BajaNomad

New Auto Club Baja Map and Matomi Wash Update

StuckSucks - 3-4-2017 at 08:36 PM

Just spoke to David K. - this afternoon he tried to go through Matomi Wash from the top but got stopped by rocks at the top narrows. He said only dirt bike tracks were thru there and a 4x4 will not make it.

Mi esposa went to a remote Auto Club office, so I asked her to check on left-over Baja maps. The is what they hand out now (I cannot wait to hear the reaction to this). The reverse side is blank.

AKgringo - 3-4-2017 at 09:01 PM

Amazing! Instead of updating roads, they just eliminated a bunch of them!

The lack of detail and information makes this pretty much useless!

I think I can still get the old maps here in Grass Valley, and it looks like I better grab a couple.

Udo - 3-5-2017 at 09:16 AM

It will make a nice poster for the back of the bathroom door!

PaulW - 3-5-2017 at 09:16 AM

Quote: Originally posted by StuckSucks  
Just spoke to David K. - this afternoon he tried to go through Matomi Wash from the top but got stopped by rocks at the top narrows. He said only dirt bike tracks were thru there and a 4x4 will not make it.

========,
Hmmm, last month we had a bunch of rigs that drove thru Matomi from the west. The group included a pretty stock Baja bug, 4Runner, Jeep Cherokee, several built Jeeps, and several sand rails. No need for 4x4. It was obvious where the line was to drive thru. Several rigs used a spotter since they had small tires. Matomi is pretty much the same as it was before and after the last race. No evidence of any recent flooding, and for sure no rain since we drove it.
After the narrows the track thru the sand was solid with evidence of heavy use and no soft spots.

Ken Cooke - 3-5-2017 at 04:18 PM

Quote: Originally posted by StuckSucks  
Just spoke to David K. - this afternoon he tried to go through Matomi Wash from the top but got stopped by rocks at the top narrows. He said only dirt bike tracks were thru there and a 4x4 will not make it.


David K was also traveling alone w/no HiLift, P-rated tires, limited time, so it would have been a very bad decision on his part to try and chance it.

norte - 3-5-2017 at 04:45 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Ken Cooke  
Quote: Originally posted by StuckSucks  
Just spoke to David K. - this afternoon he tried to go through Matomi Wash from the top but got stopped by rocks at the top narrows. He said only dirt bike tracks were thru there and a 4x4 will not make it.


David K was also traveling alone w/no HiLift, P-rated tires, limited time, so it would have been a very bad decision on his part to try and chance it.


Maybe he was hoping for a NOMAD rescue. You should never travel off-road alone.

mtgoat666 - 3-5-2017 at 05:09 PM

Quote: Originally posted by norte  
Quote: Originally posted by Ken Cooke  
Quote: Originally posted by StuckSucks  
Just spoke to David K. - this afternoon he tried to go through Matomi Wash from the top but got stopped by rocks at the top narrows. He said only dirt bike tracks were thru there and a 4x4 will not make it.


David K was also traveling alone w/no HiLift, P-rated tires, limited time, so it would have been a very bad decision on his part to try and chance it.


Maybe he was hoping for a NOMAD rescue. You should never travel off-road alone.


Traveling off-road alone is fine. Many people are out there every day doing solo travel off-road, on foot, bicycle, horse, motorcycle and truck. Be prepared and solo travel is about as safe as traveling with others.

Silly to say off-roading "requires" LT tires or hilift jack.

norte - 3-5-2017 at 06:12 PM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666  
Quote: Originally posted by norte  
Quote: Originally posted by Ken Cooke  
Quote: Originally posted by StuckSucks  
Just spoke to David K. - this afternoon he tried to go through Matomi Wash from the top but got stopped by rocks at the top narrows. He said only dirt bike tracks were thru there and a 4x4 will not make it.


David K was also traveling alone w/no HiLift, P-rated tires, limited time, so it would have been a very bad decision on his part to try and chance it.


Maybe he was hoping for a NOMAD rescue. You should never travel off-road alone.


Traveling off-road alone is fine. Many people are out there every day doing solo travel off-road, on foot, bicycle, horse, motorcycle and truck. Be prepared and solo travel is about as safe as traveling with others.

Silly to say off-roading "requires" LT tires or hilift jack.


Bet you don't recommend a tracker either. Just because you can not find a friend to go with you doesn't mean the "buddy" system is not a good idea. Most experienced off-roaders know this to be true.

David K - 3-5-2017 at 06:59 PM

I am in El Rosario now, needed a comfortable rest. Matomi narrows only has m/c tracks. The gap floor is lower than before and too narrow for full size trucks. However, the exposed boulders before the squeeze is what stopped me and any other 4×4 except maybe rock crawlers with 37" tires?

I got to the ranch house before trying to drive east, and nobody has been up there in ages. Floods have really done a number on Baja roads lately.

Anyway, I don't expect or have ever needed help nor would intentionally do something stupid that would require help.

If I need help, I know the Nomads who would, as I would for them.

I have photos, so you can see what stopped me yesterday.

Today, a dead tree was in the road with no way around, Azufre Wash, about 4 miles from the old Puertecitos road. That road is now open! Photos coming!

Anyway, thanks to StuckSucks for relaying my message. I can get my truck more places than most... Driving in Baja since I was 16 helps with skill and 4 wheels driving thanks to Toyota's A-TRAC makes the difficult easy for me!





bajatrailrider - 3-5-2017 at 07:24 PM

Please all disregard anything Mt666 says as this marooon knows zero about off road.Let alone a tourist without basic off road knowledge in baja. Its just as safe alone then with back up rider.You Mt666 marooon of the year.:?:

PaulW - 3-6-2017 at 09:00 AM

David we did get a rig like yours thru Matomi using a spotter. No damage occurred. We had plenty of observers to pick the line. And yes we stacked some rock to ease the passage. 31" tires on that rig.

David K - 3-6-2017 at 09:11 AM

Must have been a new flood since as there were only moto tracks, as the new boulders won't allow anthing wider... I really wanted to get through. Being solo it would be foolish to try or damage my truck more than I did just to get that far. Not any vehicle tracks in the sand, so there was water since your last trip.
I did go up to the ranch and waterfall. Nobody been there in awhile! I have been driving Matomi since 1978, it is epic!
The arch will have to wait.
Azufre wash was blocked by a tree on the east end... not any more!

PaulW - 3-6-2017 at 09:18 AM

Wise move to skip Matomi solo.
In spite of the difficulty we see the track improving each year since the big flood.
Azufre gets very little traffic in the last 2 years.

David K - 3-6-2017 at 09:28 AM

It was bad in 1978, Score had just used it for the very first time. It got better in the 80s, easy in the 2000s... elgatoloco got his huge camper through in 2001. My next times were 2004 (with other Nomads) and just Baja Angel and I in 2006... then the big flood.

David K - 3-22-2017 at 03:11 PM

Pappy Jon shared his videos on Facebook yesterday of the boulder blockage at the Matomi Narrows... He got through in his 4Runner because of his 4" lift, 16" ground clearance, and oversized tires + granny low gears. No way any stock 4x4 is getting through, unaided or without damage. Full-size rigs will also not get through until the sand returns to fill in about 4 feet of what was washed away last flash floods.

PaulW - 3-23-2017 at 08:57 AM

Pappy Jon actually has something like 6-8" of ground clearance No where near 16" A trophy truck with 40" tires has less than 16" of ground clearance.

David's view of Matomi is just that - a picture from afar.

Locals drive thru all the time with just minor slowing to go around the big rocks.
Last time thru a VW bug made it, but it dragged on a couple of rocks. Ground clearance around 4-6"

willardguy - 3-23-2017 at 09:43 AM

you have to remember, david measures ground clearance from the bottom of the bumper to the ground! :(

David K - 3-23-2017 at 10:25 AM

Good morning boys. I only report what is or is told to me. In my exchange with Jon (while he was at Pete's Camp the next day) I asked if he had maybe 10.5" of GC.

[My Tacoma with 32" tires has 9.5", measured from the differentials and transfer case].

His reply is that he had 16" at the transfer case. While that is far more than I would imagine for a 4" lift and oversize tires, that is what he typed.

Wait... here is our March 20 exchange on Facebook:

David K: So, about 10" to 10.5 of ground clearance then? Very gutsy to risk going in there solo, but congrats on passing through.
March 20 at 12:54pm

Jon S: Way more than 10". The 4Ruuner is also duel transfer cased and makes this stuff easy.
March 20 at 1:01pm

Jon S: Clearance at the transfer case skid is about 16".
March 20 at 1:20pm

Paul, not from afar. I walked the 1/4 mile from where rocks halted my Tacoma to the squeeze, and through the squeeze to see if it got better... it did not. Pappy Jon's two videos showed that I made the smart choice for my truck, which is nearly stock with 1" taller than stock tires, 5100 shocks all 4 corners with fronts lifted .85", Ride Rite air suspension in back to lift 2" if needed.

Barry A. - 3-23-2017 at 10:32 AM

Quote: Originally posted by PaulW  
Pappy Jon actually has something like 6-8" of ground clearance No where near 16" A trophy truck with 40" tires has less than 16" of ground clearance.

David's view of Matomi is just that - a picture from afar.

Locals drive thru all the time with just minor slowing to go around the big rocks.
Last time thru a VW bug made it, but it dragged on a couple of rocks. Ground clearance around 4-6"


Huh??? I just went outside, crawled under my Nissan X-Terra "Off road" model and measured the ground clearance---------a hair under 10" at the rear differential, the lowest part of the undercarriage. The rest of the clearance was 12" min. at the tranny skid-plate, and all else is much higher from the ground, etc..... I have a 2"+ CALMINI lift, but stock BFG KO tires (265x75x16) . "6 to 8 inches clearance" is not realistic for any aggressive 4x4 that I am familiar with.

David K - 3-23-2017 at 10:35 AM

Here is Papay Jon's video clip at the squeeze in the Matomí Narrows THIS WEEK.

This is where I turned around, after walking through the squeeze. In my opinion, not passable to a STOCK vehicle without damage or assistance.



My photos from in front of my truck, 2 weeks ago:


Looking east.


Looking west.

[Edited on 3-23-2017 by David K]

TMW - 3-23-2017 at 10:52 AM

My 2004 Tacoma with 32 inch tires and a 2.5 inch lift has 13.5 inches of clearance at the transfer case skid plate. 9.5 inches at the rear differential.

David K - 3-23-2017 at 11:04 AM

Quote: Originally posted by TMW  
My 2004 Tacoma with 32 inch tires and a 2.5 inch lift has 13.5 inches of clearance at the transfer case skid plate. 9.5 inches at the rear differential.


Same differential clearance as mine... and my transfer case is higher than 9.5", but there is an exhaust pipe that crosses over by it, and that is the lowest point, in the center of the truck. In looking at that video and my photos, would you be comfortable trying to get through there, solo?

How peeed would you be if I tried and was hopelessly hung up and SOS'd you for help? I just wouldn't risk that when there is an option... and driving back into Valle Chico then through Azufre Wash was the option.

Pappy did the reverse, and came into Valle Chico through Azufre, went to Berrendo, then down to Matomí... and drove out to Hwy. 5 in Matomí after camping near the ranch.

TMW - 3-23-2017 at 12:54 PM

If solo you have to go with your gut feeling and what you think is doable.

Pappy Jon - 3-23-2017 at 01:13 PM

Quote: Originally posted by willardguy  
you have to remember, david measures ground clearance from the bottom of the bumper to the ground! :(


I guess it all depends Paul on where you measure. What I told David was my clearance at the transfer case skid was 16" and I stand corrected ... it's 17". Clearance at the gas tank is 19". Ya, at the axle it's less, but that can be dealt with using tire placement. That 17" gives me the ability to break-over and drop off obstacles.

David K - 3-23-2017 at 01:40 PM

It's like that Allstate commercial... "SILENCE!"

:lol:

willardguy - 3-23-2017 at 02:55 PM

"Pappy Jon shared his videos on Facebook yesterday of the boulder blockage at the Matomi Narrows... He got through in his 4Runner because of his 4" lift, 16" ground clearance, and oversized tires + granny low gears"

my lifted 4runner also has 16" between the ground and transfer case....same as the cross :?:members,gas tank and muffler. so is this now what we refer to as "ground clearance???

StuckSucks - 3-23-2017 at 03:14 PM

Scrutinizing photos and video, I would wager a month's pay that I could drive thru there, unassisted, in my Tacoma. That said, if I was solo, I would likely back off.

David K - 3-23-2017 at 03:49 PM

Well, several Nomads were all following me in there, online. If I had a mechanical breakdown, then that is an unintended emergency. But, if I drove into that geology and was hung up or punctured my gas tank, caused that by making that choice. Would you guys be okay to come down, or would PaulW? I think maybe so, but I don't like the idea of presuming such is the case... I mean we all have lives that don't always allow a spur of the moment Baja Nomad rescue. I want to be responsible for my decisions. I am happy that I turned around despite the couch quarterbacking from a couple of you! LOL

willardguy - 3-23-2017 at 03:57 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
Well, several Nomads were all following me in there, online. If I had a mechanical breakdown, then that is an unintended emergency. But, if I drove into that geology and was hung up or punctured my gas tank, caused that by making that choice. Would you guys be okay to come down, or would PaulW? I think maybe so, but I don't like the idea of presuming such is the case... I mean we all have lives that don't always allow a spur of the moment Baja Nomad rescue. I want to be responsible for my decisions. I am happy that I turned around despite the couch quarterbacking from a couple of you! LOL


absolutely agree liquor, best to stick to the rigors of shell island and leave the serious offroading to the experts! ;)

Pappy Jon - 3-23-2017 at 04:10 PM

Quote: Originally posted by TMW  
If solo you have to go with your gut feeling and what you think is doable.

Which I have do problem doing. It comes down to my comfort level. I was though Matomi in April 2016, so I was fairly confidant I could get through this week. I thought this year the trip through was much easier than last year. The rocks didn't seem as big and my truck wandered right through. I only dragged the bumper once.

Can somebody help me with the YouTube tags? https://youtu.be/K18S4jR1jcI

[Edited on 3-23-2017 by Pappy Jon]

David K - 3-23-2017 at 04:48 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Pappy Jon  
Quote: Originally posted by TMW  
If solo you have to go with your gut feeling and what you think is doable.

Which I have do problem doing. It comes down to my comfort level. I was though Matomi in April 2016, so I was fairly confidant I could get through this week. I thought this year the trip through was much easier than last year. The rocks didn't seem as big and my truck wandered right through. I only dragged the bumper once.

Can somebody help me with the YouTube tags? https://youtu.be/K18S4jR1jcI

[Edited on 3-23-2017 by Pappy Jon]


Thank you, Jon. Turning up the sound make one appreciate that Toyota uses good metal!


David K - 3-23-2017 at 05:10 PM

PS, to post a YouTube here on Nomad, you just need to create the correct tags.
Here is the link for the above video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K18S4jR1jcI
1) Get rid of the watch? and replace the = with a / https://www.youtube.com/v/K18S4jR1jcI

2) The front tag includes the size, and I like 640x480 for video pixels. So the tag is [flash=640x480 ] in front and [/flash ] in back (only without that extra spaces I inserted before the ending brackets)

[flash=640x480 ]https://www.youtube.com/v/K18S4jR1jcI[/flash ]

remove those spaces...



Pappy Jon - 3-23-2017 at 07:44 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  


Thank you, Jon. Turning up the sound make one appreciate that Toyota uses good metal!


That's funny. In both videos you can hear an annoying squeak. I have a loose fender that drives me nuts. Other than that, it's still, after 30+ years, a solid truck.

PaulW - 3-27-2017 at 04:25 PM

The video clearly shows all sorts of rigs going thru Matomi and speeds that most of do not go. For those of you that think you cannot make it watch the class 11 VW beetle drive thru. What do you think that rig has for clearance? Probably less that PappyJon or David? Maybe not?
Maybe a VW expert can comment?
https://www.facebook.com/OfficialScoreInternational/videos/9...

David K - 3-27-2017 at 09:00 PM

Paul that was a year ago and obviously they had a lot of problems as seen in the YouTube from the race, so much that they are not going that way this year.

You are obviously comfortable telling anyone they can go through, I am not. Without another rig, a spotter, or 35" tires, and a spare car, I will wait until more sand is covering the rocks again. Between my photos, Jon's video and even last year's 250 video, I think anyone can see for themselves if they can take their stock 4x4 or VW beetle through that.
Happy trails!


mtgoat666 - 3-27-2017 at 09:40 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
Paul that was a year ago and obviously they had a lot of problems as seen in the YouTube from the race, so much that they are not going that way this year.

You are obviously comfortable telling anyone they can go through, I am not. Without another rig, a spotter, or 35" tires, and a spare car, I will wait until more sand is covering the rocks again. Between my photos, Jon's video and even last year's 250 video, I think anyone can see for themselves if they can take their stock 4x4 or VW beetle through that.
Happy trails!




Not for tacomas. But from looks of the vid, easy for 2wds.