SoCalAl - 12-21-2005 at 09:06 AM
Hello Nomads,
It has been a while since last post but my health is back (make sure you drink lots of WATER, kidney stones ain't no joke) and I can't wait till
vacation time to go back to Baja. I have some questions about trailering a small aluminum boat to Gonzaga Bay and then heading south after a few days
to BOLA. I plan to leave on June 30th and you know you can never be 100% ready but getting through the trip with as few glitches as possible is the
way I want to travel. 
1. How rough is the road south of Puertecitos? Some say it is OK and no need for 4 wheel, yet others say it is very rough, which is it?
2. Is there any lodging at Gonzaga or Punta Final or do I have to bring a tent?
3. How is the fishing off the beach and how is the fishing of shore? What kind of bait should I bring?
4. Is there any pangeros at Gonzaga and how are there prices?
Any other helpful info is appreciated.
God Bless You All
Alex Licea
David K - 12-21-2005 at 09:12 AM
Hi Alex, we have missed you!
The road is rough (washboard, rocks), but is a wide graded road so you don't need 4WD. However, towing a boat you will need to go real slow so as not
to shake it apart. Better would be to come in from Hwy. 1 at Laguna Chapala... Only 36 miles of dirt vs. 50 + bad pavement for another 15 miles above
Puertecitos.
There is a small motel at Alfonsina's along with the bar/restaurant there. Still bring a tent, just in case... July will be warm to hot, but not
rediculous from my past trips then.
I will let the better fishermen tell you about that subject...
rts551 - 12-21-2005 at 09:18 AM
Best to check on the road a little later in 2006. They are supposed to restart paving this month from both directions. Road was real rough two weeks
ago but no four wheel drive neccesary...just real bumpy.
SoCalAl - 12-21-2005 at 09:25 AM
Great info David and rts551,
I will coming through puertecitos since my fishing buddy has family in San Felipe and we will be stopping by to visit.
What is the average travel time without a trailer from Puertecitos to Gonzaga considering it is still rough?
Thanks
PabloS - 12-21-2005 at 11:37 AM
Shore fishing can be good from shore near rocks. I would allow 8 hrs from SF. Make sure your tires are top notch and check/reinforce your trailer
bunks, don't transport the boat with the motor on the transom, pad the boat inside so anything you put in the hull while trailering does not beat
holes in the bottom of the hull.
Good luck, have fun and post a trip report when you return.
Oh BTW it's gonna be real HOT! 
[Edited on 12-21-2005 by PabloS]
boating,fishing and fun
baitcast - 12-21-2005 at 12:19 PM
AL I would wait till much later to check on the road conditions, not knowing the kind of rig your driving I would consider cartopping if possible,you
could waste a trailer and boat.
Always try the mouth of the estro behind Alfonsina's
on a high and out going tide for corvina,use small kastmasters and krocks,poppers work well also.
BAITCAST
SF
meme - 12-21-2005 at 01:36 PM
It will be 100 degrees or more by July! Just starting to REally get into the humidity! We leave here(SF) last day of June, it's always 100 to 105 by
then! Not so bad if you ease into it but hard if coming from a cooler place.
[Edited on 12-21-2005 by meme]
SoCalAl - 12-21-2005 at 03:00 PM
Thanks for all the great info everyone. It helps in the preparation. I plan to stay for just about 3 to 4 days and then head for Bay of LA where I
plan to stay for an additional 4 or 5 days.
PS: I will post for road conditions closer to the month of May. If anyone finds out sooner that the roads have been repaved please send me an eamil
at alejandro@microtek.com
Thanks
Alex L
David K - 12-21-2005 at 06:34 PM
Just read Baja Nomad regularly Alex... This beats the paper and TV!
Road Conditions
mcgyver - 12-22-2005 at 08:12 AM
All the questions you ask have been answered in the last 2 months posts. Road conditions can change rapidly with rain, use etc. 8 hours is a very good
estimate for the trip with boat or trailer, of course depends on your suspension????
Canned beer in a ice chest will have no paint left on the cans after my runs from San Felipe to Hiway 1.
my second time to Gonzaga Bay...
eetdrt88 - 12-22-2005 at 12:21 PM
my buddy and I trailered a little aluminum boat from S.F. down...the trailer basically fell apart on the way,ropes and duck tape are how we made it to
our destination...anyway,after that i got an inflateable...much easier to bring and better in the water as well
Skipjack Joe - 12-22-2005 at 05:57 PM
Lot of good and accurate advice in the previous posts.
1. Motor should be in boat, not on transom.
2. Motor should be tied down securely so it doesn't move. I have a plywood tray that's secured with ropes under the seats and the motor is tied to
the plywood.
3. Tires should be aired way down on trailer and truck to minimize bounce.
4. Heat will be really intense. Last year we drove that road and it was 112 at Cocos in early July.
capt. mike - 12-23-2005 at 11:27 AM
way tooooooo hot there then!!!!
better have AC or you'll be miserables!!!
David K - 12-23-2005 at 12:37 PM
Gee Mike, when you are up there at 6,000 feet you get spoiled!
Down at sea level, in the dust and heat is where you get Baja Fever!
Seriously, heat and humidity don't typically get 'bad' until the months of August & September, IMO.
In fact, on July 6, 2001, it was SO nice at Gonzaga, everyone on the Viva Baja Van tour voted to not leave after our lunch at Alfonsina's! They were:
Debra (travelpearl), El Camote, Desert Rat, David Eidell, Miguelito Humfreville, my kids and I... and traveling with us in their Poor Old Truck (POT)
were Mike and Mary Ann Humfreville.
We had a great afternoon and evening (swimming in the warm bay)... Here is the van after it was loaded the next morning for the trip home... (other
photos from this trip at http://vivabaja.com/van1 )
[Edited on 12-23-2005 by David K]
I agree with you 100%,David...
eetdrt88 - 12-23-2005 at 01:47 PM
the first time i rolled into Gonzaga Bay was right around July 4th and it was hot...but i gotta say I loved it,that trip actually changed my whole
perspective of Baja as i had never been to the gulf side before that...here is a shot of my daughter and I with a what we called a "2 taco bass"(we
measure the size of fish by how many taco's we could make with it)this is actually taken a few years back during chistmas at campo Beluga
capt. mike - 12-24-2005 at 11:00 AM
whatever floats yur boat......me, i can't sleep when its stifiling!
life too short to be uncomfortable ever...
well...enough of this internet cafe....time for a low and slow flight around concepcion and then some reds...
David K - 12-24-2005 at 11:11 AM
ja ja... have a good one Mike... it wasn't stifling for us then, it was just plain nice!
I am still trying to figure out with your dislike of heat, why you live in Arizona!!? The coast is where you ought to be, the Pacific coast... cool nights, wet fog, take your shoes off!
Pablo - 12-26-2005 at 01:49 PM
I have been hiding out in the Arizona desert the last 30+ years. When the daytime temp. drops below 80, and 55 at night, its beginning to get a
little nippy. Baja in the summer is paradise. Even more laid back. Fewer tourist. Great fishing. Had casita in Cholla bay from 72 till late 80's,
then we went "baja".
Discovered, by the sea it was actually cooler than AZ, with sea breeze.
Forget time by the clock, can the watch, the sun rules, bring shade, and learn from the locals, they got it figured out.
The past two winters "baja backroad Bill" and me, took the long way to Aqua Verde, via SF, BOLA, Mulege and in between. Great to be in baja anytime.
However we found it too cold, for our thin blood.
Back to San Blas area this year.
Its all relative.
SoCalAl - 12-27-2005 at 11:29 AM
Thanks again for the Great info everyone.
I guess I will do it the same way we did it last time we went to BOLA, I will car top my aluminum boat. As far as the heat, if you can survive
downtown Bay of LA in August, you can survive anything. Up to about 102 degrees is tolerable, after that it's time to move on.
capt. mike - 12-27-2005 at 02:05 PM
ha!! heck, if i could afford SoCal i would live there....i just last june finished another 3.5 years commute to work there from AZ. but to tell you
the truth its too crowded for me there and too many nutz and fruitas!!
i love baja even the SOC/ Mulege in summer as long as i can turn down the good old AC at nite after a day on the water diving or catching dodos!
but for summer soon i'll be hanging at scorpion bay, as soon as the strip is ready and i can set up a palapa. a short 2 hours flight from phx and i am
in the greatest summer climate! woo hoo!!
David K - 12-27-2005 at 05:46 PM
That's a great idea Mike (Scorpion Bay)! Between Juan del Rio and Carlos Fiesta, you will have plenty of jokes to share around future campfires!!!