South of San Felipe roads

YES, a thing of the past (sadly to some of us)... This was the 20 miles between Puertecitos and El Huerfanito... and really the entire run to Gonzaga Bay (45 miles) was no joy ride.

We called it 'The Gonzaga Grades'... others called it the 'Sisters' named for each of the steep low range grades.






Baitcast's photo of one of the grades, near the top:



The original road built in the late 1950's had become nearly impassable after 1973 when the new Baja Highway allowed a shorter to pavement route for Gonzaga supplies to use (coming up from Calamajue Canyon way until the new road to Puerto Calamajue from Laguna Chapala was finished about 1983, and traffic used it to (today's) Coco's Corner, to get to Gonzaga.

The newer graded road was built in 1986 between Puertecitos and (today's) Coco's Corner... making passenger cars finally able to safely drive south from Puertecitos. But, 2005 was the last year it was graded and it too became too rough for a lot of traffic soon after.

Here is my last trip over it (July, 2011): http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=53987

Here are my photos of the original road south of Puertecitos I took between 1974 and 1979:


















Me, 22 years old, pushing my 4WD Subaru to the limits!







This is all 110 kph paved super highway now, past El Huerfanito Island!




[Edited on 11-1-2011 by David K]

1963-2007 AAA Maps San Felipe South:

1963 (the marks added are places we spent the night, in the 1960's):



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1975:



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1978:



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1980 (markings show the 1981 Baja 1000 and pit stops):



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1987 (markings show the progress of the new graded road from Puertecitos south) Pavement now heading south from San Felipe on new roadbed reaching Punta Estrella/ Punta Diggs area. (Also, roads to Valle Chico/ Matomi added in by me):



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1989 Pavement reaches Laguna Percebu, but wrong road paved on map:



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1990 Pavement to Laguna Percebu road corrected:



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1996 Pavement reaches Puertecitos:



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1997 (I lined in roads to Valle Chico/ Matomi):



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2000 Pavement vanished last 10 miles to Puertecitos:



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2001 Pavement mostly gone 30 miles north of Puertecitos:



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2003:



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2004:



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2007 New Pavement again to Puertecitos:

The first time we "tried" that route was in 1958, I believe. My buddies and I were in a WWII Army ambulance 4x4 powered by a 6 cyl engine and 4 speed tranny. I was driving, and certainly glad I was as the other 5 guys were banged around inside that Ambulance really good-------

We could not make it over the Grade 3 (or maybe 2---not sure) as it was just too steep and was scaring the hell out of our passengers, and they were too stewed to walk, tho they tried, to everybodies amusement---------we ended up backing down a long, long way and camping on a tiny cove for a week at the bottom of grade 2 (or 3 ?). One of the otherguys in our group (NOMAD "Vince") was driving his jeep, and he made it over the grades and back to our camp just fine. Another jeep that was sorta associated with our group attempted grade 3 and rolled his jeep over, bashing it up good, and injuring himself pretty badly. We all got the jeep righted, and they limped back to San Felipe, as I remember----we stayed at the cove and dove and played. Those were wild and wooley days!!! I was about 20.

Barry

I think I remember that sign, Bucko--------there were a lot of crosses and shrines, like David K says, and a big shrine at the top of, I think grade #2 of the 3 main grades that we knew of then (cliff cross has id'ed more, I see).

Another story---------in the mid-70's we had made it all the way down to Gonzaga in my old '69 Ford pickup, 2-wheel drive with 4 speed tranny with huge tires, and a very small camper on the back. No problems, and we were jubilant and a little c-cky. On the way back north just north of Huerfanita Island on the very first grade going north, I broke all motor mounts (2) on a particularly steep rough rocky patch, the tranny shift-column suddenly came over and hammered my right thigh, almost breaking it. We opened up the hood and the engine was at a crazy angle. Took us about 3 hours to straighten up the engine, and then to chain the engine to the frame so that it would not fully tip over, and then we inched our way up the rest of the grades and limped back to El Centro in the USA. After that experience, I put in after-market semi-SOLID motor mounts and no more problems. My son still owns that truck, it is running strong in Owens Valley, and still uses the same motor mounts, and all. Ford built them tough back then, but we did have a few problems. That pickup has a 4-speed tranny out of a ton and a half dump truck I bought in a junkyard in Sacramento, and had it shipped home via YELLOW FREIGHT trucking, and installed in my truck.

Barry

OK, that's it for stories of that grade from me------all the rest of the "crossings" were relatively incident free.

Barry

Quote:

Originally posted by Barry A. I think I remember that sign, Bucko--------there were a lot of crosses and shrines, like David K says, and a big shrine at the top of, I think grade #2 of the 3 main grades that we knew of then (cliff cross has id'ed more, I see). Another story---------in the mid-70's we had made it all the way down to Gonzaga in my old '69 Ford pickup, 2-wheel drive with 4 speed tranny with huge tires, and a very small camper on the back. No problems, and we were jubilant and a little c-cky. On the way back north just north of Huerfanita Island on the very first grade going north, I broke all motor mounts (2) on a particularly steep rough rocky patch, the tranny shift-column suddenly came over and hammered my right thigh, almost breaking it. We opened up the hood and the engine was at a crazy angle. Took us about 3 hours to straighten up the engine, and then to chain the engine to the frame so that it would not fully tip over, and then we inched our way up the rest of the grades and limped back to El Centro in the USA. After that experience, I put in after-market semi-SOLID motor mounts and no more problems. My son still owns that truck, it is running strong in Owens Valley, and still uses the same motor mounts, and all. Ford built them tough back then, but we did have a few problems. That pickup has a 4-speed tranny out of a ton and a half dump truck I bought in a junkyard in Sacramento, and had it shipped home via YELLOW FREIGHT trucking, and installed in my truck. Barry OK, that's it for stories of that grade from me------all the rest of the "crossings" were relatively incident free. Barry

Great, I will try and be hungry!

April 1974

Here is a photo my friend took of me at Agua de Mezquitito spring on my first Mexico trip without parents, we were both 16 and traveled in my dune buggy (seen in the photos above). This spring is just a half mile off the road, between El Huerfanito and Gonzaga Bay. A lost Mission Santa Isabel story is based on an encounter at this spring.




I revisted this spring in 2002, and someone used a lot of tires to build a corral around it.

HERE is that story:














[Edited on 11-3-2011 by David K]

I read about it first in the Lower California Guidebook, then first saw it on our 1967 trip driving north from L.A. Bay. Lots of quail in there! The next time was in 1974 (photo of me at 16), and the last time was in 2002.

Here is its location on the Almanac map, with the 12 mile radius drawn in from the lost mission story, above:



GPS (NAD27 Mexico): Agua del Mezquitito water hole: 29º59.16'/ 114º34.12'


[Edited on 11-3-2011 by David K]

Mezquitito shown on maps:

1930 Map with spring shown:


1919 Map (hard to see, but it's there):


1905 expedition map (pub. 1919):


1905 Mine Map:

We already did that... last April/May... wait, you were there!

I have had a couple of emails with elbeau recently... He is going to come up with new stuff to further his research into looking for ancient sites in Baja. The Lost Santa Isabel story happened to fit when he saw those weird rocks we hiked to.

Latest Google Earth Aerial Photos = August 2009