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fudscrud
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Bahia Tortugas
I'm currently planning a month long solo dirt bike "exploration" throughout Baja, though I may need a little more time I'm thinking.
As I'm riding back north on the Pacific side, I'll probably stop at Campo Rene, stop in Bahia Asuncion for lunch and head to Bahia Tortugas for the
night if there is a motel.
Is there gasolina available at Tortugas, Asuncion and Punta Abreojos?
Anybody know if it is possible to get around Laguna San Ignacio towards Rene without going all the way to San Ignacio?
Thanks
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David K
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Yes... to all... but Shari, Blanca and other 'locals' or recent visitors are more qualified for the most recent info.
If you look at the thread about Mike Younghusband walking the length of Baja with his burro Don-Kay, you will see he began to use a road that goes
around the top of San Ignacio lagoon (San Angel to El Alamo), but eneded up heading to Hwy. 1 and town.
Google Earth and a GPS will allow you to make waypoints along any road you want to explore!
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shari
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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gas is not a problem at all and is (usually) available in all villages. We host lots of biker groups as it is getting to be a popular route...check
your U2U message box for details....lots of accomodation options in all those places you will be.
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fudscrud
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Thanks for the quick replies. You guys are on it!
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rts551
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There is a road around the Lagoon.It goes out to San Savas, then across to San Angel etc and comes out on the Abreojos hiway. no problem on the
motorcycle. it was part of our off-road race route a couple of months ago. Gas in all towns with Pemex and hotels in Bahia Tortugas (a nice town to
visit and stay).
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fudscrud
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I came up with a great hairbrain idea! I ride to La Frida where Antonios is (on the south side of the lagoon) as I'm headed north, and hire a panga to
taxi me and my bike across the lagoon. There is a dirt road (brecha) that appears on GE that runs to the Abreojos road from there. The bike is only
about 250# without fuel.
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David K
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Location: San Diego County
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| Quote: | Originally posted by fudscrud
I came up with a great hairbrain idea! I ride to La Frida where Antonios is (on the south side of the lagoon) as I'm headed north, and hire a panga to
taxi me and my bike across the lagoon. There is a dirt road (brecha) that appears on GE that runs to the Abreojos road from there. The bike is only
about 250# without fuel. |
We look forward to your trip report and photos!!!
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DianaT
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Tortugas has a real gas station and a few decent hotels. Be sure to drive all the way out to Punta Eugenia. It is beautiful and feels like the end
of the earth! NO ATMS in these areas----bring pesos.
If you come through Bahia Asuncion, you can head out to Tortugas via one road and return to Highway 1 via the other road.
The road from Bahia Asuncion that goes to San Jose del Castro and then to Tortugas begins right off the road into Bahia Asuncion. It is not marked,
but as you leave Bahia Asuncion, it is to the left and is right before the big curve. You know you are on the correct road when you see the signs for
the dump and airport----follow the electric lines. Beautiful drive.
If you have lunch in Bahia Asuncion, there should be no problem making Tortugas before dark. A pretty place to relax while having lunch is the
Palapa Restaurant across from the Hotel Verduzco in town----.
Have a great trip
[Edited on 1-20-2012 by DianaT]
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fudscrud
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Good info Diana. I will defineatly make it to the point and then head on to GN for the night.
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fudscrud
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David, I will be taking lots of photos and writing notes as I go along to remember the names of all the good people I will meet and the names of the
unique places I will visit. This will not be your usual BMW tour.
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rts551
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| Quote: | Originally posted by fudscrud
I came up with a great hairbrain idea! I ride to La Frida where Antonios is (on the south side of the lagoon) as I'm headed north, and hire a panga to
taxi me and my bike across the lagoon. There is a dirt road (brecha) that appears on GE that runs to the Abreojos road from there. The bike is only
about 250# without fuel. |
et
might be hard to get a panga during whale season. and remember you have to lagoons to cross. San Ignacio and Estero Coyote
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fudscrud
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rts, It appears on the almanac and on GE that the road/trail runs above (north) of Estero Coyote so would only have to cross San Ignacio.
When does whale season end?
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David K
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Most of the whales are gone in April.
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Skipjack Joe
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El Poderoso
You should keep a diary of your travels and maybe publish it some day.
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Bajaboy
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DianaT
Tortugas has a real gas station and a few decent hotels. Be sure to drive all the way out to Punta Eugenia. It is beautiful and feels like the end
of the earth! NO ATMS in these areas----bring pesos.
If you come through Bahia Asuncion, you can head out to Tortugas via one road and return to Highway 1 via the other road.
The road from Bahia Asuncion that goes to San Jose del Castro and then to Tortugas begins right off the road into Bahia Asuncion. It is not marked,
but as you leave Bahia Asuncion, it is to the left and is right before the big curve. You know you are on the correct road when you see the signs for
the dump and airport----follow the electric lines. Beautiful drive.
If you have lunch in Bahia Asuncion, there should be no problem making Tortugas before dark. A pretty place to relax while having lunch is the
Palapa Restaurant across from the Hotel Verduzco in town----.
Have a great trip
[Edited on 1-20-2012 by DianaT] |
The palapa restaurant has beautiful views and good food. I left with a bad taste in my mouth, though, as it seemed my son and I got the "Gringo
Bill" or else her prices are just high.
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rts551
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| Quote: | Originally posted by fudscrud
rts, It appears on the almanac and on GE that the road/trail runs above (north) of Estero Coyote so would only have to cross San Ignacio.
When does whale season end? |
If it is the one passing through Las cuervitos.It is passable but be careful of mud. many an unaware traveler has gotten stuck (in quads or bikes).
Follow the most traveled route (there are many) and don't venture too far off the track unless it is dry and even then you can break through the
salitras crust. You will go by Medano Amarillo... these really neat high dunes.
[img] [/img]
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fudscrud
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You're right about that mud rts. I actuall had to go through some of that thick gooey stuff at night while racing in the '06 Baja 1000 in the lagoon.
Not fun. The crust can be dry but then you break through and your whole day has taken a turn.
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msteve1014
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I'm sure you guys saw the video footage of Cyril Despres breaking through the crust in the Dakar. No it does not look like fun, especially with most
of a stage left to run.
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David K
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There are many stories of driving across 'dry salt flats' ony to discover the dry was maybe 1/2" deep (thanks sun) to hide the quicksand or gooo just
below!
I think Barry A had a great story about 'Boca Grande' (just north of Bahia San Rafael/ south of L.A. Bay)?!!
The old Mexican 1000 racers between San Ignacio and La Purisima also risked the tidal flats over the rocky inland route as a choice for the speed run
to La Paz! Some were lucky, others, not so!
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Barry A.
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The following is lifted out of a 2006 post concerning my adventures on the salt flats of BOCA GRANDE that David K. made reference to above. The moral
of this story is "don't mess with salt flats"!!!!---------:
Boca Grande--------makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about it------
--------April, 1999-----My buddy in his Isuzu Trooper, and I in my F-250 ext. cab with 1000 lb CALLEN camper on our way south from BOLA, decided that
it would be fun to explore Boca Grande, a couple miles east of the main road to San Rafael Fish camp, and San Francisquito. I was in the lead. I saw
many vehicle tracks leading out onto the "dry lagoon" playa----stopped and walked out on it----everything looked, and felt, great------back in my
truck and proceeded to drive across the "hard-pan" to the large rock berm between the "dry" lagoon and the Sea of Cortez. On the CB I suggested that
the Trooper should hold up until I checked it out (thank God). I had been cruizing across the hard-pan for about 800 yards and was nearing the rock
berm when I felt that the truck was starting to bog down a little. Boy, this is not good, so gently I start a wide left 180 to get the H--- out of
here. Now understand I am in 4 wheel drive, and have big 285 tires, but they are inflated to about 40 lbs.. I am doing everything perfectly----the
right gear (stick shift), keeping my speed up, eveything seems ok, but I am ever so slowly losing speed and starting to really feel dumb, AND MAD. I
manage to make the complete 180 and am heading for safety, but ever so slowly the truck comes to a complete stop-----all 4 wheels have sunk about 6
inches into the "mud" and I am not moving. Shut-down!
Realizing how far I am from ANYBODY (but the little-bitty Trooper), and knowing that the Trooper cannot haul my monster out of the mud, I am really
mad, and frankly scared (just a little). I am going to lose my truck!!!! it is going to dissappear into the mud, before my eyes.
I have no winch, no Pull-Pal, no nothing, except my highlift jack. After about 10 mins. of howling at the sky, cursing, and getting ready to have an
anurism, I sorta calm down and me and my buddy start thinking about our alternatives. The first thing I do is drop all 4 tires down to 12 lbs. Then we
wander out across the "dry" lake and scrounge up anything we can find to put under the tires----all the stuff we found was stuff that others had used
to get themselves out of the "mud" in long years past---old lawn chairs, tables, flat rocks, and stuff like that. One by one, we jack up the 4 corners
of the truck (I did have a huge steel foot-base for my highlift jack), and stuff this furniture under the wheels-------I know that this is only going
to work one time, and I do a lot of real praying, which is unusual for me. By the way, all this preparation for this one-time "push" to get out takes
about 2 1/2 hours to accomplish.
I get in the cab, start the engine and let it warm up good-------this is a big 460 V8, and if it cannot get me going, nothing can. I put it in second
gear (5-speed tranny) and give it my best keeping the tire-spin to a minimum------AND SLOWLY OUT I CAME!!!!! Houling in sheer extasy, I haul-ass for
the sand dune that the Trooper is sitting on about 1000 yards away, mud flying from my tires, AND I MAKE IT!!!!! miracles of all miracles-----my
prayers are answered!!! I have never felt this "high" in all my life----Yah Hoooooooooo!!!!
Now for the frustrating part------using three of the piddly cigarette lighter air compressors (2 of mine, and 1 of my buddies) we spent the next 2
hours airing my 285's back up to 40 lbs each. We totally burned up one of the compressors, and the other two got so hot that we had to shut them down
time after time to keep them from cooking.
Within days of returning to the USA, I had a Warn 9500lb winch installed, bought a pull-pal, and bought a Quick-Air compressor-------never again am I
going thru what I went thru at BOCA GRANDE!!! I told my wife, Meredith, that all these purchases were "insurance", and totally justifiable like all
other insurance is!!! She made no comment.
BOCA GRANDE is the pits-------don't go there------it will ruin your day, or much worse!!!! Pappy Jon is absolutely right----that "dry playa" looks so
hard and non-muddy!!!! The crust is about 2 inches think----- and below that is HELL !!! Never again!!!! (and I knew better ???)
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