BajaNomad

PART 2 +: Helicopter over Baja for 'Trail of Missions' tour, with Cameron Steele

David K - 6-28-2014 at 11:31 PM

Continued from Part 1: http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=74324

We go to a big sand dune south of where Highway one leaves the coast to go to El Rosario.

Next we take back roads and arrive at La Lobera.

Next we go to El Rosario and fuel up at Baja Cactus. I ask for Antonio, and go to the motel where the desk clerk calls Antonio. She tells me he will be there in 5 minutes... so I tell Cameron that Antonio is coming, as the 15 trucks finish filling their tanks.

The El Rosario de Abajo mission site is the next stop and I give a talk on the mission and El Camino Real...

We leave and drive the miles to the end of Punta Baja, where the catering crew has a most awesome lunch ready for us... a dynamite spinach salad with caramelized walnuts and poppy seed salad dressing, steak and chicken fajitas, cookies, and an ocean view!













A game they play is Cameron picks some words and if anyone is caught saying them, they must do 10 push ups. One of the words was TEN (so to avoid that, you said "nine plus one").











Cameron was in control!





A family tour, and far different than his Rip to Cabo events.





Family of 'rock farmers' must have really been surprised by our brief invasion.



La Lobera never disappoints!













Pangas turned into ponds













Cameron and Antonio 'BajaCactus'







At the second El Rosario mission (1802)







Punta Baja village















Cameron and daughter



What a great day so far... and it is only half over!

Stay Tuned for more as we head along the coast to Punta San Carlos...



[Edited on 7-7-2014 by David K]

Ken Cooke - 6-28-2014 at 11:36 PM

Thanks for the photos of Casey's Jeep. Great bunch of photos!

Ateo - 6-29-2014 at 08:09 AM

Thanks David. A trip of a lifetime. I'd write more but my internet is hit and miss. Sweet photos!

StuckSucks - 6-29-2014 at 08:59 AM

Thanks for turning me onto La Lobera - now on my places-to-go list. In November I was at El Campito, a few miles north, so it would have been easy to visit La Lobera. Next time.

South from Punta Baja

David K - 6-29-2014 at 10:49 PM

After lunch and photos, the caravan and helicopter headed south to Punta San Antonio and ending the day at the Solosports Resort at Punta San Carlos...

But not without one incident, that would be a major problem for anyone without a team of off road racers, a helicopter, and a trailer of parts at Baja Cactus!







Seems the Raptor (stock) has the same spindles as any other Ford truck... but there are after-market gusseted spindles to prevent this... and the driver is actually one who makes them (I think I heard)! The truck was so new, he hadn't changed them yet but he had replacements in his trailer which was 12 air miles north... no problem! The caravan continued and the truck was repaired in short time and arrived not more than a hour after we all did at Solosports...









The coastal road to Punta San Antonio is pretty fast!



It is washboard, so Cameron lets more air out of his tires to smooth the ride for his baby inside.





New harbor at Punta San Antonio.



SOLOSPORTS, Punta San Carlos...



















Runway ends at the resort.





Helicopters don't need no stinkin' runway!



We each had a pup tent and it came with a pad and sleeping bag + pillow. These were in a wind sheltered area...

The players...

































End of Day 2 (Wednesday June 25).

Stay tuned for day 3!...

chuckie - 6-30-2014 at 05:00 AM

Thanks....so much I havnt seen, even after 35+ years of back and forth..Gotta catch up! even if it takes 35 more years...

windgrrl - 6-30-2014 at 06:33 AM

Wonderful trip report. Great photos of Fords, family, aerial shots and...what...no maps?!!!;)

David K - 6-30-2014 at 08:24 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by windgrrl
Wonderful trip report. Great photos of Fords, family, aerial shots and...what...no maps?!!!;)


:light:

I am only half done! Day 3 was pretty big... and I took lots of boojum and cardon photos from both the ground and helicopter heading north from San Fernando mission.

Tomas Tierra - 6-30-2014 at 09:35 AM

Did you see my big fat BA when you came into PSC in the copter? Hahahahahaha!
Btw, Cameron's Tundra was the badass ride of the group

windgrrl - 6-30-2014 at 11:41 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Quote:
Originally posted by windgrrl
Wonderful trip report. Great photos of Fords, family, aerial shots and...what...no maps?!!!;)


:light:

I am only half done! Day 3 was pretty big... and I took lots of boojum and cardon photos from both the ground and helicopter heading north from San Fernando mission.


Awesome...a map is better read than a great book for me and I can't ever seem to get enough of Boojum and cardon forests. Well actually any flora and fauna. I have been wondering if Boojums get more curly and expressive when conditions are dryer. When we drove down last November, the boojums seems to be standing straight, with few "characters" grabbing our attention. When we returned in March, it seems as though they were gesturing again!!

BajaLuna - 6-30-2014 at 11:45 AM

awesome, DavidK!!! What a fantastic trip!

David K - 6-30-2014 at 08:05 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Tomas Tierra
Did you see my big fat BA when you came into PSC in the copter? Hahahahahaha!
Btw, Cameron's Tundra was the badass ride of the group


Hola!

It seemed there were only a couple of other guests at Solosports when we arrived with 50 people.

Kevin (the owner) was there with his wife, there was the bartender making the Baja Fogs, and a few staff members.

I wasn't in the copter that day, the film crew was.
Not sure what a BA is, sorry!?

Cameron has a Raptor, the Monster Energy Drink persons had the Tundra. It was brand new, 2014, and some of the Raptors and the Jeep were too. Many had just been modified for the trip, and some not yet.

David K - 6-30-2014 at 08:08 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by windgrrl
Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Quote:
Originally posted by windgrrl
Wonderful trip report. Great photos of Fords, family, aerial shots and...what...no maps?!!!;)


:light:

I am only half done! Day 3 was pretty big... and I took lots of boojum and cardon photos from both the ground and helicopter heading north from San Fernando mission.


Awesome...a map is better read than a great book for me and I can't ever seem to get enough of Boojum and cardon forests. Well actually any flora and fauna. I have been wondering if Boojums get more curly and expressive when conditions are dryer. When we drove down last November, the boojums seems to be standing straight, with few "characters" grabbing our attention. When we returned in March, it seems as though they were gesturing again!!


Do you want a map with my land route shown?
I will try and work on DAY 3 tonight and you will see plenty of landscape shots from the ground and from the copter as I flew back to El Cajon from Mission San Fernando.

David K - 6-30-2014 at 08:10 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaLuna
awesome, DavidK!!! What a fantastic trip!


Thank you... I was very lucky indeed... I hope I am asked to do it again, and we have more time at the missions or other interesting spots I can share!

tripledigitken - 7-1-2014 at 03:14 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
..... Many had just been modified for the trip, and some not yet.


David,

Other than lights and rocker rails, and as you mentioned spindles, what were some of the common upgrades to the Raptors?

Thanks for posting this.

Ken

windgrrl - 7-1-2014 at 06:24 AM

Good morning - land route would be great!

W

David K - 7-1-2014 at 09:27 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by tripledigitken
Quote:
Originally posted by David K
..... Many had just been modified for the trip, and some not yet.


David,

Other than lights and rocker rails, and as you mentioned spindles, what were some of the common upgrades to the Raptors?

Thanks for posting this.

Ken


I don't know the exacts, but what was obviously after-market, included:

Suspension and tires, and some had modified drive-train components. The new Tundra, (which was very heavily loaded) had improved suspension over the factory set up, but was still sagging a bit in back (compared to the Raptors, which were all level). More leafs in the rear springs or Ride Rite air bags perhaps?

David K - 7-1-2014 at 10:30 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by windgrrl
Good morning - land route would be great!

W





Day 1: Helicopter to San Vicente (Santa Marta Orphanage). Camaron's Raptor to Hotel Mision Santa Maria, San Quintin. Off highway at Colonet to near Camalu via Punta San Jacinto. Off highway to Mission Santo Domingo, near Colonia Vicente Guerrero.

Day 2: Ron's Raptor, San Quintin to Punta San Carlos. Off highway from hotel to Ejido Nueva Odisea via beach. Off highway from El Consuelo to La Lobera and out to highway. Off highway from El Rosario to Punta Baja to Punta San Antonio to Punta San Carlos.

Day 3: Ron's Raptor, Punta San Carlos to Mesa San Carlos to near Mission San Fernando. In Casey's Jeep last few miles before getting in helicopter. Touch down near mission to refuel copter and say good bye to Cameron and crew at refuel spot. Helicopter back to USA via Ensenada airport.

David K - 7-1-2014 at 10:32 AM

This Trip Report continues with Day 3, here: http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=74369

Punta San Carlos

John M - 7-2-2014 at 12:40 PM

What was the driving route from Punta San Carlos to San Fernando Mission? Back north on the main road to Highway 1?

John M

David K - 7-2-2014 at 03:14 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by John M
What was the driving route from Punta San Carlos to San Fernando Mission? Back north on the main road to Highway 1?

John M




Hi John, I highlighted it on the map just above... we left the San Carlos graded road well south of Arroyo San Fernando, drove a road past mud hills and up Arroyo El Venado or parallel wash to the mesa... there we intersect with the single lane road* from the edge of the mesa to El Progreso/ San Fernando. Neal Johns has been on that road and mentions petroglyphs along it somewhere. See Almanac map.

*EDIT: I originally said "single track" when I meant single lane or one set of auto tracks (vs. a graded road).

'Single track' is a motorcycle only or burro/ hiking trail. All my traveling was in a 4WD Raptor or JK or in the helicopter, no motorcycle.

Thank you John M for catching me on this!

:light:

[Edited on 7-4-2014 by David K]

BajaWarrior - 7-2-2014 at 09:17 PM

Hey David, where are those dunes in photos 1 through 5? Not the dunes at San Antonio del Mar? I saw in your notes they went off road at Colonet.

Your notes say these dunes are where the highway leaves El Rosario, I just don't recognize them... But would really like to see them sometime...

David K - 7-2-2014 at 10:11 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaWarrior
Hey David, where are those dunes in photos 1 through 5? Not the dunes at San Antonio del Mar? I saw in your notes they went off road at Colonet.

Your notes say these dunes are where the highway leaves El Rosario, I just don't recognize them... But would really like to see them sometime...


Exactly as stated: "We go to a big sand dune south of where Highway one leaves the coast to go to El Rosario."

Where the highway turns away from the ocean for the Rosario Mesa a dirt road continues south along the coast, but inland of the sand dune. There was a ranch called El Consuelo in the old days about where the highway curves, and that still is on the AAA map. Past the sand dune the unmapped road turns east and meets up with the road to La Lobera from Hwy. 1.

Try Google Earth to see it, perhaps?

BajaWarrior - 7-3-2014 at 04:19 AM

Thanks, I'll check it out.

David K - 7-6-2014 at 07:25 PM

Take care!

This Trip Report continues with Day 3, here: http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=74369

David K - 10-31-2014 at 09:22 AM

Just saw the 'Trail of Missions' TV show listed on CBS Sports schedule: http://www.cbssportsnetwork.com/schedule/cbssn
These times are EASTERN, so check your local time for the CBS Sports Network on Direct TV or Cable to set your DVR:
Sun. Nov. 9 @ 7 pm;
Mon. Nov. 10 @ 2 am (possibly Sun. Nov. 9 @ 11 pm Pacific time);
Mon. Nov. 10 @ 10 pm;
Tue. Nov. 11 @ 4 am.
This is the TV special filmed last June that I was flown by helicopter to Baja to spend 3 days with Cameron Steele and his group of Ford Raptor and other truck owners who drove to Cabo San Lucas and visited the old Spanish mission sites in Baja, as described in my recent book: The Old Missions of Baja & Alta California 2nd Edition I have no idea how many seconds they filmed of me will be used, while I described the history at two mission sites for the group of about 50 people on the Trail of Missions tour.

sargentodiaz - 11-2-2014 at 10:07 AM

Love to see more land and sea and less cars!

Ken Cooke - 11-2-2014 at 12:46 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Just saw the 'Trail of Missions' TV show listed on CBS Sports schedule: http://www.cbssportsnetwork.com/schedule/cbssn
These times are EASTERN, so check your local time for the CBS Sports Network on Direct TV or Cable to set your DVR:
Sun. Nov. 9 @ 7 pm;
Mon. Nov. 10 @ 2 am (possibly Sun. Nov. 9 @ 11 pm Pacific time);
Mon. Nov. 10 @ 10 pm;
Tue. Nov. 11 @ 4 am.
This is the TV special filmed last June that I was flown by helicopter to Baja to spend 3 days with Cameron Steele and his group of Ford Raptor and other truck owners who drove to Cabo San Lucas and visited the old Spanish mission sites in Baja, as described in my recent book: The Old Missions of Baja & Alta California 2nd Edition I have no idea how many seconds they filmed of me will be used, while I described the history at two mission sites for the group of about 50 people on the Trail of Missions tour.


Thanks for the posting. I will put this on my FB page as well!

racingron - 11-2-2014 at 12:47 PM

A few from my phone - cheers David!

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David K - 11-3-2014 at 10:38 AM

Thank you Ron! It will be fun to see how CBS shows us! I would like to see more of their trip after we left the tour too.
I hope to do more with you Desert Assassins in the future!

David K - 12-13-2018 at 07:03 PM

Fun!