I finally got out of town for a few days. It was a late start and I spent most of Tuesday driving from Bakersfield to Mexicali and on to San Felipe.
Between Cal Trans road construction and the long line at the border I didn't arrive in San Felipe until well after dark.
After a good nights sleep at Georges hotel and breakfast in the resturant I gassed and iced up for the trip south to Coco's. It was a beautiful sunny
day. Arriving at Puertecitos I was pleased to see the new hwy bypassing the town. I also noted that the KM marking had a 2 added such as KM280. I am
assuming they will remark it from San Felipe.
Hold on to your hats because they got detours to the detours that were at times confusing and have graded the old road up the last of the three
sisters. It's one lane most of the time with a couple of turn outs for passing on coming vehicles. I only had to back down once for a truck and
trailer. Much work is going on several miles further down. Like it or not this new hwy is cutting across and thru the mountains etc and will be pretty
straight for the most part. I came back up hwy 1 on the way home and thought how much better the Sea of Cortez side will be to travel when it's done.
Just before Gonzaga Bay I came upon a Mexican with a dead truck. When I asked if he was OK he spoke spanish so fast the only word I caught was
gasolina. I offered some of mine and he accepted. He was going to Gonzaga Bay. After the truck started I went on. After I left I pasted another
similar truck going back in his direction perhaps to help. At Gonzaga the gas station was locked with no one around. The store did not have gas either
so I purchased some ice and went on. It's basically 100 miles from San Felipe to Gonzaga and I did it in 4 hours. I was not pushing hard but enjoying
myself.
I arrived at Coco's to find him similing as usual. He was working a truck. I had brought him food and soft drinks. We sat and talked over a couple of
beers. My truck said it was 108 degrees when I pulled in. His thermometer in the shade said it was 102. It didn't seem that warm or hot and was
actually pleasant as we sat and talked. I asked him about the new hwy and he said it was bypassing his place and would be further to the west. We also
talked about his place while he was gone for his leg surgery and he said people has stolen all his stuff. Including wheels and the steering wheel off
one of his trucks. They took everything. He has his artificial legs but when he tried to walk with them his healing was not good enough and his leg
would tear apart. He just needs to wait longer for his leg to fully heal. He has a doctors appointment near the end of July.
Coco doesn't get many visitors during the hot summer months. If anyone is going down hwy 1 this time of year I know he would appreciate a quick visit
in and out. And if you think about it he does love soup and chili, tuna fish, beans, seven up with diet being better for him.
I told Coco I was going to make the loop from Rancho Chapala to the ocean and back thru San Antonio to hwy 1. He gave me some good advice on some of
the silt and rut sections and also on some fishing which I would be doing.
After a couple of hours I said goodby I went on. When I got to hwy 1 I had less than 3/4 tank of gas and nothing in my spare can so I drove down to
the LA Bay turn off and filled up from the truck with barrels of gas.
I returned to Chapala and turned off just north of KM234 going west. I will put together a full report on this loop in the off road section of Nomads
later with all the details and harzards. The road out to the coast was a little different than I had remembered from my 2003 trip in from the coast.
Time does cause the memory to fade. There was no major problems. As I got within a couple of miles of the coast I pasted an on coming truck with what
appeared to be fishermen from the fish camp just north on the coast. It was 30 miles to the coast.
I turned south and at about 11 miles pulled over to the ocean beach for the evening, Bahia Blanca area. It was about 7pm so I got my surf pole out and
with an artificial plastic crab on one hook and a piece of squid on the other off I went to the water. First cast and BAM a yellow fin croker, maybe a
pound. Cast after cast and all but two or three times I caught croker after croker, all about the same size. I was throwing them back so maybe I was
catching the same one over and over. They were biting as soon as the bait got into the water. No matter it was fun. returning to my truck I made
something to eat and after a while turned on the radio and picked up AM 1530 out of Sacramento, CA. George Norry (sp) from Coast to Coast AM was on.
After a few minutes of UFOs, witches and gobblins etc. I called it a night.
From the bed of my truck I watched the sun rise while sipping hot coffee. The air temp was low 60s, cool but not cold. About 6am or so I'm back in the
surf throwing again and first time BAM another croker. That guy must be in love with me cause he won't go away. At 7am I pack up and head south. About
1.5 miles is a Y, to the right it goes over the hill to a fish camp on the beach. I went over the hill but stopped at a silt bed and turned around.
The road may go further south and join the regular road, I don't really know.
Back to the Y and head east. The route goes by a wind mill with watering tanks. and on the almanac map page 20 this is just west of the area marked
Cordornices. On some maps this would be the well. There were cattle in the area. To the north side are several building of a rancho. After a couple of
miles there are three Ys I went left at all of them since the road looked to be the most used. This took me to Rancho Las Palomas. There were four men
working near a pin and I asked about the road to San Antonio to which They appeared unfamiliar with so I asked about camino uno and they pointed out
to me where to go. I thanked them and went on. It appears that I should have gone right at the last Y. I joinup with the right road .4 of a mile after
leaving the ranch.
For the next couple of miles there are several silt beds and if you are alone, as I was, you need to carefully pick your lines. Even in a 4x4 as I was
if you pick the wrong line you could find yourself high centered and there is not much to even hook a winch too. You would need a high lift jack and
something to put under the wheels or maybe go back to the ranch and get help.
After a couple of miles of this silt section it turns to sand and someone as cleaned the path pretty good. The last time I was thru here the bushes
were rubbing on both side of my truck. At 14.5 miles from leaving the ocean at the Y it starts up hill. There is an abandoned rancho to the right. A
mile further and wow someone has cut a new road up the mountain to the right. I follow it. Lots better than before.
At 24 miles in a Y I go right. A few tenths of a mile later another Y and I go right. I stay on the most used road but I believe that San Antonio is
to the left of the last two Ys. Because, I never went by San Antonio and it's near the next rancho which is only a mile or so away. At 26.4 miles is a
jct and the road to the right comes out on hwy 1 at KM270. There is a house to the north near this jct just a little further east that can be easily
seen from the jct. I go straight and at 34 miles I come out at hwy 1 at KM252.
Turning north I stop at the Desert Inn in Catavina for lunch. I continue on and make it to Ensenada for the night. After a shower at the Ensenada Inn.
I take in a steak dinner at a near by resturant. The next morning I gas up and take the toll road north and get on Blvd 2000 to the toll road and
cross at Tecate. This is where it gets interesting and a little surprising.
After about 25 minutes I pull up to the gate and give the agent my passport. He looks at it and says where were you born and I say Alton, Illinois. It
turns out he was too and we talk about back home etc for maybe 5 minutes or more. He then says I can go and as I start to pull out he says stop. He
says I hope your not in love with that log. He writes me a pink slip and sends me to secondary. The first guy comes up and reads the pink slip and
says I need an Ag inspector. The Ag inspector comes over and wants to know where the fire log was from and I tell him it's from Bakersfield and the
Sequoia National Forest which is where I got it from. He then ask where I had been and I tell him I went down thru San Felipe down to hwy 1 and back
up thru Ensenada and to the border. He then ask if San Felipe was in Baja Sur and I said no. He says OK let's me go.
I go on my way and take a long way home to Bakersfield. I get home about 9pm. It was a fun and interesting trip.
[Edited on 7-11-2009 by TW]David K - 7-11-2009 at 11:58 AM
Wow... wonderful exploration Tom!Corky1 - 7-11-2009 at 06:39 PM
Tom,
Great report.
Except its not a report without pictures!!!
Corkybajalou - 7-11-2009 at 07:28 PM
Great report Tom. Too bad I wasn't in San Felipe to have dinner with you when you came through.Von - 7-11-2009 at 08:46 PM
cool man!...................
Dang , TW , you missed me by a couple of weeks.
beercan - 7-11-2009 at 09:00 PM
Let me know the next time down ---and I will even grab Lou and meet you both in San Felipe . or come by Puertecitos for breakfast , lunch or ?BornFisher - 7-11-2009 at 09:15 PM
You tell such a great story, we can paint the pictures. Thanks for taking us there!David K - 7-12-2009 at 08:22 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Corky1
Tom,
Great report.
Except its not a report without pictures!!!
Corky
Tom, if you need any help putting up photos (if you took some)... let me know!TMW - 7-12-2009 at 09:16 AM
Thanks everyone. I will post pictures later today. Corky, I think the loop would be a great ride on a MC, maybe from Coco's place. Beercan your on for
next time.
Leaving San Felipe
TMW - 7-12-2009 at 01:42 PM
A beautiful day.
Puertecitos
TMW - 7-12-2009 at 01:46 PM
The KM marks are getting larger
Construction of a bridge
TMW - 7-12-2009 at 01:49 PM
More Construction
TMW - 7-12-2009 at 01:51 PM
A hot hard days work for sure
Coco is the Man
TMW - 7-12-2009 at 01:54 PM
I told him I'd train him for the UFC if he got a little taller
Off the hwy at KM234
TMW - 7-12-2009 at 01:56 PM
The road is easy to see
Look for the dark hill on left side of dry lake bed
TMW - 7-12-2009 at 01:58 PM
The hill is easy to spot. The marker is way to the left and hard to see from where the road meets the dry lake bed.
[Edited on 4-19-2011 by TW]
The road is not bad
TMW - 7-12-2009 at 02:00 PM
It's like this most of the time and better some of the time, less rocks
The Pacific Ocean
TMW - 7-12-2009 at 02:02 PM
Fishing was good and temps were cool, a bueautiful evening
To the north
TMW - 7-12-2009 at 02:05 PM
There was a mount of rocks and shells where I parked but the beach ran end to end
The new road
TMW - 7-12-2009 at 02:07 PM
Someone took a bulldozer and made a new road for a couple of miles up and over the mountain. Much better than the old road. The two come together a
couple of time. This pix is looking back. The old road crosses the new on the other side of the hill and you can see it to the left.
[Edited on 7-12-2009 by TW]
Back out to Hwy 1 at KM252
TMW - 7-12-2009 at 02:13 PM
About 5.5 miles back at the last jct there is a side road that comes out to hwy 1 at KM270
David K - 7-12-2009 at 07:59 PM
Thank you TW!David K - 7-13-2009 at 08:39 AM
Here is a map I put together with the mileages from your roadlog on the other thread showing where you were:
TacoFeliz - 7-14-2009 at 07:41 PM
Great trip report TW! Short and sweet, but doses of Baja magic in every paragraph. Thanks you.Bajamatic - 7-14-2009 at 10:16 PM
All I had to read was coast to coast and I'm instantly in baja for a split second, fireside, all but passed out. Thx.David K - 7-16-2009 at 07:13 AM
Agreed!
Trip reports rock... specially the rocky trip reports!!
