BajaNomad

Mision Santa Maria is calling me back!!!

David K - 5-16-2007 at 09:38 PM

Memorial Weekend the 'new' 4 door Tacoma with Cooper Discoverer STT tires is going in!

Baja Angel has never been and it has to be one of the most special exotic places in Baja... The Squarecircle will be coming too in his new Land Rover LR-3, anxious to give it a good shakedown!

Naturally, I will take lots of photos and road notes. Here are some of the sites from my last visit in 2003 (with Nomads Fishunter and chicagoross):




































What a great time!!!

BAJACAT - 5-16-2007 at 10:40 PM

Ha I wanted to go but, I will be in Gonzaga for memorial day.
Can you go some other day DK(just kidding)...

David K - 5-16-2007 at 10:51 PM

It is only 10 miles between Gonzaga and Mision Santa Maria... if you can fly!

BAJACAT - 5-16-2007 at 10:54 PM

I will send you a text from Gonzaga,let me know if you get it..

Jack Swords - 5-17-2007 at 02:50 PM

Hey David, any chance on checking out the visita San Juan del Dios? It would be interesting for someone who had been there before to see the degree or extent of destruction and perhaps photograph the results of the recent work. It is still difficult to believe, but perhaps some before and after photographs might light a fire under INAH with regard to other important sites.

Let us know how those tires work in the rocks going up there. My new Tacoma has those BFG TAs, which seem like "fake" off road tires compared to my previous BFG ATs. That's what the offroad package comes with. Anyhow, let us know!

David K - 5-17-2007 at 03:13 PM

That's a good idea Jack... If time permits and if my friends agree (they usually are game for any of my crazy Baja adventure ideas)...

I was disappointed that nobody photographed the plowed over area in the Neal Johns party...

We are driving from Baja Cactus to Santa Ynez & Santa Maria on Saturday after breakfast at Ed Lusk's Baja's Best Bed and Breakfast... with his animals, flies and still the best chorizo and eggs!

If we get out of Santa Maria early enough Monday or we leave Sunday, we can scoot up to San Juan de Dios....

Gadget - 5-17-2007 at 05:02 PM

Sounds and looks fun David. I owe the wife a trail ride and this looks like a good one. She'll have to wait for another as I will be in Ensenada Thursday for course pre-run to set our pit location, fuel dump pickup and haul in to pit for the 500. Locos Mocos crew will be servicing over 100 racers in the Baja Pits chain at around RM 160 somewhere near Rancho Santa Cruz off San Telmo road. You guys get to have all the fun while we just work! :P

David K - 5-17-2007 at 06:04 PM

We will be going to the Baja 500 too, no request was received from Carlos for any Baja Pits radio relay help, however... So, we will just watch...

Plan on being at the upper observatory road crossing (Ranco La Jolla road or the Potrero/Santa Cruz road, near Socorro mines), then take Baja Angel up to see the pine forest and observatory... she has yet to see.

Ken Cooke - 5-18-2007 at 06:54 PM

Have a good time!! And, please keep down the erosion...:rolleyes:


San Juan de Dios plowed part

John M - 5-18-2007 at 07:17 PM

David, and Jack, and others

These next two photos show only a small portion of the plowed area. However the cleared look, all around the vehicles, all the way up to the palms is exactly what the hillside looks like, rows and furrows of dirt.

Sorry we didn't do better.

John M

San Juan de Dios 001.jpg - 49kB

Another small look.

John M - 5-18-2007 at 07:19 PM

This photo shows only a small portion of the west edge of the clearing. The area the truck is parked, and where the tent is set up had been vegetation, as there appears behind the tent.

John M

[Edited on 5-19-2007 by John M]

San Juan de Dios 002.jpg - 35kB

fishuntr - 5-18-2007 at 07:29 PM

Dang! I want to go too!. Be interesting to see if my new(old) 4Runner can get there as well as my old(older) Toy Truck. But; we are going to Washington for a Rock Crawling competition with one of my sons.

I still want to do it with my Quad as well. Who was it that said.."so much Baja; so little time"? ;D

Gadget - 5-18-2007 at 09:49 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
We will be going to the Baja 500 too, no request was received from Carlos for any Baja Pits radio relay help, however... So, we will just watch...

Plan on being at the upper observatory road crossing (Ranco La Jolla road or the Potrero/Santa Cruz road, near Socorro mines), then take Baja Angel up to see the pine forest and observatory... she has yet to see.


David, you will be very close to our pit. Our frequency is 151.775. Give us a call and we'll give you GPS on our location if you want to stop by and have some LM fun. Looks like we'll have a busy pit once again.

David K - 5-20-2007 at 09:52 PM

Gadget, thanks!

Mision Santa Maria Road Log from 2003

David K - 5-20-2007 at 10:07 PM

Rancho Santa Ynez 0.0 miles, 0:00 hrs. 29-43.76', 114-41.72'

Deep Arroyo Crossing 1.8 mi., 0:10 hrs.

Cement Marker 4.7 mi., 0:35 hrs. 29-46.40', 114-39.15'

Blue Palm Arroyo 5.6 mi., 0:50 hrs.

Peninsular Divide 9.9 mi., 1:20 hrs. 29-46.15', 114-34.97'

Widowmaker top 13.3 mi., 2:00 hrs. 29-44.74', 114-33.15'

Widowmaker bottom 13.4 mi., 2:15 hrs.

Mision Santa Maria 14.5 mi., 2:35 hrs. 29-43.89', 114-32.79'

Past the mission:

1.3 miles: Fork in arroyo, ahead soon ends in palm grove, turn left, out of arroyo.

1.6 miles: road beyond impassable for vehicles, walk remaining distance to top of bulldozed grade for view down into canyon, petroglyphs, Indian trail down.

Top of grade: 29-43.03, 114-31.56'

Ken Cooke - 5-20-2007 at 10:19 PM

The last time the 4WD group was there, we played around on the widowmaker at night after dinner - and we dared people to look at the cows head in the swamp. Great times!

DianaT - 5-20-2007 at 10:27 PM

Can't wait to see the report and the pictures from this trip.

We will have to go there someday.

Diane