BajaNomad - Part 4 of 9/05 Trip: Mike's Sky Rancho to Mex. Hwy. #3 and on to Shell Island!

Part 4 of 9/05 Trip: Mike's Sky Rancho to Mex. Hwy. #3 and on to Shell Island!

David K - 9-6-2005 at 09:53 PM

Continued from Part 3 at: http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=12576

We left Mike's at 3:55pm, Start Mile 0.0...

Rancho El Conejo road is reached in 0:21 min., Mile 5.1, 31-09.94', 115-39.17', elev. 4,108'.

Rancho Cieneguita road forks to the southwest in 0:24 min., Mile 5.7, 31-10.46', 115-39.30', elev. 4,115'.

Another road joins the above just north. to the east of the road, just through the brush and trees was Mike's second, better airstrip. However, as pilots were replaced by off roaders as the primary client and the governemnt wanted Mike to provide a 24 hour gaurd at the airport, the big dirt runway was ditched.

Rancho San Javier driveway goes southeast at 0:30 min., Mile 8.3, 31-11.70', 115-37.52', elev. 4,287'. Here's a photo showing another use for beer cans...

[Edited on 9-9-2005 by David K]

David K - 9-6-2005 at 10:01 PM

Rancho San Antonio is reached in 0:37 min., Mile 9.8, 31-12.40', 115-36.72', elev. 3,956'.

A road going west to the Tepi / Valle Trinidad road is reached in 0:48 min., Mile 13.3, 31-15.16', 115-36.00', elev. 3,583'.

A road going south to Rancho Picacho is passed in 0:57 min., Mile 16.8, 31-17.77', 115-36.06', elev. 3,438'.

Reach Highway 3 (just west of San Matias) in 1:03 hrs., Mile 19.8, 31-20.24', 115-34.39', elev. 3,143'.

Here's looking towards Mike's from Hwy. 3...

David K - 9-6-2005 at 10:03 PM

From there, we went to San Felipe and south to Shell Island... Here's Sunday Morning sunrise...

David K - 9-6-2005 at 10:03 PM

Later that Sunday... looking East

[Edited on 9-7-2005 by David K]

David K - 9-6-2005 at 10:04 PM

Looking south...

David K - 9-6-2005 at 10:05 PM

Looking North...

David K - 9-6-2005 at 10:06 PM

Looking West...

David K - 9-6-2005 at 10:08 PM

Heading to Mexicali was an unusual weather feature against the hot mountain (it was well over 100 degrees)...

David K - 9-6-2005 at 10:10 PM

The border wait was about 34 minues at Mexicali West, about 5:30 pm.

Great trip... as they all are, when BAJA is the destination!

Nice report David. Loved the pictures.

Keri - 9-7-2005 at 07:11 AM

We have wanted to go to Mikes and up to the observatory and never made it . Always heading somewhere else. Thanks for giving me a little peek, k :yes:

Bob H - 9-7-2005 at 08:13 AM

Great photos... and outstanding details. Thanks for sharing these. We'd love to make it up to Mike's some day.
Bob H

Taco de Baja - 9-7-2005 at 08:15 AM

Nice pics, David.

Is that a new Taco I see in some of them?
If so, how does it perform in the wilds of Baja?

David K - 9-7-2005 at 07:08 PM

Yes, you must have missed my El Rosario weekend post a couple weeks ago? I exchanged my '01 Xtra Cab for the new, bigger (but not much longer) '05 Double Cab and took it to Baja a couple hours later! It is a 4WD TRD as before. Just silver instead of gold in color.

Yes, it drives awesome... quieter, smoother, more power, better milage (5 speed auto. tranny, 4.0 litre V-6) and room for 5 adults! It handled the bottomless sand of Shell Island very easily this past weekend.

This photo was taken LESS than 24 hours after I got it, on the beach near El Rosario.

Ken Bondy - 9-7-2005 at 08:11 PM

Wonderful photos and descriptions David. Thanks again for taking the time and effort to post all of these. So refreshing to see real honest sincere Baja stuff on the board with the changes that have taken place here recently. I would sure love to join you on a trip someday. Keep it coming,
++Ken++

hey david,

eetdrt88 - 9-7-2005 at 08:12 PM

is shell island near Percebu south of San Felipe???

David K - 9-7-2005 at 08:16 PM

Yes, the Percebu lagoon is what seperates Shell Island from the rest of Baja on the north half... The Bahia Santa Maria back bay is the seperator on the south half.

I posted details and space photos last night here: http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=12578

TMW - 9-8-2005 at 05:46 PM

Another excellent trip report David. Thanks.

David K - 9-8-2005 at 08:20 PM

My pleasure Tom!

Thanks for the nice words (to all of you good Nomads)!

Neal Johns - 9-8-2005 at 08:35 PM

You do really good trip reports for a kid, DK! :lol:

David K - 9-8-2005 at 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Neal Johns
You do really good trip reports for a kid, DK! :lol:

Thank you, oh wise and aged one!
Hey, in a few more days I inch a bit closer to you (will be 48)... that's about HALF your age... right Neal? :lol:

Neal Johns - 9-8-2005 at 09:12 PM

One Third :fire:

David, great stuff as always...

Mexray - 9-8-2005 at 09:19 PM

...the truck looks good...too bad you wore your old Toyota out so quick - only 4 years! I think they still mfg.some of the truck frames out here in So. Stockton at the Dana plant - probably welded on by some Mexican Artistas! :yes:

Now if you want a truck to last more that 4 years, get a FORD...my old 89 Bronco is still going strong with about 185K miles - just barely broken in! :?:

keep em' coming, amigo...

David K - 9-8-2005 at 10:40 PM

Ray, it's a Toyota... I didn't wear it out! I had over 136,000 miles on it, only... and NO PROBLEMS! Oh, what a feeling!

It was just a couple months from the end of the 5 year lease... Instead of buying it, I traded it for the new 4 door so my grown kids or adult friends could ride comfortably.

capt. mike - 9-9-2005 at 03:56 AM

I shopped hard for a 4 door mini truck. Unless you're a midget the ONLY model with decent seating room in the back seat arrangement is the Explorer Sport Trac. Other makes were OK for kids, like Jr high size, but for adults the Jap imports, dodge, chevy, et al were crampy.

i really wanted the 2005 Nissan with the new high HP V6 but sat in the back while the sales rep said, "yeah - none of them have a lot of room there".

so Ford it became.

Taco de Baja - 9-9-2005 at 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K
Ray, it's a Toyota... I didn't wear it out! I had over 136,000 miles on it, only... and NO PROBLEMS! Oh, what a feeling!

It was just a couple months from the end of the 5 year lease... Instead of buying it, I traded it for the new 4 door so my grown kids or adult friends could ride comfortably.

Ive got 116,000 miles....(well actually 131,000 miles since the spedo cable was broken for a year) on my 1996 Taco, and all is well. Only problems have been the speedo cable, the alternator, and the AC.
It even still has all the original belts and hoses with no sign of wear after almost 10 years. Probably should just replace them as insurance against breaking on my next baja trip.....
I will get another Taco when I need a new truck in 5...10....15 years?????

[Edited on 9-9-2005 by Taco de Baja]

David K - 9-9-2005 at 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by capt. mike
I shopped hard for a 4 door mini truck. Unless you're a midget the ONLY model with decent seating room in the back seat arrangement is the Explorer Sport Trac. Other makes were OK for kids, like Jr high size, but for adults the Jap imports, dodge, chevy, et al were crampy.

i really wanted the 2005 Nissan with the new high HP V6 but sat in the back while the sales rep said, "yeah - none of them have a lot of room there".

so Ford it became.

Mike, the '05 four door Tacoma is much bigger in the back seat area than the previos year models... full size doors too. The front seats do not need to be crammed forward for the back seat passengers to have any leg room either... It's the same as any full size sedan back seat... But, you already got a Ford... So, best wishes... Need a 'got baja?' or 'Viva Baja' sticker for it? :biggrin:

capt. mike - 9-9-2005 at 10:42 AM

thx, glad yours works for you, i looked at all of them - current year's models, only the Ford has decent room - i.e. i'd be willing to sit back there. Smaller guys and chicks might be OK in the foreign models i guess.

i've got the sticker, thx.

and my license plate is FLYBAJA!

same one as on my Mulege based Nissan beater. Had to talk DMV into re issueing same vanity plate with one outstanding but not registered in 3 years. They couldn't understand that the Nissan is NEVER coming to the states again!

bajalou - 9-9-2005 at 11:23 AM

I have 3 Fords right now, a F350 a F250, and a Bronco II. The lowest mileage is the F250 with 155,000, the highest is the Bronco II with about 325,000. - the 350 has about 250,000. Fords do last. - but Toyotas do too.

:saint:

TMW - 9-9-2005 at 04:27 PM

We have a 1989 Ford E350 V8 van at work and the people that drive it never check any fluids except gas. One time I put 5 qts of oil in, 1/2 pint of power steering fluid and 2 gals of anti-freeze and water in. I told my boss that Ford must build the best engine in the world because they run without any fluids.

David K - 9-9-2005 at 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by capt. mike
thx, glad yours works for you, i looked at all of them - current year's models, only the Ford has decent room - i.e. i'd be willing to sit back there. Smaller guys and chicks might be OK in the foreign models i guess.

i've got the sticker, thx.

and my license plate is FLYBAJA!

same one as on my Mulege based Nissan beater. Had to talk DMV into re issueing same vanity plate with one outstanding but not registered in 3 years. They couldn't understand that the Nissan is NEVER coming to the states again!

No worries Mike... The new Tacoma double cab is full size in back, unlike the previous year or competition... I saw a new Nissan double cab and my back doors were much bigger as was the back area, in comparrison.

capt. mike - 9-9-2005 at 05:50 PM

yes, the tacoma is bigger, a good choice between the 2 big nippons for sure, can't figure why Datsun... :smug:

couldn't get it right.

and i loved the 3 nissans i have owned, time for buying Amaricaaaan though.

David K - 9-10-2005 at 12:18 PM

Best of luck on your Ford, Mike! Of my car purhases {VW Buggy, Jeep Cherokee Chief, Subaru 4WD Wagon (3), Mitsubishi, Plymouth Grand Voyager, and Toyota Tacoma (2)} only the two American made models were mechanical failures, repeatedly...

I did love my Jeep... when it wasn't in the shop! My three Subarus were super vehicles in Baja, and now my Toyotas have been even better...

OUch...maybe

John M - 9-11-2005 at 05:22 AM

Geez David, 136,000 miles on a 5 year lease! Just a tad over on mileage allowed?

Hope the new Toy works as well for you!

John M

Bob and Susan - 9-11-2005 at 07:21 AM

when you have those "baby" trucks everything costs less...

I just had to order 6 tires ... $1300

Gone in 42,000 miles...OUCH!!!

David K - 9-11-2005 at 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by John M
Geez David, 136,000 miles on a 5 year lease! Just a tad over on mileage allowed?

Hope the new Toy works as well for you!

John M

John, that avatar is not you! (Neal yes, John no) :lol:

When you lease a Toyota (from Toyota Carlsbad, in my case), and you change it to another Toyota at the end of the lease, there is no milage penelty for being over 60,000 miles (12,000 X 5 yrs.)! Naturally, the higher milage will depreciate the first truck greater, making it less valuable as a trade in... But, I am paying for a truck to drive it, not have it sit in my garage!!

A final note on my '01 Tacoma: In the 136,000 miles/ 5 years I had it, only TWO items failed that I had to pay for: An Oxygen sensor (light came on, car never broke down) and the water pump was discovered dripping when they changed the timing belt at 90,000 miles, so they replaced it. Again, the truck never broke down on me.

That cannot be beat considering the Baja roads I have been on! A BIG thank you to Neal Johns for so strongly recommending that I get a Toyota Tacoma when I went shopping 5 years ago! Many other Baja amigos had/have Toyotas and that was convincing too. BajaTaco's web site is great as well: http://www.bajataco.com for some ideas on modifying your truck for desert camping.

David K - 9-11-2005 at 11:37 PM

If you want a satellite view of the places I passed through on this trip, I added links in the 'Baja Locations from Space' thread to: Obsrvatory Road at Mex. 1, Meling Ranch, Mike's Sky Rancho, and Mike's Road at Mex. 3.

Here: http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=10620

We did turn north a couple miles west of Melings to head for Mike's, via El Coyote... You can follow most of the roads we were on, and up to the Observatory, even though the central area isn't yet available at the highest resolution.

Ford-man

Bob H - 9-12-2005 at 11:15 AM

We have two Ford Mustangs, a Ford Ranger truck and a Ford F250 Super Duty (big and strong). Lov'm all! Never a problem.

Good luck with the tacos though.

Bob H

Neal Johns - 9-12-2005 at 09:45 PM

Quote:

John, that avatar is not you! (Neal yes, John no) :lol:

I heard (sic) that, DK! Watch your back! :fire:

Actually, I supplied that true life video of John. Taken right after the Baker Relay Race. Trust me. :rolleyes:

Neal's right again!!!!

John M - 9-13-2005 at 12:45 PM

And I thought it was a pretty good likeness too, Neal. Of course John Page had to work with it a bit to make it fit the Nomad avatar size requirements.

David K - 9-13-2005 at 09:00 PM

Okay, I made a web page for this trip and included a detailed road log... Do check it out and let me know if it works for you! Thanks!

9-05 Trip Across Baja via Mike's Sky Rancho