BajaNomad

Icehouse Road conditions

elfbrewery - 12-17-2009 at 06:39 PM

We're going to explore the Icehouse Road next week and try to find the Guadaloupe Mision (ruins). Some of our friends might go with us if they knew the road conditions. Any help on conditions or of location of mission would help.
Cheers!

mulegemichael - 12-18-2009 at 06:57 AM

WHICH icehouse road???

KurtG - 12-18-2009 at 11:09 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by elfbrewery
We're going to explore the Icehouse Road next week and try to find the Guadaloupe Mision (ruins). Some of our friends might go with us if they knew the road conditions. Any help on conditions or of location of mission would help.
Cheers!


The Baja Atlas shows the old mission location pretty well but be aware that no buildings remain, just old stone work and a lovely bunch of palm trees and some large very old citrus trees. That loop from Mulege to Estanislau and on to the mission and out to the hwy through San Jose de Magdalena is a favorite of mine and very lovely but may not be passable now. As I posted to you recently my friends in San Jose say it is not. I have not been there since May so can't give firsthand info, if you try it please give us an update since I will be there in the next few weeks.

elfbrewery - 12-18-2009 at 03:31 PM

KurtG,
Thanks for the info. I'll let you know how far we get.
Sorry to the others that I forgot to include Mulege in the question.

Report: Icehouse Road and north past Estanislao

elfbrewery - 12-23-2009 at 07:46 PM

Well, not knowing what to expect and fearing the worst, the Icehouse Road going west out of Mulege seemed okay, for the Icehouse Road, that is. It looks like the road has been dozed in the last few weeks and some sections were fast. Of course the nasty climbs were still nasty, but not as fearful as some of the times we've been out. After we, 3 jeeps and a Cherokee, turned north towards Guadaloupe, travelling was slow coming down through Estanislao, but no problems. After the rancho, though, the road apparently has been washed out to no recognition at some places being replaced by newly bulldozed track through the banks by the wash. Either river rock or rock covered by a couple inches of dust. It was slow. We were running out of time for a day trip and the moist misty skies shrouding the mountains gave us the idea that going further was pointless. We made it 10 or so miles up the road from the Icehouse Road turnoff, but not to our target of the Guadaloupe Mision. We think the road goes that far, but don't no if it is open over the mountains to San Jose de Magdalena.
Going back, it took an hour to do that 10 miles, then almost half an hour to make it over the nasty climbs to the rancho at Km 34 (about 7 kms.). From there to Mulege was about 1.5 hours with two 10 minute stops.
The neat thing was all the water. Not like rivers of water, but lots of standing pools and streams emerging from underground. Fish, too. We couldn't pull over at the dam (mile 16) where we normally would because there is a ravine between the new road and the dam, but on the way back we found a place to stop. Lots of mules, horses, goats, hawks and a heron to boot. Getting away from the mountains regained us the pleasant weather we left in, so all in all it was a pleasant trip.

mulegemichael - 12-23-2009 at 08:39 PM

nice update, elf..thanks...we'd like to go all the way across again this year as it's a fab trip..we took it last year, went south, and came out through san isidro...oh boy, whatta trip!....really, really fun

KurtG - 12-23-2009 at 09:28 PM

Thanks for the report, it pretty much confirms what my friends on the other end of the road (San Jose de Magdelena and Rcho San Isidro) told me. I'll give it a try with the bike in January.

elfbrewery - 12-24-2009 at 10:39 AM

KurtG, good on ya. Give us a report when you return.
Cheers!