BajaNomad - Baja Adventure Part 4: Conclusion

Baja Adventure Part 4: Conclusion

Pappy Jon - 3-23-2006 at 08:06 PM

Having now consumed my vacation time, it was necessary to start working my way north ... quickly. Getting up with the birds I did a little exploring and worked my way north to Los Inocentes before deciding I really need to be traveling on pavement. Fast forward a few hundred miles to San Ignacio for fuel, then to the cutoff to El Arco. After my experience at the state line I didn't want to deal with that clown again so I pop off the highway and go east. Besides, Bahia de los Angeles was calling me. No trip to the Baja would be complete without a stop at BOLA. So I made my way to El Arco where the military had picked up and left, to the abandoned stop at El Progreso, then north to look for a camp. The dirt road was a little washboard, but nothing low air pressure and speed couldn't fix. I did find a nice camp spot near San Rafeal, but decide to push on the few extra miles to Boca Grande. I had camped at the boca before, and it was good. Last time I camped at the south end, but this time I decide to explore the north end of the playa. Mistake, big mistake.

As I was crossing the playa (think dry lake bed) I realize this dry "lake" bed was, well, not so dry. Suspecting I might be in trouble I head to the rocks at the beach, swing the truck around, start to cross ... and never make it. Sunk, bad, rear tires, to the axle. The only thing keeping my rear tires from sinking further was the fact that the rear diff was bottomed out. I am in trouble, big trouble. I look around. Nothing to hook the winch cable to. So, I pull out the high-lift jack to try and get the rear end up high enough to pile rocks under the tires, but the base just sinks into the muck. So I put a large rock under the base, and push the rock deep into the mud. Dang, boy am I ever in big trouble. Next I pull the winch cable, dissemble the jack and pound the post into the mud. Bad, real bad as it only takes a few blows to punch a 48 inch post all the way in. Sounded like a good idea at the time. The mud is real mushy under the dry crust. Of course the winch just pulls the jack out of the mud. But, it did move the truck slightly.

From there it was rock hauling time. Fortunately, the boca had an endless supply. I would drive the truck as far forward as I could, dump rocks in the trench behind the tire, drive backwards, put rocks in front of the tire, shovel out the mud "wake" in front of the tire, and try to build a ramp to drive up on. After four and a half hours of going back and forth I finally had a rock lined trench about five feet long, with about 10+ layers of rock smashed into the mud trench, and the trench long enough to reach where the front tires were. Note that the front tires never sank more than a few inches. I also aired down to 8 psi in all four tires, first the front, then the rear as the diff dragging would allow. As I watched the sun set I finally figured out it would probably be a good idea to UNLOAD the truck. Ya, real smart Bushrat. Between unloading my gear, and having the ability to get a 5 foot running head start, slippery though it was, the truck finally popped out of the trench and rode on top of the playa like it was rock hard. Oh, I did fail to mention that this playa filled up with water during the high tide when I was here last time. Add that to my list of concerns as the tide was also coming up. Well, by the time I get extracted I'm real thirsty, and hungry, and camp becomes my next priority. Camp is made about half mile away in the desert, and trust me, I slept well that night.

The next day I'm up late and drive to BOLA for a visit with Carol at the museo. Of course I'm still working on Mountain Time and Baja is Pacific Time so I show up at the museum an hour too early. After my visit and the acquisition of t-shirts, it's time for fuel then the trek to the main highway. Along the way I pass a cyclist, bike down on the side of the road, rider trying to fix something. As a cyclist too, I stop to see if he needs help, and sure enough, he doesn't have the tool he needs. In this case, an 8mm allen wrench to tighten up his crank bolts. After getting him fixed I realize I've accrued some karma points this trip, none of which did me any good the day before. In addition to stopping to help the cyclist I also gave out 6 gallons of fuel to stranded locals. Oh well, like DavidK says, "so much Baja, so little time." Guess I'll have to come back to burn those points.

Slide show at:
http://ratstew.home.comcast.net/BajaAdventure4_1.pdf

[Edited on 3-24-2006 by Pappy Jon]

David K - 3-24-2006 at 09:41 AM

Jon, I can't wait to read Barry A's reply to this... I wonder if his Boca Grande was posted on Nomad or Amigos de Baja, as it was some time ago... I am pretty sure it was Barry??? The Squarecircle also knows that swamp (disguised as a dry lake) I think...

Pappy Jon - 3-24-2006 at 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K
Jon, I can't wait to read Barry A's reply to this... I wonder if his Boca Grande was posted on Nomad or Amigos de Baja, as it was some time ago... I am pretty sure it was Barry??? The Squarecircle also knows that swamp (disguised as a dry lake) I think...

I knew better too. When I was there in October it flooded at high tide (I'll dig out the pic tonight). Gawd I felt dumb. I'm just glad I'm not the only one to make that mistake. I just wish I took pictures of the trench. But by the time I got out it was getting dark, and I was quite burned out. :lol:

Boca Grande--------makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about it------

Barry A. - 3-24-2006 at 12:42 PM

--------April, 1999-----My buddy in his Isuzu Trooper, and I in my F-250 ext. cab with 2000 lb CALLEN camper on our way south from BOLA, decided that it would be fun to explore Boca Grande, a couple miles east of the main road to San Rafael Fish camp, and San Francisquito. I was in the lead. I saw many vehicle tracks leading out onto the "dry lagoon" playa----stopped and walked out on it----everything looked, and felt, great------back in my truck and proceeded to drive across the hard pan to the large rock berm between the "dry" lagoon and the Sea of Cortez. On the CB I suggested that the Trooper should hold up until I checked it out (thank God). I had been cruizing across the hard-pan for about 800 yards and was nearing the rock berm when I felt that the truck was starting to bog down a little. Boy, this is not good, so gently I start a wide left 180 to get the H--- out of here. Now understand I am in 4 wheel drive, and have big 285 tires, but they are inflated to about 40 lbs.. I am doing everything perfectly----the right gear (stick shift), keeping my speed up, eveything seems ok, but I am ever so slowly losing speed and starting to really feel dumb, AND MAD. I manage to make the complete 180 and am heading for safety, but ever so slowly the truck comes to a complete stop-----all 4 wheels have sunk about 6 inches into the "mud" and I am not moving.

Realizing how far I am from ANYBODY (but the little-bitty Trooper), and knowing that the Trooper cannot haul my monster out of the mud, I am really mad, and frankly scared (just a little). I am going to lose my truck!!!! it is going to dissappear into the mud, before my eyes.

I have no winch, no Pull-Pal, no nothing, except my highlift jack. After about 10 mins. of howling at the sky, cursing, and getting ready to have an anurism, I sorta calm down and me and my buddy start thinking about our alternatives. The first thing I do is drop all 4 tires down to 12 lbs. Then we wander out across the "dry" lake and scrounge up anything we can find to put under the tires----all the stuff we found was stuff that others had used to get themselves out of the "mud" in long years past---old lawn chairs, tables, flat rocks, and stuff like that. One by one, we jack up the 4 corners of the truck (I did have a huge steel foot-base for my highlift jack), and stuff this furniture under the wheels-------I know that this is only going to work one time, and I do a lot of real praying, which is unusual for me. By the way, all this preparation for this one-time "push" to get out takes about 2 1/2 hours to accomplish.

I get in the cab, start the engine and let it warm up good-------this is a big 460 V8, and if it cannot get me going, nothing can. I put it in second gear (5-speed tranny) and give it my best------AND SLOWLY OUT I CAME!!!!! Houling in sheer extasy, I haul-ass for the sand dune that the Trooper is sitting on about 1000 yards away, mud flying from my tires, AND I MAKE IT!!!!! maracles of all maracles-----my prayers are answered!!! I have never felt this "high" in all my life----Yah Hoooooooooo!!!!

Now for the frustrating part------using three of the piddly cigarette lighter air compressors (2 of mine, and 1 of my buddies) we spent the next 2 hours airing my 285's back up to 40 lbs each. We totally burned up one of the compressors, and the other two got so hot that we had to shut them down time after time to keep them from cooking.

Within days of returning to the USA, I had a Warn 9500lb winch installed, bought a pull-pal, and bought a Quick-Air compressor-------never again am I going thru what I went thru at BOCA GRANDE!!! I told my wife, Meredith, that all these purchases were "insurance", and totally justifiable like all other insurance is!!! She made no comment.

BOCA GRANDE is the pits-------don't go there------it will ruin your day, or much worse!!!! Pappy Jon is absolutely right----that "dry playa" looks so hard and non-muddy!!!! The crust is about 2 inches think----- and below that is HELL !!! Never again!!!! (and I knew better ???) :lol:

Pappy Jon - 3-24-2006 at 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Barry A.
BOCA GRANDE is the pits-------don't go there------it will ruin your day, or much worse!!!! :lol:

Amen, amen to that. Like we used to do in school when we were bad .....

I will never, ever, drive on the Boca.
I will never, ever, drive on the Boca.
I will never, ever, drive on the Boca.
I will never, ever, drive on the Boca.
I will never, ever, drive on the Boca.
I will never, ever, drive on the Boca.
I will never, ever, drive on the Boca.
I will never, ever, drive on the Boca.
I will never, ever, drive on the Boca.
I will never, ever, drive on the Boca.
I will never, ever, drive on the Boca.
I will never, ever, drive on the Boca.

EVER!

Pappy Jon - 3-24-2006 at 06:53 PM

Boca Grande at high tide last October.

Pappy Jon - 3-24-2006 at 06:54 PM

Another. That rocky wall is leaky.

Pappy------

Barry A. - 3-24-2006 at 07:16 PM

-----is that water coming thru the rocky berm, or is there some sort of an opening at the far north end of the rock berm?? I always wondered about that, but after our experience we were in no mood to go exploring up that way.

Bob H - 3-29-2006 at 05:33 AM

Great "stuck" story. Awsome trip report and outstanding photos! Muchas Gracias. I will stay clear of Boca Grande in the future.

Bob H

Stuck!

Cypress - 3-29-2006 at 06:10 AM

Bad feeling. Been stuck three times in the past 3 yrs. In my driveway! Gets real sloppy every now and then. Yes, I have 4-wheel drive.

Selkie - 4-9-2006 at 08:24 AM

Enjoyed your trip report . Along time ago, I read a book called The Baja Feeling. Can't remember the author, but he used a Danforth anchor with his winch to get out of soft spots. You can probably find one reasonable at a marine swap meet. The more force you put on it, the deeper it digs in. works best in sand. If it can hold a 12,000 pound boat in the wind, it should be strong enough to handle your truck.

David K - 4-9-2006 at 11:36 PM

Ben Hunter... hosted an L.A. TV channel movie show in the 60's... The Baja Feeling is a great read...