Santiago
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3499
Registered: 8-27-2003
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An honest fuel pump attendant
As we're quick to point out the dishonest stations, I thought it only fair to mention an honest one. At the El Rosario Pemex I stopped the pump at
450 pesos and foolishly gave the attendant 9 - 50 peso bills without counting them to him. He turned his back to me and started counting and I just
knew he would turn around and say I was short. Instead he turn and said "Bueno Senior, nueve!" and waived me on.
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Capt. George
Super Nomad
Posts: 2129
Registered: 8-21-2003
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GOOD GOIN!
Good Guy, Bad Guy, don't matter where or when.....had a number of great experiences with the working people of Baja........thanks.....
George
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Oso
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2637
Registered: 8-29-2003
Location: on da border
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Mood: wait and see
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Actually, in many people's experience El Rosario is the ONLY honest Pemex station in all of Baja California (possibly all Mejico). David E, El Codo,
has calibrated the pumps with a container marked in liters. Virtually all the rest have rigged pumps. Santa Rosalia is reputed to be the most
crooked and descarada. If you challenge them, they'll just tell you if you don't like it you can go pound sand. B.C.S. has a lot of sand.
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Mike Humfreville
Super Nomad
Posts: 1148
Registered: 8-26-2003
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El Rosario Pemex
Pulled in yesterday en route from Bahia de Los Angeles. The station was closed for 5 minutess for shift change. A line had formed, customers waiting
for them to re-open. I went to the end of the line and an attendant saw me and asked for my money and immediately took it to the clerk on the
register, therewith advancing me in front of those in line before me. Why? I asked myself. Then she walked across the station to another truck and
started pumping my gas into his vehicle. I was instantly suspicious and felt I was about to get ripped off, but not smart enough to see through the
ruse. I crossed the station to the attendant, told her she was pumping MY gas into someone else?s truck! She immediately grasped her mistake,
stopped the pump, returned to the register clerk, corrected the error and filled my tank, apologizing all the while with a broad smile. While I had
almost EXPECTED to be cheated and perhaps come down too hard on an innocent attendant, she had taken charge, solved the problem in the best interest
of all parties. Here?s a follow-up to Santiago?s salute to the integrity of at least two honest workers at the Pemex in El Rosario!
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Don Jorge
Senior Nomad
Posts: 638
Registered: 8-29-2003
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I agree. The El Rosario pumps are accurately calibrated, the exchange rate is always fair and the attendents courteous, friendly and as Santiago has
verified: honest.
On my way to El Rosario my thoughts leave the insanity of Main Street San Quintin and are replaced by shifting dunes, fossil laden cliffs and a final
descent into an authentic Baja town!
I stop and fill up my tanks at the only honest Pemex in Baja. I think about Ma Espinoza's langosta tacos and a road ahead which goes west to Punta
Baja or south into a great Sonoran desert. I exchange my empties at a little store just ahead. On my way out of town I anticipate rooftops blanketed
in red chile peppers and remember the El nino years past before this massive bridge was built. I look east to a giant wall of stone jutting out of
sand, I open a cold beer, sip and savor my return to Baja.
Is it November yet!!!
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64490
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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El Rosario, once the end of the line!
In the old days...
The telegraph line ended at El Rosario, a rustic bus service, as well. Mama Espinoza provided the latest news of the interior road south. Only the
adventurous in well prepared 4WD vehicles traveled beyond. Civilization ended at El Rosario and the last example of the Wild West, lay ahead.
On the main road south, the only settlements bigger than a ranch between El Rosario and San Ignacio (the next 'town') were Punta Prieta, Rosarito and
El Arco.
Returning north, the giant cliff 'El Castillo' (The Castle) was a welcome sight, as El Rosario was near!
Thanks Don Jorge for the memory jog and inspiration!
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bajalera
Super Nomad
Posts: 1875
Registered: 10-15-2003
Location: Santa Maria CA
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Liked all that nostalgia, David K, except for those well-equipped 4WDs. I made the trip to La Paz on the old carretera in a 65 Mustang fastback,
accompanied by my three teenagers. And we were often overtaken by Mexican drivers whizzing down to La Paz in all sorts of non-4-wheelers they
intended to sell.
Did you ever recover the stuff lost on the Amigo board?
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64490
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Yes, some... Thanks to Baja Bernie and others, some of my mission series was saved... not all, mind you. That was okay, because I wrote once, so I can
write it again...
In fact, I added the small chapter on Mision Guadalupe Del Sur in a reply below my latest chapter on the Camino Real. Did you read it, down on the
Baja Historic Interest Board?
A '65 Mustang, on the old road? Yah, with determination, anything can get through, but at what cost in damage...? I bet the three toughest places were
the AGUAJITO GRADE, LAGUNA CHAPALA DUST BOWL before the dry lake, and anywhere on the old two track where the crown was so high, you must have
bottomed out a lot where you couldn't keep the tires on the high parts.
The old road was not a graded washboard affair, most complain about today. But, a primitive, well worn single pair of tracks winding between boulders
and vegetation from El Rosario to Santa Rosalia and again from Mulege to Santo Domingo, via Comondu. Quite an adventure!
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thebajarunner
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3687
Registered: 9-8-2003
Location: Arizona....."Free at last from crumbling Cali
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Mood: muy amable
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honest fuel pump
David, the toughest road was the washboard of San Quintin valley. You could drive it under 10 mph or over 70 mph, nothing in between. And if you
were cruising at 70+ and someone got in your way then the process of slowing back to 10 was beyond description.
We actually bent the twin I-beams on our Ford F-100 back more than two inches on the ends on that stretch.
And while not on the main road, the worst stretches always were the convoluted cross-peninsula routes that SCORE threw at us on the 500 and on the
1000's that stayed in BCN.
The "back canyon" from Trinidad to the grape ranch at San Vicente was beyond description, as were some of the "back routes" up to Mikes from the
Camalu area.
Baja Vida!!
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Mike Humfreville
Super Nomad
Posts: 1148
Registered: 8-26-2003
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Worst Roads
The worst road I ever travelled in Baja before they paved it was the Bahia de Los Angeles to San Francisquito road. 99 percent of it was flat and
stony here, sandy there and no problem. But then, about three quarters of the way to San Francisquito you had to climb out of the riverbed onto a
high plateau. That tiny piece of road was no longer than a quarter mile, but it went up at a 45 - 50 degree angle with several "steps" of 18-20
inches. I threw the old Land Cruiser into 4WD and knew I'd end up backing down from mid-point, but the dust and rocks flew and the wind blew and we
ended up on top of the ridge I thought I'd never conquor. Couple years later we travelled the same road in the L.C. and a friend in a 2WD pickup. Up
I went, first, then turned at the top and watched my pal make several attempts and not even come close. I had a PTO winch on the front of my LC and
crawled down to a point where I could pull him up with my winch cable. It took us an hour or more, with several repositionings where I had to back up
the hill and rehook the cable. We finally made it. So while some might not consider that old road the overall worst, it did have the tightest climb
I've ever made in Baja. My old L.C. burned 7 quarts of oil on that 70 mile run. It took us all day. Now, on the graded road, it's a two-hour jog.
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thebajarunner
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3687
Registered: 9-8-2003
Location: Arizona....."Free at last from crumbling Cali
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worst roads revisited
Yeah, Mike,
Was that ever a road!! We raced it in one of the early 1000's, I am gonna say maybe 1974 or 75. The pre-run was spooky, no one had warned us so we
had turtle steak at LABay and headed out just at dark for Punta Sanfran... Wow, we hit that hill about 11 p.m. Thinking back I am glad it was not in
the daytime.
Came back a week later (pre-running from Modesto is quite a feat!) and did it again at night, then in the race, once again in the dark.
Each hill climb was a different adventure, to say the least.
In the race it got so chopped up that I put the truck in Park, climbed in the back and rode the roll bar up to give just a tad more traction. Got to
the top, traded back behind the wheel, went 100 yards and popped a tire. What a night.
Fun memories, for sure.
Think we finished fourth in that 1000.
Baja Vida!!
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64490
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Here's a photo of that old road I took last New Year's: http://davidksbaja.com/1202/page2.html
The year was 1973 that the BSC (Baja Sports Comittee) Baja Mil (1000) ran south from L.A. Bay over that road. 1974 was the only year without a 1000
since '67. The first SCORE 1000 was in '75 and ran a large northern Baja loop, simular to this year's race. I was at the '73 and '75 races spectating.
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Mike Humfreville
Super Nomad
Posts: 1148
Registered: 8-26-2003
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thebajarunner
Absolumente! There were many other roads, longer and more threatening I guess by their duration rather than a short burst of toughness. The
transpeninsular highway certainly entertained us for a passing moment. The road to Tortugas was a challenge, added to by the drop into the channel
that leads to Malarrimo and, that done, the drive through thickened sand to Malarrimo itself. The old east coast road was tough but fairly
predictable. In those days storms prevented passage for months. No one expected immediate repair, even though the locals needed it. I remember a
trip up the east coast, before the Chapala reopening (~1975?) when we headed north from El Crucero in 2 4WD's and were filling in washouts and
straddling runnoff trenches the whole trip. It was HOT, HOT, HOT, and we were working hard and we arrived at the first beach from the desert and 1
of us 4 guys ripped off his clothes and wallowed forever in a tidepool just off the beach.
Second from the last scene: the remainder of us hastilly averted our heads, he was "making Angels" in the water by moving his arms and legs.
Last scene: I threw in a puffer fish.
Never did hear of the outcome.
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thebajarunner
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3687
Registered: 9-8-2003
Location: Arizona....."Free at last from crumbling Cali
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Mood: muy amable
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worst road
OK Mike, you started it.
The absolute worst was the hill between Cuarenta and La Purisima.
Right in the middle of the really steep hill was a sheer rock face, probably about 2.5 feet high, square across the road.
No way to get a run at it, you were scrambling up a steep, big rock hill.
You just had to try and hit it at a bit of an angle and bounce the front end up and over. It was tough enough in a truck, I have no idea how the
sedan class guys ever got past it. Guess they just got out and pitched big rocks in front until they had a partial bridge, then hoped that the
traction tires did not toss the rocks before they climbed over.
Many years ago Pete Brock wrote a book about motor racing, spent about three pages trying to describe that rock face in the road.
Baja Vida!!
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Mike Humfreville
Super Nomad
Posts: 1148
Registered: 8-26-2003
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Cuarenta
I've spent the last hour trying to find Cuarenta on the map. Where is it?
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Mike Humfreville
Super Nomad
Posts: 1148
Registered: 8-26-2003
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OK, I found it...
I was down that road about 1974, but don't remember the obstical you note. I must have taken a different route or the "wall" had been taken care of
by that time. We went through La Purisima and on to San Javier then down the hill to Loreto. We were tracking and two days behind some friends so I
was in a hurry. I know those west-side towns are worth a re-visit when we can spend a little time.
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thebajarunner
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3687
Registered: 9-8-2003
Location: Arizona....."Free at last from crumbling Cali
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Mood: muy amable
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Cuarenta-Purisima
I think it was 1973 in the 1000 that we had that experience.
We pre-ran that portion once and had the rock wall moment. Then in the race we were mentally prepared, the truck had lots more clearance and front
end strength than the pre-runner and we just bounced over it. It really was interesting to read about it years later in a very well written motor
sports book.
The road from San Ignacio went down to what we called Tortuga, then made a left and up through the steep dunes. A really sandy road with deep, deep
ruts. Once past there it was just crappy all the way to La Purisima.
I remember that Parnelli had lost a tranny in his pre-run van and left it at the Cuarenta checkpoint. (He was running Stroppe red, white and blue
colors in those days.) I saw it there when we pounded through in the race. I later heard that he just left it there, although I am not sure about
that story.
Baja Vida!!
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Bookerman
Newbie
Posts: 16
Registered: 10-7-2003
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It suprised me that the El Rosario gas station wasn't full service, it was before years ago. I thought all Pemexs were full service. (I meant El
Rosario, not Santa Rosalia)
[Edited on 10-19-2003 by Bookerman]
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Ski Baja
Senior Nomad
Posts: 652
Registered: 8-19-2003
Location: Rosarito Beach
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El Rosario Gas
Yesterday , south of El Rosario, I stopped to help some surfers who were having car problems. They're RPM guage was going whacko and the engine
smelled of burning rubber or plastic. The oil pressure was fine and it wasn't overheating. We thought maybe bad gas as they had just filled up in El
Rosario. I followed them back into El Rosario and I took them to a mechanic I know. He checked it out and also thought it was bad gas. Unfortunately,
I was on empty and needed to fill up there as always.
After filling up at the best station in Baja, I noticed the same "plastic" smell coming from mine and less power than the Magna usually provides.
Don't know the details and I'm not a mechanic but there was something definitely amiss with that load of gas.
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Diklang
Newbie
Posts: 19
Registered: 10-18-2002
Location: Manhattan Beach, CA
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Mood: Post Baja unstr
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El Rosario gasolina
We fueled up there on our way to BOLA on a Tuesday morning couple of weeks ago. Can you believe it was self service? I hadn't seen that before. Had
no problems with the gas at all.
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