Monday, November 19th - Who is helping with La Turquesa Mine Road?

Monday the 19th is approaching fast. I am getting ready for my trip to Colombia, so I have to have BAJA GRANDE planned, and this is the only part of the trip that is not ready. So...Who plans to help out with the La Turquesa Mine Road? TW? Anyone else? We will have between 17-19 Jeeps, and everyone is ready to lend a hand in opening up this route. We will have shovels, work gloves, hats, and bottles of water.

Please let me know 100% who plans on being there, so I have an idea of what to expect. Thank you, very much...

In case some Nomads want more detail, here is when the idea began to repair the old mine road and make a shortcut to Gonzaga Bay from Hwy. 1:

http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=22806

Also, a web page on that trip of last February: http://vivabaja.com/207

The grade looking down from the top, 4.6 miles from Hwy. 1 at Km. 213/214:




It's the mile from the mine to the bottom of the grade that was washed away, where the Jeep club is trying to repair...



[Edited on 10-26-2007 by David K]

David,

Do you think this guy will make it? Yep, that's Chris Glass' Tijuana Explorer on 40" IROKs!!!






Now, that's what I call, BIG PIMPIN'!!

Ken, once you leave Hwy. 5 for the turquoise mine, there is only one road! It appears to end at the green pools, but drive over the lava area to the left (south) of the creek to continue to the turquoise mine, which is on the right (north) side of the creekbed, on the side of the hill.

http://vivabaja.com/wayno for green pool pictures (by Wayno of Blythe's B&B Bait store) and on the second page, turquoise mine photos from me in 1975.

Chris and I went to the green pools in '92 (GPS waypoint listed): http://vivabaja.com/1102/page2.html

Green Pools, La Turquesa Canyon: 29°33.72'/ 114°23.89'

Map from Cliff Cross Baja Guide, 1970, shows turquoise mine to the west of Hwy. 5 (dirt), 3 miles north of Las Arrastras site... abandoned today.





[Edited on 10-27-2007 by David K]

Okay, here is perhaps a better plan:

Our group will climb the road to the mine leaving
Hwy 5/Turquoise Mine junction at 8 a.m.
So, if TW is camping at the mine, we can simply meet him there.
Be prepared for more Jeeps than you are used to seeing in Baja!
We're ready to open up that road and play on some rocks!!

[Edited on 10-27-2007 by Ken Cooke]

I can't drink cafe, amigo. But, thanks for the gesture!
I will see you with 10-15 volunteers, then...maybe more depending on who wants to be pulled away from the sand and sea for a day on the rocks. It looks like we will possibly make some headway into this route!

Good Luck!

Hey, how come DK ain't leading the charge?? I would think he and the SqCircle would be on it. You need to balance the group by adding some Toys to the mix.

Ya know when I look at those big tires on Chris' rig I can't help but wonder how that carrier and small axles take all that torque and punishment. Has he had any differential probs running those?

Hope you guys do good. Wish I was the first full size Bronco to make it through there. GSB is going on the jack stands to fix issues from our month in BCS and assorted other parts of Baja. Will not be back together before we leave for BoLA on the 9th for the 1000 and Thanksgiving with the folks.
Good skill to ya all

Quote:

Originally posted by Gadget Hope you guys do good. Good skill to ya all

Muchisimas gracias por todos esos palabras.

Our group of 5 vehicles made the drive from Gonzaga Bay to La Turquesa Mine and were amazed by the technical nature of the road we encountered. After inspecting a hole in the side of the La Turquesa Mine hill, our groups' Total Chaos-equipped Taco entered the wash leading past the mine first.

This proved to be more problematic than anything. By traveling this section of wash alone, the Toyota eventually found trouble, and then had to exit the wash due to cholla cactus thorns sticking into its Bridgestone Revo treads.

Nick parked his Tacoma and pulled thorns out of its' tires while the rest of our Jeeps tried to cover the distance while aiming towards the zig-zag trail down the side of the mountain located west of the mine.

Our Jeeps hit some dense vegitation and were not able to continue forward just 1/4th of a mile from the mine. With a sturdy tractor, we could make a road leading to Hwy 1 with no problems. But, with just 4WD rigs and cactii everywhere, we had to do the smart thing and turn back. On my way towards Nick, my rear tire found a huge hole, pushing the front drivers side skyward, but not quite enough to cause me to flop on my side. These trails south of the border are no joke - they contain serious obstacles that will make most drivers a nervous wreck.

Thanks for the kudos. We had a great time. You should have seen the Total Chaos-equipped Tacoma fly off of the cliff right next to the mine and land in the wash. Nick said he wouldn't try that stunt again, but he sure had a great time proving that he could do it! I think both Toyotas dented their sheetmetal on this trip, but both drivers had a wonderful time in the process!

The rocks there were petrified, and the ledges were tall in some places. I was afraid that I'd ruin my only ride to work. It was fun, but we'll give it a go in another year or two...









[Edited on 11-29-2007 by Ken Cooke]

Obstacles

Yes, I took a photo, but you can't tell by all of the brush what the ground looks like. I will post it this evening so you can see. This photo was taken high above from the mine looking down into the canyon. Trust me. If 2 Rubicons, a Total Chaos-equipped Tacoma, a lifted Grand Cherokee, and a lifted Wrangler X couldn't make it up, our chances are sunk without a bulldozer.