BajaNomad

NORRA Mexican 1000 2011 - Mexicali to El Progresso and back!

BajaGeoff - 5-10-2011 at 04:27 PM

I have been volunteering with the Mag 7 Pit Crew since the end of 2009...mostly shooting video at the races and helping out where I can. For the 2011 NORRA Mexican 1000 I stepped up as pit captain for the day two pit at El Progresso (south of BoLA). Here is are some photos from the trip. Unfortunately, we were working our tails off in the pit when the racers were coming through, so I didn't get any racing photos.



About to depart from Mexicali with our gear and 1000 pounds of race fuel



Mag 7 rolling south!



Lunch at Asadero Yaqui south of Mexicali...



Dawn at Alfonsinas



Gonzaga Airlines



Pinky the chihuahua at the Gonzaga Bay abarrotes



The road to Coco's Corner



Brandy got a flat



Coco's Corner



Coco's fence



Charlie the Mag 7 pit dog!



Lunch at Chapala Junction



Tom and Jane Morton were doing support for Baja Bound Moto!



Locals on the road in to El Progresso



The desert landscape was beautiful



Rick and Ivan pose at the pit




More awesome Baja scenery



Night falls over the desert



"Fast Eddy" Martinez was the NORRA course pre-run rabbit until he broke down....bad. We helped him get back on the road and he joined our caravan north.



Eddy welding the front end back together



We rolled into Guerrero Negro at midnight and got tacos!



Yum!



This guy was on the hunt for some scraps. We didn't disappoint!



Ivan getting the last few minutes of rest in before we head north



Malarrimo was an awesome hotel in Guerrero Negro! I highly recommend it!



Breakfast on the road in Villa Jesus Maria



Driver's perspective going through Cataviņa



This truck was loaded with jalapeņos and took a turn too fast near the turnoff for Santa Rosalillita. Ouch.



We made the requisite stop at Mama Espinosas



Eddy and I got t-shirts



Lunch in San Vicente



Carnitas with salsa verde



And they were amazing!



Chomp!

All in all....it was a great trip! 1,192 miles traveled in 4 days. For those that are traveling down the 5 and beyond in the near future, the paved road south of Puertecitos to the dirt is approximately 24.8 miles....and the remaining dirt road to Alfonsinas is approximately 22.4 miles.

Viva Baja!

DonBaja - 5-10-2011 at 05:18 PM

Thats how it's done !!! Good Job. Looks like a whole lota fun was had !!!

sanfelipebob - 5-10-2011 at 06:07 PM

Norra put off a great race rally. Legends like Walker Evans, Gordon, Crabtree, Mcmillans etc. Fantastic.

TMW - 5-10-2011 at 07:03 PM

Thank you so much. My goodness I haven't seen Tom and Jane Morton in many years. It was so good that you posted a pix of them. Looks like you had a great time going and coming. Again thanks.

David K - 5-10-2011 at 07:09 PM

Hi Geoff... so you did the dirt through Gonzaga, but not south from L.A. Bay? How was the road for you through El Arco, if that is the way you went?

Interesting photos!!:coolup:

BajaGeoff - 5-11-2011 at 10:05 AM

Yeah....there were some big names again this year. Scott Steinberger was the first truck to come by our pit....he did the first 69 miles in 55 minutes! Really moving! Mark McMillin came through our pit and got about 12 gallons of gas. Walker Evans broke about 26 miles north of our pit and we never saw him....I heard they towed him back to BoLA. Larry Roessler came in on a bike and we topped him off and gave him a water. Everyone was having a great time.

TW....Tom and Jane were all smiles and having a blast. It was fun running in to them!

DK...yes....we did the dirt through Gonzaga like last year, but the road seemed a lot rougher this time around. Tons of rocky spots that wanted to eat tires! A bunch of people in our caravan got flats and one guy broke a leaf spring. I don't think I will take that route in the future when towing a heavy load.

We had heard from several sources that the road from BoLA south into El Progresso was not trailer friendly, so we went through Guerrero Negro and took the turnoff about 20 minutes south of town to go through El Arco. The road was great for the most part....definitely the right call. Only one spot that is called "Cuesta de la Ley" was really rough. Going west to east, it was an extremely rocky downhill section that stretched for about a half mile. We had to creep down it with all of the weight we had on the trailer, but we made it OK!

Our only regret was not having enough time to go see the cave paintings that are a short hike away from the road through El Arco. We lost daylight working on Eddy's truck, so it will have to wait for next year!

David K - 5-11-2011 at 05:00 PM

Cool! The cardons along that road are great, too!

TMW - 5-11-2011 at 07:50 PM

["Only one spot that is called "Cuesta de la Ley" was really rough."]

I thought that had been graded. The last couple of trips I did from El Arco to San Francisquito I don't remember it being rough. Maybe it's time to make another trip down and check it out. I'm getting older and my memory is not the same.

David K - 5-11-2011 at 10:17 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by TW
["Only one spot that is called "Cuesta de la Ley" was really rough."]

I thought that had been graded. The last couple of trips I did from El Arco to San Francisquito I don't remember it being rough. Maybe it's time to make another trip down and check it out. I'm getting older and my memory is not the same.


Perhaps rain and racing over it has messed up the surface and exposed rocks?

Yes, it was graded many years ago... perhaps so they could bring supplies to Punta San Francisquito Resort?

Here is a 1962 photo of the original Cuesta de la Rey:

BajaBlanca - 5-11-2011 at 10:36 PM

great photos and dialog to accompany them !!

BajaGeoff - 5-12-2011 at 11:54 AM

TW - I think DK is spot on. It looks like rain has washed away a lot of the dirt leaving behind a whole bunch of big chunky rocks that want to have your tires for breakfast....or lunch....or dinner.

Thanks BajaBlanca!

nbacc - 5-12-2011 at 12:59 PM

Thanks for the pics............nice. nancy

MexicoTed - 5-19-2011 at 12:26 PM

Geoff, great report and the photos are incredible. What kind of camera are you using to get that "aged" and "bluish" effect on some of the images? Love it, looks like old Baja photos.
Ted