BajaNomad

Malarrimo beach

russell - 6-28-2015 at 02:34 PM

Baja quicksand

[Edited on 6-28-2015 by russell]

[Edited on 6-28-2015 by russell]



[Edited on 6-28-2015 by russell]

[Edited on 6-28-2015 by russell]

1997-1.jpg - 125kB

rts551 - 6-28-2015 at 03:54 PM

you haven't been the only one. We had a hard time on quads one year.

did you get out?

bajagrouper - 6-29-2015 at 12:05 AM

Kind of a sinking feeling.........

chuckie - 6-29-2015 at 03:16 AM

Aye...

Malarrimo beach

russell - 6-29-2015 at 11:35 AM


After a 1 1/2 days we got out


1997.jpg - 120kB1997.jpg - 120kB1997.jpg - 120kB1997_mx_trip_012.jpg - 108kB

chuckie - 6-29-2015 at 11:44 AM

Going back?

BornFisher - 6-29-2015 at 11:45 AM

OMG!!!! What a mess! Was this a tidal flow area? Did you ever almost give up? How many people were with you?

AKgringo - 6-29-2015 at 11:52 AM

You got yourself all dirty, and the dog is still clean......how did that happen?

Where is Malarrimo beach?

David K - 6-29-2015 at 11:55 AM

Back in the 1960's, Malarrimo became famous for the treasures of the Pacific that this big hook of Baja would catch...

Mike McMahan talked it up the most in his books...








Chuck Potter and wife Ginger (Mike's daughter) in center.





It made seeing Malarrimo highly desirable... specially after a storm!
Graham Mackintosh wrote about finding gin... and later some tonic, during his walk in the 1980's.

The problem is the wide flat beach has quick sand, and that id hidden by the dry sand winds blow over it off the dunes. If you do drive the beach, hug the cliffs and dunes and don't venture out onto the wide flat beach.

Oh, and leave the torpedoes alone!!!

Meany - 6-29-2015 at 12:06 PM

The truck that pulled you out looks like the guys from the look-out up on the Hill? Boy they love Beer. Glad you got out.:bounce:

güéribo - 6-29-2015 at 12:12 PM

Cool thread. Other pictures of Malarrimo Beach?

rts551 - 6-29-2015 at 12:22 PM

old news.
http://wikimapia.org/13678440/Playa-Malarrimo#/photo/917140

BajaBlanca - 6-29-2015 at 12:26 PM

oh that looks absolutely horrible.....glad the vehicle was recovered!

vgabndo - 6-29-2015 at 03:07 PM

Photos originally uploaded nine years ago!!!

chuckie - 6-29-2015 at 03:29 PM

I noticed that too...maybe date is honked in his camera??????

rts551 - 6-29-2015 at 03:33 PM

took them that long to follow Davids instructions for "correct" posting.

chuckie - 6-29-2015 at 03:37 PM

You mean make sure the pics are not on the left side of the screen?:?::?:

vgabndo - 6-29-2015 at 03:44 PM

Quote: Originally posted by chuckie  
I noticed that too...maybe date is honked in his camera??????


I think you are correct. The wikimap in that post is dated 2015.

rts551 - 6-29-2015 at 04:20 PM

Quote: Originally posted by vgabndo  
Quote: Originally posted by chuckie  
I noticed that too...maybe date is honked in his camera??????


I think you are correct. The wikimap in that post is dated 2015.


that is because I pulled it today. but the pictures say uploaded (on wikimaps) 9 1/2 years ago.

dtbushpilot - 6-29-2015 at 04:43 PM

This is an old trip report from there about the same time as this one.

http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=32808

Udo - 6-30-2015 at 09:04 AM

Knee deep ruts???

I think even the FJ Cruiser would have had problems. Perhaps not if we aired down well ahead of time increasing the softer sand/dried mud.

woody with a view - 6-30-2015 at 10:22 AM

look at the front tire tracks, or lack of. looks like a 2wd truck and they suffered because of it.

rts551 - 6-30-2015 at 10:49 AM

Udo. A number of years ago I saw a jeep with balloon tires buried out there. Look at what happens where they are stepping. "Even" your FJ, unless of course you need a new vehicle.

[Edited on 6-30-2015 by rts551]

DianaT - 6-30-2015 at 10:56 AM

That beach out there is famous for claiming the lives of vehicles --- 2wd, 4wd, air down or not, it does not matter.

Just ask the locals anywhere on the Vizcaino. And it is always the same story that it looked okay!

russell - 6-30-2015 at 10:59 AM

The pictures I posted are from my trip to Mulege in 1997 and we took a side trip on the way at Malarrimo

BajaGlenn - 7-25-2015 at 10:45 AM


Been there 5 times going right from the arroyo is the worst --have seen 4 vehicles caught below high tied over those years--:?:

o3dave - 7-26-2015 at 11:00 AM

Quote: Originally posted by dtbushpilot  
This is an old trip report from there about the same time as this one.

http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=32808


Great trip report DT. Thanks. This must have been before that hilarious little high jumping dog you have now. Cant recall its name but sure enjoy it when you bring it to the ranch.

dtbushpilot - 7-26-2015 at 01:58 PM

Quote: Originally posted by o3dave  
Quote: Originally posted by dtbushpilot  
This is an old trip report from there about the same time as this one.

http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=32808


Great trip report DT. Thanks. This must have been before that hilarious little high jumping dog you have now. Cant recall its name but sure enjoy it when you bring it to the ranch.


Thanks o3, glad you liked it. It was indeed before Cacahuate the wonder dog, back when life was simpler. :)

TacoFeliz - 7-26-2015 at 05:29 PM


Uh, yeah. Late 1990s. It was a very long day.





Udo - 7-26-2015 at 05:34 PM

I am wondering if it would have been easier to make the crossing if they drove to the surf line in search of harder sand, and cross the mud flats at that point?

At least in TacoFeliz's photos, there appears to be someone on the dry side with either a winch of a very long tow strap

TacoFeliz - 7-26-2015 at 06:08 PM


Jeep came out easy, only about an hour of panicked foolishness with onboard winch and a Tacoma as an anchor point.

Bronco was sucked down to the frame solid. Took the Jeep, Tacoma and LandCruiser pulling together while five guys tried to lift the back bumper to unstick it. The Bronco added an additional three hours of trial and error, then success followed by trying to outrun the tide and ducking into an arroyo just before sunset. All slept well.

Where we sank in (moving at about 25 mph) looked dryish just like stuff we had crossed all morning. Surprise! Beach crossing on the east end of Malarimmo is off my list permanently.

Udo - 7-26-2015 at 06:40 PM

There is a somewhat easier way to get to that side of the beach from the West.

Drive toward the town of Bahia Tortugas. About 10 KM before you get to the town, you'll see a white highway marker that guides you to Malarrimo beach. Turn right there on the dirt road.

Although you may want to drive into town to fill up on gas and beer before you make the turn to Malarrimo.

After about three KM, the road splits into two. The left road takes you to the fishing camp where the local fishermen currently live. (Go ahead and feel free to take that road and share a bunch of beers with them, your efforts will be rewarded!) Be prepared to take some t-shirts and hats for trade material. The inhabitants have found on their beaches some stuff you may be interested in. If you decide to take the road to the right, you'll drive over many hard dirt road hills. Then stop at the beach and be prepared for some off-the-hook beach combing. When you keep going, you'll approach the wet silt-bed crossing from the West

deportes - 7-26-2015 at 06:59 PM

Maybe that is why it's called mal arrimo.

Bad support!

Neal Johns - 7-27-2015 at 11:10 AM

This friend of TacoFeliz turned Right....

Malarrimo3 (Copy).jpg - 170kBMalarrimo2 [800x600].jpg - 42kB

desertcpl - 7-27-2015 at 04:33 PM



oh my,, that surely doesn't look like much fun

no AA to come get you out,, its called a pucker moment

BornFisher - 7-27-2015 at 04:44 PM

Quote: Originally posted by desertcpl  


oh my,, that surely doesn't look like much fun

no AA to come get you out,, its called a pucker moment


It`s enough to make a guy go to a meeting!!
And AAA won`t come get you either!!

desertcpl - 7-27-2015 at 04:51 PM

Quote: Originally posted by BornFisher  
Quote: Originally posted by desertcpl  


oh my,, that surely doesn't look like much fun

no AA to come get you out,, its called a pucker moment


It`s enough to make a guy go to a meeting!!
And AAA won`t come get you either!!






guess I dropped an A,, funny,, I was doing this during Happy Hour

David K - 2-7-2023 at 03:28 PM

Bump up for 'russell' of a great post from 2015 about Malarrimo's quicksand.

4x4abc - 2-7-2023 at 06:54 PM

we should revive more old stuff!

russell - 2-9-2023 at 04:13 PM

This was a really fun 10 trip to Mulege in May 1997. We took this side trip to malarrimo beach. We took the 26-mile wash from the graded road. Driving in the wash was fun. It was me in my 1991 toy, 4x4 and a friend. Our other Friend and girlfriend were in a 1995 Isuzu Trooper 4x4. We both were loaded up. We were about half mile from the beach, and I stopped to get a beer out of the back and our friend passed us and took the lead. When we caught up to them. He had all four wheels spending and had sunk down to the frame. It took us one and a half days of digging with our hands (shovels and jacks were no good). As you can see in the pictures, we moved a lot of mud (clay) under and around the Trooper. And used what wood we could find. I did not try to use my truck to pull him out. I did not want to chance breaking down. My truck was our only way out if we could not get the Trooper out. This was the best time I had on this 10-day trip. Don't get me wrong. The trip was a great trip without this. :bounce:

David K - 2-9-2023 at 05:03 PM

Thanks Russ for sharing the great adventure you had!

geoffff - 2-9-2023 at 06:02 PM

Back in January of 2002 I went down there alone in my stock Jeep Grand Cherokee. I drove along the beach for several miles in each direction. I hadn't even heard of the concept of airing down yet!

I'm now thinking I had no idea how lucky I was that nothing went wrong. :o







4x4abc - 2-9-2023 at 09:07 PM

you were super lucky

I got trapped once in the quicksand
but I had expected it and knew exactly what to do
turning off your engine is the first thing to do
any movement or vibration is bad
that also means keep sitting still in the car and give it 10 minutes
then we got out with feather steps
unloading the car as much as possible
even took the spare tire off
then aired down from 10 psi to 4 psi
engaged both lockers
selected 4LOW and reverse (easy on the gas!)
made sure not to touch the steering wheel

drove right out

not funny!

JZ - 2-9-2023 at 10:08 PM

Can someone drop the GPS location?

geoffff - 2-9-2023 at 10:25 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JZ  
Can someone drop the GPS location


27.8021,-114.4314

geoffff - 2-9-2023 at 10:41 PM

My new toy is an exhaust jack. I haven't tried it yet, but it might this be just the thing for self-recovery the next time I'm stuck in quicksand...? I am thinking this kind of jack would spread the load, rather than just sinking into the wet sand like my other jacks do.



baja-chris - 2-10-2023 at 10:26 AM

Around 1994/5 we went to Malarrimo beach for a camping trip with a few other trucks. We knew not to drive below the high tine line as we had heard many stories of bad stucks. Ditto the mud in the wash.
So we are screwing around in the dunes and a front hub on my 1993 Ford Ranger exploded, leaving bearings exposed to dirt. I taped it up best I could to keep dirt out. Next day we are exploring in the other trucks and off in the distance we see the carcass of a truck stuck. As we got close I recognized it as a Ford Explorer with the roof removed.
We walked out and found that as a last ditch effort to free the stuck truck someone had put tow strap through the windows and tried to roll the truck sideways to unstuck it, only to rip the roof off. It was toast and was below water at high tide. I dig down to the front hub with my hands and could feel it had the manual hub I needed. I new how to remove these in my sleep since I frequently snapped front axles in the Ranger. The muddy water kept filling in but I got the hub off and it had some barnacles on it but was in the locked position and frozen up that way. We took it to camp, washed it and installed it on my Ranger and drove it home that way. Once back in San Diego I replaced it and for years had that barnacle encrusted hub on the wall of my garage. They say you never know what you will find on that beach and it's true!

JZ - 2-10-2023 at 12:44 PM

Quote: Originally posted by geoffff  
Quote: Originally posted by JZ  
Can someone drop the GPS location


27.8021,-114.4314


Thx!

JZ - 2-10-2023 at 12:50 PM

How difficult is the drive through the wash to the beach? I now want to see this place in person.

geoffff - 2-10-2023 at 01:00 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JZ  
How difficult is the drive through the wash to the beach? I now want to see this place in person.


I've been there twice.

In 2002, it was easy. The mouth was wide and sandy.

In 2014, it was thick gooey mud, so I didn't try it.

TMW - 2-10-2023 at 02:45 PM

JZ it depends on what the weather has done to it. I Strongly recommend going with at least another vehicle or two. I've been there twice and it was full of surprises. Lot's of junk to go thru. Some of interest and some to forget. We have found cameras and wetsuits and tons of flipflops.

watizname - 2-11-2023 at 08:18 AM

Quote: Originally posted by baja-chris  
Around 1994/5 we went to Malarrimo beach for a camping trip with a few other trucks. We knew not to drive below the high tine line as we had heard many stories of bad stucks. Ditto the mud in the wash.
So we are screwing around in the dunes and a front hub on my 1993 Ford Ranger exploded, leaving bearings exposed to dirt. I taped it up best I could to keep dirt out. Next day we are exploring in the other trucks and off in the distance we see the carcass of a truck stuck. As we got close I recognized it as a Ford Explorer with the roof removed.
We walked out and found that as a last ditch effort to free the stuck truck someone had put tow strap through the windows and tried to roll the truck sideways to unstuck it, only to rip the roof off. It was toast and was below water at high tide. I dig down to the front hub with my hands and could feel it had the manual hub I needed. I new how to remove these in my sleep since I frequently snapped front axles in the Ranger. The muddy water kept filling in but I got the hub off and it had some barnacles on it but was in the locked position and frozen up that way. We took it to camp, washed it and installed it on my Ranger and drove it home that way. Once back in San Diego I replaced it and for years had that barnacle encrusted hub on the wall of my garage. They say you never know what you will find on that beach and it's true!



Great Story.

mtgoat666 - 2-11-2023 at 09:37 AM

Quote: Originally posted by JZ  
How difficult is the drive through the wash to the beach? I now want to see this place in person.



The arroyo is best after it has dried out for a month or more. If the arroyo experiences flow, can take a month plus to dry out.

You might be better off taking a lighter 4x4, i.e. not a 1-ton PU packed to the gills.

geoffff - 2-11-2023 at 01:18 PM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666  
The arroyo is best after it has dried out for a month or more. If the arroyo experiences flow, can take a month plus to dry out.


Seems obvious, but I hadn't thought of that. I should watch the weather for a few weeks before my planned adventures.

AKgringo - 2-11-2023 at 03:34 PM

Quote: Originally posted by geoffff  
Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666  
The arroyo is best after it has dried out for a month or more. If the arroyo experiences flow, can take a month plus to dry out.


Seems obvious, but I hadn't thought of that. I should watch the weather for a few weeks before my planned adventures.


Also pay attention to recent tide activity. A so called "king tide" along with an onshore wind can flood areas far above normal tide ranges. The surface could dry out and appear to be easy going, but silt is lurking below!

JZ - 2-11-2023 at 06:50 PM

Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo  

Also pay attention to recent tide activity. A so called "king tide" along with an onshore wind can flood areas far above normal tide ranges. The surface could dry out and appear to be easy going, but silt is lurking below!


Sounds like running the bikes ahead of the truck(s) as scouts would be a good strategy?


willardguy - 2-11-2023 at 09:24 PM

this is some DATED info..... Malarrimo we came down from punta Eugenia and had fun exploring the defunct punta falso resort someones dream I suppose? followed a coastal trail east that abruptly ended at a structure built in the middle of the road (made out of pallets) on the other side a drop off cliff that seemed like a thousand feet down to the water. traveled inland east to malarrimo that was just a garbage heap, all the plastic garbage anyone could ever want... (we knew about the quicksand) headed out back to the highway from malarrimo with nothing to follow other than stand on the roof of the 4runner and look for any vegetation that would give away the buried location of the pipe ( we don't use any GPS electronics that'll rob you of any adventure left in baja) hey thats just us. the only above ground feature was a stone structure you could climb up on top open a hatch and see fresh water rushing west out to Eugenia. this was half way from malarrimo and the turn off to Asuncion. its a cool area to dick around and the beaches east of Eugenia are loaded with halibut that'll jump all over your Kroc, locals give a ratsazz if you fish just don't touch their bugs....SALUD

geoffff - 2-11-2023 at 10:29 PM

"resort" structures at Punta Falsa as of 2019:
https://octopup.org/baja2019/punta-eugenia

mtgoat666 - 2-11-2023 at 11:29 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JZ  
Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo  

Also pay attention to recent tide activity. A so called "king tide" along with an onshore wind can flood areas far above normal tide ranges. The surface could dry out and appear to be easy going, but silt is lurking below!


Sounds like running the bikes ahead of the truck(s) as scouts would be a good strategy?




Jizzy: since you always travel in baja with security guards, maybe you can give them pikes, make them walk ahead of your entourage and probe the ground for soft spots, sweep for land mines, etc. What kind of rig do your guards drive?
Is your own car armored? Armored vehicles weigh a lot, probably best not chance driving in mud.

willardguy - 2-11-2023 at 11:31 PM

Quote: Originally posted by geoffff  
"resort" structures at Punta Falsa as of 2019:
https://octopup.org/baja2019/punta-eugenia



2019 heck that was just a few years ago! thanks for posting I hope someone has an update!:D

Punta Falsa 'Resort'

David K - 2-12-2023 at 08:51 AM

Quote: Originally posted by geoffff  
"resort" structures at Punta Falsa as of 2019:
https://octopup.org/baja2019/punta-eugenia


Looks about the same as it was in June 2017...



advrider - 2-13-2023 at 10:02 PM

Thinking about heading out there in a couple of weeks on our motos for a night of camping. Always wanted to check it out and this posting got me fired up again. I'll report back how it was.

Udo - 2-14-2023 at 11:06 AM

:bounce:
Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc  
we should revive more old stuff!

DannyRT - 4-23-2023 at 08:06 PM

Oh wow! That's a tough quicksand

DosMars - 8-11-2023 at 09:05 AM

Quote: Originally posted by geoffff  
My new toy is an exhaust jack. I haven't tried it yet, but it might this be just the thing for self-recovery the next time I'm stuck in quicksand...? I am thinking this kind of jack would spread the load, rather than just sinking into the wet sand like my other jacks do.





Geoffff, I picked up an exhaust jack for the exact same reason. I've been stuck in the mud before with nothing but a jack and all the rocks I can lug over. Seems like the jack just pushes the rocks down one after another until you've got enough squished down there that you build up some mass to push against.

Since I've had the e-jack I haven't been stuck enough to need it. If anything it's a good talisman against stuck!

geoffff - 8-11-2023 at 12:21 PM

Quote: Originally posted by DosMars  

Geoffff, I picked up an exhaust jack for the exact same reason. I've been stuck in the mud before with nothing but a jack and all the rocks I can lug over. Seems like the jack just pushes the rocks down one after another until you've got enough squished down there that you build up some mass to push against.

Since I've had the e-jack I haven't been stuck enough to need it. If anything it's a good talisman against stuck!


Hah! That's how it goes. Well thanks for confirming my thinking.

Barry A. - 8-11-2023 at 08:55 PM

Quote: Originally posted by geoffff  
Quote: Originally posted by DosMars  

Geoffff, I picked up an exhaust jack for the exact same reason. I've been stuck in the mud before with nothing but a jack and all the rocks I can lug over. Seems like the jack just pushes the rocks down one after another until you've got enough squished down there that you build up some mass to push against.

Since I've had the e-jack I haven't been stuck enough to need it. If anything it's a good talisman against stuck!


Hah! That's how it goes. Well thanks for confirming my thinking.



I got scary-stuck in tidal-flats mud once way out in the boonies, and my travel friend could not help me with his little Isuzu Trooper----------took me 1/2 the day to get out of that mess. I said to myself, "never again"!!! I went out and bought and installed a Warn Winch and a "Pull Pal". I never got badly stuck again, so never had to use either. That seems to be the way it often goes. Still, I did not worry any more about "mud". LOL

4x4abc - 8-12-2023 at 11:41 AM

It's all a mind game.
If you expect to get stuck - you will get stuck
if you would focus on NOT getting stuck - you rarely would

people buy winches and PullPals for safety (to FEEL safe)
they could also get more suitable tires and learn how not to get stuck

I have been hired many times by government agencies to do recovery
training
every single time I have convinced them to modify the course objective to:
A - learn how not to get stuck
B - learn how to get unstuck


geoffff - 8-12-2023 at 12:53 PM

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc  
It's all a mind game.
If you expect to get stuck - you will get stuck
if you would focus on NOT getting stuck - you rarely would

people buy winches and PullPals for safety (to FEEL safe)
they could also get more suitable tires and learn how not to get stuck

I have been hired many times by government agencies to do recovery
training
every single time I have convinced them to modify the course objective to:
A - learn how not to get stuck
B - learn how to get unstuck


Well, I tend to learn "how not to get stuck" the hard way. It is part of the fun of it. So I need a big bag of tricks to get myself unstuck.

AKgringo - 8-12-2023 at 02:06 PM

Stuck is when someone else has to pull you out. If your effort with your tools and toys get you rolling again, you were just delayed!

geoffff - 8-12-2023 at 02:19 PM

Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo  
Stuck is when someone else has to pull you out. If your effort with your tools and toys get you rolling again, you were just delayed!


Well in Baja I've always managed to pull myself out. Always. Sometimes it takes all day and night, though.

Barry A. - 8-12-2023 at 04:22 PM

Quote: Originally posted by geoffff  
Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc  
It's all a mind game.
If you expect to get stuck - you will get stuck
if you would focus on NOT getting stuck - you rarely would

people buy winches and PullPals for safety (to FEEL safe)
they could also get more suitable tires and learn how not to get stuck

I have been hired many times by government agencies to do recovery
training
every single time I have convinced them to modify the course objective to:
A - learn how not to get stuck
B - learn how to get unstuck


Well, I tend to learn "how not to get stuck" the hard way. It is part of the fun of it. So I need a big bag of tricks to get myself unstuck.



I forgot to mention above that in addition to buying a Winch and a Pull-Pall I also bought a really good 12-Volt Air Compressor. Using 2 "cigarette lighter" (toy) compressors to refill my oversize tires after my "bad stuck" was very time-consuming (2-hours?) and irritating. Having those goodies on my rig from then on lessened my fear of losing my F-250 4x4 with it's heavy Steel Callen Camper when venturing into really remote areas of Baja, which I was prone to do. I did use that fancy big Air Compressor many times after that.

Having said that, I do respect 4x4abc's advice and council on off-roading as he has gone into some really incredibly remote and hairy areas in Baja that I only dreamed about doing. (-:


AKgringo - 8-12-2023 at 04:43 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Barry A.  

Having said that, I do respect 4x4abc's advice and council on off-roading as he has gone into some really incredibly remote and hairy areas in Baja that I only dreamed about doing. (-:


Not just Baja, Harald has a history on the Rubicon Trail!

Barry A. - 8-12-2023 at 07:31 PM

Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo  
Quote: Originally posted by Barry A.  

Having said that, I do respect 4x4abc's advice and council on off-roading as he has gone into some really incredibly remote and hairy areas in Baja that I only dreamed about doing. (-:


Not just Baja, Harald has a history on the Rubicon Trail!


Yep, I have marveled at abc's Off-road experiences over the many years recounted here on Nomad's.

B

advrider - 8-13-2023 at 09:08 PM

I've always been a rock crawler, so my stuck is usually broken (Rubicon, Four Dice). Done plenty of stuff to get stuck in the mud over the years and learned from it. Now the sand, that's a new area for me. Time will tell how I do! Area sand tracks worth all of the hype?

StuckSucks - 8-15-2023 at 10:59 AM

Non-sequitur. Shot on the road west from Vizcaíno (all dirt at the time) circa 1987, on the way to Malarrimo. Oh what a feeling.



advrider - 8-15-2023 at 08:50 PM

Awesome picture. Nice Toyota as well.