New Years 2012: Clams, both fresh & petrified! 5 photos from Tunaeater added!

Baja Angel and I headed south Saturday morning, crossed the border at Mexicali about 12:30 and loaded our ice chests with all the beer they could hold (Dos Equis, Carta Blanca Light) from a distributor at Km. 5.5 who added free ice above what we had. Very nice man runs the place who moved back to Mexico when business in the US soured.

The highway to San Felipe was in super condition with just a very short detour about 50 miles south, near the sand dunes. However, that was finished yesterday... so no detours at all now.

Gasoline in San Felipe was 9.42 pesos/ liter for Magna and 10.20 for Premium. The station at El Dorado Ranch was giving an exchange rate of 13.65 pesos per dollar. Making the cost of Magna US$2.61/ gallon... a dollar a gallon less than in California.

The time was 3:30 and we headed directly to the Malecon (beach front street) for some tacos and beer. The town seemed nearly deserted from tourists (Mexican or American) and it was a sad scene. The taco stand plaza has morphed into just two restaurants from the original dozen fish taco vendors of up to 10 years before.

We were invited to stay at BajaRob and Connie's (Bahia Santa Maria) which is 24 miles south, and we arrived about 4:30 pm and enjoyed the sky changing color and the Sea of Cortez. Rob and Connie arrived about an hour later from an event put on by the South Campos Community, called a White Elephant... Rob can describe that to you guys!

The night was wonderful and we were asleep before New Years (well, unless you go by a different time zone).

The next morning (Sunday, Jan. 1), was an awesome sunny day... Good omen... I helped Rob and his neighbor Jim bring up fresh water for the clams for a final purge. Rob ordered 100 dozen clams and has the clam thing down to a science... There were up to 100 people at the New Years Day party (1-4 pm) and the clams were perfect in both quantity and flavor. It is a pot luck, so many dishes and salads and Rob's black eyed peas add to the bowl of clams and butter everyone enjoyed.

Before the party, Baja Angel and I drove to Shell Island and enjoyed some quiet time before the party. A kite-surfer went from Santa Maria to Percebu and back while we were there. It was interesting to watch him tack into the north wind.










Noticed how tires sink less than foot prints in sand... I guess they should re-think that vehicles could harm beach life, they would be better to ban people walking!



Monday, we hooked up with 'Chick' and his wife who live at El Vergel to visit the fossil beds nearby. Rob tried to show us the place 2 years ago, but we missed the correct path... but had fun four wheeling anyway!





















TO BE CONTINUED!...



[Edited on 1-10-2012 by David K]

Next, we hiked further up the wash to see petrified sand dollars!








BajaRob






After seeing the sand dollars, we drove over to an entire hill made of oysters and other shells...















Chick's Ford was a nice off roader... it only broke down about 3 times that day! (Chick fixed it while I goofed off driving circles around it on the beach) Chick has a Toyota too... I think he drives it when he doesn't have another vehicle along for support!






Near the top of the fossil hill.



Wednesday, we head home... But, not without some exploration into new (to me) territory.



This is the water pipe that goes from Arroyo Grande to the La Fortuna gold mines, 40 miles north of San Felipe. The power lines go to the well at the end of the pipe. The access road leaves Mex. 5 at Km. 107... just south of La Ventana.

In ~6 miles you come to the water and power lines... ~6 more miles is the end in Arroyo Grande. The Baja 1000 course was in Arroyo Grande, heading south.



It is pretty slow going in anything but an off road racer in Arroyo Grande, for ~5 miles to where it turns east out of the arroyo.



The desert is beautiful...

Like all my other Baja trips, this one has me wanting to go back... just to experience it one more time!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

[Edited on 1-6-2012 by David K]

Pertified?

The road to Cohabuzo Junction?

Our new friend Rafael who lives in Ejido Saldaña lives near this route. If you see him walking with his dogs, be sure to give him a Gatorade.

[Edited on 1-5-2012 by Ken Cooke]

Quote:

Originally posted by Ken Cooke Our new friend Rafael who lives in Ejido Saldaña lives near this route. If you see him walking with his dogs, be sure to give him a Gatorade.

Nope... we were a quite bit south and east of Cohabuzo... actually on or just south of the road from the Pole Line Road out to La Ventana, the way you guys drive out of there, I think. The photo is the Baja 1000 course in Arroyo Grande before it crosses the Sierra Pinta towards Hwy. 3/ San Felipe side.



This is Howard Gulick's 1962 map of the area. We went as far as the road junction area just north of the lable 'Grande' for Arroyo grande on the map.

Great trip report and pictures

Thanks again for your hospitality, warm days, star filled nights and finally finding and showing us the fossil beds!! We will see you sooner than later, I hope!

I also wanted to say how great your party was and I had a chance to visit with Tunaeater and El Comondante Loco... and met Baja Ponderosa, too. It was great watching the Chargers beat the Raiders, too!

Fun Fun Fun in the bright Baja sun!

Trust me, we doubled back through this area for 5 hours in November.

Quote:

Originally posted by David K Quote: Originally posted by Ken Cooke Our new friend Rafael who lives in Ejido Saldaña lives near this route. If you see him walking with his dogs, be sure to give him a Gatorade. Nope... we were a quite bit south and east of Cohabuzo... actually on or just south of the road from the Pole Line Road out to La Ventana, the way you guys drive out of there, I think. The photo is the Baja 1000 course in Arroyo Grande before it crosses the Sierra Pinta towards Hwy. 3/ San Felipe side. This is Howard Gulick's 1962 map of the area. We went as far as the road junction area just north of the lable 'Grande' for Arroyo grande on the map.

This map is fairly inaccurate, as well.

Quote:

Originally posted by David K This is Howard Gulick's 1962 map of the area. We went as far as the road junction area just north of the lable 'Grande' for Arroyo grande on the map.

Quote:

Originally posted by Ken Cooke Quote: Originally posted by David K This is Howard Gulick's 1962 map of the area. We went as far as the road junction area just north of the lable 'Grande' for Arroyo grande on the map. For starters, Hwy 5 does not hook the way it does on this map. Plus, where you were driving when you took the photo behind the wheel, is sandy, but is past the actual arroyo - leading to some massive silt beds. I would post my photos, but they would throw your screen orientation out of sorts. And, I know you wouldn't like reading your thread with larger photo images to condend with.

OK Ken, here is the Gulick map, showing more of the area and including San Felipe to Cohabuzo Jcn. I penciled in the Baja 1000 (2011) course and newer roads from Hwy. 5 (to Ej. Saldaña and the gold mine water well).

We drove in from La Ventana to the well, then south 5 miles on the Baja 1000 road, passing Race Mile 170 sign and where it meets the Pole Line Road we drove a short distance east from Arroyo Grande and a bit north on the old road shown on the Gulick map and the Almanac... but it soon vanished. We returned to Arroyo Grande, headed back to the well and drove back out to La Ventana the same way we came in.

Quote:

Originally posted by David K OK Ken, here is the Gulick map, showing more of the area and including San Felipe to Cohabuzo Jcn. I penciled in the Baja 1000 (2011) course and newer roads from Hwy. 5 (to Ej. Saldaña and the gold mine water well). We drove in from La Ventana to the well, then south 5 miles on the Baja 1000 road, passing Race Mile 170 sign and where it meets the Pole Line Road we drove a short distance east from Arroyo Grande and a bit north on the old road shown on the Gulick map and the Almanac... but it soon vanished. We returned to Arroyo Grande, headed back to the well and drove back out to La Ventana the same way we came in.

Quote:

Originally posted by Ken Cooke Quote: Originally posted by David K OK Ken, here is the Gulick map, showing more of the area and including San Felipe to Cohabuzo Jcn. I penciled in the Baja 1000 (2011) course and newer roads from Hwy. 5 (to Ej. Saldaña and the gold mine water well). We drove in from La Ventana to the well, then south 5 miles on the Baja 1000 road, passing Race Mile 170 sign and where it meets the Pole Line Road we drove a short distance east from Arroyo Grande and a bit north on the old road shown on the Gulick map and the Almanac... but it soon vanished. We returned to Arroyo Grande, headed back to the well and drove back out to La Ventana the same way we came in. I have a Neal Johns' hand-penciled copy of the Baja Almanac that I refer to. The hill I was referring to is called Cerro Caprote and serves as a landmark of sorts for the area north of Cohabuzo Junction. The Baja 1000 road travels east of Caprote winding south into the lower reaches of the Laguna Salada.

Unchartered Territories

David - Lower Cañon Jaquegel flows east toward Hwy 5 - not Arroyo Grande from the Pole Line Road. Arroyo Grande lies southeast of the Pole Line Road. At the terminis of the Pole Line Road, communication lines turn south towards San Felipe and the rocky Arroyo Grande. According to Neal Johns, you cannot continue through this route to Hwy 3 due to large boulders blocking the route.



Where the well appears on this route, you are inside of the Ejido, away from Hwy 5. Following the two-track, you are actually EAST of the Ejido traveling NORTH to Hwy 5. I don't have a track drawn up, but in 2 days, I could take you on the complete loop from Ejido Saldaña to Ejido Saldaña.

Photos from Tunaeater at the party

Paul 'Tunaeater'


Mrs. Tunaeater and the kids


Tunaeater and his dad El Comandante Loco (Rudy).

David, Ken and I have come out to hwy 5 two ways after his Pole Line Rd runs. One is to go north to Saldana as shown on the map and out ot KM87. The other is to go south/east to Arroyo Grande back to the wells and northeast and out to KM 91. The turn off on hwy 5 south of La Ventana that leads to the water pipe road is at KM 107+/-. The Google map below has the Baja 500 course with the access roads to Hwy 5.

Here is the two routes from the PLR. One to Saldana and the other to Arroyo Grande.

This shows the dam, rocks and Rancho Grande locations. I have been to the rocks. Google Earth does not show another way down Arroyo Grande that I could see to get around the cable.