BajaNomad - golfo de santa clara

golfo de santa clara

jimgrms - 10-6-2005 at 03:17 PM

does any one know about the los conchas motel in santa clara and about santa clara it self? :bounce:

David K - 10-6-2005 at 04:19 PM

Yes, it's in the state of SONORA :tumble:

Okay, just having some fun... I think Oso is the expert here, since he is the Nomad living closest to El Gulfo de S.C. ... I went there in the early eighties and it reminded me of San Felipe in the 60's! One paved street, shrimp for sale, a sand beach that went south forever... and the tide goes out farther than you can see! Oh, you can see Diablo Mountain from there.... I statyed in a little motel next to the police station (no JR, it didn't have bars on the doors and windows). I went on to Puerto Penasco the next day... You can see the top of Diablo from there, too.

Anonymous - 10-6-2005 at 07:03 PM

WOW after reading only a few posts I have found the expert. Even if the info is 25 years old he puts it forward as helpful. Is he really that old and wise?

jimgrms - 10-6-2005 at 07:19 PM

thanks david first time i was in san felipe , they didn't have a jail they used a old panel truck with rebar bars on the windows . sounds like there is not to much going on jim

Oso - 10-7-2005 at 08:48 AM

It's Las Conchas in El Golfo. It's the only hotel on the beach and the only one I'd care to stay in. It's clean and reasonable, around $40 or so, but no TV except in the little restaurant which is also nice. There are a few other hole-in-the wall places to stay. You can drive on the beach for miles and camp anywhere you like, just be aware of the tide and don't drive on the dark brown patches.

They have begun a "costera" highway that will connect with Rocky Point. Meanwhile you can get there with 4wd by following the RR tracks, but it's best to have other vehicles along. You could almost make it all the way down the beach except for the estuaries along Adair Bay.

Anonymous - 10-7-2005 at 09:32 AM

Me thinks that anon poster sounded alot like JR??

Me thinks that

jrbaja - 10-7-2005 at 09:50 AM

J.R. is one of the few on here with enough huevos to not hide behind anonymous, road island red, whatever, when he wants to say something.

The people from Pe?asco make runs up there in buggies and 4wheelers bcause there is some really neat stuff. Mariscos and I don't remember the other stuff they were talking about.

Personally, I've never been.

Outdated Info

MrBillM - 10-7-2005 at 10:04 AM

My only experience with El Golfo is also outdated, having been there only once for three days back in 1975-76, but I wonder what neat stuff (other than mariscos) could be there.

At the time I was there, it was filled with Dune Buggies mainly, but 4WDs too, and the wide sand beach at low tide was the solo attraction, other than the bars. We found out how closely those two were related when we camped on a bluff just above the beach line. Around 10 p.m. or so the bars started to empty and the dune buggies fired up and started running the beach. After feeling like a deer in the headlights as the buggies came roaring at us and swerving at the last minute, we got out and parked our Baja Bugs about ten feet away between us and them just in case one misjudged that swerve. To top things off, the wind came up Gale force (Winter). Never had any wish to go back.

Like most, mine are outdated too,

beercan - 10-7-2005 at 10:35 AM

I stopped going there in the early 80's bccause you had to watch your step around all the dirty diapers !!! :no:

People just didn't care and it looked more like the local dump than a beach .

I was there a couple....

neilmac - 10-7-2005 at 10:51 AM

of years ago - parked MH at a camp ground 1 mile +/- end of pave. - can't remember the name - it was in the Church 'Baja camping' book. There was a little palapa-type rest/bar there.

About 4 AM the local fisherman drove by to drag pangas to the water. There were a few Mexicans camping, down from San Luis.

Rode the 600 up the beach to Las Conchas the next AM for breakfast - looked like OK place. Food was good.

There was supposed to be some kind of membership camp; we didn't see anything. Don't know how much the new highway will change things there; unless they continue it up to the border.

We missed a turn in San Luis; wound up driving around the farmland looking for the highway. Came upon a septic tank pumper dumping his load - onto a field of squash or broccoli or something. Stench was incredible. I REALLY wash my vegetables now,

Neil

turtleandtoad - 10-7-2005 at 10:51 AM

Oso,
What's with the "dark brown patches"?

David K---------

Barry A. - 10-7-2005 at 11:39 AM

You say you went on to Penasco the next day (from El Golfo)------do you mean you went back to San Luis and then east on the pavement along the border, or did you tackle the dunes east of El Golfo? If the latter, I would sure like to hear about that!! My understanding is that is an adventure in itself.

My Kayak buddies kayaked from El Golfo to Puerto Penasco, and beyond, last year, and reported that there was no way you could "drive" around Bahia Adair unless inland along the railroad tracks, and even that is a challenge. I checked out the aerial photos (sat shots) and it looks daunting, to say the least. You know anything about this??

I spent many a day in El Golfo back in the early 80's as logistical help for my kayak buddies running down the Colorado River delta. I thought the town was "interesting", but I would not vacation there. Pretty trashy, as reported by others, and over-run with the dunebuggy drinking crowd at the time.

The 'buggistas' we met at Las Conchas

neilmac - 10-7-2005 at 03:37 PM

told us they'd run down the beach to the estuary, then up a draw and inland to the RR side road.... made it sound easy...
.. maybe setting us up?<G>

I know there's a group in RP that make the run up a couple times a year.

Neil

[Edited on 10-7-2005 by neilmac]

Bruce R Leech - 10-7-2005 at 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Anonymous
Me thinks that anon poster sounded alot like JR??

so then who are you :lol:

Bruce R Leech - 10-7-2005 at 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Hose A
I am not oso but I can tell you from first hand experience to go around the dark brown spots unless you have four or five other 4X4s with you that you can hook together to pull out.

Had to crawl out the windows because it had sunk so deep I could not open the doors. :wow:

we want photos Hose A :lol:

Oso - 10-7-2005 at 05:17 PM

The dark brown indicates the presence of mud, rather than just sand; deep, water-saturated clay mud. 4wd alone will not get you out unless you have monster tractor tires and mucho HP. Maybe aired waaaay down, with a winch and a deadman anchor. Usually the only way anybody gets out is by being pulled out with an extra long cable or two or three straps hooked to a vehicle or two, the drivers of which were not so stupid and stayed off the brown.

There is a group of Mexican guys, one of my employees among them, who "traverse" the dunes, usually camping out in the middle to drink and BS around the campfire, often continuing on to RP the next day, 2 or 3 times a year. They call it "La Travesada". The safest route is to follow the RR tracks. BTW, there is an old but pretty good B&W Mexican movie starring David Reynosa, called "Viento Negro" about the building of that railroad. It's available on DVD.

These days, I don't notice that many of what I would call "Bars" in town, although beer is available at restaurants and stores. It's still primarily an ORV recreation area. There's not much else to do unless you get some guys together and get a panguero to take you out for triggers. There is no ramp. If you want to launch your own boat, you need to be able to do so from the beach. This is not too difficult for a tin boat as it is a long, fairly firm beach with shallow water quite aways out.

The big RV camp at the end of the main drag is owned by Colorado River Adventures and is members only. They have, or had, a much smaller one in town that accepts non-members. But, if you don't need hookups, the beach is free.

Presently, there is somewhat of a boom in lot sales because of the coming highway. Mucho Caveat Emptor as some of the sellers don't actually own what they're selling. No condos yet, but they're probably on the way.

I enjoy daytrips there once in a while, especially mid-week. After all, it's the closest beach and about as close to my house as Lake Martinez upriver. I absolutely NEVER go during Semana Santa or until a full moon cycle later when the tides have had a chance to wash away the tons of diapers, beer bottles, chip bags, plastic soda bottles etc. that form a 3' wide swath along the high tide line. If I were the municipal authorities (it's legally part of San Luis Rio Colorado), I would prohibit sale of beer and soda in anything but aluminum cans- those get picked up.

wornout - 10-7-2005 at 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jimgrms
does any one know about the los conchas motel in santa clara and about santa clara it self? :bounce:

This Place? We were there in January, took up the whole hotel for one night. The owner was able to send his kid to college on the profit.

[Edited on 10-8-2005 by wornout]

[Edited on 10-8-2005 by wornout]

wornout - 10-7-2005 at 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jimgrms
does any one know about the los conchas motel in santa clara and about santa clara it self? :bounce:

If that is the place, here is his card:

wornout - 10-7-2005 at 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jimgrms
does any one know about the los conchas motel in santa clara and about santa clara it self? :bounce:

Last but not least, do have the sweet & sour shrimp!