BajaNomad - Towing - places to stop w/ no backing up

Towing - places to stop w/ no backing up

mojo_norte - 12-2-2006 at 05:25 PM

I'm driving an RV and towing a boat down to Cabo. Can someone suggest safe places to pull off and camp that have enough room and where I won't have to back up. Places I already know are El Pabelon (San Quintin) and Playa Naranjos (Mulege) so I'm looking for places in between and below. Basically I'm trying to put together a leisurely driving itinerary for winter daylight - say ..start driving at 9 stop for lunch - at camp at 4- so 6 hours of 55 MPH..

Diver - 12-2-2006 at 06:21 PM

Rancho San Inez, just south of Catavinia is a large desert parking area at the rancho with plenty of room. Dry camping with rough bathrooms.

El Padrino in San Ignacio is a little tight but if you pull behind the restaurant on the right side and swing left between the trees to the far side, it works well. You can walk into town and the on-site restaurant is pretty good.

Manfred's in Cuidad Constitution has large pull-through spaces, full hook-ups with good water, very clean bathrooms and a pool. I hear the restaurant is open as well.

San Pedrito, just southwest of Todos Santos has large spaces but I do not recall any pull throughs. Used to be fairly full hook-ups with fairly cleans bathrooms on the beach.

.

Don't take this the wrong way but...

Dave - 12-2-2006 at 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mojo_norte
I'm driving an RV and towing a boat down to Cabo. Can someone suggest safe places to pull off and camp that have enough room and where I won't have to back up.

You really need to get comfortable driving your rig, and backing up is part of the process. I would suggest finding a large parking lot and practice with empty boxes or cones.

There will come a time when you need to negotiate tight spots. It's best to be prepared.

Diver - 12-2-2006 at 08:17 PM

Dave makes a very good point.

At Bahia de LA, you can camp in the abandoned campground near the turtle preserve and be on the water and near town. Many other large rigs stop there for a day or a week. It is a huge open area on the water.

.

mtgoat666 - 12-3-2006 at 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mojo_norte
I'm driving an RV and towing a boat down to Cabo. Can someone suggest safe places to pull off and camp that have enough room and where I won't have to back up. Places I already know are El Pabelon (San Quintin) and Playa Naranjos (Mulege) so I'm looking for places in between and below. Basically I'm trying to put together a leisurely driving itinerary for winter daylight - say ..start driving at 9 stop for lunch - at camp at 4- so 6 hours of 55 MPH..

I think you need to learn how to back up your vehicle. If you are uncomfartable backing up your vehicle, I suspect you are a poor driver and a potential hazard to others. Once you learn to back up, you'll be a better driver be ready to venture new places.

spike - 12-3-2006 at 12:54 PM

Mojo_norte,
I'm not sure if you are uncomfortable backing up your rig or not , but a trick that I learned when I was new to trailering, helped me many times and still does from time to time ." When backing up with a trailer or boat, move your hand to the bottom of the steering wheel, and then the direction you
spin your hand is the direction your tow will go." It's a simple way to keep it together when towing confusion takes over.
Spike

BajaWarrior - 12-3-2006 at 02:10 PM

practice, practice, practice... ya never know when your going to need the skill of backing up.

If you really want a crash course in towing, tow a car or truck on a towbar, now those you really can't back up. You'll be a pro in no time.

Otherwise, try viewing your boat trailer from the drivers side mirror when backing up, and if you have your wife go to the back of the boat trailer and give you directions, you'll probably end up in divorce :spingrin:

[Edited on 12-3-2006 by BajaWarrior]

Diver - 12-3-2006 at 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaWarrior
if you have your wife go to the back of the boat trailer and give you directions, you'll probably end up in divorce :spingrin:

How true !!
Not that my wife isn't competent and couldn't help....but;
Even though I am pretty experienced at backing a trailer, my occasional frustrations occassionally get vented to the helper.

We are trying to avoid divorce !! :biggrin:

toneart - 12-3-2006 at 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dave

Quote:

Originally posted by mojo_norte
I'm driving an RV and towing a boat down to Cabo. Can someone suggest safe places to pull off and camp that have enough room and where I won't have to back up.

Here's how I learned to back up and turn around my then new pickup/trailer rig:

Going south towards the border, about 2 P.M. I pulled into the Arco station in Mission Viejo. That was no problem because it was an easy pull through. But I needed a place to park and walk my dog. Just up the road was a shopping mall. It had lots of green lawn and trees...looked like a park. I thought to myself,"cool, looks like plenty of space to park." Once inside the green expanse my immediate choice was to turn right. There was no sign at the bottom of a slight hill that warned me until I suddenly saw the multi-level and underground parking structure. Of course, I would not fit under the maximum height, not to mention turning around. In my rear view mirror I noticed that I had become a pied piper to other vehicles.

I had to do something quick, before I get stuck. Well, I began to jockey back and forth in this narrow, one lane road before I was able to head back down in the opposite direction. It took about 20 back and forths, all the while these Orange County Soccer Moms were blasting their horns and screaming. Every time I would inch forward, a car would dart around behind me, followed by a line of cars. This caused me to have to get out and plead for one car to stop so as to not crunch them, and let me back up. Of course, this further delayed the irate, honking screamers, whom I was making maybe six minutes late for shopping!

When I finally got pointed back down the hill, I watched an especially attractive woman roll down her window. Her face turned beet red and huge arteries popped out in her neck, as she was transformed into a Jezebel monster. She stuck that scary face out the window and yelled, "Idiot! Her>>>> :fire:

Me>>>>

And bring a spare

Dave - 12-3-2006 at 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaWarrior
Otherwise, try viewing your boat trailer from the drivers side mirror when backing up

I expect you'll lose the mirror before you make Cabo.

Bob and Susan - 12-3-2006 at 07:38 PM

mojo_norte...

just go...look for places you don't need to back up and you'll be fine...

you won't lose a mirror...well maybe

i have lost one... but..."It was the other guys fault" :lol:

i back up all the time and last year i wasn't paying attention and jacknifed (sp) the trailer and broke my fender...ouch...embaressing

have fun

bajabound2005 - 12-3-2006 at 08:20 PM

mojonorte...we are so with you!! Our tiny cargo trailer is all of 4x6 and we can't back out of ANYTHING! Spike, muchas gracias for your tips. Our problem is the trailer is so small that the slightest turn makes it jackknife! HELP HELP HELP...

mojo_norte - 12-3-2006 at 08:30 PM

Thanks for all that you all-

I'm not that bad at backing- it's just the usual pre trip 'what if' anxiety- once you get on the road it all seems to melt away..

BajaWarrior - 12-3-2006 at 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajabound2005
mojonorte...we are so with you!! Our tiny cargo trailer is all of 4x6 and we can't back out of ANYTHING! Spike, muchas gracias for your tips. Our problem is the trailer is so small that the slightest turn makes it jackknife! HELP HELP HELP...

Yep, the shorter the trailer the quicker it jackknifes. I can back my triple axle 20' flatbed on a quarter and give you two dimes and a nickle back, but backing up my much shorter Jet Ski trailer is a lot harder.

Although, it does help when the trailer is as wide as the tow vehicle. You don't have to keep swinging it back and forth to keep it in the mirror.

[Edited on 12-4-2006 by BajaWarrior]

Hook - 12-4-2006 at 01:30 PM

I have turned around about 50 feet worth of vehicle inside the parking area at Rice and Beans in San Ignacio.

Bedman - 12-4-2006 at 03:59 PM

I'm with you Mojo. Backing a trailer (that you can only see in the rear view camera) behind a motorhome is a daunting task. Some good advice in a few posts here. The best one is from Spike, " When backing up with a trailer or boat, move your hand to the bottom of the steering wheel, and then the direction you spin your hand is the direction your tow will go."

And my best advice to you is "poco y poco" or little by little. Don't make big adjustments in steering until you know your trailer is headed in the right direction. You'll do just fine.

Bedmann

Divorce counseling

Hook - 12-4-2006 at 06:35 PM

The spouse can actually be a real aid when backing IF YOU AGREE ON A SPECIFIED SET OF TERMS! For us it's "away" or "closer" and "straighten" meaning move the trailer away from or closer to where the wife is standing.

It also helps to tell your spouse to remain close to the end of the trailer so that you can see her in your side view mirrors.

I almost never need the help after so many years of backing BUT I cant tell how far back I can go when backing towards an obstruction.

In this case, we use the technical term "STOP".

We also use the little FRS radios cause nothing causes fights faster than screaming over a diesel engine. The screaming seems to continue even after the engine is shut off. :rolleyes:

Bob and Susan - 12-4-2006 at 08:37 PM

oh yea...
when the wife helps...

"The screaming seems to continue even after the engine is shut off" :lol:

Bedman - 12-5-2006 at 01:28 AM

We also use the FRS radios....BUUUTTTT......

She never pushes the DANG send/transmit button down hard enough. I made the mistake of telling her one time to push the dang button down when she talks into it....learned my lesson real quick, never tell a woman How to talk.

So now, I see her lips moving in the rear views. Of course, I have NO idea what she's saying, but when she starts waving her hands about Wildly, like she's swatting at invisible Hornets.....I know it's time to stop!!

And of course, to this day, she still has no idea that she isn't transmitting. I just tell her, "Thanks for helping Honey"..

SSSSSSSssshhhhh... it's our little secret!!

Bedman