ArvadaGeorge - 3-29-2006 at 09:13 PM
Trinidad Route 1985 our 1st time thru
In the winter of 1985 Dick and I were both on Big XR?s, mine a 600, his a 500.
We left El Arco with 13 gal of gas between us. I had a plan. We camped in the desert and were on our way
Two years before with 2 others we had tried to ride south of San Francisquito
going to San Ignacio. We failed going south and tried going north but ran out of resources north of Santa Marta. In the next 2 years I came up with a
new plan.
San Francisquito wasn?t open in 1985 --after their heyday and before Javier and Chary. I knew we wouldn?t get help there. We were (I thought) well
supplied -- plenty of gas and 1 gal of water each, several meals, sleeping bags and a tent.
We stopped at El Barril and got 2 more gal of gas & topped up our water. They weren?t any help with directions. We proceeded on and made the wrong
turn and went to Rancho Santa Barbara (a beautiful Ranch in a small valley.) The old man there set us on the correct route and I stopped to take a
photo at the top of the hill (1/2 mile away) ?The old man mooned us.
Our next wrong turn was to Rancho San Miguel where we asked for more gas & to refill our water. They had water but no gas. We headed south. In a
few miles we ran out of jeep trail and rode down the beach ?in just a mile or so it was unrideable. I tried to blast over the rock pile into the
desert. Bad move -- I went down hard & hurt my ribs (Separated or cracked??) 4 aspirin and we were going again.
There were tracks from 1 motorcycle we were able to follow sometimes. That was the way I found thru the 1st little canyon. Then we went by the big
eagle?s nest that a caballero told me to look for. With many twists and wrong turns we got to Salina Trinidad and got on a real cow trail. With a hoop
and a holler Dick took off down the trail. About 3 turns later he ran up a rock and landed his gas tank on an ironwood stump which put a 1 inch hole
in his tank. We flipped the bike over to conserve the remaining gas. I wanted to pull the stick out and melt some plastic in. He said no, I?ll use
Shoe Goo. I said, what?? Dick put Shoe Goo on the tank. We had a small meal and by then it was dry and holding gas. Off again.
The cow trails led us to Rancho Trinidad where a old man, a woman and several young girls lived. It was obvious the girls (about 14) just changed and
cleaned up.
The old man told us he had been there for many years and that 1 lone motorcycle had come thru 6 months before. They had a Jeep but it hadn?t run in
many years.
No gas but we refilled our water & armed with new directions we headed out although our host said we could spend the night. (I have never been
comfortable taking that offer from back country families, I feel like I should pay and I don?t want to insult them-my Spanish isn?t good enough to
handle it)
We set up camp a couple of miles away, broke out the little bottle of tequila and had a meal. We were celebrating tomorrow we were going to ride the
best sand wash in Baja.
Little did we know?
We got up a little late; the little bottle of tequila had done its thing. No problem-- some coffee, some oatmeal- Reseal the gas tank- and 4 aspirin
for my head and ribs and we were set. Off to ride this marvelous sand wash.
In about ? mile all the sand disappeared and all that was left was the rocks. The old man at Trinidad told us to stay down in the wash. He said if we
get out of the wash we will get lost & die. The small rocks are 6 to 12 in. After picking up my 600 4 or 5 times I tried to run thru the rock
fields next to the bike. It worked but after 20 or 30 yards I was out of air and after 4 or 5 runs I was out of energy. Dick had an easier time in the
rocks because his bike was a little lower and he?s a little taller; but this was really taking a toll on us.
After a few hours I took us out of the wash on the South side. We can?t do this any longer. We rode thru the desert --much easier, and I tried to keep
us between the wash and the hills to the south. After a while I was getting worried & talked to Dick about heading over to the nearest hill to
take a look around. We left the bikes and hiked up the hill (by now our water was getting low and our gas real low). Up on the hill I looked around
and sat with Dick. He told me we could screw up 1 or 2 more times and then all of our decisions had to be right or we would not get out of there. He
also pointed out the old man said if we leave the wash we will die. Thanks, Dick ? I needed that!
I sat there for a while and then said I think I have been in this Valley before 2 years ago.
The rock formation with the point looked familiar. Dick said the old man told us to head for the pointed rock (I forgot that). I suggested we head
across the valley floor toward the pointed rock. If we don?t find a road by then we should leave 1 bike and almost all our gear and try to double it
back to Rancho Trinidad and I?ll see if I can get him married to 1 of those girls. He laughed and we went to find our bikes.
500 yards of desert and we were on a very old primitive road. It was barely visible; but to Dick and I it was a highway. We were hooting and hollering
and doing high 5?s while bouncing up and down on the bikes. We are saved!!
1 ? hours later we were drinking sweet cold water at Santa Marta: I?ve had some great things to drink in my day but nothing compares to the water at
Santa Marta.
Down the county road to Mex 1 Dick ran out of gas so I ran my bike up the bank to give him some of my gas. We started out on Mex 1 and I went on
Reserve with 25 miles to go. We limped in to San Ignacio in the dark and found gas station closed, but no matter. We made it to the Motel, walked to
dinner and resealed the gas tank.---Life is good.
Afterthoughts:
I have done this route many more times and after the 3rd time we got it figured out: but the first time before GPS?s and small enough Baja Explorer
maps to carry on the bike it was quite a challenge. I?m glad we were up to it. I have never found out who was the lone rider 6 months before us.
And Shoe Goo is in my tool box --although we ended up melting some plastic in the hole before we got home.
ArvadaGeorge - 3-29-2006 at 09:20 PM
I have photos I don't know how to post them??
David K - 3-29-2006 at 10:35 PM
George, this is great... Could that first biker be Malcolm Smith? He is credited for a few unique trials type rides in Baja!
Nomads: I have George's photos, only they are very small so we are trying to get larger ones to post.
[Edited on 3-30-2006 by David K]
ArvadaGeorge - 3-30-2006 at 04:38 AM
David
I asked Malcolm it wasn't him.
I re sent photos hope you can work with them
Thanks George`
David K - 3-30-2006 at 08:22 AM
See my email reply of this morning...
ArvadaGeorge - 3-30-2006 at 08:32 PM
George in 1985 on the Xr600
ArvadaGeorge - 3-30-2006 at 08:34 PM
Dick on the trail
ArvadaGeorge - 3-30-2006 at 08:37 PM
The nest was told to look for by a Baja Cowboy
ArvadaGeorge - 3-30-2006 at 08:39 PM
By Rancho Trinidad
ArvadaGeorge - 3-30-2006 at 08:50 PM
hole in Gas Tank
ArvadaGeorge - 3-30-2006 at 08:54 PM
Rancho Santa Barbara
The Photos are 3/3 off a 110 camera
So there not great
bajalou - 3-30-2006 at 09:10 PM
Thanks a lot George, these are great!
San Francisquito 1959...
Juan del Rio - 3-30-2006 at 09:22 PM
George, this was a great recap from your Baja trip in 1985...Thank you so much for sharing the photos and trip! I'd love to see more of these types
of, "Baja Adventures" from everyone/anyone who went down the Peninsula before 1990. I have attached this photo from the "Howard Gulick Photo
Collection"; of one of his trips down the Peninsula in fifties and early sixties. This was one when he stopped in San Francisquito.
..ok, another shot from Howard!
Juan del Rio - 3-30-2006 at 09:25 PM
from the Howard Gulick collection; San Francisquito 1959
David K - 3-31-2006 at 09:37 AM
GREAT GEORGE!!! You did it!!!
TMW - 3-31-2006 at 09:53 AM
Great George. I think you need something else to carry on the bikes, I just don't know what it could be.
ArvadaGeorge - 3-31-2006 at 11:24 AM
In my early days in Baja (1978 to 1990) you couldn?t count on Motels, gas or food at a lot of the places we think of as common now. There wasn?t a
motel at Gonzaga, If Papa
Didn?t have a room you were out of luck. Same with LA bay they only had 1 motel
& 1 Restaurant that served what they wanted when they wanted, family style; but I did get Mama?s Turtle once.
So you had to carry camping gear & at least 1 emergency Meal.
5 Gal of gas At least ? gal of water (1 Gal was better)
You had to reinforce the rear of the frame or it would break (the extra weight) Sleeping bag a tarp or tent cup you could put in the fire (heat tabs
were better) coffee & oatmeal ect.
The Denver riding community told stories how I wouldn?t bring guys that didn?t set there bikes the way I wanted.
It is true I wouldn?t let a Friend of a friend load his bike (he wanted to go a the last min.and didn?t think the rules applied to him)
But if you didn?t do that he would screw up the trip for everyone else
George------
Barry A. - 3-31-2006 at 12:24 PM
That is one of the best adventures I have ever read about Baja-----shades of Uncle Earle Stanley Gardner!!!! You guys really put your lives on the
line------that is what true adventure is all about. For years and years I gazed at that stretch on the maps, and wondered about it. A few miles south
of Rancho San Miguel is as far as I ever got, but we were in big trucks. We were stopped by virgin desert with really soft sand, still several miles
NW of Los Corrales.
Boy, do I love these type of posts-----------thank you very much. For me, this is what Baja has been about, and I have been going down since 1954.
I am making a copy of this one, to be put in my Baja Atlas in the appropriate place.
I wonder if the girls (now in their 30's) are still at Rancho Trinidad???? I may check that out, one of these days.
ArvadaGeorge - 3-31-2006 at 12:48 PM
2 years later there was no one at Rancho Trinidad
Now it's hard to see it was ever there
I under stand some 4wd's have done part of this rt. --from the south
George-----
Barry A. - 3-31-2006 at 01:20 PM
I too have heard that 4-wheel vehicles have come in from the south to Rancho Trinidad, and the beach there. I have never heard of any making it
between Rancho Trinidad on the south, and Los Corrales on the north. Actually, I have never personally talked to anyone that made it from Rancho San
Miguel all the way down to Los Corrales, and I don't believe that anyone has posted that made that trip, but I could be wrong.
That is all really beautiful country, at least the part around San Miguel, and Rancho Santa Barbara.
It is interesting to note that Gerry Cunningham in his 1994 edition of the "THE COMPLETE CRUISING GUIDE TO THE MIDDLE GULF" says the following about
Trinidad,
"There is a large Mexican fish camp on the flat neck of land connecting the point (Punta Trinidad) with the mainland. A road reaches this camp and we
have seen a refrigerated truck apparently collecting the days catch. Further north there have been a few RV's, but the fine sand beach is several
miles long."
This is very curious as I do not see how any "truck" could make it over the approaches that you spoke of. And "RV's" on the beach????----what's with
that?? Still, that is what Gerry Cunningham says.
David K - 3-31-2006 at 06:01 PM
The Squarecircle would love to make it through... he has been to Los Corrales and talks about this area...
Kacey Smith (The Baja GPS Guide) has the route GPS'd in her guide (for motorcycles)... recently it was reported impasssable for even m/c's... I think
it just needs spome work to find a new route.
If there are fine beaches or mineral resources discoverd, expect a graded road to be built through 
Some of the route from Trinidad to San Ignacio uses the Jesuit El Camino Real.
ArvadaGeorge - 3-31-2006 at 08:05 PM
There is a road that parallels the wash; but if you don?t know it?s there you won?t find it.
Especially going south this old road is easer to find going north.
There are the remnants of a large fish camp at the south end of Ensenada
La Trinidad. That is where the old road starts. I always tell new riders to go there first
So they can get a start on the old road.
Our 1st trip we got hung up on riding the wash?a lot of riders still do. There are more m/c tracks going the wrong way that the right one. Easy to get
seduced by the dark side.
ArvadaGeorge - 3-31-2006 at 08:14 PM
Just South of las Corrales
a little farther South there is a arroyo 4wd's can't get thru
ArvadaGeorge - 3-31-2006 at 08:15 PM
Rancho San Miguel
[Edited on 4-1-2006 by ArvadaGeorge]
[Edited on 4-1-2006 by ArvadaGeorge]
David K - 4-1-2006 at 08:45 AM
Keep 'em coming George! Baja History... GREAT!