Gulliver
Senior Nomad
Posts: 651
Registered: 11-18-2013
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Conception death march
A week ago I and five locals (Daniele, Pag, Noel, Christian and I forget the other guy’s name) did a round trip bike trip from Mulege to the old
mine site near the North end of the Bahia Conception peninsula. All very experienced riders most on pretty much state of the art off road hardware. My
old DR-350 was the exception. The other five rode an assortment of japanese MX bikes. 250’s and 450’s. The round trip distance was about 175 miles
including the pavement from Mulege to the South end of the bay.
To make a long story short, forget about it. It is now impassable in many places to any sort of four wheeled rig and a few of the washouts were
marginal for 18 year old hotshots on 250 mx bikes. The sand going over to to the other side goes on forever. Even allowing for old age and dementia, I
spent entirely too much time lying on my back laughing with my bike on top of me.
From the pavement to where you head North rather than go ahead to San Sebastion is fine. 2WD and hardly any clearance issues. On the way back there
was a young gringa in a Plymouth soccer mom type van doing just fine.
The first ten miles North along the bay are reasonable allowing for the fact that the road is about fifty percent gone so you have to drive along the
high tide line. Lots of great camping spots. Then you start hitting the deep washouts where I was wandering back and forth in a three foot deep slot
about three feet wide. The brush and cactus on both sides was thick without even cow paths. I believe that this would be the end of the line for any
four wheeled vehicle.
The “road” continues in this vein up to where you turn East to cross the peninsula. All traces of the old jeep road have been washed away by the
storms and most of the way was deep sand. I had my tires down below ten pounds and still washed out and flopped over several times. There are narrow
spots and we spent a bit of time route finding.
Usually a return trip seems much shorter as things are familiar. This time the route South seemed to go on for a hundred miles. The in-motion time for
the approximately 100 miles of dirt was about six hours. Given the amount of time we were smoking in high gear, the bad parts were fairly chewed up
Not reccommended. Next time I rent a Panga.
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Whale-ista
Super Nomad
Posts: 2009
Registered: 2-18-2013
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Sunny with chance of whales
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Wow- thanks for the updates.
I'm glad you weren't injured & maintained your sense of humor.
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64479
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Thanks for the report. Last September, a week following a hurricane, we tried to get to the sand beach just after the road over to the mine. We were
halted about 8 miles short of that goal. The road was so overgrown past the ranch a few miles south it seemed only passable to bikes, but the others
wanted to push on... until a mini grand canyon across the road ended that hope, about 11 pm!
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Gulliver
Senior Nomad
Posts: 651
Registered: 11-18-2013
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That mini grand canyon is entertaining. I was running behind and the ghouls had their phones out when I rolled up. I went into observed trials bike
mode and made it through feet up. But I disgraced myself well and truly shortly thereafter.
As to being injured, after a few days of ibuprofen I am down to one sore rib. Only hurts when I laugh.
It's the shortage of wheels that makes us bikers demented.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64479
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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It is brutal over there... and seriously as we didn't get to the sand beach, I didn't see any place I would like to camp. The canyon (Tres Marias)
with the stream was very nice, however.
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BigBearRider
Super Nomad
Posts: 1299
Registered: 4-30-2015
Location: Big Bear, Punta Chivato, and Cabo
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Mood: 
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Great report, Mike!
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bajatrailrider
Super Nomad
Posts: 2423
Registered: 1-24-2015
Location: Mexico
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Mood: Happy
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Quote: Originally posted by Gulliver  | A week ago I and five locals (Daniele, Pag, Noel, Christian and I forget the other guy’s name) did a round trip bike trip from Mulege to the old
mine site near the North end of the Bahia Conception peninsula. All very experienced riders most on pretty much state of the art off road hardware. My
old DR-350 was the exception. The other five rode an assortment of japanese MX bikes. 250’s and 450’s. The round trip distance was about 175 miles
including the pavement from Mulege to the South end of the bay.
To make a long story short, forget about it. It is now impassable in many places to any sort of four wheeled rig and a few of the washouts were
marginal for 18 year old hotshots on 250 mx bikes. The sand going over to to the other side goes on forever. Even allowing for old age and dementia, I
spent entirely too much time lying on my back laughing with my bike on top of me.
From the pavement to where you head North rather than go ahead to San Sebastion is fine. 2WD and hardly any clearance issues. On the way back there
was a young gringa in a Plymouth soccer mom type van doing just fine.
The first ten miles North along the bay are reasonable allowing for the fact that the road is about fifty percent gone so you have to drive along the
high tide line. Lots of great camping spots. Then you start hitting the deep washouts where I was wandering back and forth in a three foot deep slot
about three feet wide. The brush and cactus on both sides was thick without even cow paths. I believe that this would be the end of the line for any
four wheeled vehicle.
The “road” continues in this vein up to where you turn East to cross the peninsula. All traces of the old jeep road have been washed away by the
storms and most of the way was deep sand. I had my tires down below ten pounds and still washed out and flopped over several times. There are narrow
spots and we spent a bit of time route finding.
Usually a return trip seems much shorter as things are familiar. This time the route South seemed to go on for a hundred miles. The in-motion time for
the approximately 100 miles of dirt was about six hours. Given the amount of time we were smoking in high gear, the bad parts were fairly chewed up
Not reccommended. Next time I rent a Panga. |
Thank you great ride report.Hope to get down there and ride
with you one day.
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Gulliver
Senior Nomad
Posts: 651
Registered: 11-18-2013
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As Gene Wilder said in Blazing Saddles, "When?"
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AKgringo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5806
Registered: 9-20-2014
Location: Anchorage, AK (no mas!)
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Mood: Retireded
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In December I ran into some bicycle riders doing the Baja Divide trek. They told me that from Mulege,they took a panga over to the tip of the
peninsula, then rode (or pushed) their bicycles down that route. That is some kind of crazy!
One couple was German, the other Danish. I ran into them near El Horno, south of San Jose Comondu.
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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Gulliver
Senior Nomad
Posts: 651
Registered: 11-18-2013
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Certifiable for certain.
But not as crazy as riding bikes down Rt. 1!
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