TMW - 11-18-2007 at 11:36 AM
I got a late start on Sat. the 10th and arrived in Mexicali about 9pm. I decided to stop for the night and pulled into the Boulevard hotel. I had
stayed there several times in the 90s. The price was right but the bed was hard. Of the 15 TV channels one was in english and 13 were porno. Room was
on the street side at street level so I didn't get to sleep until I plugged my ears.
Sun. morning I'm off to San Felipe to drop off some items at a friends house then over to see Bajalou. When I leave Lou's I head down Zoo road and
cross Diablo dry lake. I hadn't been that way in years. On hwy 3 to Valle de la Trinidad. I stop for some carne tacos. The new thing is queso on the
meat. They tasted good. I took the dirt road over to hwy 1. Someone a while back asked about pulling a RV type trailer over this road. If it's more
than 18-20 feet long I wouldn't recommend it. In fact if it's a good RV trailer I wouldn't recommend that either. The road is often used in the races
and while it wasn't too bad this time it does have some tight turns if pulling a long trailer.
Off of hwy 1 I take the Observatory road thru San Talmo to the 1000 race course. On the race course to Santo Domingo. I had never been on this section
and wanted to check it out. For about 19 miles it's just dirt roads, then into some nasty rocky stuff for about 2 miles. It got dark on me and as I
left the bad part I did a GPS check to see where I was. Turns out I was on the graded road that goes back to hwy 1. Out to the hwy and down to San
Quintin for a room at the Villa San Quintin. Nice place, still looks like it did when they opened a couple of years ago. For dinner I go out to the
Old Mill and have a sea food combo and a couple of margaritas. As I head back to the hotel it starts a light rain.
Mon. after breakfast at the hotel resturante I take a casual drive up to Ensenada. Along the way I have to stop while the wrecker pulls a car up and
off the side of the hill south of Santo Tomas. In Ensenada I stop at the Ensenada Inn and ask about a room. I had tried to book one on line a few
weeks ago but was told they were sold out. Now I had a room. I check in and then head to the race contingency. I had not got a radio freqency from
Tunaeater before I left to contact him so I stopped by his hotel but didn't see him.
After a couple of hours looking at bikes, cars, trucks, T shirts, pretty girls etc. I go back to the hotel. Unloading some things from the back of my
truck I realize my duffel bags is wet from the rain. I pull the sleeping bag and stuff out and hang it over whatever I could to dry. I had a trash bag
in the duffel bag but didn't use it to keep everything from getting wet, stupid me. That evening I go to the rider/drivers meeting at the convention
center. It was a good meeting and I got to meet several friends I hadn't see for while.
Tuesday morning, race day. I watch the bikes take off. #4 came into the first turn on the pavement too fast and laid it down. He was up quickly and
gone. As the bikes were leaving I walk down to the wash and watch them do the jump. I check out of the hotel and head for the race course off hwy 3
at KM 108/109 El Jamau area. Some of the crazies are on the roads thinking they are in the race. I top off my gas tank in Trinidad and a good thing
too because later the gas station had very long lines.
I find a nice spot to watch from. The first bike thru was averaging about 50mph to that point. The first truck came thru about 12:50 or so. I think a
little faster than the bikes at that point. The roar of the mighty engines kept the crowd on it's feet. Robby Gordon was running about 4th. The
surprise was the class 1 cars moving so quickly into the Trophy Trucks. the 100 car was first thru and about 12th or 15th among the TT's. He had to go
thru maybe 20 or more vehicles in the first 105 miles to get to us. In the end he was first class 1 and either 2nd or 3rd OA 4 wheeler. I hope the
Herbst build a replacement for it since it's being retired after this race.
I was parked next to the car 133 pit. Before it pulled in a helo lands behind us and refuels from a pickup truck. At the time I didn't know it was
part of the 133 car crew until later the truck pulls into the 133 pit area and hangs with them. The 133 car pulls in and after some repairs takes off.
soon the pit crew leaves. After a while I leave. As I'm heading out to hwy 3 I hear on Weatherman radio of the helo crash and that it was the 133 car
helo. Thay said at the time two were injured and being taken to the BFG pit at Mike's road turnoff for medical evacuation. It wasn't until I got home
did I learn two had died in the crash. When I went by Mike's road I saw the red and blue lights flashing at the crash site about a 1/4 mile down it.
As I leave San Matias and going down the hill there is a Ford F250 truck stopped on the hwy with three men. One is outside the truck directing traffic
around it. I stop and offer help. Apparently the 4x4 transfer case is stuck in neutral and they can't get it out. We push it off to the side of the
hwy out of the traffic lanes. They are working from the top or cab side and I crawl under only to find everything caked with heavy mud. I offer to
pull them back to Trinidad and do, taking them to their home. They thank me and we shake hands and I'm back on the road again.
I cross the border at Mexicali main crossing and it takes about 1 1/2 hours. When I pull up to the booth he asked if I was bringing back any fruit or
veg. even if I had taken them down. I said yes I had two avocados I had brought from home. So the friendly guy sends me to secondary, my first time in
years. They told me since I told them I had them I would only have to give them up, but if I had said no and they had found them I would have to pay a
fine. Anyway after another 30 minutes they take it off my record and I'm free to go. Such nice people, actually they were all very nice to me.
Another wonderful trip to Baja with memories for a life time. I'm so sorry for the family of the two who were killed in the helicopter crash. My
prayers go out to them.
Until next time.
Gadget - 11-18-2007 at 05:39 PM
Thanks for the great report TW. You are always so concise in getting the facts out. Wish is was.
So as to not screw up your thread I'll keep it short.
Team Locos Mocos was spread all over the peninsula for this one. Since the plug was pulled by Mark Newhan on the race truck in Oct. many of us kind
of didn't have anything really planned in short notice. The Nor Cal crew was out and about with Curtis in tow shooting footage for he and Klaus's
next offering.
Les and I have been in BoLA since the 9th and will be through thanksgiving with her folks.
We ran into two of the Nor Cal guys, Lamont and Tim in town at the taco stand in Lamonts new Tacoma prerunner with a busted coil over spring. We drug
them out to the house for the night and had at a very effective coil spring repair the next morning and they were back on the dirt a happy
off-roaders.
We watched the race come through in the dark from the top of a 150 ft ridge along the course and I got some cool high speed night video.
The rest of the crew was down at Santa Rita helping out at a Baja Pits pit and I will update if they have any story worth posting.
Heard there was fog and rain down south so they may have had an interesting time.
Thats about it besides lots of sun and fishing mixed with way too much eating. It's like everyone here is in training for Thanksgiving or something
We should get on the trail together some time 
bajaandy - 11-18-2007 at 06:22 PM
Hey.. thanks for the posts you guys. Wish I could have been down there for this one. Sounds like everyone had the typical race weekend adventures,
complete with breakdowns, tows and trail fixes.