose. I was hooked from then on. He used to talk about Canyon Guadalupe all the time and I never got a chance to go there. How far is the drive from San Diego and how do you get there exactly. It looks like a cool place to go relax and hike with my girlfriend for a weekend. Thanks in advance.
Ethan

David K - 5-3-2005 at 12:22 AM

Okay, you take the highway towards Campo from El Cajon (past Jamul and Delzura), (94) and a short side road to Tecate border (188)... About an hour drive from Sandy Eggo...

Now, cross into Baja go straight ahead, downhill and at the signal on the four lane avenue, where you see the town park, turn left... and take it to where it joins the toll highway to Mexicali (a few miles east)... get on the toll hwy. for the fastest trip... 2 tolls $4.25 and $1.25...

Down the big mountain, and go to the well signed Canon de Guadalupe road (washboard) or a couple miles further, the well signed Laguna Salada road.

Now it is 34 miles to the canyon... Both the graded road and the Dry Lake road join about 7 miles from the canyon. Only the last two miles are really rough and need high clearance to avoid damage.

2.5 hours from Tecate or 3.5 from Insane Diego.

I have the GPS for this route in my GPS web site at VivaBaja.com

pascuale - 5-3-2005 at 08:26 AM

thanks

Arthur - 5-3-2005 at 12:40 PM

Thanks, David, for the report -- and all of the beautiful shots of the canyon! I didn't see any evidence of overcrowding, which I thought was a problem. And how much did it cost you? It's not cheap, from what I hear. It was free when we went down there a thousand years ago.

PS: What's the resolution of your camera?

Lindalou - 5-3-2005 at 04:40 PM

David, thank you again for some wonderful pictures. They are great!:yes:...Linda

David K - 5-3-2005 at 05:11 PM

You are welcome my friends...

Arthur, in the other thread on this trip I mentioned it was $75 for two nights at La Jolla B... and La Paloma (where Hotschott stayed) was $120 for the same 2 nights. We saw other folks, but not like when you go past Arturo's into Angel's or Jose's(?)... the other Loya brothers' camps... which are crowded, noisey, and no chance for private hot tubbing. Yes, a lot of money for 'camping'... but you have to look at this as a totally different kind of vacation. There just isn't any place like Arturo's Campo #1. The prices for the various sites in Arturo's is listed in his web site: http://www.guadalupe-canyon.com

David K - 5-4-2005 at 12:17 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Arthur
Thanks, David, for the report -- and all of the beautiful shots of the canyon! I didn't see any evidence of overcrowding, which I thought was a problem. And how much did it cost you? It's not cheap, from what I hear. It was free when we went down there a thousand years ago.

PS: What's the resolution of your camera?


I don't know much about this digital camera I am using... It is very basic (thank goodness)... and the photos you saw in my web page of Guadalupe Canyon are mostly between 60 and 80 kb... The four I posted on the other link about my trip were reduced to under 50 kb for the forum limit.

I bought the camera from Doug, so maybe he can tell you more... It will take just over 100 photos at the 'standard resolution' setting... a lot less at high resolution. Sorry I can't be more specific... ask me an irrigation or Baja history question! LOL

synch - 5-25-2005 at 11:38 AM

The other thread on this:
http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=10281

was closed when I tried to respond. I'd hoped to get this info bumped up, seems like a nice place to go for a weekend. I'll just have to bookmark it.

Irrigation question then...

Jack Swords - 5-25-2005 at 12:03 PM

Nice photos David, thanks for posting. I won't ask about the camera but...

What's with all this different sized 1/2 inch drip hose??? Couplers and Tees and hose used to be standardized.

' 1/2" ' drip hose question answered

David K - 5-25-2005 at 08:00 PM

Hi Jack (never say that on an airplane),

It is because Americans hate the metric system... or we are just more relaxed with fractions!

There are several drip tubes commonly called 'half inch', and one must be careful that the 1/2" fittings are the same size as the tubing you have!

The two most common 1/2" used by us professional drip installers are

1) .690" to .700" outside diameter which uses the black compression ring fitting....

OR

2) .710"OD which uses the blue colored compression ring fittings (or the newest one piece fittings for .710", which are all black).

3) Then there is that smaller 1/2" that Home Depot or other retailers sell from a company called Rain Drip which uses green colored compression fittings (.630"OD).

4) The brown 1/2" tube with emitters already installed inside, made by Netafim uses a insert or barbed fitting (17mm), but one company (Agrifim) makes a compression fitting for it, if you prefer, and it is brown in color (.660"OD).

5) The ooozing soaker tube made from recycled tires uses yellow compression fittings, which I thing are .550"OD.

The first two (.700 and .710) can both be used with the blue .710 fittings, however trying to use the smaller back .700 fiting with the .710 tube is a struggle.

Rule of thumb: Buy the tube and fitting from the same distributor, and double check the sizes of each.

To adapt one size with another use a PVC 1/2" coupling and cement the correct compression rings into the coupling... then wiggle your tube into the ring/coupling (no cement on the poly tube, ever!).

To connect the brown Netafim emitterline to a 1/2" black poly drip tube, use a 1/2" PVC female adapter... screw the Netafim barb by 1/2" male thread adapter into the threaded side of the female adapter, and then cement the correct compression ring into the slip side of the female adapter...

Now, you should be all clear on what fittings and parts to take to you BAJA desert garden or BAMBOO forest! (pretty clever how I made this on topic for Jack, eh?)