The San Carlos Mesa

Mission: Get my 3 mos. pregnant Wife, Myself, My'93 T-100 4x4 up on San Carlos Mesa for a Summer solstice campout.
Via El Rosario- Pta San Carlos.
Why: stumbled on an Indian shamonic worshiping site there last September(04), want to be there on the solstice to worship with the Spirits.

June 19 arrive Pta. San Carlos just before sunset, Fathers Day. Road out to the point from Hwy 1 was pretty beat up from the winter rains, especially the last 15 miles or so. Moon dust just sarting to break free in some areas.Motorhomes and travel trailers will have fun this summer Love that road, great scenery, cactus. 45 miles (about a sixer) out there, surface of mars camping conditions. Wind was blowing 25 plus when we arrived(no surprise). We squated behind 420 upper west side drive's semi permanenet trailer out of the wind.
Tent camping, yuck! Swore I would never do it again when I got the camper. Left the pop up camper home wanting every bit of my old Toyota to get up on the Mesa. Our tripto the Mesa in september was fairly difficult, didn't know what to expect after this winter..('05)

Monday was a no travel day,'cept for the couple of surfing runs my Wife and I did down around the point. Head high plus rollin mushburgers (ok, occasional section), perrfect longboard preggy mama surf. loooong waves nobdy out. Wind started blowing again. Went down to fish camp lookin for goodies. All the boys were still in town(El Rosario). They're no dummies, big swell, 30 k's of breeze, and a fathers day hangover= no fishin..

Tuesday 6/21...Summer solstice. Surf still rollin in pretty good. had another great surf with the Wifeski and on to the Mesa. (Wind Howling again by10am)
San Carlos Mesa is about 25 miles long and about 2500' high.
To drive from the point, around the back of it, up on top of it, and across it to the rim I figured was about 50 miles. Many of those miles are very rough.

On our day trip from the point last September I told My wife We would never take that road again unless I had a brand new set of "Baja Champions"(BFG's) on the truck...$$$later off we go.
A little less than half way back to Hwy1 you take a right in Malvar, before the big Arroyo San Fernando. You pass a little Ranchito about 6 miles in, we saw someone so we stopped in. We met Irene, who of course invited us in for a soda, we declind the soda , but She gladly accepted a frosty Negra modelo.She was a beutiful older women with that back road Baja smile that was more impressive than the 50 foot cardon behind the house. It was a real challenge to explain to Her that we were going to a Shamanic worship site that does a real special thing once a year..Today. And it was in Her back yard. I guess thats when we really learn spanish,when we really want to communicate. She got it, and wished us luck.

From the time we turned off the graded San Carlos road, all the fields were either plowed, or had hip high wheat waiting for the combine. On the other side of the Ranchito the land went to its natural state and was full of life. We saw the following; jackrabbit, cottontail rabbit, fox, coyote, hawk, owl, falcon, bobcat, countless bird species,two different snakes, and a bizzilion quail (got one with the resotera:biggrin.

Approaching the incline up to the mesa the road got very narrow with bush. Scratched the crap out of the truck. Trophies!That 's why I don't drive a Hummer, would have devalued one of those more than my truck is worth..Made it up pretty easily. The whole mesa is covered in knee high chamomile/margarite flower. Almost overpowering the smell, but great!
As we got on topof the Mesa we came to the road that runs east to El progresso, west to the rim of the mesa. One set of tracks coming from te east, and it appeared one set only since the rains. Saw SATMIKE's motorcycle tracks but only for a short while. The first part of the road up on top wasn't to bad. Lots of critter holes that made it bumpy. Lots of deep dry mud puddles as well. Must have been ugly when wet..

Fork in the road after a couple of miles... Go straight to the top of San Carlos trailhead("cactus garden" trail). Go left to the indian site.

The road to the site was everything I had remembered. Much of it 4x4 low 1st! Your beers per mile really go up on this type of road. Its lava boulder hell!
Still following the same set of tracks.After about 3miles we come to a rock outcropping I recognize. I know I need to go right after the rocks.My gps would have told me this but...It got sent back to garmin after ten years of use for repair...they sent me a new one, an empty, new one!.They gave me some lame excuse about not being able to download the waypoints.. I hope they don't fall into the wrong hands We are on our third Toyota with that old GPS, if that gives you any idea. My Baja life was on that thing, I guess I gotta do it all again.

Sure enough, tracks go left at the rocks. No, I mean no, signs of road going right.The dried brush is thigh high and even.. We bushwhacked for about a quarter mile no sign..again old waypoints would have been handy. Got out and walked a couple of hunderd yards in which time I spooked two 50lb. bobcats from behind a rock (the rock I was thinking of scouting a look from). They lingered a bit, went on their merry way, I ran back to the truck...fast!

We re-assesed our sittuation and decided to head back down the chitty road for the San Carlos trail head and make camp. Old truck, preggy wife=bushwacking no bueno. Back down the 3 beer per mile road...AAARRRGGGHHH!! About an hour to our destination and got camp set , well almost. A loud buzzing sound came towards us getting louder. We scramble to get in the truck just as a huge swarm of bees comes up and over the rim of the mesa. We're safe in the truck barely! Im looking out at all of our stuff covered with bees thinking "I'll only really miss the cooler of beer when I drive away right now".I was ready to bail the whole scene fearing My wife my was in danger. After a few minutes of freaking, they left as fast as they came. Bizzaro, or Buzzaro!

Got a tidy little camp set up wondering what was next.

We were up there basking in 85 degree bliss!! Right down there at the point it was blowin 30 and frigid. About 7 miles as the crow flies, took us all dang day. A Good day in Baja!
Although we did not make it to our intended destination, we had a night up there like none other! Camped as close as we could to the verticle rim overlooking Punta's Baja, San Fernando, and San Carlos. The moon rise was spectacular! Somewhere between pink and purple and enormous, coupled with the sunset it was my best summer solstice ever...

On the way back down the hell road to the point the next day we stopped back at the Ranchito to tell Irene of our adventure. Her Husband Crisenzio was there this time. It was a pleasure to meet Him, and hear stories about the land he has owned since the late sixties, 5000 acres. The stories were mostly of hard times past and present, but weren't told in complaint. He had expected much more wheat this year with all the rain. We got a warm welcome and were graciously invited to return, which we will.

Got back to the point just in time to watch good surf get blown to smitherenes.. 84 mile round trip. Sort of a trip within a trip..

Out the road to Hwy1 and back to the good old USA the next morning...
If we can figure out how?? I will post some photos later..
WOOHOO My first trip report.. Tomas Tierra

[Edited on 4-5-2006 by Tomas Tierra]

The vessel

The camp site

The view

The moon rise

The Road

The dust

Last but not least!!

Thanks Tomas!

tomas did you go into the indian cave on the face of the mesa? theres shells belowe it and parts of a airplane that hit the mountain back in the late 70s. lots of painting too.

Great story......

.....great photos.

I never saw the original story until the photo inclusion bumped it up. So the delay meant nothing to me.

Except that I guess the little guy/gal must have come along by now! Congratulations!!

A future Baja explorer, for sure!!!

I seem to remember seeing some choillas growing neer the point and wondered how they got therenow I know...