Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8923
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
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Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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4WD Access to Mission Santa Maria (a.k.a. "Impossible")
Wednesday, our team of 4WDs is departing for Mission Santa Maria (a.k.a. "Mission Impossible") and I was wondering if we can access the site from
Bahia San Luis Gonzaga, and continue through to Catavina? All 3 of our vehicles are locked both front and rear, with high clearance, 33" tires, but
intend to 'wheel according to the Tread Lightly credo (Minimum Impact on the environment).
Is it possible to reach Santa Ynez from San Luis Gonzaga in our vehicles? Here is a recent pic of 2 of the 3 rigs attending this run:
Our planned itinerary looks like this:
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Wednesday -
11 a.m. San Diego - Meet Brad/Rhoda
12 p.m. Rosarito Bch. - Meet Chris (at AM/PM @ Hwy 1 Toll Plaza). {Stop for lunch at Lobster Village anyone?}
7 p.m. San Felipe - Dinner at George's Restaurant, XMas Shopping in Downtown San Felipe, load up on ice/beverages for rest of trip at
supermarket.
9 p.m. San Felipe - Camp at Del Sol Campground north of San Felipe.
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Thursday -
9 a.m. San Felipe - Top off gas tanks in San Felipe (we'll need all of the gas we can store for the long 2 day drive w/o a service station).
12 p.m. Puertecitos - Stop for roadside lunch.
3 p.m. San Luis Gonzaga - Set up camp at one of the established campgrounds in the area. Search for a gas filling station if available.
5 p.m. San Luis Gonzaga - Dinner either at campsite or at Alfosinas Restaurant.
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Friday -
9 a.m. San Luis Gonzaga - Travel to Hwy 1 (Laguna Chapala) {Stop briefly at Coco's Corner?}
1 p.m. Rancho Santa Ynez - pick up 15 mi. trail to Santa Maria [http://www.vivabaja.com/403/] [http://davidksbaja.com/bajamissions/page8.html]
4 p.m. Santa Maria - Set up camp.
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Saturday -
10 a.m. Santa Maria - Set up camp/depart.
2 p.m. El Rosario - Lunch at Mama Espinozas.
6 p.m. Ensenada - Dinner at one of the area's fine eateries/walk about.
10 p.m. San Ysidro - Back in the USA.
[Edited on 11-19-2005 by Ken Cooke]
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
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Mood: optimistic
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Wow----you are covering a lot of ground---
Ken------It has always been my understanding that it is not possible to access Santa Maria Mission site from the Gonzaga side------the east-facing
escarpment is just to rough and rocky and steep. There are trails, but no possible way for a 4x4 to get thru. It is really doubtful if a Motorcycle
could get thru-----at least I have never heard of one making it. No ATV's either.
Your stated itinerary is very, very ambitious, but doable if all goes extremely smoothly, in my opinion.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64537
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Ken... NO!
Only the El Camino Real, and it is for foot or mule... One expert m/c rider did make it, but with damage to his bike...
See Don Jorge's web page on 'Gonzaga to Santa Maria' for details and GPS... It is linked in my web site under links to 'Specific Baja Locations'...
OR: http://www.southcoastfarms.com/gonzaga_to_mission_santa_mari...
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John M
Super Nomad
Posts: 1909
Registered: 9-3-2003
Location: California High Desert
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Santa Maria from Gonzaga
You'd simply be wasting whatever time you devoted to that effort. Have fun! John
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bajalou
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4459
Registered: 3-11-2004
Location: South of the broder
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Waisting time like that can be very enjoyable though.
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
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Neal Johns
Super Nomad
Posts: 1687
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: Lytle Creek, CA
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No way, Ken. Graham Mackintosh gave up getting a mule over it.
And INAH would have your eggs for messing up the historical foot trail (El Camino Real) by trying. 
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64537
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Here is my exploring for a way to Santa Maria from Gonzaga history...
MAY, 1999... By ATV up Arroyo Santa Maria... Here is the point where boulders and brush made us get off the quads and hike... I point the way to the
mission!
We soon came to these nice pools of water and decided a swim was better than trying to make the mission that afternoon!
The next day, we asked pilot Doug Bowles to fly us over the canyon and mission so we could see the terrain between!
====================================================
NOV. 2002... Having heard of the approx. location of the El Camino Real in relation to Santa Maria Canyon, I searched for where it leaves the arroyo
and heads up the hills toward the mission... and found it!
This sign was along the Camino Real, above the arroyo...
====================================================
NOV. 2003... I returned and with my son hiked the Camino Real in an attempt to reach the mission. We started too late, and ran out of daylight short
of the mission...
Here is the Camino Real... not vehicle friendly! See the Santa Maria canyon, in the background... The El Camino Real stays out of the canyon and in
the hills just north of the canyon rim.
My son wanted to continue on... The trail disappeared on us here, and after searching and noting the time, we turned back... Don Jorge followed us,
and found the trail, just a bit higher up the slope from where we lost it... He made it all the way to the mission and returned via the canyon!
All the above photos are in my web site, along with GPS data for the Camino Real. Baja is a GREAT place to explore!
[Edited on 11-20-2005 by David K]
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8923
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
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Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Neal Johns
No way, Ken. Graham Mackintosh gave up getting a mule over it.
And INAH would have your eggs for messing up the historical foot trail (El Camino Real) by trying. |
Just as I stated, I would follow the Tread Lightly credo - only traveling on ESTABLISHED trails in our vehicles. We're aware of the ENVIRONMENTAL
implications of traveling across the thin desert soil and the 99 or so years it takes to erase tire tracks.
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8923
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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Tread Lightly Pledge
This applies in Baja, Mexico just as it does in the United States. People like Daniel Patterson from the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson,
AZ would prefer that we not even travel on 4WD trails. His group has gotten the Mexican authorities to ban 4WD travel on a formerly popular sand
dunes area in the El Golfo region of northern Sonora.
Daniel Patterson:
http://dpatterson.blogspot.com/
Trust me, damaging a centuries old foot and mule path for 4WD adventure would not leave the type of impression I would be proud of. Take a look at
Daniel Patterson's Green stance and Anti-George Bush position, and you will see he is nobody to mess around with.
Travel & recreate with minimum impact
Respect the environment and the rights of others
Educate yourself plan and prepare before you go
Allow for future use of the outdoors, by leaving it better than you found it
Discover the rewards of responsible recreation
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64537
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Tomorrow (Friday), Ken and company hope to get to Mision Santa Maria...
To see some of the road going in, plus a fantastic 360 degree panorama at the mission, see Baja Mur's web page from our trip in (in 1999): http://bajamur.homestead.com/index.html
My second trip in was in 2003: http://www.vivabaja.com/403/page2.html
Enjoy!
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