BajaNomad

Off Road Expo Tijuana: British Invasion!

Ken Cooke - 7-3-2012 at 10:26 PM














British Invasion?

durrelllrobert - 7-4-2012 at 08:16 AM

I don't recognize John Lennon Paul McCartney or George Harrison but the one with the UBANANA plate does look like Ringo Starr.

David K - 7-4-2012 at 09:44 AM

I don't see Roy's (The squarecirle) ride, he calls 'Winston'!??

Here it is, the first Nomad to climb up the La Turquesa Grade (where are the Jeeps?)!!

The squarecircle - 7-4-2012 at 11:39 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
I don't see Roy's (The squarecirle) ride, he calls 'Winston'!??

Here it is, the first Nomad to climb up the La Turquesa Grade (where are the Jeeps?)!!



Greetings All, >>>> Maybe poor ol' Winston needs is some shinny chrome rims, a protuding winch and flame paint job or racing stripes. >>>> He might get a bath this Independence day and a cigar just for being a good English Ford.>>>> He's so cutesy-pie, don't you know! >>>> Regards, sq.

David K - 7-4-2012 at 12:41 PM

Hello Roy, great to see you posting on Nomad once again... even if it took a Ken Cooke post to bring you online... :smug: ;)

Ken Cooke - 7-4-2012 at 11:08 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K

Here it is, the first Nomad to climb up the La Turquesa Grade (where are the Jeeps?)!!


You should have invited them - go to: www.justruns.com and sign up. You can lead a Jeep run just like I do. It is fun, but, you will need to hard-wire a CB radio inside of your Jeep, uh, Tacoma.

David K - 7-5-2012 at 09:00 AM

All of Baja Nomad was invited... and you even gave it a try... but when it is scorching hot and Gonzaga Bay is so close, who wants to make a road in the desert? Anyway, Roy with help from TW and two others did it in his Britsh 'jeep'!

Ken Cooke - 7-5-2012 at 12:42 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Anyway, Roy with help from TW and two others did it in his Britsh 'jeep'!


Quote:
Originally posted by David K

Roy already did it Ken... TW, and others were with him helping scout a route from the turquoise mine to the bottom of the grade. Photos in the link above...


Okay, Roy - I see where my error was - You traveled from Hwy 1 to the base of the La Turquesa Grade. In May 2007, you traveled from Hwy 5/Valle de Coco to an area above the La Turquesa Mine. The two points did not connect. This was still a great accomplishment for anyone not driving a Tractor/Earth Mover.

[Edited on 7-5-2012 by Ken Cooke]

The squarecircle - 7-5-2012 at 02:24 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Ken Cooke
Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Anyway, Roy with help from TW and two others did it in his Britsh 'jeep'!


If they did it, I would love to see proof. From what I hear (and read in Kacey Smith's GPS Guidebook), it isn't passable to a 4 wheeled vehicle.



HEY KEN >>>> Are you implying that other Nomads are not telling the truth (lying) about the Turquesa Trek? >>>> That is really very impressive! >>>> I know that I am impressed as purhaps are others that read these board postings. >>>> Keep it up Ken, and I am sure you will continue to inpress more and more readers,don't you know? >>>> sq.

Barry A. - 7-5-2012 at 02:52 PM

When left-leaning people (some of them, anyway) see stuff written down by somebody they have chosen to respect, then it is gospel!!!-----photos to the contrary be damned!!! :P

(just pokeing fun at ya, Ken) :lol:

Barry

Ken Cooke - 7-5-2012 at 03:49 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
I don't see Roy's (The squarecirle) ride, he calls 'Winston'!??

Here it is, the first Nomad to climb up the La Turquesa Grade (where are the Jeeps?)!!
Quote:
Originally posted by TW
I think Ken and his Jeep friends should try it again this year.

There are at least three bad spots that take some work to get by. One is an S curve with big boulders to get around and another is a sand trap with boulders to get over. The last really bad spot is the hill at the end of the wash. The motorcycles have a worn path to use that's solid. The east side is a lot of loose rocks and if you start sliding that way you take a chance of rolling over. The Squarecircle's Land Rover did not have locking differentials and when he attemped to climb up the hill a wheel would come off the ground and spin, either front or rear. He did have a traction control system that applied a brake to the spinning wheel if it's turned on but then you loose momemtum and have to back down. The large cactus at the bottom prevented a fast run up the hill to carry speed. With lockers the hill would not be a problem provided the loose rocks are stable. Now it's been a couple of years since we were there and the rains could have added many more rocks especially to the road coming down from hwy 1. Roy said there were a lot of rocks when he was coming up after getting out of the wash.

Who knows there may be an easier path there now.


Quote:
Originally posted by David K

Since he is coming down from San Felipe (see his first post in this thread)... He won't get to enjoy the thrill of the La Turquesa Grade (Kacey's XR Ride/ Coco's Shortcut)!

Roy 'TheSquarecircle' with help from TW and others made it UP in his Land Rover after finding and clearing a route from the turquoise mine.

In Feb. 2007, I went from Hwy. 1 (near El Pedregoso) east to the peninsular divide on the abandoned mine road:



There I saw the road dropping down the mountain side... A much better road than I was expecting after reading Kacey's book.



I walked about halfway down the grade to see if it was possible to drive it without a need to turn around. Not being able to see the end, I decided not to chance it without another vehicle along.



In May, 2007... Roy went in from the Hwy. 5 side, to the turquoise mine and tried to scout a route beyond to the bottom of the grade:









Roy needed more help and time to find the lost road across the valley floor. Nomads Steekers and Ken Cooke made trips in to see if they could get across.

Steekers took this photo from the turquoise mine area showing the grade coming down the mountain...



Roy, TW and others helping forged a road across the valley from the turquoise mine to the foot of the mountain:





Only motorcycle tracks could be seen on this former mine service road... It was very steep, but the Rover with Roy at the wheel, made it up!







The top of the grade... where I was the previous year...



The road on to Hwy. 1:



For more on finding this La Turquesa Canyon shortcut: http://vivabaja.com/207


[Edited on 7-5-2012 by Ken Cooke]

David K - 7-5-2012 at 07:30 PM

Yup, you found my post on the history of the LA TURQUESA GRADE RE-OPENED by non other than The Squarecircle, Seņor Roy! However YOU Ken were a part of this historic event!!! :light::biggrin::cool::cool:

Ken Cooke - 7-5-2012 at 08:40 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Yup, you found my post on the history of the LA TURQUESA GRADE RE-OPENED by non other than The Squarecircle, Seņor Roy! However YOU Ken were a part of this historic event!!! :light::biggrin::cool::cool:


I would love to drive from Hwy 5 to Hwy 1 through this maze of boulders, waterfalls and zombie cobra snakes. But, I fear the reality is that only a 2 wheeled motorcycle can do it. Sorry to Roy for ruffling his feathers. I didn't mean to make him upset by insinuating that he did not "make it." I was just pointing out my own frustration in not being able to travel from one end of the boulder maze to the point where Roy climbed that steep hill (as shown in this photo). Great work, Roy!



Had I also been there, I would take the same line as Roy - along the outside to the left. The rocks on the right side appear to be very loose. This also looks like an area where tires would be prone to failure.

David K - 7-6-2012 at 06:34 PM

Right you can see where the motorcycles were doing Kacey Smith's 'XR Ride Up' (The La Turquesa Grade, aka 'Coco's Shortcut)...

It did sound like you were in a memory lapse there Ken... It was all documented right here on Baja Nomad when Roy, Richard, TW and JW got the route opened from the mine on the Hwy. 5 end, to the bottom of the grade... then up the grade to the top and on to Hwy. 1 near El Pedregoso boulder hill.

One thing about The Squarecircle... he doesn't give up and he isn't affraid to push his British jeep to the limits!