100 Day Walk Around the Baja coastline: San Felipe to Rosarito

In the picture they are in shorts and tee-shirts. No bueno.

Legs and arms should be completely covered. Below are the sort of pants that I've finally settled on. Made primarily of nylon they are extremely light and breatheable. They are purposefully baggy. There is no style here. These are by patagonia but there are other manufacturers. And they really aren't that expensive, <$50.

There are similar long sleeved shirts that have large vents to further keep you cool.

A cheap straw hat to provide shade for neck is better than anything anything else on the market.

The pictures of red faces show that they have taken a real beating from the sun. That ain't healthy.

[Edited on 5-26-2012 by Skipjack Joe]

Glad your Ok

Quote:

Originally posted by goldhuntress Glad your Ok

Back on the road tomorrow

We have been in Guerrero Negro since Saturday afternoon and tomorrow we will be returning to just north of Nuevo Rosarito to continue our trek with new tires, new supplies, new shoes and a new route. It has been a great break spending time here and getting to know our new friend Mas Margaritas and enjoying many great meals and cold cervesas.

Although I have yet to read this thread, I have heard from many people about the various comments many people have left, so just to clarify, we are doing this for us and our charities, and no one else. Although there have been no formal rules laid out, our goal is to walk and that is what we will do, in the manner we choose. So, if you disapprove of our methods, route or whatever, get over it.

However, we do apologize for forgetting to turn on the tracker once or twice, and once for leaving it on and it turning itself off and once for throwing our packs into the back of our new friends (Sal and Maria's) Subaru Brat and walking packless the last couple of miles while Sal drove ahead and scouted camp locations for us, and Maria walked with us, while the tracker remained on and attached Rachel's backpack. It was the end of a long hot day, and the tracker wasn't a priority, oops, sorry. We will be taking care not to do it again.

On the other hand, we greatly appreciate the incredible support and wonderful new friends we have made. It's been truly amazing! We love the stops people have made to say hello on the road, and the incredible efforts people have made to support us. Thank you all very, very much. We have made friendships that will last a lifetime and we aren't even close to finishing yet.

That being said, our friend Jerry Freer, who walked the peninsula himself two springs ago has recommended a new route that agree is better. We will turn at San Ignacio to the Lagoon then follow the coast to San Juanico, from there the road is paved all the way to Insurgentes. From there we will continue south to La Paz.

Again thank you for the support. PLEASE visit our site Baja Walk and take a moment to review the challenges of our charities and if it's within your means, please help those in your area, or that tug at your heart, their challenges are far tougher than ours. www.bajawalk.com

Okay, so I am confused on today's track...

It started back at Nuevo Rosarito at 11:46 am... and for an hour they moved southbound at the usual slow speed until suddenly they were back at Nuevo Rosarito (at 1:10 pm).

By 1:41, they were southbound again until 3:50 at which point they turned around (again) and moved slowly north until 4:51pm, at which point they moved very fast and in just 8 minutes were back (again) in Nuevo Rosarito, at 4:59pm! There they remained until the final signal at 5:42pm.

Quote:

Originally posted by David K Okay, so I am confused on today's track...

Quote:

Originally posted by goldhuntress Quote: Originally posted by David K Okay, so I am confused on today's track... My BF drove them back up there yesterday. We talked last night about the tracking and he said where they were at 1:20 and 4:59 is around where the tire shop is. So they must have had tire problems or some other cart malfunction, can't know for sure. It looks like they are moving along now. I sure hope they don't have any more problems for awhile.

The cart/wagon has got to be really hard on them.
They need one of these. I took my son when he was little to all our favorite hiking spots and walking every evening for years. Never had a issue and wheeled around just fine.



[Edited on 5-31-2012 by Sprocket]

Quote:

Originally posted by Sprocket The cart/wagon has got to be really hard on them. They need one of these. I took my son when he was little to all our favorite hiking spots and walking every evening for years. Never had a issue and wheeled around just fine. [Edited on 5-31-2012 by Sprocket]

Quite a BIG day... If they remain at their last position (6:11pm), they will have walked about 18 miles from Nuevo Rosarito to San Angel (about 6 miles north of Villa Jesus Maria)!



edit: that big point in the upper left is Punta Rosarito... aka 'The Wall'.

[Edited on 6-1-2012 by David K]

Looks like they got to about 8 miles south of Jesus Maria today!

They stopped at 1:43pm today, about 4 miles north of the state border/ Eagle Monument/ Parador Paralelo 28º

That looks to be only 8 miles for today, unless they have more to do still... until dark?







SPOT TRACKER LINK

[Edited on 6-3-2012 by David K]

They realized that they've forgotten their papers. They're waiting for the 7PM closing of the check guard.

Quote:

Originally posted by Skipjack Joe They realized that they've forgotten their papers. They're waiting for the 7PM closing of the check guard.

Quick update everyone. It has been hell getting here, or rather back here. I feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, waking up in the same stretch of Baja for over a week now.

As you know last Sat, we had two flats and came to Gro Negro to get them fixed along with picking up other stuff. Then last Wednesday returned to continue. We got dropped off by our new friend mas margaritas and away he drove. We walked about 1 mile and realized one of the tires was low again, so we returned. This time the llantera was open, so he pumped the tire and poured water over it as we both looked for bubbles or problems. None were seen, so wer got back on the road.

About 5 miles later on one of regular stops - we work in rounds, like a fighter and every 30 minutes we reset the timer, sometimes we drink or eat, other times we continue. Our goal is 16 rounds per day. At this round, we were drinking when we hear "pppsssstt" and the tire that just got a good bill of health blew and was instantly flat.

After getting past the swearing and complaining, we decided to head back to Rosarito again, so we stuck out our thumb...after a while of no luck, we began dragging the cart towards our destination. After about 3 of the hardest miles, we were picked up by Tomas and Gabby from Loreto in their old Ryder rental truck, or a least it looked like one. They drove us back to the llantera.

Turns out the tire blew at the value stem and there was no fixing it and we had no spare. By this time the guy at the llantera was different from the previous guy that had given the good bill of health, so we explained the situation. He then went into the back and started digging through his junk, truly...he came back a little while later with a tire exactly like ours, and the tube was in perfect shape. Unbelievable.

The tire was fixed, but in fixing it we realized all four wheels were wobbling pretty bad, so we worked to get them tightened using washer, but really didn't have a lot of luck. By the time we were ready for the road again it was too late to start walking again. I asked one of the guys that was being such a great help to us, if there was place to camp and he invited us to stay in his yard across the street. Turns out his yard in beautifully landscaped with a giant tree and lots of roses and blossoming flowers. Very, very nice.

His name is Alfredo, and after a long Spanglish conversation we found out that half his family is Scottish, which is the same as Rachel and her family. We made plan to return in October to join him and his family for the San Borja Fiesta.

The next morning we hit the road, and although we had to walk the same miles again, we were ready to do it and did over 18 miles. The next day we did over 17 miles, during which we got another flat - if you can believe it. This time we decided to continue forward and swore we would not return to Nuevo Rosarito until October. So we dragged the cart about 5 miles further to the military checkpoint, thinking the would have a compressor or something, so such luck.

We left the check point and continued on, but this time Rachel started flagging every gringo we saw, knowing any smart gringo driving the Baja usually has a 12-volt tire pump (we do too, back home in our car). One couple said they did, and said they would help, but then drove onto the checkpoint. So, we had to return back ourselves, and go back through the checkpoint to the other side. They didn't have a pump, but gave us a can of fix-a-flat. We were very happy and now this problem and possibly any more could be fixed. We didn't get a chance to talk much, the man seemed in a hurry and then the military told us to leave - we were causing some disruption because people were trying to talk to us from their cars while waiting to get through the checkpoint, even a nice lady named Carolyn got out of her truck and came over to tell us her and her husband had been following us on Baja Nomads.

The three nights were bitter cold, and really wet. At one point we thought it was raining from the sound on our tents. We stayed inside and got started late, hoping a little sun would come out, it never did until at least 1PM, after which the wind would get going and kick our butts all the way until we stopped and setup camp, which was another problem in this area. It wasn't long after Nuevo Rosarito that the large cactus, trees and other such plant life got very thin, and finding a good hiding place at night became a problem. We had to drag the cart through soft sand for a long distance to get out of view of the highway, but we managed.

On the third day, right around the lunch hour our friend Mas Margaritas showed up with tortas and Powerades for lunch. It was great, until he told us we were actually 4 miles further away than we had thought. This was a new problem because it was Saturday and we had packages of necessary equipment and supplies waiting for us at the bus station, and we knew they would be closed on Sunday. Fortunately, Mas Margaritas went into town to the station and charmed the boxes out of the manager, even though the sign on the wall clearly said "no factura number, np package" and of course we had no factura number. But when Mas Margaritas arrived back to us, a couple hours later he had both of our boxes.

During the time Mas Margaritas was gone the wobbling of our wheels began to get worse and was starting to squeak. So, although we had about 6 miles to go, we got a ride back into Gro Negro in hopes of catching a llantera before the end of the day and we did. I explained the problem and clearly illustrated it to them by wiggling the two tires I needed fixed. They tore them apart and said I needed new barrings. "No problem, go ahead and get them for me" I told them. So, off in a car one of the guys goes, so I asked the other if I could come back in an hour and check on the progress and he said okay. An hour later when I returned they had "fixed the wrong tires" and not only did they not fix it, they were worse, only now covered in grease.

After a verbal fight between the two of them, obviously one was the boss and the other a younger apprentice that wouldn't listen, they put washers on both tires. The washer stopped the wobbling, but it also stopped the tires from spinning. So now the empty cart feels like it is carrying a load. No bueno.

We have decided to try a mechanic in the morning before we go back to where we got picked up to continue to walk. The positive side is that in the boxes we received from our good friends Gene Jensen (San Felipe), Cathy Tiwald (San Felipe), and Jackie and Marty Alameda (Click-on Puerto Nuevo) were lots of medical supplies, batteries for our SPOT, freeze dried foods, and other goodies, and 3 new pairs of HIGH TECH running/walking shoes and socks.

Our new friend Jerry Freer, also relayed a message from Timothy Means, the owner of Baja Expeditions in La Paz, that now only can we stay a couple of days at his Whale Watching camp on the San Ignacio Lagoon and will also welcome us to La Paz, where we can have a small press conference in his building. We'll keep you posted.

That's it for now.

Feeling cool under a mid-summer Baja sun sounds heavenly to me. So glad to hear of the route change.

Sadly, sounds like the cart will never make it from San Ignacio to the lagoon and down to San Juanico and the paved road. Done sterling service but might be more trouble than it's worth "off-road."

Great suggestion from David about getting a burro. I bought my amigo for $30 in San Ignacio and walked him to Laguna San Ignacio then all the way to Cabo.


With Bonny the burro heading to Laguna San Ignacio


Donkeys have a way of slowing you down and helping you enjoy the breaks and smell the roses. And inevitably gain you lots of attention and friends… which can’t be bad for all those worthy causes you’re supporting.


Mision, burro #2, making friends at roadside check point

I’d add... enjoy time in the fishcamps along the way, take a few trips out with the fishermen and get to really appreciate and celebrate the superb kindness and hospitality of the good folks of Baja California.

If you “only” get as far as Cabo… that’s a wonderfully worthy totally amazing achievement.

Looking forward to the rest of the story.

If you think Hwy. 5 south of San Felipe was as bad as a Baja road gets, boy do you have a surprise coming when you come to a silt bed or any other 'typical' Baja off pavement road!! South of San Ignacio (on the Baja 1000 course) you may wish you used a donkey as Graham and Mike Younghusband had!!

But, by all means, keep positive and we DO wish you success!!

June 5, 2012

June 6, 2:20pm PDT

Almost to the EL ARCO highway junction (Mex. #18)...

I hope they are not speeding as that stretch of highway is a favorite for the Federales.

Seriously, there are some very narrow parts of the highway in that area and while it can appear to be rather flat, it is not so cars can appear quickly! STAY SAFE!

The Changes

For those who hadn't been here from the start of their walk, here was the original route map and schedule:





Walk Dates:
•San Felipe – Sat, May 12
•Puertecitos – Mon, May 14
•Gonzaga Bay – Wed, May 16
•Mision de Calamajue – Fri, May 18
•Bahia de los Angeles – Mon, May 21
•San Ignacio – Tues, May 29
•Santa Rosalia- Thurs, June 1
•Mulege – Sun, June 3
•Loreto – Thurs/Fri, June 7/8
•La Paz – Thurs/Fri, June 21/22
•Los Barriles – Mon, June 25
•San Jose del Cabo – Fri, June 29
•Cabo San Lucas – Sat, June 30
•Todos Santos – Mon, July 2
•Bahia de Magdalena – Mon/Tues, July 9/10
•Laguna San Ignacio – Fri/Sat/Sun July 20/21/22
•Guerrero Negro – Fri, July 27
•Santa Rosalillita – Tues, July 31
•Santa Rosalia (El Rosario) – Thurs, Aug 9
•San Quintin – Sat, Aug 11
•Ensenada – Thurs/Fri, Aug 16/17
•Puerto Nuevo - Click-On, Sun, Aug 19

Thanks for the update, DK.

We have really been curious about their trip since we met up with them two weeks ago.

June 7

Looks like they are about 10 miles from Vizcaino, tonight...

They went 17.3 miles today, cool!

Their quads probably look like that of a soccer player.

FRI. Afternoon: Vizcaino

They have arrived at Vizcaino and their last signal was an hour and a half ago...



Close Up:

We will be leaving early in the morning. Our plan was to go over the mesa when we leave the Lagoon, instead of the salt flats, however is sounds like that may not be the best idea?

We have a whole new front-end on the wagon, and good knobby tires. today we are going to look for a couple fo new tires because we noticed the heat is causing two of the tires to go bald.

The cart is about 200lbs. and requires some elbow grease, as my Dad used to say, but we have pulled it up many mountains okay so far, but the sand is by far more difficult, so we truly appreciate any and all insight.

We will have internet the rest of the day, but by morning we will be disconnected for a few days. Today, we are just going to take care of the tires, a few supplies, a haircut and shave hopefully and finding the puppy a home - HOPEFULLY. We don't want to carry a puppy or have it in the tent, things are tough enough without the puppy. Wish we hadn't seen her, but what can you do? Can't allow something to die, if it can be helped. Plus, she is so damn cute.

On that note, if anyone can maybe hang on to her until we are completed, at which time we will have her spayed and find her a good home. We just can't take her, keep her, and could use some help with this problem. Vizcaino doesn't have a shelter that we can find.

At this point, no one gets an exclusive on the highway, it's for us all. And until Baja gets a sidewalk or bike path, they'll have to live with us all sharing. Besides, they need to slow down or they will miss much of what Baja has to offer.

Quote:

Originally posted by mexicoliving At this point, no one gets an exclusive on the highway, it's for us all. And until Baja gets a sidewalk or bike path, they'll have to live with us all sharing. Besides, they need to slow down or they will miss much of what Baja has to offer.

Yeah....you tell 'em.

Nomads,
Do you remember when ChrisX complained about traffic on the highway and how it was dangerous for him as a cyclist?

Everybody was down on him for being so stupid as to ride a bicycle on the highway....

These folks are no different in regards to the risk they present themselves and others.

And to boot, it appears that they are not walking on the "left" side of the road so they can see oncoming traffic

I applaud their desire to have an adventure and the physical effort they are putting out...but struggle with their poor planning and preparation and some very basic practical issues.

Just sayin'

Re: the Road(s) to San Juanico

1. The high road is over grown and washed out in many places filled with rocks and will make it difficult to navigate through the Mesa. it can reach 100+ degrees inland on this route. Very little traffic except some off road Moto guys and a couple ranchers.

2. The washboard "regular" road turns into a Sand Hwy for 30+ miles on the way to El Datil. Would be tough to pull your wagon thru the sand no matter how big your knobs are...so so on the traffic of people going to South to San Juanico.

3. The most common route for locals is the Tidal Flats, hard packed and easy for your wagon to roll, easy to follow the black tire tracks as it makes it's way thru the tidal flats. This route would offer some kind of support from locals and tourists and it would be much cooler as it runs parallel to the beach...and it would be better camping over the days you would be traveling in that area..and I'm going this way and I'll see you on Monday the 18th somewhere along the way!

It sounds as if the tide flats will be the best choice. We expect to stay a day or two at the Baja Expedition camp, and will be using the time to investigate the route further by asking anyone and everyone coming or going. We truly appreciate the insight you all are providing - thank you immensely. DesertBull, we look forward to meeting you in route, you should be able to find us okay, we'll be the ones pulling the cart

I would definitely do the salt flats. Hard pack, wide open and all roads pretty much lead to the same place - Datil. If you have any stickers, the local kids will be very excited.

Here's what your in store for:

Cool Suzie
And cool you found a home for the pup too mexicoliving! They say good things happen to good people, I'm counting on that for you! Safe travels, your doing it!

June 12

Well, they are back on the road after a few days rest in Vizcaino... Looks like they walked about 12 miles down Hwy. 1 today.

They appear to be near Rancho Los Angeles, maybe about 3 miles north of the junction to San Francisquito de la Sierra.

This is the section that looks to me to be a place where the cart will have problems.

The top left is El Datil. The bottom right with the airplane icon is Scorpion Bay. There are tide flat roads at El Datil but you need to zoom in to see them. As you can see there are no flats between El Datil and Scorpion Bay. The road leaves the flats at El Datil and follows that river/arroyo along it's nothern bank for a ways and crosses it. As you can see, it then proceeds inland to Scorpion Bay.

If you could zoom in you would see that the road between the crossing of the river and the crossing of the next river southward looks to be quite sandy. I can't make out the distance. Further on, the road to the airplane icon in mid page could be sandy as well. They may need assistance in this area.