BajaNomad - Driving to El Barril

Driving to El Barril

NinoPerdido - 4-29-2008 at 06:13 PM

I am preparing to co-lead a group down to the village of El Barril, south of Bahia de Los Angeles, east of Guerrero Negro. I was referred to this community as a possible resource for advice on the driving aspects of this trip. Apparently, the suggestion has been made that the better route is to head south from Bahia de Los Angeles, instead of heading east from Guerrero Negro. Looking at the AAA map, that seems like a shorter trip, but more time spent on dirt roads, which is something I think we'd do well to avoid, considering that many of the people on the trip are fairly green when it comes to Baja. Also, not all of the vehicles are going to be four-wheel drive. I guess I am asking for input on route selection, current road conditions, scenery along the way. Specific information regarding ability to traverse the roads without four-wheel drive, possible tidal effects on the coastal route, how well marked the roads are, not to mention the critical piece of information I'm too ignorant to even know to ask for, is all very much appreciated.

Thanks.

Barry A. - 4-29-2008 at 07:35 PM

Wow, that is a tall order.

Both roads are dirt and run thru beautiful country, but the road in from El Arco is probably the more varied in scenery, and it is spectacular, and also probably the better of the two access roads. I love them both.

I have not been on either one of them recently so don't know their condition. This is wild country you are traversing, so you should be properly equiped with safety stuff-------and the drivers should all be aquainted with rough dirt roads that go on for many miles with few people around. You most probably won't need 4 wheel drive, but it would be nice to have at least one along with you just incase you encounter sandy washouts. The tides do not effect either of the roads----they are above tide lines and are considered "all season roads". The signs may, or may not, be in place----have a good map such as the Baja Atlas or at least the AAA club map of Baja.

Part of the adventure of Baja is that you just never know what you will encounter------that is part of the fun.

The "village" of El Barril is really not a village at all, but a collection of Ranch buildings and a few 2nd homes that may, or may not , be occupied. The Ranch itself is a working ranch and is always occupied, but my experience there is that they are not set up for guests-----but that may have changed lately.

This is one of the more remote sections of Baja, so be prepared for anything.

Sharksbaja - 4-29-2008 at 09:22 PM

Yeah, it's no biggie. Prepare for someone to break down and crimp yer stye. :lol:

You are quite an adventurer, leading folks into a place you've never been. Good luck!

Driving to El Barril

The squarecircle - 4-29-2008 at 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sharksbaja
Yeah, it's no biggie. Prepare for someone to break down and crimp yer stye. :lol:

You are quite an adventurer, leading folks into a place you've never been. Good luck!

Hola Corkey,

You pitched a perfect strike on that one!!!!

Say, is not El Barril, Mina La Sirena, El Venado, La Fortuna, San Miguel, Los Puetecitos, LOS CORRALES, Salinas la Trinidad and other points south of the 28th. still summoning you?

Excellent time of the year to go!

Do you have any inclination in that direction?

Best Regards, sq. :?:

Sharksbaja - 4-29-2008 at 11:55 PM

Yes, yes and yes again Roy. I have a few issues with the truck to resolve first(sigh). Hopefully when I head down next month with my son we could veer off course for a few days. I've got some serious exploring to catch up on.
Much of my time spent in Mexico this last year was dedicated to getting our home restored. Hopefully this year we'll have smoother sailing. Thanx for asking.

capt. mike - 4-30-2008 at 07:31 AM

you can talk to Rich Floris
the new owner, yes he wants guests but needs a heads up on dates and no. of humanoids to set up accomodations. they are developing the site, selling lots, improved the airstrip and plan a hotel eventually. or he might allow camping. he wants pilots too.
if you don't reach him try the BBP site

http://ranchoelbarril.com
w/o the "www"

rich@ranchoelbarril.com

shari - 4-30-2008 at 07:44 AM

Make sure you have clear directions as it's easy to take the wrong road at El Arco...you have to kind of veer left and into the arroyo and up through the little ranch...it looks like the wrong road but if you take the nice bigger road, it goes to the mine...I knew where I was going and still took the wrong road and had to go back and even ask some miners....so best to ask someone in El Arco where the right road is...kinda tricky even for locals!

David K - 4-30-2008 at 07:54 AM

Is San Francisquito/ El Barril your southernmost destination?

Much shorter to go to Bahia de los Angeles (fill up gas tanks and spare cans), lots of taco stands, restaurants, stores... and head south to El Barril from there.

To get out of Bahia de L.A. : Take the paved road to the end (tire repair on the left/ Xitlali yellow food market on the right), and turn left onto rocky, graded road...

Here is a photo of the road about 15 miles south of town:

2WD road, no problem... maybe air down tires to 25 psi to soften the ride.

IF you are continuing south into Baja Sur... take the road towards El Arco from El Barril/ San Francisquito, but take the major short cut south to Guillermo Prieto and on to Hwy. 1 a few miles from Vizcaino (gas). This newer road avoids the bad El Arco formerly paved route and crosses the access road to Mision Santa Gertrudis just west of Rancho Miraflores.

That would be an interesting side trip for your group.

Here are the GPS data for this route (set map datum to NAD27 Mexico):

L.A. Bay South to Hwy. 1

Diaz' at L.A. Bay: 28°56.76'/ 113°33.51'

Camp Gecko: 28°54.04'/ 113°31.69'

Las Flores: 28°49.08'/ 113°31.73'

Terminal Canyon Trail head: 28°44.44'/ 113°32.77'

Jcn. Old Rd. (south turn next 4 waypoints): 28°40.72'/ 113°25.41'

(Rancho Paredones road east: 28°36.80'/ 113°24.55')

(La Bocana/San Pedro Jcn: 28°28.39'/ 113°23.43')

(Trail south to Tinaja Sta. Maria: 28°28.00'/ 113°20.42')

(Tinaja Santa Maria: 28°26.07'/ 113°19.99')

Bahia Las Animas Rd. (North): 28°40.52'/ 113°21.72', Las Animas: 28°48.57'/ 113°21.34'

Bahia San Rafael Jcn: 28°34.78'/ 113°07.41'

Jcn. Old Rd. (south end): 28°26.05'/ 113°10.41'

Jcn. Old El Arco Rd. (go east): 28°20.77'/ 113°01.82'

Jcn. New Rds. (east to S. Francisquito, south to El Barril or Hwy.1): 28°21.08'/ 113°00.33'

Jcn. at El Progreso (south to El Barril, west to Hwy.1): 28°20.58'/ 113°00.33'

Top of Cuesta de la Ley: 28°17.71'/ 113°06.14'

Fork, ahead/west for El Arco, turn left/south for new road to Hwy.1: 28°10.42'/ 113°13.08'

Crossroad, south to state border and Hwy.1, east to Mision Sta. Gertrudis (& next 3 waypoints): 28°01.45'/ 113°14.45'

(Rancho Miraflores: 28°01.45'/ 113°13.76')

(Rancho Guadalupe: 28°02.36'/ 113°09.33')

(Mision Santa Gertrudis: 28°03.95'/ 113°05.05')

State Border, Mountain Time Zone: 28°00.00'/ 113°16.16'

Guillermo Prieto: 27°50.62'/ 113°17.84'

'T' Jcn., turn west: 27°49.97'/ 113°17.94'

Hwy. 1 Jcn. (south-east to Vizcaino): 27°43.41'/ 113°27.23'

David K - 4-30-2008 at 08:04 AM

Oh, just a note... IF you go via Guerrero Negro, you do cross into the other state (Baja Calif. Sur) and there is an immigration checkpoint at the border (ON HWY. 1) where everyone will need to show their FM-T tourist card (obtained at the Tijuana border at the INM office) and possibly pay for the sometimes pest spray procedure.

Going south via L.A. Bay is shorter time wise and distance wise and hassle wise!

If you check, the dirt road portions are about the same either way.

Have a great time!

wilderone - 4-30-2008 at 08:52 AM

"...many of the people on the trip are fairly green when it comes to Baja. Also, not all of the vehicles are going to be four-wheel drive."
Hope you all know about spare tires, bring shovels, tow straps. Scenery along dirt roads would trump Mex. 1. Slow down and enjoy. The journey is the trip.

NinoPerdido - 4-30-2008 at 09:15 AM

First of all, I very much appreciate all the responses so far.

I want to clarify a few things, in hopes of getting more good information.

The accomodations for the trip are entirely taken care of. There is no concern for that, whatsoever.

Quote:

Originally posted by Barry A.
The signs may, or may not, be in place----have a good map such as the Baja Atlas or at least the AAA club map of Baja.

I do have a AAA Baja map, but it's nothing to navigate poorly marked dirt roads by. For better or worse, El Barril doesn't appear to be a major tourist destination / thoroughfare, so I don't know how to get my hands on anything more detailed that might actually be useful. That's part of the reason I'm trying to find out whether we might be better off crossing east rather than heading south. It's been a while since I've been to Bahia de los Angeles (~1994), but I can't imagine that the residents of El Barril are likely to brave an extensive trip over dirt roads just to end up there. My guess, and it is just a guess, is that if the people there had the need arise to go to town, "town" would be Guerrero Negro. To me, that means that the road will be more used and probably in better condition. Just speculation, though.

Quote:

Originally posted by Sharksbaja
You are quite an adventurer, leading folks into a place you've never been. Good luck!

Ha! Yeah, I'll say. This came about through an unusual set of circumstances. The person I am "co-leading" with has been there before, but he's never led the trip. I have a fair bit of experience in Baja, so he signed me on to help with the "leadership" part. I'm not sure how solid his knowledge of the area is, though. There's a decent chance he was primarily in charge of distributing cervezas around the car on the previous trips. I know how important a shake-down cruise can be, but that's not really an option, which is why I'm here.

Quote:

Originally posted by David K
Is San Francisquito/ El Barril your southernmost destination?

Yep.

Quote:

Originally posted by David K
Much shorter to go to Bahia de los Angeles (fill up gas tanks and spare cans), lots of taco stands, restaurants, stores... and head south to El Barril from there.

Yeah, I can see that, but like I said, since I've never been before and don't have a lot in the way of recon, I want to at least look at the possibility that taking the long way might be the better bet, depending on the road conditions. I'm willing to entertain the idea that we do a hundred extra miles if that means less time getting lost or stuck on dirt roads that may or may not even really exist. If the general consensus is that the road south from Bahia de Los Angeles is not too bad, keeping in mind that at least one vehicle will likely not have four wheel drive, then I'll take my chances, but my recollection is that there ain't much in the way of a safety net south of Bahia, and I'm not convinced that this group will be the best crew to get out of a jam. I mean, they're looking to me to lead, and I've never been there!

Anyway, since we're not all in four wheel drive vehicles, shorter only means shorter to me, not better. It looks to me like either way, there will be enough places to have things go wrong that we won't be lacking for adventure. Do I understand your experience on the southbound road from Bahia de Los Angeles to El Barril to be that it's fairly moderate business, even for a 2WD? It's pretty high clearance.

Martyman - 4-30-2008 at 01:44 PM

High clearance vehicle is a must. I tried taking a Honda Odyssey out of Bahia de La A and only made it about 1 mile. My van has minimal clearance. You should be fine in a truck. Don't take your Impala Lowrider!

shari - 4-30-2008 at 02:03 PM

Are you SURE you wanna go there with a group??? I'm just thinking about the last time we were there a few months ago...we live at the end of a very long baja dirt road so I'm really really used to this kind of road...but man oh man, I was really fed up with that long bumpy road....let us know how it goes!

Sharksbaja - 4-30-2008 at 03:38 PM

Yep, that washboard around El Arco was a killer under 55mph. Don't forget that you won't find any creature comforts or services for a loooong ways so be well prepared... don't forget to pack out all yer basura.

There are a couple groups that go thru there every year. They take substantial vehicles. The biggest problem for you will be the time and headache to keep em all movin'. Sand traps, pits, washouts and sharp rocks take their toll of victims every year.

It's usually a bunch of weekend warriors that get stuck and need help to get out. One time I had to yank out 3 idiots stuck like a daisy chain all in a row. It was really silly to look at.

TMW - 4-30-2008 at 05:40 PM

The road out of LA Bay is easy to follow and you don't need 4 wheel drive. About 11 miles before San Francisquito is a fork with a sign to El Barril. There is also a sign to El Arco. If you go in from hwy 1 to El Arco, when you get to El Arco follow the good road to your left to Pozo Aleman. When coming back from El Barril it's easy to veer left onto the Baja 1000 race course near Las Juntas and come out to hwy 1 near Vizcaino. If it were me I'd go in at LA Bay and come out thru El Arco. Either way it does not require 4 wheel drive. I would use a SUV or pickup for clearance or an old ford or chevy, maybe 1951 or so.

David K - 4-30-2008 at 06:59 PM

Yes, the road south from Bahia de los Angeles is a good (by Baja standards) graded dirt road (2WD)...

Again, I mention that if you go the LONGER route via Guerrero Negro/ El Arco or Guillermo Prieto to El Barril that you WILL need tourist cards at the state border (obtained when you enter Mexico).

There isn't a town at El Barril or San Francisquito... so don't expect a road more heavily traveled than the one south from L.A. Bay... But, you will have just as much dirt driving and have driven a LOT more paved miles for that privilage...??

I am presuming that someone in your group has a home at El Barril, because that is not a place for the uninvited... private property.

NinoPerdido - 5-7-2008 at 08:14 AM

Ok. Back from El Barril. Had a great trip, a little less productive than we imagined, but that's how fieldwork goes.

Contrary to some statements here, El Barril is a real little town. Maybe about 100 people. There is no hotel, which was expected, and no restaurants. There is a little abarrotes shop, a school, a church, a concrete boat ramp that didn't quite reach the water line. You cannot depend on Google Earth photos of El Barril, as a major storm in 2003 radically altered the geography around the town, though the dirt roads in and around town are largely the same. Google Earth has apparently NOT been updated since that time. I guess mapping El Barril isn't their highest priority.

The road south from Bahia de Los Angeles is in good condition, graded dirt. 4WD was NOT necessary, but high clearance was definitely a plus. I can see how a Honda Odyssey wouldn't make it past the first mile, because the first mile south of town is probably nearly the roughest part of the whole road, though there were definitely a few moments where we looked like something out of a car commercial. 2 flats, one on the way down, one on the way back, apparently in about keeping with a one flat per car per round trip average experienced by the people that go down there a lot (we took two vehicles). Worth noting the tires were not all-terrain, though, so maybe a tougher tire would have fared better. No llanteria in El Barril, but full service llanteria in Bahia de Los Angeles repaired our flat for $6. In keeping with what other members here had posted, the road was fairly easy to follow until the last few miles, where we started having to rely on a combination of memory and guesswork. The military checkpoint outside of town was unmanned at both times we passed it.

All in all, the trip went very smoothly. I very much appreciate the suggestions from this community and give you guys a hearty A+ for accuracy of information provided, knowledge of a fairly obscure Baja destination, and prompt responses. Thank you.

[Edited on 5-7-2008 by NinoPerdido]

David K - 5-7-2008 at 08:20 AM

De nada... thanks for giving us a follow up story!

NinoPerdido - 5-7-2008 at 08:34 AM

Other information.

Water temperature - ~64 degrees F in El Barril, which I was told was unseasonably cold. Bahia de Los Angeles water temp was probably closer to 70 in the bay.

Air temps were unreliably measured, but probably topped off at low 90s during the day. Nights were warm. When we left, the wind was starting to pick up and Cinco de Mayo in Bahia de Los Angeles was gusting up to probably over 40 mph.

Plenty of stingrays in the water so you've got to do the Shuffle anywhere where there is sand bottom. Water visibility was very poor, primarily due to large quantities of dead and rotting seaweed disintegrating within five feet of the shore and creating a barrier from the bottom to the surface for as far out as I cared to swim through it, which wasn't very far.

Fishing appeared to mostly be blanco and flatfish, with small sharks fished commercially. I understand yellowtail season in that area spans November to March generally, so there was not much in the way of popular sportfish at this time of year. Some cabrilla.

Purchased for fifty pesos 2/3rds of a 5 gallon bucket full of fresh Pismo clams about the size of the palm of your hand in Bahia. Didn't get to price-check against the fish market in Ensenada on the way back, but I suspect we got quite a deal. In any case, it fed nine people about all the clams we wanted, so for five bucks, that's about right.

As far as small items the locals might appreciate, soccer balls, of course, as well as butter and hose clamps. We accidentally "donated" our tire repair kit, but fortunately, we only had one flat on the way out, so we didn't need it.

As usual, young men should be aware that inquiries into their marital status will be made and that introductions to local women as young as 14 may follow, depending on your answer, with slightly awkward conversations with embarrassed young girls to ensue.

Also, we were told it was not a good idea to be out of doors at night, as Central Baja is populated with hungry and fairly fearless coyotes. At about an hour before dusk, we picked up a hitchhiker at the turn-off to Bahia de Los Angeles from the Transpeninsular who had been waiting there for a friend that was delayed, and he seemed very grateful, as he was growing increasingly concerned about the possibility that he might have to brave the night out there.

And Tijuana is down TWO critical street signs for navigating the border area. Heading south crossing on I-5 or I-805, you can follow signs for the Ensenada cuota right up until the last offramp (the one that goes off to the left and curves around onto the road along the north end of town out to the Playas de Tijuana and from there, Ensenada cuota. The second is on the return coming north. You hang the left at the first light after coming back along the road on the north end of town, then stay to the right for the San Diego ramp. This turn off to the right is now also unmarked.

If anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

[Edited on 5-7-2008 by NinoPerdido]

Barry A. - 5-7-2008 at 09:01 AM

Good report----thank you.

Never know of coyotes being any kind of a problem, but yes, they are bold, but we love them. Nights out in the wilds are always great--------no problems ever. Coyotes (and many other creatures) will raid your camp if you leave stuff out for them. Have to use common sense.

Seaweed did not used to be a problem in the Gulf, and I am surprised at your report here-----wonder what is causing this?

Thanks again.

Barry

NinoPerdido - 5-7-2008 at 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Barry A.
Never know of coyotes being any kind of a problem, but yes, they are bold, but we love them. Nights out in the wilds are always great--------no problems ever. Coyotes (and many other creatures) will raid your camp if you leave stuff out for them. Have to use common sense.

I was surprised too. This was a professional, middle aged Mexican man from Ensenada. I can say that he seemed to regard our stopping to pick him up to be a half-notch under saving his life. I believe it was nearly a new moon, so maybe this was just an instance of someone being overly imaginative at being suddenly thrust into a situation where he was out of his element, but dark is very dark in Baja during a new moon. Also, of course, what I call a warm night, the locals may have a different opinion of. I have been down to plenty of places in Baja where the temperatures are 80 degrees and children are wearing layers of sweaters. Hard to say. Just passing it along for what it's worth.

Quote:

Originally posted by Barry A.
Seaweed did not used to be a problem in the Gulf, and I am surprised at your report here-----wonder what is causing this?

Don't know for sure. It was piled about the size of a curb along the high tide line along almost every beach with slow currents. We visited the tortuga sanctuary in Bahia de Los Angeles and saw them loading up a flat-bed semi with huge bundles of dried see grasses I can only imagine were scooped up along the beaches. The sanctuary apparently pumps sea water into their turtle tanks, probably at high tide, and the water in the tanks was similarly just filled with rotting seaweed. The woman who was at the sanctuary seemed quite humiliated by the poor quality of the water in the tanks and kept suggesting that we come back around noon, because I guess that's when she was expecting to be able to start the pump and perhaps pull better water into the tanks. Along the beach in El Barril, there were places where you would sink six inches into a layer of seaweed on the beach with every step, and the top layer was crusty and dry and just under that, it was slimy and very gross. I was in work boots that went up to my mid-shin, but one of my colleagues had volunteered to retrieve sea water we needed for our work and had to muck through it. It definitely detracted from the desire to engage in a lot of beach/ocean activities.

[Edited on 5-7-2008 by NinoPerdido]

NinoPerdido - 5-7-2008 at 09:41 AM

Also, added to the list of lessons learned, we bypassed the opportunity to purchase our turista cards at Tijuana, because I judged the nature of the appearance of our convoy to be overly garish. I thought we could purchase them in a more discreet manner at the immigration office in Ensenada. However the immigration office in Ensenada only offers tourist visas for marine travel, so we were unable to obtain the necessary visas for our trip. This did not turn out to be a problem, as we were never pulled over, we avoided crossing the state border, and the military checkpoints were more directed at finding contraband. I suppose this piece of information about the availability of tourist visas is probably well-known to most here, but it was news to me. A shining example of typical Mexico weirdness, that you have a fully equipped immigration office that does not offer a full range of what one might imagine it does. How they can have a building for their immigration services in Ensenada and not have little stack of blank forms in a drawer in the place is beyond my imagination, but there it is.

We ran into this a few years back when we had a vehicle stolen in Rosarito. Turns out, the police station in town doesn't have the forms to report a stolen vehicle. We had to go almost a click south of town, to El Ministerio Publico, on foot and in the dark (and of course without our flashlights), to fill out the form, then return with it to the police station in town. By that time, of course, any chance of recovering the vehicle was shot, we didn't have enough for a room in Rosarito on a Saturday night, and the buses had stopped running. A taxing situation to say the least. It was only due to a few impressive acts of selflessness and kindness by the local population that the situation wasn't a complete disaster.

Hook - 5-7-2008 at 10:47 AM

Very interesting and valuable information. Thank you for taking the time to commit it into words here.

NinoPerdido - 5-7-2008 at 10:48 AM

Least I could do.

cpg - 5-7-2008 at 11:16 AM

Great report! Did you guys make it to San Francisquito? Did the road seem freshly graded all the way to the Y of El Barrill and San Francisquito?

Thanks

NinoPerdido - 5-7-2008 at 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by cpg
Great report! Did you guys make it to San Francisquito? Did the road seem freshly graded all the way to the Y of El Barrill and San Francisquito?

Thanks

We had very little time for touring around, unfortunately. Our business was in and around the town of El Barril. The combination of time constraints and distance to the site really minimized sightseeing. The road was in what I would call very good condition pretty much all the way to El Barril. I was told this was freshly graded the whole way quite recently (i.e. this calendar year). I am not too familiar with dirt road maintenance practices generally, so I can't say whether this was done in the last few weeks or how long a road stays good for after they do whatever they do, but it was quite nice. It was hardly washboarded at all, and only then in a handful of places. There were no major washouts. The closest thing to a problem with the road was a large cactus that had fallen over and almost reached the road. I don't think we would have been too prepared to find the road blocked by a fallen cactus. We had at least two pairs of leather work gloves along and a shovel, but clearing a large cactus would have definitely put the iron to us. Not exactly sure what we would do even to prepare to handle such a situation, but it was not required on this trip, thankfully.

[Edited on 5-7-2008 by NinoPerdido]

Sharksbaja - 5-7-2008 at 12:38 PM

Ya dun good. Only two flats out of twp cars? I was glad to hear you weren't escorting some large contingency of Baja turistas.

That road can change dramatically after a storm as you can see from Google. Thanks for the update.

cpg - 5-7-2008 at 12:39 PM

Thanks. Last time I was there in November the grader was almost to San Rafael. Best shape I have ever seen the road.
Are you guys looking at buying some land?

NinoPerdido - 5-7-2008 at 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by cpg
Thanks. Last time I was there in November the grader was almost to San Rafael. Best shape I have ever seen the road.
Are you guys looking at buying some land?

Nope. The big storm I mentioned before caused radical changes in the water supply in the area. The well that had previously been used for drinking water has become prone to both salt water and fecal matter incursions and is no longer safe to drink. The Mexican government has offered to bring a drill rig out to drill one and only one well, so we went down to help try to determine, using relatively unsophisticated and cheap techniques, the layout of available groundwater resources. We collected a bit less data than we thought we'd be able to, as I alluded to before, but we did get some data we believe may be useful, and now we are analyzing the data to see if we can come up with some recommendations for placement of the new well.

[Edited on 5-7-2008 by NinoPerdido]

cpg - 5-7-2008 at 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by NinoPerdido

Quote:

Originally posted by cpg
Thanks. Last time I was there in November the grader was almost to San Rafael. Best shape I have ever seen the road.
Are you guys looking at buying some land?

Wow. Good luck on the placement of that well.

Gadget - 5-7-2008 at 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by NinoPerdido

Quote:

Originally posted by cpg
Great report! Did you guys make it to San Francisquito? Did the road seem freshly graded all the way to the Y of El Barrill and San Francisquito?

Thanks

For future info regarding the cactus, if there isn't a clear way around it.

Drive up close to it so you can measure where your tires will meet it.

Use what ever you have to either scrape of smash the neddles in those 2 areas so you won't get a puncture.

Back up, get a little run and drive over it.

If it is multi branched in the road or too big to clear with your vehicle then you are kinda SOL.

We have also hooked up a tow strap before and pulled it off the road. Gotta wear gloves though.

They really smash pretty easy since they are mostly a big sponge with some ribs for structure.

NinoPerdido - 5-7-2008 at 04:15 PM

I should probably also make clear that we were not there to help the Mexican government scope out the area. The Mexican government has not offered any assistance to these people in characterizing their water resources or identifying better or worse potential well locations. We were there as volunteers sponsored by an individual benefactor that has chosen to assist these people with this project. On the one hand, it's probably impertinent to look a gift horse in the mouth. On the other, the Mexican government would certainly be in a position to conduct a far more thorough investigation than we were and furthermore, the offer to come all the way out there to only drill one hole then turn around and go home seems awfully penny-wise and pound-foolish to me. My two pesos.

And again, credit where credit is due, the community here definitely helped in the success of this trip. The information I received here bolstered my decision to attend. We had some last minute convulsions that threatened to nix the trip, but in part because of the quality of the information you all provided, we decided to push forward over the obstacles. Now we're waiting to see if we actually got anything the townspeople can use out of it, but that's on us. Thanks again for all the help. In any case, we fixed one person's camera and identified a bad capacitor in someone else's air conditioner, so it can't be a complete bust.

[Edited on 5-7-2008 by NinoPerdido]

David K - 5-7-2008 at 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by NinoPerdido
Other information...

... And Tijuana is down TWO critical street signs for navigating the border area. Heading south crossing on I-5 or I-805, you can follow signs for the Ensenada cuota right up until the last offramp (the one that goes off to the left and curves around onto the road along the north end of town out to the Playas de Tijuana and from there, Ensenada cuota. The second is on the return coming north. You hang the left at the first light after coming back along the road on the north end of town, then stay to the right for the San Diego ramp. This turn off to the right is now also unmarked.

If anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

[Edited on 5-7-2008 by NinoPerdido]

Hi Nino,

That you are taking time to go into detail on your El Barril trip is really great... and appreciated!

I am wondering if (by your report) El Barril is much more than the private ranch owned by the tallish Villavicencio family and adjoining gringo homes by the airstrip... are the Mexicans who live there made up of more than the Villavicencio family?

As for your comment above about the Tijuana to Ensenada route, just after entering Mexico and going up the overpass:

The left turn to circle down and around and head for the border fence road west to Playas was CHANGED quite a while ago to a RIGHT turn that drops you right down to that road...

See the photo direction page in this link (note the third photo): http://www.rosaritobeachhotel.com/directions_to_rosarito.php

(this link has been in my Baja News and Notebook page for a while).

The Ensenada Migra office has been giving motorists a very hard time as well, for over a year now... He doesn't want to be bothered. This is really unfair for people who change their plans and decide to stay in Ensenada longer than 72 hours or decide after they are there, to travel south of Ensenada.

Thanks again for the report... I am glad the L.A. Bay route worked out well for you... saved you much of a day's driving, as well as not having to get hassled at the Eagle Monument near Guerrero Negro, where they do check for tourist cards.

mtgoat666 - 5-7-2008 at 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by NinoPerdido
I should probably also make clear that we were not there to help the Mexican government scope out the area. The Mexican government has not offered any assistance to these people in characterizing their water resources or identifying better or worse potential well locations. We were there as volunteers sponsored by an individual benefactor that has chosen to assist these people with this project. On the one hand, it's probably impertinent to look a gift horse in the mouth. On the other, the Mexican government would certainly be in a position to conduct a far more thorough investigation than we were and furthermore, the offer to come all the way out there to only drill one hole then turn around and go home seems awfully penny-wise and pound-foolish to me. My two pesos.

And again, credit where credit is due, the community here definitely helped in the success of this trip. The information I received here bolstered my decision to attend. We had some last minute convulsions that threatened to nix the trip, but in part because of the quality of the information you all provided, we decided to push forward over the obstacles. Now we're waiting to see if we actually got anything the townspeople can use out of it, but that's on us. Thanks again for all the help. In any case, we fixed one person's camera and identified a bad capacitor in someone else's air conditioner, so it can't be a complete bust.

[Edited on 5-7-2008 by NinoPerdido]

Who is behind the push to obtain a well? Is it an ejido? Or a fish-camp cooperative?
Some of local land there seems to be occupied by wealthy gringos (I'm guessing a gringo owns the mansion(s?) by the air strip) -- suggest you hit them up for water development money.
Kind of a dry area, there. You'll have to drill the inland alluvial channel deposits to find fresh water, and even then I wouldn't expect very good quality water or appreciable sustainable yield.
Good luck.

NinoPerdido - 5-9-2008 at 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K
I am wondering if (by your report) El Barril is much more than the private ranch owned by the tallish Villavicencio family and adjoining gringo homes by the airstrip... are the Mexicans who live there made up of more than the Villavicencio family?

I didn't inquire about last names, but I'm fairly sure I met with a group of them. Our primary contact down there was a notably tall local man by rural Baja standards. I understand that a fair number of the people that live in El Barril are of the same family, though I did not get into a lot of detail on that with the locals. In any case, there is a community of locals that appear to primarily subsist on small scale commercial fishing. I'm pretty sure that none of them are property owners. The town is basically a fish camp, near as I can tell.

Quote:

Originally posted by David K
As for your comment above about the Tijuana to Ensenada route, just after entering Mexico and going up the overpass:

...

Thanks.

Quote:

Originally posted by David K
The Ensenada Migra office has been giving motorists a very hard time as well, for over a year now... He doesn't want to be bothered. This is really unfair for people who change their plans and decide to stay in Ensenada longer than 72 hours or decide after they are there, to travel south of Ensenada.

Boy, I'll say. Seems like a tip generator for entrepreneurial policemen to me. The guy wasn't there at the time we swung by, but once I saw the sign that said they didn't offer them there, I hustled the crew out of the place.

NinoPerdido - 5-9-2008 at 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mtgoat666
Who is behind the push to obtain a well? Is it an ejido? Or a fish-camp cooperative?

Maybe not even anything as official as a co-op, probably just locals coming together, although there are charitiable organizations that do work in the area. A local woman told me that the water had "gusanitos" in it. Thank god I've visited a bar or two in my trips around Mexico, so I understood what that meant! In any case, the water is salty and periodically contaminated. Water is a pretty basic need, so I reckon everyone wants to solve that problem.

Quote:

Originally posted by mtgoat666
Some of local land there seems to be occupied by wealthy gringos (I'm guessing a gringo owns the mansion(s?) by the air strip) -- suggest you hit them up for water development money.

Well, a thorough, professional investigation is a fairly major undertaking. Hopefully, our investigation will yield usable results. If not, maybe we'll *have* to go back down there.

Quote:

Originally posted by mtgoat666
Kind of a dry area, there. You'll have to drill the inland alluvial channel deposits to find fresh water, and even then I wouldn't expect very good quality water or appreciable sustainable yield.

Yes, dry. And trapped right in close between the nearby hills and mountains and the sea. We ran into a lot of trouble running our investigation in the arroyo and (against my better dowsing instincts) ended up running our investigation primarily along the major dirt roads. How that may end up remains to be seen at this point. We are analyzing our data.

mtgoat666 - 5-9-2008 at 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by NinoPerdido
Yes, dry. And trapped right in close between the nearby hills and mountains and the sea. We ran into a lot of trouble running our investigation in the arroyo and (against my better dowsing instincts) ended up running our investigation primarily along the major dirt roads. How that may end up remains to be seen at this point. We are analyzing our data.

are you dowsing? or are you using a scientific method? (sorry, I don't consider dowsing science, but i do find it to be an amusing topic of conversation for c-cktail parties) :tumble:

NinoPerdido - 5-10-2008 at 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mtgoat666
are you dowsing? or are you using a scientific method? (sorry, I don't consider dowsing science, but i do find it to be an amusing topic of conversation for c-cktail parties) :tumble:

Ha! No, we weren't dowsing. We were setting up electrode arrays and pushing direct current to measure surface resistivity variations.

Steve&Debby - 5-10-2008 at 10:58 AM

"against my better dowsing instints"

Sure sounds like a witch to me :yes:

What is you tool of choice?
A forked stick or bent welding rods :lol: