David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64490
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Great Baja Weekend! El Rosario, to Mike's Sky Rancho from newly paved Observatory road, & Shell Island!
Wow, what a great trip gang! Baja Angel's birthday was last Friday and what better way to have fun than go to Baja!
Friday we left late in the morning and headed south for Mexico! Our Tourist Cards (FM-Ts) had expired so we first pulled into the Declare lane/
secondary parking area in Tijuana to get new ones... The fee is $20 US still... paid at the bank teller window a few doors to the left of the INM
(Migra) office. Everything went easily... no mention or signs indicating a passport would ever be required... we both had our birth certificates and
picture ID (driver's license).
Lunch was at Chela's in Puerto Nuevo (big lobster)...
Arrived at Baja Cactus before sundown and surprised Antonio who arrived just before us... We had dinner with Antonio later at Mama Espinoza's.
Saturday morning we decided to go to Shell Island (south of San Felipe), but instead of going south than north at Chapala we went a new way (for Baja
Angel)... Use the observatory road to go to Mike's Sky Rancho then continue north to Hwy. 3 and on to San Felipe.
On the way, we went to Laura's Wet Buzzard (Gypsy's at Cielito Lindo) for her famous breakfast burritos!
The Observatory road is PAVED! Well, paved at least halfway up, past the junction to El Coyote and Mike's (near Meling Ranch), where we left the new
pavement and turned north.
I took very detailed notes (well, Angel did I should say) of the entire route to Mike's from Hwy. 1 and on to Hwy. 3: Milages, GPS, travel time... and
will post all with lots of photos in the BAJA NOMAD TRIP REPORTS FORUM.
A big fire had recently burned the mountains between El Coyote and Mike's... pretty scary stuff! The road is quite rough and with rain damage from
last winter, I suggest 4WD short wheelbase only on the road to Mike's from the south.
Shell Island was great... We left about 2 pm Sunday and got back to Oceanside around 8 pm. Mexicali west border Sunday afternoon was 34 minutes and
the temperature was 112 degrees the entire time!
Anyway, I wanted to give you guys a quick summary and then I will write up a detailed report on the Trip Reports page soon...
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64490
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Sunday morning, on Shell Island...
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Sonora Wind
Nomad
Posts: 228
Registered: 9-25-2003
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WOW
Some guys have all the fun. Thanks DK enjoyed the info and the pics
My wife said ifin I went to Baja one more time this year, she was gona de vorce me.  I'm gona miss her.
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Al G
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2647
Registered: 12-19-2004
Location: Todos Santos/Full time for now...
Member Is Offline
Mood: Wondering what is next???
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Thanks DK
You keep the glory of Baja alive and well for us here.
Albert
Albert G
Remember, if you haven\'t got a smile on your face and laughter in your heart, then you are just a sour old fart!....
The most precious thing we have is life, yet it has absolutely no trade-in value.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64490
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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De nada amigos... until I write that detailed trip report... here's another photo showing the fire burned hills between El Coyote and Mike's Sky
Rancho...
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64490
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Here's the road dropping down to Mike's...
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Bob H
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5867
Registered: 8-19-2003
Location: San Diego
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I'm sure you two had a great time. And, I hope that Elizabeth enjoyed her birthday weekend in Baja!
How would my camper do on that road to Mikes? It doesn't look very wide in that last photo.
Bob H
The SAME boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It's about what you are made of NOT the circumstance.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64490
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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NO Camper... long w/b rigs should attempt the south road to Mike's... The north road is a piece of cake for your rig, however.
As soon as I finish reading the board right now, I will post the detailed report on the Nomad Trip Reports Forum!
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BajaRob
Senior Nomad
Posts: 722
Registered: 9-15-2003
Location: Bahia Santa Maria y Newport Or
Member Is Offline
Mood: Life is good
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On Topic
Thanks David for the info and pictures. This site needs more Baja info and pics and less better than thou, look at me, personal attacks. Small pea
brains living a miserable existance trying to berate others to feel better. What ever happened to live and let live? And before some smuck accuses me
of God Forbid being a tourist AKA Nomad, I have been coming to Baja since 1975, operated a business in La Paz for 3 years and been a resident of BCN
for several years.
Do you know when the fire occured on the road into Mikes?
We took 28 of our friends to Mike's in late April and it was all green then.
More info and pics and less chickensh-t crap. Rob
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Cyndarouh
Nomad
Posts: 237
Registered: 6-21-2004
Location: San Diego Mountains
Member Is Offline
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Amen Baja Rob!
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Bajagato
Nomad
Posts: 129
Registered: 4-19-2004
Location: Laguna Hills
Member Is Offline
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We saw the same sunrise, but from KM32!
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BajaRob
Senior Nomad
Posts: 722
Registered: 9-15-2003
Location: Bahia Santa Maria y Newport Or
Member Is Offline
Mood: Life is good
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Sunrise
Spectacular, thanks for sharing. Did you have Nuevo Mazatlan to yourself? Rob
[Edited on 9-7-2005 by BajaRob]
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64490
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Nice photo Gato... The trees at Nuevo Mazatlan make summer camping quite nice... No shade on Shell Island, unless you make it with a tarp!
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64490
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BajaRob
Thanks David for the info and pictures. This site needs more Baja info and pics and less better than thou, look at me, personal attacks. Small pea
brains living a miserable existance trying to berate others to feel better. What ever happened to live and let live? And before some smuck accuses me
of God Forbid being a tourist AKA Nomad, I have been coming to Baja since 1975, operated a business in La Paz for 3 years and been a resident of BCN
for several years.
Do you know when the fire occured on the road into Mikes?
We took 28 of our friends to Mike's in late April and it was all green then.
More info and pics and less chickensh-t crap. Rob |
The fellow making our margaritas at Mike's seemed not real sure, but a couple weeks ago was his best guess. The burned area was south of Mike's, so
you wouldn't have seen it.
By the way... go to the Trip Reports forum for all the photos and road details... I am nearly finished with the report...
[Edited on 9-7-2005 by David K]
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BajaRob
Senior Nomad
Posts: 722
Registered: 9-15-2003
Location: Bahia Santa Maria y Newport Or
Member Is Offline
Mood: Life is good
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Mike's
Thanks David, it's late and I missed that you came from the south. As you surmised, we came from the north after a visit with our friends in San
Matias. Rob
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Bajagato
Nomad
Posts: 129
Registered: 4-19-2004
Location: Laguna Hills
Member Is Offline
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We were at Chris's Dad's house not the campground. My in-laws told me that the military has actually been staying at the campgrounds, but were not
there this last weekend. There were some families camping there though. And the Coco Loco truck came by the beach with refreshments Sunday, that was
nice! It was pretty steamy down there all weekend!
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64490
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Yah, you gotta love Baja with its 4WD beach bars!
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