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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64493
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Thanks, I posted them before when I made them after my July trip, but they seemed in need of sharing again here.
Happy Holidays!
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Enrique2012
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Registered: 4-19-2012
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Awesome information David. You are an incredible resource for those traveling the peninsula.
Thank You!!
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64493
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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You are very welcome, often the information is correct, too! LOL
I hope you guys will like the new book, too... working a lot on it lately!
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bajarich
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Posts: 463
Registered: 1-13-2005
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We have a 17" Casita travel trailer and would like to drive Hwy 5 to where it joins Hwy 1 at Laguna Chapala. If there are only 20 miles of rough
road, will we be better off to take the new route, or follow the old route through Coco's Corner? It is a single axle trailer, but we can lower the
air pressure and drive slowly. We want to get some dental work done at Los Algodonas so this would be the best route if it won't kill our trailer.
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David K
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Quote: Originally posted by bajarich  | | We have a 17" Casita travel trailer and would like to drive Hwy 5 to where it joins Hwy 1 at Laguna Chapala. If there are only 20 miles of rough
road, will we be better off to take the new route, or follow the old route through Coco's Corner? It is a single axle trailer, but we can lower the
air pressure and drive slowly. We want to get some dental work done at Los Algodonas so this would be the best route if it won't kill our trailer.
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There is no other route to Hwy 1 then via Coco's Corner. The highway bypass around Coco's is a long way from being open... and when it is open, it
will be a paved highway. Any trailer over a rocky, graded road is not going to do well. How long can you drive at 5 mph.... 4 hours?
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Gulliver
Senior Nomad
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Registered: 11-18-2013
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I concur. I think that road over the hill from Cocos to Rt. 1 would rearrange things in your trailer pretty badly. As David says, how long can you
drive at low speeds.
If you have an automatic transmission you might get away with it. I towed an eight foot single axle cargo trailer through early last May with no
damage to the trailer but the banging and bouncing set off a fire extinguisher in there and I'm still finding white power in unexpected places. It
took two+ hours to go twenty miles and I felt that I was pushing it. I did pass two semis and had no tire damage. I did zig zag all over the place to
dodge pointy rocks.
The up side is not that you save than much distance or even time compared to jumping back across the border at Algodones, heading over to Tecate on
I-8 and coming down through Ensenada. What you do avoid is all of that visually depressing mess from Ensenada to El Rosario where the real baja
starts. Nothing but dust, plastic bags and poverty.
I will be headed North the end of April with an empty trailer. My decision will be based more on whether I want to put up with crossing at Mexicali
rather than Tecate. I strongly dislike being pestered by vendors while waiting. Tecate offers up the minimum of that.
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rts551
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6699
Registered: 9-5-2003
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I use this road all the time. Many times with a flatbed trailer. I see travel trailers using it in the last year. But I have patience and can
travel at 5mph for long distances. Actually, 5-10 MPH.
Oh and the semi's seem to have patience as well.
[Edited on 12-16-2015 by rts551]
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BigWooo
Senior Nomad
Posts: 579
Registered: 1-2-2007
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Just drove that route for the first time this week. We normally tow a travel trailer North to stay in when in the U.S. No trailer this time so we
gave it a go. I wouldn't have a problem towing a flat bed, or small open utility trailer on the dirt stretch (slow going), but not a travel trailer.
You'll definitely damage something.
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Cliffy
Senior Nomad
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Registered: 12-19-2013
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Nuf said for me No TT right now
You chose your position in life today by what YOU did yesterday
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rts551
Elite Nomad
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Registered: 9-5-2003
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came through this morning. sorry no selfies, maps or pics (they don't fit). Road is in good shape. 1 1/2 hours taking it easy. 36 degrees this
morning in San felipe.
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bajarich
Nomad
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Thanks all for your advice. We will need to figure out a different plan.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64493
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Not too much to figure out if you are going south of Gonzaga Bay... either drive VERY slow for 23 miles or drive the extra ~100+ miles via Ensenada
and El Rosario to head south. Even the paved roads in Baja have holes and bumps, however! BAJA became famous because of its rough roads.
Have a great trip and report back on how it was for you when you get home, please.
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9006
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
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Mood: Inquisitive
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Arent Casitas one of those egg-shaped TTs?
If so, you probably have a lot fewer joints held together with screws and no real skeleton to worry about.
Your built-ins are probably screwed into place but you could remove all the screws and re-set them with blue thread locker and even they would remain
in place for that short distance.
Then, just air down to around 15-20 psi in the TT tires and go slow.
This is immensely better than the Ensenada-Chapala alternative, IMO.
David, how are you figuring the ~100 mile difference?
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64493
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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If he's in San Felipe, it's a 150 miles to go "the wrong way" to Ensenada and then turn south again.
If he is in Mexicali, then it is the drive to the west coast only to come back to the east coast again, or nearly so at Laguna Chapala. About 100+
extra miles to go south to say L.A. Bay or beyond. Why would all the truckers now be coming through San Felipe if it wasn't a significant savings in
distance and time?
If he is in San Diego, then the distance is the same, but he would not have to deal with crossing Ensenada and all the farm towns to the south of
there.
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TMW
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Hook they are not egg shape but made of Fiberglass. They come in 13-17 foot lengths.
http://casitatraveltrailers.com/
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bajarich
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Registered: 1-13-2005
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FYI: Casita Trailers are put together with pop rivets. The theory is that screws stress the fiberglass. The fiberglass is drilled and the cabinets
are hung with 3/16" rivets. The rivets will break before doing damage to the fiberglass. I have to replace a few rivets on every Baja trip. This
will be the fourth for our Casita. The worst damage so far has been a bent tongue on the trailer. I credit that to some unmarked Topes hit at speed.
I have since had the tongue straightened and reenforced.
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PaulW
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Traveled south a couple of days ago (Sunday) After the big sign we headed down the construction road. Bad decision. Turns out the road is OK but ended
at a big construction area we could not pass. (trucks with 4wd). After we got to Asuncion I looked an my SPOT and we got about half way to Chapala on
that road. Anyway we back tracked and it cost us about 45 minuted for our detour.
The rest of the dirt road to Chapala is as described by others - no new input. Good enough for several autos we passed.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64493
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: Originally posted by PaulW | Traveled south a couple of days ago (Sunday) After the big sign we headed down the construction road. Bad decision. Turns out the road is OK but ended
at a big construction area we could not pass. (trucks with 4wd). After we got to Asuncion I looked an my SPOT and we got about half way to Chapala on
that road. Anyway we back tracked and it cost us about 45 minuted for our detour.
The rest of the dirt road to Chapala is as described by others - no new input. Good enough for several autos we passed. |
ASUNCION? Gonzaga, right?
So, at Las Arrastras, where the Coco's Bypass begins, you must have gone straight instead of curved to the left for Coco's Corner?
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BigBearRider
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I managed to do something similar when I headed down for Thanksgiving. I ended up on the new Highway Route, essentially level with Coco's on the map
above and had to find my way down to Coco's.
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RenoJoe
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Registered: 5-8-2012
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So I'm assuming to stay to the left an don't go on the new highway because its not done yet?
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