BajaNomad

Intro post

matthew_mangus - 10-7-2019 at 12:49 PM

Hello Baja Nomads

I've been lurking and taking notes for a couple of years and figured it was finally time to create an account. Internet forums are dying as Facebook Groups become a more useful resource, but they still have immense value when searching out specific information.

I'm an avid explorer (and amateur photographer) based out of Portland, Oregon. I am fortunate that my work life (Creative Director for mangai.rollin - an experiential and content marketing agency working in the automotive, outdoors and vices industries) allows me the opportunity to explore and spend time outdoors all over the Western U.S., Baja and B.C.. I average 40-50 days a year camping.

I've been traveling to Baja for 5-6 years but only recently began driving down in Feb of this year. I was instantly hooked and have begun making plans to make a yearly winter trip to Baja. I like to travel with like-minded fun-loving souls and often plan group trips.

I am an experienced 4x4 driver. I bought a '73 FJ40 in the mid-nineties and started rock crawling but have matured into interests in remote exploration in moderately rugged terrain. I do this mostly in my '03 100 Series. I have two '03 LCs at the moment and am planning on placing one in Baja so that I can increase and improve my access to its treasures.

I am interested in privately sharing special locations and interesting routes. I say privately bc I have become adverse to oversharing via geotagging over the years and often don't share locations publicly unless the locations are already well known.

I'm active on various FB groups and will post photos share & info there. The photo requirements here are too restrictive to bother with so I will simply share an outbound link to one of my photo galleries.

My most recent Baja adventure gallery is here: Baja Ramblin ****EDIT: for those of you uneasy about entering an email, you can bypass the email requirement on the photo gallery by entering a bogus email like 1234@gmail ****

I hope to learn from those that have come before me and share my love for adventure with others. If you spot a short, bearded dude (w/ lots of laughter wrinkles) driving a LC in the desert, wave me down. I always have extra beer / whiskey to share.

Cheers,
Matthew

[Edited on 10-7-2019 by matthew_mangus]

[Edited on 10-8-2019 by matthew_mangus]

mtgoat666 - 10-7-2019 at 02:07 PM

You sound like you are fishin’ for recommendations and directions to secret spots.

Loose lips sink ships!





[Edited on 10-7-2019 by mtgoat666]

David K - 10-7-2019 at 02:17 PM

Welcome to Nomad... this is the Photo & Video forum, so the boss here (Doug) may move this thread to the General Baja forum...

Posting photos really can be easy (if I can do it, anyone can) if they are hosted on your website or a photo hosting site, such as www.postimages.org (free to use). The only issue is setting the photo size at 800 pixels or less to fit the width of this forum.

In the first post on this forum, I give the instructions:

Go to www.Postimages.org, make an album if you want to organize your photos to find them easily in the future (by date or by subject). No cost to use Postimages.org.

Change the upload setting from "Do not resize my image" to 640x480 (recommended for forums) or 800x600 (max. on Nomad). You click on the little arrow to see the size choices.

Click "Choose images" and select the photos you want to put on Nomad from your Pictures folder.

Click on the image you want on Nomad and click on "Share" at the top of the screen.

Choose "Hotlinks for forums" (down next to the last one). You can click the little box at the right end of the link and it is now saved on your mouse.

Go to Nomad and paste that link onto the place where you are typing on Nomad. You can put text in below the photo for a caption or your post and if you double space between photo links (for clarity), you can put several photos and captions in a single post on Nomad. You can click "Preview" on Nomad to check and see how it will look before posting to the board.

If you need to fix a post after it is done, click on "Edit" along the edge of your post, and change or delete your post. If you edit more than once, you can delete the previous Edited on tags so only one edit tag will appear after you edit the post.
==============================================================

JZ - 10-7-2019 at 02:36 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
Welcome to Nomad... this is the Photo & Video forum, so the boss here (Doug) may move this thread to the General Baja forum...

Posting photos really can be easy (if I can do it, anyone can) if they are hosted on your website or a photo hosting site, such as www.postimages.org (free to use). The only issue is setting the photo size at 800 pixels or less to fit the width of this forum.

In the first post on this forum, I give the instructions:

Go to www.Postimages.org, make an album if you want to organize your photos to find them easily in the future (by date or by subject). No cost to use Postimages.org.

Change the upload setting from "Do not resize my image" to 640x480 (recommended for forums) or 800x600 (max. on Nomad). You click on the little arrow to see the size choices.

Click "Choose images" and select the photos you want to put on Nomad from your Pictures folder.

Click on the image you want on Nomad and click on "Share" at the top of the screen.

Choose "Hotlinks for forums" (down next to the last one). You can click the little box at the right end of the link and it is now saved on your mouse.

Go to Nomad and paste that link onto the place where you are typing on Nomad. You can put text in below the photo for a caption or your post and if you double space between photo links (for clarity), you can put several photos and captions in a single post on Nomad. You can click "Preview" on Nomad to check and see how it will look before posting to the board.

If you need to fix a post after it is done, click on "Edit" along the edge of your post, and change or delete your post. If you edit more than once, you can delete the previous Edited on tags so only one edit tag will appear after you edit the post.
==============================================================


The guy is a "creative director." Pretty sure he can figure out how to post a pic.

This board is very dated for easy photo (or other media) insertion.

StuckSucks - 10-7-2019 at 03:53 PM

Fun photos, thanks for sharing. I was not comfortable handing out my email, but hey, these are Baja photos.

Overlanding people = marketing, yep

David K - 10-7-2019 at 04:38 PM

I see that Doug moved this, good.
Nice trip photo album. I could log in using Facebook rather than email data, for those who want to also see the pics.
Looks like Guadalupe Canyon, Shell Island, and Punta Final were the first three destinations. Glad the tide allowed you access onto the island.
Very nice photography!

Bubba - 10-7-2019 at 04:53 PM



download.jpg - 18kB

JZ - 10-7-2019 at 04:55 PM

I've never been out there on Punta Final. Do you have to have a low tide to go to that spot?

mtgoat666 - 10-7-2019 at 05:07 PM

Quote: Originally posted by StuckSucks  
Fun photos, thanks for sharing. I was not comfortable handing out my email, but hey, these are Baja photos.

Overlanding people = marketing, yep


Made-up email address worked for me.

Overlanding,... it’s all about buying expensive car-camping gear. Doubt any of those overlanders can be apart from their gadgets on a backpacking adventure :lol:

JZ - 10-7-2019 at 05:40 PM

Not to rip on the op too much, but he called ppl having 20 inch tires posers in his 1st or 2nd post on the board.

Then proceeded to refer to himself as an overlander in the 3rd or 4th post. Not sure if anyone else caught the irony.

The photos are pretty good op. Keep the photos and posts coming.

BajaParrothead - 10-7-2019 at 06:27 PM

Nice pics!! Great ending at a great winery, Castello di Amorosa!!

mtgoat666 - 10-7-2019 at 06:28 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JZ  
Not to rip on the op too much, but he called ppl having 20 inch tires posers in his 1st or 2nd post on the board.


Well, who but a poser would put 20 inch on wheels on a 4x4?

matthew_mangus - 10-7-2019 at 07:03 PM

LOL, thanks for the reminder to don the thick skin. :P

One of major reasons FB groups are becoming more popular than forums is the vastly differing levels of civility when folks are forced to use their real names vs hiding behind screen names.

I work in the overlanding scene and understand it's growth but don't really consider myself an overlander. By definition, this is more of a person who's traveling the world by and living out of their vehicle. I'm simply more of a car camper doing 1-3 week trips around the region. I've been lucky enough to acquire some very nice gear over the years and have learned how and when to use it.

I would never run a 20" wheel off-road. There's simply not enough sidewall to air down enough. I run 15" - 18" wheels on my rigs and air down frequently when off pavement.

We all will be ourselves. I'm very comfortable with who I am. I will learn over time who to befriend and who to avoid.

Cheers
Matthew

4x4abc - 10-7-2019 at 08:06 PM

Matthew,
discovering the world is great.
No matter what name you give it.
You'll learn over time how to survive it best.

What I seriously miss in your photo essay is captions
great pictures, by the way!

BajaBlanca - 10-7-2019 at 08:17 PM

Welcome to the forum!

AKgringo - 10-7-2019 at 08:44 PM

I am another Nomad who is reluctant to enter my e-mail to view some photos, but I just did anyway. Great photos, and a surprise connection.

Your trip included a stop in Grass Valley to tweak your suspension a bit, and that is where I am right now! I just bought an Isuzu Trooper (a Baja virgin) and was thinking about finding someone to help me improve the off road ability. I don't want a rock crawler, but a little more clearance would be nice!

Have you used the U2U feature on this forum? I am going to send you a private message using it.

matthew_mangus - 10-7-2019 at 10:33 PM

Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo  
I am another Nomad who is reluctant to enter my e-mail to view some photos, but I just did anyway. Great photos, and a surprise connection.

Your trip included a stop in Grass Valley to tweak your suspension a bit, and that is where I am right now! I just bought an Isuzu Trooper (a Baja virgin) and was thinking about finding someone to help me improve the off road ability. I don't want a rock crawler, but a little more clearance would be nice!

Have you used the U2U feature on this forum? I am going to send you a private message using it.


ah, ok. Thanks for pointing out the U2U messaging feature. I sent you a reply.

I've been out on the trail with lightly modified Troopers that did very well. A 2" suspension lift and 31-33" tires should be all you really need. ...and frame mounted recovery points. ....and a shovel. ....and a kinetic rope. ...and :biggrin:

David K - 10-8-2019 at 07:34 AM

... and AN AIR PUMP!!! with a good dial gauge that reads below 10 psi.

Reducing the tire pressure for sand and off-roading (and fixing flats with a plug kit) is the biggest help off the highway in having traction, flotation, and comfort. The quick pumps (they clip onto the battery directly) are great... An MV-50 pump is compact and brings my 32" tires from 18 psi to 34 psi in 2.5 minutes each. They are around $80.

AKgringo - 10-8-2019 at 07:48 AM

David, I have all that....the car is a newbie, not me!

shari - 10-8-2019 at 08:00 AM

welcome to the sandbox Matthew and thank you for the introduction.
It is always nice to get to know new members and what their passions are. We hope to meet you if you roll through our barrio here in central baja.

You do you! hahahaha

David K - 10-8-2019 at 12:50 PM

Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo  
David, I have all that....the car is a newbie, not me!

:light:
Was thinking of all the others reading this, since Mathew was making a list with ... on the end. The air pump is perhaps the most important item for any off-roader to have onboard... as you know!

Bubba - 10-8-2019 at 03:07 PM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666  
You sound like you are fishin’ for recommendations and directions to secret spots.

Loose lips sink ships!





[Edited on 10-7-2019 by mtgoat666]


Never fails, the Goat punk jumps in and talks BS. OP, welcome to the forum. Ask questions, you will soon learn who's serious and who's not.