BajaNomad

Baja Adventure 2014: Take 2, Pappy's Revenge

Pappy Jon - 10-26-2014 at 06:01 PM

This was Take 2 of a trip I attempted in April. Due to a vehicle failure, that trip was aborted.

Players: Mike in his 1997 FZJ80 Landcruiser, and me in my 1985 4Runner.

We crossed on Monday, October 13th, and recrossed on Sunday, October 26. Both crossing were made in Algodones.

The mission of this trip was to explore three general areas. 1) Valle la Bocana. 2) San Miguel/Los Corrales (south of El Barril). 3) the south shore of Bahia San Rafael.

We spent two nights in the desert at two locations, 7 nights beach camping along Bahia San Rafael (4 locations), and 2 nights staging from Pete's Camp in San Felipe. Oh, and one night in Bahia de los Angeles.

[Edited on 10-27-2014 by Pappy Jon]

Pappy Jon - 10-26-2014 at 06:09 PM

Let's start with a few photo-spheres. Scroll left, right, up, down.

La Turquesa Canyon

Laguna Agua Amarga

Bahia San Rafael

Bahia San Rafael

Bahia San Rafael

Bahia San Rafael

woody with a view - 10-26-2014 at 06:15 PM

that is very cool to say the least! glad you had a blast!

Pappy Jon - 10-26-2014 at 06:16 PM

Valle la Bocana.

We started in from the north. Very quickly it was obvious that Hurricane Odile had her way with the area. The first wash we came to was blown out. We were following tracks, clearly of somebody who knew where they were going. We made camp in the San Vicente wash. The next morning we picked up the tracks south and following them for about 1/2 the way down. Most of the travel was navigation by imagination.

We made it to the big wash at San Pedro where there was no sign of tracks. We lost the trail east here. We poked around until I finally decided to look on foot. I walked in the direction where I thought the trail was, and did find it. I communicated back to Mike to drive back and I would walk the route backwards.

I instantly lost the trail in a wash, picked it up, lost it again, then connected with our tracks. The connection would have been rough, and we could have done it. But because we didn't know the condition of the trail east we decided to retreat. We spent the night north of Poncho's.

[Edited on 10-27-2014 by Pappy Jon]

Pappy Jon - 10-26-2014 at 06:49 PM

San Miguel

Next up was an attempt to visit the stone corrals along the Gulf near the 28th parallel. I will say that Odile really tore this place up. It was a mess. All the main roads in the area from Gonzaga Bay to Chapala, and from LA Bay to El Barril had been repaired, and some were well graded. We saw at least three road crews grading and repairing the main roads. We even had a grader on the road south-west from El Barrill.

This road didn't get very far. There were a series of switchbacks that were blown out at the first switch. Somebody had made a bypass to one side, but with our loaded rigs we decided not to try. Again, we didn't know the condition ahead. So we retreated.


[Edited on 10-27-2014 by Pappy Jon]

Pappy Jon - 10-26-2014 at 06:53 PM

Bahia San Rafael

We went back to El Barril, then a detour to San Francisquito, then up to the south end of Bahia San Rafael. We spent three nights there in two different locations.

We made a stab at the lagoon at the south end of the bay. The road was rough, we managed to take a wrong turn in that cluster of mining roads ... then made the mistake of stepping out of the trucks.

Oh, did I fail to mention that the bugs were insane? And I mean really crazy, viscous insane? Let's see, we had mosquitoes in the morning and evening. We had no-see-um biters during the day. Then we had three flavors of mostly non-biting fly from dusk until dawn. Those little bobos suck folks. They were in our ears, our noses, our eyes. And the last thing we wanted to do was camp near a freshly filled breeding pond.

So, using the excuse of the bugs, and the fact that Mike was getting low on fuel, we got the heck out of there. We ended up camping south of Poncho's.

Pappy Jon - 10-26-2014 at 07:17 PM

Google Earth Track

Pappy Jon - 10-26-2014 at 07:39 PM

There was a wash west of Bahia San Rafael, I think called La Palma. It was seriously blown out. When we first entered the wash from the south it was scoured. As we went down the wash, north, the debris from up stream was piled down below. I made a video that shows the destruction.

YouTube Video

Bajaboy - 10-26-2014 at 08:05 PM

Good stuff...we're headed down to see Pancho in a month. How is the road from BOLA? Did he mention anything he needs? The pics are awesome...crazy how green it it.

Pappy Jon - 10-26-2014 at 09:44 PM

Pics

Sunrise C. La Turquesa
IMGP0281 by xylorhiza, on Flickr

Sunrise C. La Turquesa
IMGP0295 by xylorhiza, on Flickr

IMGP0262 by xylorhiza, on Flickr

Big garden spider
IMGP0241 by xylorhiza, on Flickr

Senita and cinch weed
IMGP0201 by xylorhiza, on Flickr

Bahia San Rafael
IMGP0155 by xylorhiza, on Flickr

Bahia San Rafael
IMGP0137 by xylorhiza, on Flickr

Bahia San Rafael
IMGP0100 by xylorhiza, on Flickr

San Vicente Wash
IMGP0049 by xylorhiza, on Flickr


Laguna Agua Amarga near Bahia de los Angeles
PANO_20141023_081554 by xylorhiza, on Flickr

[Edited on 10-27-2014 by Pappy Jon]

David K - 10-27-2014 at 08:34 AM

Wow wow wow!!!:bounce::bounce::bounce:

TMW - 10-27-2014 at 09:12 AM

Wow is right, I've never seen water in Laguna Agua Amarga.
Excellent, thanks for the report.

BooJumMan - 10-27-2014 at 09:14 AM

Nice... my two favorite Toyotas ever made! ;) I've got a 1997 FZJ80 myself.

AKgringo - 10-27-2014 at 10:17 AM

Thank you for posting these photos and Google track!
I spent a couple of days (not enough) on that stretch last week, and spent a night at Pancho's place.
I am not very good about taking photos and posting them, so thanks for providing a thread I can direct my non Baja traveling friends to.
For what it is worth, the camp at Punta San Francisquito did not seem to have much going on recovering from Odile, but the fish camp on the north end of the runway was in good shape, and even has showers available!
The access from there parallel to the the runway is a better way to get to the beach camp and restaurant than driving down the wash that the homemade sign will direct you to.

bacquito - 10-27-2014 at 10:24 AM

Very cool, thanks

Pappy Jon - 10-27-2014 at 11:54 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Wow wow wow!!!:bounce::bounce::bounce:


FYI, we talked about a bypass around the dry lake. There is ... the narcos were using it when I was taking my panoramas out there. At least they didn't look like campers to me (three pickups).

TeamDonde - 10-27-2014 at 03:57 PM

Wow, great pics. I am heading down to Cataviña in December to go see the mission ruins and the oasis. Will add the Canyon Turquesa to the list! How is the access to get in there? Any problem for a lifted 4 door F150? Have to hike in far?

Pappy Jon - 10-27-2014 at 04:19 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by TeamDonde
Wow, great pics. I am heading down to Cataviña in December to go see the mission ruins and the oasis. Will add the Canyon Turquesa to the list! How is the access to get in there? Any problem for a lifted 4 door F150? Have to hike in far?


Good luck with Mission Santa Maria. Let us know how it is.

As far as La Turquesa, it will depend on rear overhang. I did it in 2WD-low. No problem, it's not hard. There are a few crossings that might catch your bumper. Please don't play on the rocks when you get there.

TeamDonde - 10-27-2014 at 04:44 PM

Thanks for the heads up David. We'll leave the full size behind for that part of the trip. Going in with an stock FJ Cruiser and a Rubicon on 37's. Should be good with those rigs. Will definitely post up a trip report when we return. Wish I could go now! Lets see what kind of weather we get between now and then.

Pappy Jon - 10-27-2014 at 04:48 PM

It was still deep in March 2011. That is a very lifted FZJ80 Landcruiser on 35" tires.

IMGP5282 by xylorhiza, on Flickr

Skipjack Joe - 10-27-2014 at 04:50 PM

Those panning videos of San Rafael are amazingly beautiful. It never looked that good when we show up. The desert looks virtually like a garden.

David K - 10-27-2014 at 04:50 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by TeamDonde
Thanks for the heads up David. We'll leave the full size behind for that part of the trip. Going in with an stock FJ Cruiser and a Rubicon on 37's. Should be good with those rigs. Will definitely post up a trip report when we return. Wish I could go now! Lets see what kind of weather we get between now and then.


Now you're talking!!! Have a blast and please do post a trip report and photos!

StuckSucks - 10-27-2014 at 04:56 PM

Loved the photo spheres and photos and video. Thanks for sharing!

David K - 10-30-2014 at 05:38 PM

That is nice... I have used a 360º panorama maker and posted the view at Mission Santa Maria in 2007... I will need to check out the program that Jon used on his photos.

Pappy Jon - 10-31-2014 at 07:02 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by David KI will need to check out the program that Jon used on his photos.


Google Camera, available for Android and now "i" stuff.

TeamDonde - 10-31-2014 at 10:59 AM

cool. downloading now.

cpg - 11-2-2014 at 07:33 PM

Was there any camp that the bugs were not to bad?

Pappy Jon - 11-2-2014 at 08:16 PM

No. The camps at the south end of the bay were much worse than around Poncho's on the west side. But, the bugs were bad both places, it's just a matter of degree. They were also bad on the interior, though I seem to recall fewer mosquitoes in the interior relative to the gulf.

Genecag - 11-3-2014 at 11:17 AM

great trip report and an inspiration to follow the trails..... :)

Kgryfon - 11-3-2014 at 06:27 PM

Thanks for the great photos and report! BTW - your quote made me curious so I looked up Ed Abbey. Is this from the book Desert Solitaire, or one of his other books? Sounds like he was an interesting guy.

elgatoloco - 11-3-2014 at 06:50 PM

:cool:

Pappy Jon - 11-3-2014 at 07:25 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by KgryfonBTW - your quote made me curious so I looked up Ed Abbey. Is this from the book Desert Solitaire, or one of his other books? Sounds like he was an interesting guy.


The quote is from the essay Mountain Music in his book The Journey Home, probably my favorite collection of stories he did. I have more highlighted or underlined in this book than any of his others ... and I have most, if not all.

"To be alive is to take risk; to be always safe and secure is death." Probably the one influential quote that provokes me to adventure solo in Baja.

"Who needs wilderness? Civilization needs wilderness. The idea of wilderness preservation is one of the fruits of civilization, like Bach music, Tolstoy's novels, scientific medicine, novocaine, space travel, free love, the double martini, the secret ballot, the private home and private property, the public park and public property, freedom of travel, the Bill of Rights, peppermint toothpaste, beaches for nude bathing, the right to own and bear arms, the right not to own and bear arms, and a thousand other good things one could name, some of them trivial, most of them essential, all of them vital to that great, bubbling, disorderly, anarchic, unmanageable diversity of opinion, expression, and ways of living which free men and women love, which is their breath of life, and which the authoritarians of church and state and war and sometimes even art despise and always have despised. And feared.

The permissive society? What else? I love America because it is a confused, chaotic mess -- and I hope we can keep it this way for at least another thousand years."

I could quote all day long.

"God Bless America -- Let's Save Some of It. Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet."

cpg - 11-3-2014 at 07:52 PM

Thank you for the info.
I am going to be a similar trip in a couple of weeks hope the bugs die soon!
How many miles on your four runner now?

Pappy Jon - 11-3-2014 at 08:20 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by cpg
How many miles on your four runner now?


381,xxx.

Umm, are you the same CPG at Mud?

[Edited on 11-4-2014 by Pappy Jon]

cpg - 11-4-2014 at 12:40 PM

Yes. We met waiting for gas in BOLA you were heading north and I was heading south in the grey 80.

Pappy Jon - 11-4-2014 at 04:14 PM

I remember that. Pemex was out of fuel and we waited in line for jerry cans. All part of the adventure.