TMW
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Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
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Baja 500 Trip
Left early Wed. morning picking up brother Bill in Hemit and crossing at Tecate. Took the El Compadre sand road south. Where the race course comes
onto the road we stopped for a snack. Two MC prerunners go by to the north. Then another. Soon another MC coming south stops and says he missed the
course markers and wound up at hwy 2, never been to Baja before and now wantred to know how to get back to Ojos. So we tell him how, good luck. Soon
the first two MCs come back and ask where Saw Mill is and I explain that it's basically due east from here. They wonder if they can ride the course up
and around to it with the gas they got so we fill their tanks and away they go. We too take off for hwy 3. We skip going into Mike's Sky Ranch due to
time and head to San Felipe to visit friends and later dinner at Georges and stayed at their hotel. Very clean and well kept place.
Thursday after breakfast we head up to Mike's and start prerunning the course. Me on a MC and Bill in the Toyota. First we stop in the bar for a
refreshment and energy drink. Met a MC racer that has Hooters for a sponsor. Wow I'm impressed. So off we go on the course, at 6.5 miles we come to a
Y in the road. This is where last years 1000 course went left. Bill stayed and I road it out to the Observatory road taking GPS readings. It was 6.8
miles. I return and on we head to El Coyote. I made notes of the two crossover roads that cross to the return side of the race course from El Coyote.
I had been on them last year so no need to check em out this time. As I approach El Coyote I see a buggie that had passed us while we unloading the MC
and the three guys were tying broken stuff on it top. They flipped it on the spot and knocked lites etc off and beat up the panels pretty good. They
were OK so we go on to the OB rd and load up the MC and head for San Quintin and the Old Mill resturante. After dinner we head up to Colonet and out
to the beach. Camping high above the water. Going to sleep with the relaxing sound of the waves.
Friday we start out to Santo Tomas, yes for breakfast. On the way we pass a truck with a guy in the bed and as I go by I see him waving at us in my
mirror. I was watching the curve ahead and didn't see him at first. I turn around and it's Tunaeater getting ready to prerun. I declined to prerun
with him, I'm hungry, so he takes off. His chase driver will follow up the hwy after a while. After Breakfast at El Palomar I walk out to the truck
and low and behold there's Lisa Salley, a friend I haven't seen in a long time. She was waiting for her husband Brian to come in from prerunning.
After getting caught up on all the latest we head for Ensenada. On the way Tunaeater passes us and a litte later Lisa and Brian pass us. They tell us
we're awfully slow. Probably so, too many things to look at.
Went thru contingency and saw the Hooters booth but no girls. Purchased a Score program book. On to Trinidad to check out the course routing coming
out from Simpsons Ranch. Had lunch at the resturant east of the gas station, good food, met a truck driver hauling helicopter fuel for the race. Back
to the KM108 turn off for Jamau and back to the race course at RM155. We continue on across the course and further east exploring the road out to
about 13 miles. Still more road but due to time we turn around and go back to the race course.
Race day lots of people coming out. We are getting updates on the racers thru ck 1 and 2. 103X and 105X pass thru and the first trucks and some class
1 cars. We pack up and head for RM 256. Tunaeater has already left on 103X. We watch as many racers come thru including 16X who had run out of gas in
the pine forest earlier. Finally we go back to town and have dinner. When we walk back to thetruck I notice my gear bag end zipper was open about 6
inches. Someone had taken my happy snappy $9 camera. Oh Well, no pictures to prove where I was.
We start for home back up the Compadre road, camping in a wash. We stopped by Santa Veronica for breakfast and it's an all you can eat buffet. Wow,
something new??? On to the border and about 25 minute delay at 10am Sunday. We had an excellent time, meeting new people and catching up with old
friends. And boy did we eat well. We take food with us but usually we eat in the resturantes and give our can food away before coming back.
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tunaeater
Senior Nomad
Posts: 615
Registered: 9-3-2003
Location: Chula Vista, CA
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Tom nice report you sure know how to enjoy yourself. I hope you saved some vacation time for the 1,000. It was nice to see you I wish we could of
hooked up more but that's how it goes sometimes. I have a night race in Mexicali July 1'st and then might race in August (CODE Jacume) with Mancillas
for old time sake...Glad you and your brother had a good time..
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TMW
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Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
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Since Charlie couldn't come out this year I wanted to save some vacation days for the 1000, so we made the 500 trip shorter. I have a 4 day weedend
for 4th of July so I may come down for the night race. I have a friend who has flown Baja but never driven down, so I might give him the long weekend
tour.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64520
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Great story TW! I guess you were just a couple miles below us, south of Trinidad?
The food of Baja... ah yes!!
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