TMW - 7-4-2005 at 10:58 AM
Friday morning we cross the border at Mexicali and travel the toll road to La Rumorosa. We turned south at KM72 for the Parque Nacional and Lugana
Hanson. Following the signs for Rancho Ponderosa at 12 miles from hwy 2 (an off road riding area) and Ranch El Topo at 22 miles south of hwy 2 is easy
(I believe this too is an off road guess ranch) . After passing the El Topo turn off we continued toward Laguna Hanson following the most used road
method and some times a sign here and there. At 28.6 miles we come to a jct that I believe is from El Condor, it's another well used road. After about
31 miles we see lots of new buildings since I was last here. There is a new hotel and resturant, at least new to me. Sign said it was open but we
didn't stop. Called Ranch Rodeo Del Ray.
At 37.5 miles is Laguna Hanson with water in it. Many campers in the area. We pass by the lake and thru Saw Mill (at 42 miles) to El Rayo jct at 44
miles. We turn left and go straight. At 50 miles is a ranch on the left. At 54 miles are red cabanas for rent (sign says so) on right side . Rancho
Cuevitas on left side, not right as maps show.
From here it gets a little confusing. There is a well used road to the right which we probably should have taken, instead we go straight and at 58
miles come to a metal gate. It's not locked and there are no signs. On the other side of the gate is a well used road left and right and our road
continues straight. However about a 1/4 miles we come to another gate with private property signs and NO MOTOS. We turn around and go back to the
metal gate and go left or west. With in a 1/2 mile we reach the Baja 500 race course. I'm not sure but I think had we went right on the road at mile
54 above we would have come to the race course. We decide to go left or backwards on the course thinking it would be closer to Santa Catarina and hwy
3. Following the race course was easy with the ribbons still up. At the steel gate I zero'd my odometer. At 15.5 miles I see a 315 race mile marker.
At 23 miles from the metal gate we come to a jct. The race course is to the left but Santa Catarina is to the right, so we op to head to the hwy and
on to Mike's.
We get into Mike's Sky Ranch at 8:30pm. A few well deserved drinks and small talk with the other guess we're off to bed. At breakfast we meet several
people from all over the U.S. They're with an off road tour in Baja off road Cars. Score has them designated as BC in the race numbers. They're pretty
neat cars, good suspension with a V4 type engine, 2 spare tires. They left Ensenada on Thursday and stayed in San Quintin (Old Mill) into Mike's on
Friday and back to Ensenada Saturday. The tour company was Wide Open Baja. www.wideopenbaja.com
After breakfast and after the BC cars left we leave up out of Mike's to the west. At 3.3 miles is the Simpson turn off to the right. At 3.8 miles is a
little, maybe very little used road to the left. The brush is overgrown and I had to get out and walk a couple of ditch crossing to make sure I could
get across. I don't recommend this trail for long wheel base vehicles due to the switchbacks going up the mountain. I was in my Toyota 4x4 extra cab
and did not have any problems other than moving a large rock or two. In 3 miles this trail joins the 500 race course at RM241.5. We turn right to the
now infamous silt hill at RM240. It's one long hill but going down it didn't seem so bad, of course this is a month after the race.
3.3 miles from joining the race course we come to another cross over road. This road is 2 miles to the road we came out of Mike's on and another 2
miles from the Simpson turn off. We continue on and at 7.7 miles from joining the race course we reach El Coyote Ranch.
A side note: at the Observatory road jct for Rancho El Cayote it is 12 miles to the Rancho La Jolla turn off. This road will take you back to Mike's
Sky Ranch and was used a couple of years ago in the Baja 500 race.
We took the Observatory road out to hwy 1 and head back to San Diego for a 4th party. The Observatory road is being paved and it won't be long until
the whole thing will be done.
In the next week or so I'll be putting togather all the GPS readings I took and I'll be glad to share them with you.
bajalou - 7-4-2005 at 11:16 AM
Sounds like a great trip TW
David K - 7-4-2005 at 08:40 PM
Thank you Tom... great to read a good trip was had.
Ken Cooke - 7-5-2005 at 10:53 AM
Wow, they're paving the observatory road? Hasn't it been paved once before???
David K - 7-5-2005 at 05:09 PM
No, except for a short section of the grade above Meling Ranch...
The observatories (small ones) were built about 1970 and at the time the government said the road was going to be paved... 35 years is a long wait! I
first drove on the observatory road in 1972, then again in '78 and '84. When I was last up to the end of the road in July 2000, the final 2 km. were
paved from the gate to the end.
TMW - 7-5-2005 at 06:38 PM
I might be wrong, but I think the reason behind the paving is that they are putting a new larger telescope up there. I don't remember where I heard
about the telescope, it may have been on this board.
Widing the road is part of the paving job.
[Edited on 7-6-2005 by TW]
tunaeater - 7-5-2005 at 06:49 PM
Glad you guys had a good time. Thanks for the story. Paul
David K - 7-5-2005 at 07:59 PM
Well, a paved road sure makes the trips up there easier on the astronomers, tecnicians, and transporting the technical equipment.
As I said, the government had planned to pave the 100 km. road ever since it was graded up there in '69/'70.
It is one of the sites being considered for a new SUPER telescope... the others being Hawaii and Chile.
For the San Felipe-Mexicali area people it would be a faster trip to get over to San Quintin area, with only the road through Mike's and past El
Coyote being dirt.
Ken Cooke - 7-5-2005 at 10:08 PM
David,
Faster via Mikes, but not necessarily safer IMO. If that boulder is still in the trail above's Mike's Sky Rancho, a large SUV might not get around it
very easily. The route via Valle Trinidad would be a safer bet w/the two gas stations (Valle Trinidad and Colonet) and the lack of true cliff-hanger
trails which gave my open-diffed Ford Ranger quite a challenge in '03.
David K - 7-5-2005 at 11:01 PM
Oh, I know the road south of Mike's is not for std. autos (now)... I was saying that it would be less dirt miles overall.
However, once the observatory road is paved, a branch north to San Matias (Hwy. 3) via Mike's may not be too far fetched... heaven forbid!
roverdude - 10-1-2005 at 11:04 PM
Some pictures of this route to enjoy on this page of my site....
http://www.roverdude.com/pages/11/index.htm
Check out the other Baja pages as well.
John
David K - 10-2-2005 at 10:30 PM
Welcome to Nomad Roverdude!
Nice web site you have...
Maybe add the link to the homepage in a signature on your Nomad posts so viewers can easily find your stuff?
Here's my web page for the road (photos and log) through Mike's Sky Rancho, from last month: http://community-2.webtv.net/boojum2/905
Ken, is this the boulder you speak of? Up the hill from Mike's, it would be hard for a Hummer to get around, for sure!
Geronimo - 10-4-2005 at 06:50 AM
Ironicly A guy from San Felipe did just manage to get an H1 through that spot, with a dent in the rocker for his troble.
Geronimo
David K - 10-4-2005 at 07:18 AM
I wonder if that is why 'OUCH' is painted on it, LOL!
Welcome to Nomad!
Real nice Cherokee you have (I saw the photo in the other thread)!