• Attempt to address suspension issue in Viscaino
• San Lucas Cove . . . watch your back
• Playa Santispac - Irresistible
• Refuel and Lunch in Loreto
• Playa Ligui: Let’s stay one more day
• In La Paz, finally!, AT&T Mexico roaming not working
• Walmart, I've found my RV Camp in La Paz!
Attempt to fix suspension problem
Our visit in Asuncion and San Roque makes for a couple of restful days. Now we face the stresses of driving again – it’s a long drive to La Paz. We
stop in Viscaino to attempt to resolve the suspension issue. The motorhome rocks like a boat when going over uneven roads, and at speeds above 40mph,
the rocking would not stop immediately. I experience no problems when going over even roads; I could drive over speed limits.
I suspect weak front shock absorbers (the shocks came from my other, lighter motorhome). So we stop at Pro-One in Viscaino and look for a Class 6
(medium duty) or RV shocks. They don’t have the exact RV shock that I need but they recommend another one that fits the motorhome – they want $2000
pesos for it, each. As I’m not sure if those substitute shocks would stop the rocking problem, I ask the manager if we could try installing them and
go for a test-drive. If they stopped the rocking I would buy them; if shocks did not stop the rocking, they’d take them back and I’m still willing to
pay them $100 dollars for their trouble. The manager declines; he says the motorhome is lifted so high (5.5 inches). He obviously doesn’t think the
shocks will solve the problem.
So what are my other alternatives? Buy the right shock from the US and have it shipped to La Paz; or, Check if La Paz has the right shocks.
I call my son in the US and request him to check the availability of the shocks at Napa and also check the shipping options. I also call Steve
(Bajatripper) and Zully in La Paz and request him to check with the local auto shops. After about 3 hours in Viscaino weighing my options and talking
with my son and with Steve in La Paz, I make a decision to have the shocks shipped to La Paz. It would cost me $190 for both shocks and $85 for
shipping via USPS Express (3-4 days). The shocks would be there (or almost there) when we get to La Paz.
We continue to drive a rocking boat over Mex 1 to La Paz. During the drive I also suspect that replacing the shocks might not entirely solve the
problem. I think the front leaf springs may have to be stiffened also. There’s just too much flex. The front of the motorhome articulates about 8-10
inches total (4-5 inches up and down). That articulation is great for sloww off-road driving, but scary for high-speed highway driving. I also think
that a rear swaybar would finish off the job real nice(the front already has one).
So, I continue to muster a lot of patience, concentration, and guts to drive further south, limiting my driving to 5 hours a day. I don’t want to
repeat an earlier incident when my front tires went off the edge of the pavement and I had to steadily/luckily steer it back to the pavement without
causing an accident. Luckily, my rear inner dually tire stayed on the pavement. There was this big rig approaching and towing a trailer whose tires
protruded about 12 inches beyond the middle line, I had to avoid it.
San Lucas Cove . . . watch your back
We cross the peninsula and get to San Lucas cove rather early in afternoon. We stop by the mini market along the highway to buy ice and some eggs,
before we take the trail to the beach.
At the beach, there is only one person at the panga launching area. Under one of the palapas, he’s enjoying the refreshing breeze, so he says, his
truck radio playing music. I join him and offer him an ice cold Coke. We have refreshments and we chat. His name is Beto (Berto?). That’s my panga, he
says. I ask him where we could buy haivas and he tells me: at the pueblo. I go back to the motorhome and tell my wife about the haivas; she loves
haivas and would like to prepare them for dinner. I must have been away too long because when I went back, Beto’s gone.
Anyway, we enjoy the cove, taking pictures and occasional dips in the water. Later we go back to the highway to check on the haivas. We ask at the
minimart where the pueblo is and if there are haivas for sale in the pueblo at this time. The non English speaking lady seems to suggest No, there is
no haivas at the pueblo, but instead from pescadores. So we go back to the cove. No haivas for dinner.
I am amazed that a small town such as San Lucas has a strong Telcel signal. My wife calls the kids in US and I call Steve (Bajatripper) in La Paz to
advise him where we are in our trip. At the mention of San Lucas cove, Steve warns me and tells me his experience in this area, especially in a
secluded area and with no company. Not a very good one. Upon hearing this, on the speakerphone, the wife goes into a panic as it’s already dark – we
gotta get out of here, and there’s nothing I can do but to oblige. So we get the hell out of there, to the highway and park in front of the minimart.
We show our patronage of the minimart by buying ice and a few stuff, even as they are already closing for the night.
I chat with the man at the hotdog stand in front of the minimart, which is still open for business. He speaks a little English. I find out that he
owns the hotdog stand and his mother owns the minimart. I mention Beto, the man we met earlier at the cove. Beto is a close family of his. I ask if I
could park overnight at the parking lot, which is just 50 feet from the highway; he says yes no problem. I thanbk him and excuse myself and retire for
the night. We sleep all night with the generator and A/C running at full blast. We would be leaving very early in the morning and continue our voyage.
Playa Santispac – Irresistible!
As we pass by Bahia Concepcion there’s this beach to the left close to the highway and just catches our attention, inviting us to stop over. The
invitation is irresistible. We make an unplanned stop. Besides I need a bath and the water is inviting. The beach access is the easiest I’ve ever
seen. We enter the trail and stop at the entrance shack. The sign says $80 pesos per day. I ask the man: Cuantos para una hora. $30 pesos it is. On
our way back from La Paz, we would camp here for a day.
While taking a dip, the wife exclaims: there are clams! They’d be great for lunch, I rejoiced. And I join her at the 3-ft deep area to dig for clams
with our toes.
Our next stop is Loreto, to refuel and have lunch at a restaurant, for a change. We head into town and refuel at the Pemex. At the attendant’s
permission, we also refill our fresh water tank, using the Pemex hose, for free. Then we proceed deeper into town. The Santa Fe hotel looks impressive
as we approach. There is a restaurant next to it and there is a big spot in front where I could park the motorhome. But we pass and decide to drive
all the way to see the town, but the traffic gets busier as we get farther so we turn around and go back to the restaurant next to the Santa Fe (I
forget the name of the restaurant, I know it’s upscale and expensive, food not necessarily great food though). We leave the dog inside the motorhome
with the generator and A/C running. We order lobster and steak for the wife and and baby back ribs for me.
It’s time to rest from driving again. As planned, Playa Ligui is our next stop, right before the highway turns away from the Cortez side and toward
the Pacific crossing the peninsula. We arrive at Ligui rather early; my estimates are turning out to be conservative.
The beach at Ligui has a peaceful ambiance to it. There are a few other visitors and I suspect they are locals since it’s Saturday. The road along the
waterline is packed very well, good enough for regular 2wd vehicles. It’s the sandy areas next to the palapas that require 4wd or aired down tires. We
would see later several cars having troubles getting out.
I lock the hubs and shift to 4wd and park the motorhome between 2 palapas. After a few dips in the water I try to take a nap on the ground., under the
moving palapa shade. The breeze is not cool but it’s not too bad under the shade.
Not very long a panga arrives in front of our palapa. I’m curious about their catch and ask one of the fishermen alighting from the boat my usual “se
vende pescado, haivas, camaron, senor?” I get a “tampoco” for an answer. But they have almejas, and he shows me how it’s done by opening the clam with
a knife and removing the clam inside and putting it right into his mouth. Cuantos I ask. $0.20 per piece. We pay for 20 pieces and also give them 4
bottles of ice cold Pacifico. They’re happy. I cringe when I see them opening the bottle cap with their teeth! Before they leave, one of the fishermen
comes to us and gives us 2 pieces of fish – a presenta, he says. It turns out that they don’t sell their fish catch, it’s for themselves. It also
turns out that their almejas catch is brought to Cd Insurgentes or Constitution for sale.
So we have fresh clams and fish for dinner, over Pacifico for me. Early dinner, I can’t wait. I barbecue the fish outside, and while I’m at it,
indulging on raw, fresh clams. It’s sweet, it’s delicious, yummy! The wife wouldn’t eat the raw clams, though; she cooks them her way and together we
both eat them with rice, along with the fish. Before we go to sleep I move the motorhome ready for a fast exit in any eventualities.
At night we notice that local people continue to visit the playa. We later find out from one of the visitors that there is a Lady of Guadalupe shrine
at the end of the beach. It is carved into the base of a huge rock. We make a promise we would visit the shrine in the morning.
Before daybreak we walk the entire length of the beach, including the Lady of Guadalupe shrine. We take pictures. This beach is growing on us, even
the people. We are liking it a lot. We decide to stay here an extra day. This decision makes us miss our planned arrival in La Paz, and I couldn’t
inform Steve who’s expecting us today (Sunday). There is no cellphone signal here at Playa Ligui. And so we spend another day at Playa Ligui, and as
it turns out miss Steve’s lasagna dinner he’s preparing for us.
A lazy day is the way to spend a vacation in paradise. Not. I just couldn’t help getting busy. It‘s not too early to go under the motorhome, topless
and in my swimming trunks. Gotta check everything under there. Well it’s good I did . . .
Something’s wrong with the motorhome!
First I notice that the right engine mount is twisting off its perch. That’s not good for a 1000-lb diesel engine. Then I notice the front driveshaft
has shifted to the left, now almost binding against the transmission cross member. All these lead me to the transmission mount. The two bolts that
hold the transmission and transfer case to the cross member have fallen off.
Wow I'm so lucky, I exclaimed, I found out before it caused serious trouble. I start to wonder when and where the bolts came off. Could it be at Shell
Island where I struggled to get out of the mud? Could it be on the way looking for Morro Sto Domingo when I got stuck in the sand? Or could it be from
going over potholes, washboards, dirt roads in detours? No matter which I drove the crippled motorhome a long way (difficult, rough, steep highways)
to here. I’m feeling lucky now.
I find two 1-inch Grade 8 bolts in my boonie box, where I keep all my small spare parts. Yes I’m prepared for trips like this, or my name isn’t
Macgyver or Home Depot man. The bolt threads match the bracket's threads. The problem is the holes on the mount don’t line up with the bracket holes
anymore. The bracket has been bent by the side-to-side movement of the drivetrain. It takes me an hour to line them back up, using huge wrenches,
straps, and my 35-inch tire irons to pry the bracket back in shape and also to center the drivetrain. I dab a little Loctite blue to the thread before
I tighten the bolts.
It’s only 7AM and nobody else even noticed there was a problem. So we continue spend a truly lazy day.
In the afternoon, there are a few cars that are having problems getting out of the sand. Seeing them digging with their hands, I take my shovel and
help them out dig and push the cars out of the soft sand.
In La Paz, finally; AT&T roaming problem
Leaving Ligui for La Paz is filled with anxiety, for the drive out is mountainous, curvy and steep. But it has to be done. We stop at Cd Insurgentes
to refuel and refill our fresh water tank. The water is free from the hose. With a good cellphone signal here, I call Steve about where we are. We are
one day behind schedule so we missed Steve’s lasagna dinner last night. I try to call Steve again when we stop over the roadside to have lunch and
siesta in La Pocitas, away from La Paz. The call doesn’t go through.
As we approach La Paz, I notice only one RV Park along the highway, and I wonder if it’s worth camping there. I would find out later that there are
only one or two RV parks in the La Paz area.
La Paz is the biggest city in BCS, being the capital, and it shows when we get there. It is a big city! We pass a Walmart and Sam’s Club. So one would
think my AT&T roaming feature should work as it did in San Felipe, Asuncion, Loreto and even San Lucas. No. I’m not getting a Telcel signal on my
phone. When I try call Steve, I keep getting the recorded message: “Your call cannot be completed at this time, please try again later” with a Mexican
accent. It’s about 4PM.
I have Steve’s address but I don’t have a detail map of the city. Anyway, we guess and head towards La Paz Centro and stop at the Pemex station to
refuel and dump our toilet cassette in the restroom. It costs $5.00 pesos to use the restroom. I also go inside the OXXO store to ask for a detail map
of La Paz. I’m in trouble here because no one speaks English here. Not even poquito. I try to ask if I could pay to use the young lady’s cell phone to
call a local (Steve’s) number. I know she would let me if she understood, but she doesn’t understand my Spanglish. And they don’t have a detail map.
So I give up and backtrack to Walmart to park. I call AT&T 611 customer service and report my problem. The connection is very poor that I feel my
call was fruitless.
Walmart - I have found my RV Camp in La Paz
I go inside Walmart and find out if they sell a Mexican SIM card for my other (unlocked) phone that I brought with me. No they don’t sell. The young
lady tells me where I can buy them. Then I finally get lucky. I spot a gringo customer and quickly tag him. Sir, could you help me? And I tell him my
predicament. He lets me use his cellphone to call Steve! “Plans have changed, I hurt my back” Steve laments on the phone, “But I will still be able to
show you around; Zully and Nikki will pick you up.” It’s already past 7PM.
While waiting for Zully and Nikki I go find one of the managers in Walmart to ask for permission to park my motorhome overnite in the parking lot. The
manager, who speaks English, says “as long as you want, . . . it‘s safe there”. I found my RV camp in La Paz.
[Edited on 11-1-2011 by edm1]David K - 8-2-2011 at 05:05 PM
I am so happy you liked Playa Ligui!
The outlined area with the big white cross you passed driving to the beach is the monument to the mission that used to be about 200 feet west... the
arroyo widened and undermined the mission's foundation (all that was left from the 1705-1721 Misón San Juan Bautista de Ligüí/Malibat).Curt63 - 8-2-2011 at 05:07 PM
NIce pics and report.
You probably already know clamming is prohibited for Yanks.edm1 - 8-2-2011 at 05:22 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Curt63
NIce pics and report.
You probably already know clamming is prohibited for Yanks.
thanks, now i know. for pointing it out. I'm glad we were not confronted with having to give mordida.
But we were not clamming :-) we were shell collecting. We don't even look like Yanks :-)edm1 - 8-2-2011 at 05:24 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by David K
I am so happy you liked Playa Ligui!
The outlined area with the big white cross you passed driving to the beach is the monument to the mission that used to be about 200 feet west... the
arroyo widened and undermined the mission's foundation (all that was left from the 1705-1721 Misón San Juan Bautista de Ligüí/Malibat).
Thanks for recommending it David. We enjoyed the trip.MMc - 8-2-2011 at 05:24 PM
Nice cliff hanger. Your reports are a fun read, thank you.Udo - 8-2-2011 at 07:09 PM
Muchas gracias for parts 1, 2, 3, & 4.
Enjoyable report and superb fotos.
Are you sure you are not yanks?baitcast - 8-3-2011 at 07:44 AM
"Are you sure your not yanks" This trip report is about as good as it gets,I,ve
spent a little time at Ligui and loved it,like your dog to.
Robjakecard - 8-3-2011 at 08:46 AM
Yep, I agree. Really outstanding reports. The candor is priceless. Thank you for posting, edm1.
All the best getting your rig fixed and travel safe.
Jake
Part 4 Complete
edm1 - 8-7-2011 at 10:20 AM
Part 4 complete, please see edited original post.David K - 8-7-2011 at 01:15 PM
Got it Art, thanks for the addition... Scary that you could have lost your engine or tranny because of the mission bolts! Blame it on the road to
Gonzaga Bay! David K - 8-15-2011 at 05:49 PM
Anxiously awaiting PART 5
Trip reports are the best part of Baja Nomad... I wish there were more people posting them here... I also wish I was making more trips south! Neal Johns - 8-15-2011 at 07:01 PM
Art,
Are you sure you are not a Yank? You sure Yanked me! Thanks again. Hi to Steve.
NealSkipjack Joe - 8-15-2011 at 07:15 PM
Edm1,
Part 4 link takes us to a 2004 thread.Bajatripper - 8-15-2011 at 11:10 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Neal Johns
Art,
Are you sure you are not a Yank? You sure Yanked me! Thanks again. Hi to Steve.
Neal
Hi back at 'cha, Neal (assuming I'm the Steve you refer to).
Now Art, we're still waiting for the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would say. Get with it, man. Give Nora our best.Marc - 8-16-2011 at 08:36 PM
I like your rig!edm1 - 8-17-2011 at 08:17 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
Edm1,
Part 4 link takes us to a 2004 thread.
Thanks for pointing it out. Now corrected.
For Part 5, I've started it but I got sidetracked by numerous family events.
[Edited on 8-17-2011 by edm1]CortezBlue - 8-17-2011 at 08:55 AM
Wow, I really like your Van/Camper. It looks to be 4WD?David K - 8-17-2011 at 09:08 AM
It is 4WD, also with front and rear ARB locking differentials.David K - 8-31-2011 at 11:09 PM
Still waiting for Part 5, etc. edm1 - 9-1-2011 at 07:05 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Still waiting for Part 5, etc.
This trip report is about as good as it gets,I,ve
spent a little time at Ligui and loved it,like your dog to.
