I have seen this question/comment come up again and again. This thread is to explain how we drive our vehicles when, "Away from pavement" while in
Baja. On sand, in the deserts, in the mountains...of Baja.
Barry A. - 4-22-2008 at 10:21 PM
I have been driving to Baja for some 55 years, and 95% of that time I have been going to primitive and near-roadless areas in both modified 2-wheel
drives, and 4-wheel drives-----------------I have never in that 55 years driven my vehicle "cross country"-----never, not once. But I HAVE driven my
vehicle along beaches below the tide line, and on roads that can barely be called roads, and on roads that were built many years ago by whoever, and
on trails that the locals have pioneered to gain access to areas of interest and that provide access to their homes and ranches.
In all that time I have seen very little evidence of indiscriminate "cross country" travel by full size vehicles.
The recent use of ATV's is another matter, and yes there is a problem with them, it seems to me. But I believe that the "cry" of some that we
operators of full-size 4x4 vehicles are somehow tearing up the land is vastly overblown, and in fact it seldom happens.
That is just my observation, and I hope that this is what Ken was looking for in this thread.
BarrySharksbaja - 4-22-2008 at 10:25 PM
TURTLE KILLERS!! Yes we have our cake and eat it too!
Barry, it doesn't take long before a route can go south.Barry A. - 4-22-2008 at 10:45 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Sharksbaja
TURTLE KILLERS!! Yes we have our cake and eat it too!
Barry, it doesn't take long before a route can go south.
Sharks, you are probably right, but do you have any examples? I know a few, but not many. Baja is pretty darn resilient, and generally too
rough/tough for "road building" by indiscriminate 4x4 operators.David K - 4-22-2008 at 10:57 PM
A human foot print is deeper than a floatation tire track in the sand... safer for sand creatures to have a quad or 4 wheel vehicle drive over them
than to be stepped on!
"Off Road" of course is a bad term, as it really means "off highway" or "off pavement". Off road racing is on roads, never cross country. Four
wheelers drive slow and easy on dirt roads or arroyos in the desert... we don't disturb native brush.
The photo by Ken looks like the coast between Nuevo Mazatlan and El Coloradito (south of San Felipe), which has been a 'vehicle route' since the
1950's... and is not a turtle breeding zone, either.TMW - 4-23-2008 at 07:28 AM
Off-Road has always been synonymous with off-highway/off-pavement and not cross country. For those that don't know that it's their problem for being
ignorant. If a bridge or culvert was washed out and your only way to continue was to drive off into the dirt around it crossing virgin land would you
do it and why?
[Edited on 4-23-2008 by TW]Gadget - 4-23-2008 at 12:32 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by TW
Off-Road has always been synonymous with off-highway/off-pavement and not cross country. For those that don't know that it's their problem for being
ignorant. If a bridge or culvert was washed out and your only way to continue was to drive off into the dirt around it crossing virgin land would you
do it and why?
[Edited on 4-23-2008 by TW]
Yes I would and have.
Heres another example:
In 02' we were on our way to San Ignacio for an overnight at rice and Beans and to meet up with our crew for the 1000. I was traveling along with
Paul and Stewart in Pauls BSB ( 4 link, I-beam 400+ hrspwr Bronco prerunner ) in our GSB. We were doing the loop from Visciano to Abreojos to
purchase seafood for Ricardo to cook the crew for dinner that night.
BSB was out front with Stu at the helm. He doesn't drive it much as it is a handfull. Pauly has it wired and Stu prefers the co-dog seat. BSB rolls
on 37s, has 24" of front suspension and 30" rear. Its a 100mph + rig and kind of has a mind of its own.
Stu finds himself too hot into a downhill chicane (sp) "S" turn and has no other choice than to straighten out the corner. As I come up on the turn I
can see the 2 foot sand berm on the right has been freshly blasted through. There is a 4 foot drop off into a gully and sharp hill climb back onto
the road on the other side.
The dust is still clearing in the gully and we fully expect to see BSB upside down in the bottom. What we see is tracks up the otherside and another
berm blast as they re-entered the road.
We felt obliged to stop and repair both berms, check for any wild or insect life that may have been disrupted, rake out the tracks and water the
dusted down plant matter ( we had to take a leak ). Kidding, that was for
mtgoat666.
Seriously, after they both got their heart rates back down and fresh underpants on Stu gladly gave the helm back to Pauly. Their excursion at near 70
mph into the ditch could have been an ecological disaster had it not been for the even unpracticed skill of Stu to keep BSB rubber side down. Gas,
oil or fluids could have spilled, fire could have started, who knows. A few tire tracks was well worth the alternative.
So moral of story if you encounter an unplanned trip off the beaten track into the bush....PIN IT!
And yes folks we were being very careful with our speeds up only when we had a good look out ahead for dust or traffic and were in radio contact with
each other the entire time. Sharksbaja - 4-23-2008 at 12:44 PM
Let's hear it for bad boys with big toys! That's a greatlittle story there gadget. Amazing what controlled momentum can accomplish.
"Sharks, you are probably right, but do you have any examples? I know a few, but not many. Baja is pretty darn resilient, and generally too
rough/tough for "road building" by indiscriminate 4x4 operators."
Barry, I was referring to Ma Nature but yes, the desert can and does change easily. Washed out roads are just a regular affair in some areas. Blowing
sand alters tracks by the minute.
I think it would be dumb to go cross-country unless you were in a bad position because something had changed and you had to.Mexitron - 4-23-2008 at 03:04 PM
I've seen some pretty serious damage from the 1000 road races...but most explorers like us don't tread too heavily on Baja.shari - 4-23-2008 at 03:38 PM
Juan always amazes me when he takes a turn off a dirt road and into an arroyo...not a road...and we go for miles weaving around bushes, rocks, cactus
etc..it's really cool...no tracks to follow....Juan just follows his inner GPS, I guess that would be his MPS for mexican...he has also taken me to
look at lots through dunes I can't even imagine a vehicle going...I wouldn't dream of it...but somehow he manages and I have to wipe the smug look of
"Oh man,you are gonna get sooo stuck out here" look off my face.Sharksbaja - 4-23-2008 at 06:30 PM
Good point about arroyos. They most certainly are an important element in navigating Baja. I think that this is the PC way of travel because little
can grow in these continually changing roadstreambeds.Just watch out for the turtlesDavid K - 4-23-2008 at 06:39 PM
One of the longer arroyo drives is the 32 mile run in Arroyo Matomi from Hwy. 5 to the oasis at Rancho Matomi...
Ken Cooke - 4-23-2008 at 07:05 PM
This being 'Arroyo Enmedio' gets the nod for being so tough, it took hours of teamwork to get into and out of. One of the toughest stretches in Baja
IMO, but our crew treaded lightly the entire route and back.
Rockcrawling in Tecate. This is considered Level 4 (out of possible 5 - 5 being 'extreme'). Tread lightly, or you won't make it home in your
vehicle...
Whenever I lead a group into Baja, I make sure we stay on established roads, trails, rocks, etc., and we respect the land. Locals tend to break
bottles and leave trash, we try to bring back or dispose of waste appropriately if at all possible. I always bring back recyclables for processing in
the USA.David K - 4-24-2008 at 09:19 AM
Yes we have our cake and eat it too!
