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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4WD Offroad Trek: 1942 Pole Line Road (Mexicali area) + Rio Hardy BBQ with Nomad MICK 3/29-3/31
This year's Baja Pole Line Run will take place in two distict locales synonymous with Baja California Adventure - Baja California's Rio Hardy and the
ultra-rugged Baja canyonland trail adjacent to the mountainous Sierra Juarez Summit Trail - the 1942 Pole Line Road.
4WD Run Type: Bobtail Camping - 1 night at the Rio Hardy Vacation House, and 1 night in the pure backcountry.
Date: Friday March 29th through Sunday March 31st (with option to return to Rio Hardy for a free night's stay or cross the border and go home).
Location: 2013 Baja Pole Line Run
(night 1 - March 29th) Rio Hardy Vacation House (free accomodations)
(night 2 - March 30th) Pole Line Road - Caņon Enmedio (free access camping)
Facilities: Tow vehicles can be stored at the Rio Hardy Vacation House.
Leader: Ken Cooke (and Wife Leidys Cooke)
Contact: thedesertoutlaw@yahoo.com 951-255-1589 cell
RSVP: Required for BBQ and guest planning at Rio Hardy Vacation House for first night.
Run Type: Camping Run (2 Full Days on the 1942 Pole Line Road) with an optional night run to Suzuki Falls for those who can't get enough rock
crawling!
Difficulty Rating: 2+ (5 being 'EXTREME')
Required Equipment:
Provisions for 2 nights of camping - 1 night in the remote backcountry.
31" Tire required.
CB Radio and Fire Extinguisher.
3 1/2 Days worth of Mexico Auto Insurance for 96 hrs./4 Days (Can only be purchased in 24 hr. increments).
One traction aiding device strongly suggested (Limited Slip).
Skid plate for oil pan, spare tire required.
Meeting Time: 10 AM - Pep Boys, Calexico, CA - 400 S Imperial Ave Calexico, CA 92231
Departure Time: 10:45 AM from Pep Boys - 400 S Imperial Ave Calexico, CA 92231
* Please have your Mexican insurance already purchased/in hand, and Passports/Visas to return to USA.
*This is going to be a fun run - one where the Wives (on night #1) get to watch their Husbands prepare a BBQ Feast along the waterfront in the
historic Rio Hardy - (We will have a chance to shop for meats in Mexicali at the giant grocery store at the center of town after we eat lunch). The
following two days will provide a chance for pure 4WD canyon off-roading in some of the most desolate wilderness - ripe with both flora and fauna from
the Baja region. Once the run is over, drivers will have an option to stay again at the Rio Hardy vacation house, or return to the USA.
MICK and Wife Penny on the cobblestone Pole Line Road
[Edited on 2-20-2013 by Ken Cooke]
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64546
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Sounds like fun... hope I can drive it someday.
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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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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Sounds like fun... hope I can drive it someday. |
Trade up to a Jeep? 
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Tacodawgtim
Junior Nomad
Posts: 90
Registered: 9-15-2012
Location: San Felipe. Full time
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Bad Days
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Is it possible to meet you at Rio Hardy? I am in San Felipe now and plan on being here for a few months. Sounds like a great trip
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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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| Quote: | Originally posted by Tacodawgtim
Is it possible to meet you at Rio Hardy? I am in San Felipe now and plan on being here for a few months. Sounds like a great trip
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That would be entirely possible. Would you be willing to meet us Friday the 28th at about Noon to 1 PM on Hwy 5? We will be traveling near El
Medanito EAST to the Rio Hardy at that time. CB Channel 4 will connect with us as you travel close to the river in the general vicinity of Terrenos
Indios. You will definitely need to travel north to the nearest PEMEX, filling your tank, and two 5 gallon gas cans. This is a remote 4WD run, and
you'll be running on fumes by the end of the trip.
[Edited on 2-20-2013 by Ken Cooke]
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64546
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Ken Cooke
| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Sounds like fun... hope I can drive it someday. |
Trade up to a Jeep? |
You misunderstand my reply, I have no worries that my Tacoma 4x4 Off Road can do the drive. Didn't you get introduced to the road by Toyota off roader
Neal Johns?
I hope that I can take the days off. Because It is hard for a Toyota to drive so slow, I would meet you at the start of your run instead of Calexico.
Maybe I would be already down there the day before?
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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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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
| Quote: | Originally posted by Ken Cooke
| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Sounds like fun... hope I can drive it someday. |
Trade up to a Jeep? |
You misunderstand my reply, I have no worries that my Tacoma 4x4 Off Road can do the drive. Didn't you get introduced to the road by Toyota off roader
Neal Johns?
I hope that I can take the days off. Because It is hard for a Toyota to drive so slow, I would meet you at the start of your run instead of Calexico.
Maybe I would be already down there the day before?
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This is a very challenging route. Your truck is in very good condition. Are you sure?? I had better talk to Elizabeth.
Best case scenario:
Huitzi and his wife plan on also meeting early on Saturday morning. I told Huitzi (Weet-zee) the meeting place will be near Mex 5 at El Medanito. We
will be driving West from near Terrenos Indios to Mex 5 at around 7 am. I will ask MICK if there is a restaurant in the area we could meet at
instead. This would be more convenient, but the general plan will be to meet near El Medanito at 7 AM.
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Tacodawgtim
Junior Nomad
Posts: 90
Registered: 9-15-2012
Location: San Felipe. Full time
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Bad Days
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Thanks Ken I am doing as addition on our house here so I will know pretty soon if I can sneak away plus if the wife lets me go. I have a jeep all
stock and a Tacoma 4 wheel drive. The Tacoma would be more comfy ride. Ill keep in touch thanks. Hope it works out look forward to meeting some
nomads and a great ride to boot.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64546
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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El Mendanito, and Terranos Indios, are locations on the Almanac, north of Rio Hardy where the graded road goes west over the mountain towards Laguna
Salada and to the sulfur mine. The Almanac does not show that road.
Is this a better way to reach the Pole Line instead of the closer road by the sand dunes (Ejido Saldaņa/Tres Pozos) to Cohabuzo Jcn.? Is Cohabuzo how
you are heading to it?
[Edited on 2-20-2013 by David K]
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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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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
El Mendanito, and Terranos Indios, are locations on the Almanac, north of Rio Hardy where the graded road goes west over the mountain towards Laguna
Salada and to the sulfur mine. The Almanac does not show that road.
Is this a better way to reach the Pole Line instead of the closer road by the sand dunes (Ejido Saldaņa/Tres Pozos) to Cohabuzo Jcn.? Is Cohabuzo how
you are heading to it?
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MICK and I are discussing a good meeting place for people that will be meeting us on the morning of Saturday March 30th. We will be traveling to
Cohabuzo Junction that day, then camp along the Cobblestone just like I did in November 2011 (for the night of Saturday, March 30th).
But, for the morning of March 30th, MICK and I are talking about a restaurant or someplace where we can meet up. His home is located near El
Mendanito and Terranos Indios. Meeting up someplace along MEX 5 is most convenient, comfortable, and reduces the number of variables that I will need
to plan for. We will be utilizing CB Radios for this 4WD run in order that we can communicate from vehicle to vehicle, and vehicle to base camp, etc.
With the number of vehicles planning on meeting us on Saturday, March 30th (3 so far), finding a good meeting place is the priority. MICK will chime
in when he is able to. At the moment, he is traveling and having a great time in the Copper Canyon.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64546
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Maps!!!
Okay, so I already had several waypoints (GPS) of the Poleline Road from TW, Ken and Neal Johns... and those are shown as flags or push pins. I just
today drew a path over the road as I viewed it on Google Earth. There was only some cloud cover around Basketball Hill, otherwise I could see the
entire 1942 road. I began the path from west of the summit to east of Arroyo Grande.
The poleline road serviced the WWII telephone line to our radar station near San Felipe (Punta Diggs) from the phone lines already into Ensenada, from
San Diego.
Then, I superemposed the 1971 Geology Map, which shows the Poleline road as 'abandonado'... and you can see the path line and the '71 map road are
very close, less than a mile apart if not right over... pretty good for those cartographers!
First a High, overview look. See Cohabuzo Jcn. and La Ventana on Hwy. 5 (the typical start and end of the run).
Next are three sections of the road followed by the geology map overlay for each:
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64546
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Who is up for searching for the lost grave of Melchior Diaz?
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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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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Okay, so I already had several waypoints (GPS) of the Poleline Road from TW, Ken and Neal Johns... and those are shown as flags or push pins. I just
today drew a path over the road as I viewed it on Google Earth. There was only some cloud cover around Basketball Hill, otherwise I could see the
entire 1942 road. I began the path from west of the summit to east of Arroyo Grande.
The poleline road serviced the WWII telephone line to our radar station near San Felipe (Punta Diggs) from the phone lines already into Ensenada, from
San Diego.
Then, I superemposed the 1971 Geology Map, which shows the Poleline road as 'abandonado'... and you can see the path line and the '71 map road are
very close, less than a mile apart if not right over... pretty good for those cartographers!
First a High, overview look. See Cohabuzo Jcn. and La Ventana on Hwy. 5 (the typical start and end of the run).
Next are three sections of the road followed by the geology map overlay for each: |
These are all great maps, David. Thank you for researching them. When a map reads, 'Abandoned Road' in Spanish, you know things can get
interesting!
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Taco de Baja
Super Nomad
Posts: 1913
Registered: 4-14-2004
Location: Behind the Orange Curtain, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Dreamin' of Baja
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Here's our actual GPS track from our trip last April (with 3 Toyotas and no Jeeps  )
Have fun.
Truth generally lies in the coordination of antagonistic opinions
-Herbert Spencer
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Neal Johns
Super Nomad
Posts: 1687
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: Lytle Creek, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: In love!
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Taco de Baja,
That was a great trip you were on. Been on all those roads, highly recommended for all backcountry lovers.
Ken Cooke, you really should go to Agua Caliente (above) as a side trip to the Pole Line Road.
Neal
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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Mexitron
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3397
Registered: 9-21-2003
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Member Is Offline
Mood: Happy!
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I agree Neal----it was a nice stopover between El Mano and the Pole Line road last March...very peaceful and nice taking a dip in the agua. We also
hiked up Agua Caliente canyon up to around 3,500 feet, really nice area.
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MICK
Nomad
Posts: 499
Registered: 11-12-2003
Location: Rio Hardy
Member Is Offline
Mood: livin the good life on the river
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I'm back. The road over the mountian seems to be the best way from 5 to there now due to the amazing amount of rain we got this year. the road thru
the dunes is mostly no longer there and you have to pick your way thru. By going over the mountian and then north a little you can save a lot of time.
Mick
Getting there is ALL the fun!
Ok being here is fun to
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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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This is sounding more and more interesting. I was in Tijuana last week giving my Jeep the "Baja Grande" treatment. Just a few more items that need
attention before the Pole Line Run.
Luis installing my Currie 1" Motor Mount Lift
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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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| Quote: | Originally posted by MICK
I'm back. The road over the mountian seems to be the best way from 5 to there now due to the amazing amount of rain we got this year. the road thru
the dunes is mostly no longer there and you have to pick your way thru. By going over the mountian and then north a little you can save a lot of time.
Mick |
How bad to you think the area has become? Were there flash floods that destroyed the roads??
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MICK
Nomad
Posts: 499
Registered: 11-12-2003
Location: Rio Hardy
Member Is Offline
Mood: livin the good life on the river
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We drove over to El Palomar after the rains and it was not bad to there. the ranchers out there keep the roads passable to there so we will have no
problems from here to there. below that I do not know but that's why we go.
Mick
Getting there is ALL the fun!
Ok being here is fun to
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