BajaNomad

trip idea

wolffo - 12-23-2015 at 08:59 AM

1st post
beat up my trip idea!

I want to drive from Denver to Bahia los Angeles in late February 2016 to fish, kayak and snorkel

is it possible to do it from Calexico/Mexicali down the 5 all the way?

is it just a dirt road or is it hard core off roading?

how many hours should it be for the Mexicali to Bahia los Angeles section?

finally, what weather conditions can I expect in late February?
water temps?

I drive a lifted Toyota tundra with off road tires
I have off road skills
and dirtbike skills
I have good intermediate mechanical abilities
I am a camper and an eagle scout
I drove the east cape road in 2004 in a rinky dink rental...that was legit! and I was not prepared

thanks,
oliver

Bajazly - 12-23-2015 at 09:14 AM

Sounds like a good trip to me.

You have a couple hours from Mexicali to San Felipe, good place to stay the night if you've been on the road all day and a cool little town. From SF you are probably 5 to 6 hours to B de LA.

From the border easily doable in a day seeing how Hwy 5 is almost thru to 1, just 20 or so miles of dirt between the end of pavement and 1.

As far as temps, probably still a little cool but much nicer than where you are coming from. The wind is what may kill your water activities, winter time is the windy season down there.

I plan on going to the San Felipe 250 then heading down below B de LA for camping on the beach for the week after, maybe we'll cross paths.

Have fun

bkbend - 12-23-2015 at 09:19 AM

Mexicali to Bahia de Los Angeles will be an easy 8 hours via Mex 5. Twenty-three miles of graded dirt/rock, the rest is paved, no serious off-road skills required.

Variable weather in February, air temps mostly in the 70's but could vary a little up or down. There could be some strong wind or it could be calm. How's that for waffling an answer? If you're there for a long enough time (say a week) you should hit some real nice days.

Not the best time to snorkel, water temps low 60's and visibility is less than in the fall.

wolffo - 12-23-2015 at 09:35 AM

thanks for the replies!

I was thinking about a week + for all the driving
I think its 16 hours from Denver to Mexicali
I have some slack in my calendar around February
would pushing into march make any difference?

in my 20's it was nothing to do big drives in a day
now in my 40's ....I'm learning to slow it down a bit

I once drove from Atlanta to Denver in 24 hours straight thru
I was 19
when we got to Denver I could barely move my legs

wolffo - 12-23-2015 at 09:46 AM

how about the dirt road southwest out of Vale La Trinidad thru San Isidoro over to the 1?

David K - 12-23-2015 at 09:59 AM

Have a wonderful time! If it fits your interests, see the cave art site Montevideo and the cut stone mission, San Borja (founded in 1762, construction completed in 1801).

The San Borja and Montevideo access road (2WD dirt) turns south off the L.A. Bay highway 13 miles from L.A. Bay or 27 miles from Highway One.

The Montevideo side road is 2 miles south on the San Borja road then about 6-7 miles to the painted cliff. No hiking, you can drive right to the art.

Mission San Borja is 20 miles south of the Montevideo junction (22 miles from the L.A. Bay highway). The family of José will offer to show you the sites there, a small tip is appreciated. You can camp there at the mission to have more time to explore or enjoy the hot springs there!





The road to the mission is through some beautiful cactus gardens:










These are just tiny samples of the many sites to see around Bahía de los Angeles!

David K - 12-23-2015 at 10:04 AM

Quote: Originally posted by wolffo  
how about the dirt road southwest out of Vale La Trinidad thru San Isidoro over to the 1?


Ummm, no?

San Isidoro or just south of San Vicente? If you want to check out the farm towns and Pacific Coast, I would take I-8 to San Diego and go south on the 1.

A lot of rain is forecast, and that side has had bridges washed out in 2010.
The dirt road over the mountains will also be a mess to drive. It has steep parts.

wolffo - 12-23-2015 at 10:05 AM

interesting stuff

I recently saw the rock art in Moab, UT with similar round/spiral "shields"

wolffo - 12-23-2015 at 10:15 AM

for that side trip idea my goal was Punta Camalu south of Colonet

David K - 12-23-2015 at 10:21 AM

Then I would hit that area on your way north... Go to L.A. Bay on Hwy. 5 and come back north on Hwy. 1. Makes a loop of Baja and you see more!

wolffo - 12-23-2015 at 10:28 AM

connecting south thru Guerreo Negro and then back north on the 1?

David K - 12-23-2015 at 10:37 AM

Quote: Originally posted by wolffo  
connecting south thru Guerreo Negro and then back north on the 1?


Guerrero Negro is way past L.A. Bay... You use a few miles of Hwy. 1 from where Hwy. 5 ends (Laguna Chapala) to get to the L.A. Bay turnoff. On your way home, just stay on Hwy. 1 northbound (if you want to see Camalu, etc.). From just north of Ensenada you can either cross back at San Ysidro or take Hwy. 3 to Tecate.

wolffo - 12-23-2015 at 10:54 AM

my understanding is either go way north or way south to cross over to the 1, right?

otherwise hardcore dirt roads?

shari - 12-23-2015 at 10:58 AM

HOla Wolffo and welcome to the pack! If things are wild and wooly in BOLA, head on over to Ojo de Liebre whale nursery and camp in the lagoon or stay in a hotel and come on out and see some whale magic with us! for more info check out www.whalemagictours.com

have a great trip and let us know how you fared! Happy Holidays

AKgringo - 12-23-2015 at 11:08 AM

From L.A. bay, I recommend heading south, coming back to highway 1 near Vizcaino. It is a hundred miles of dirt through some truly great landscape.

It is a rugged two wheel drive road, with lots of four wheel drive side trips if you have time. It is one of my favorite drives, and when you get to Vizcaino, a side trip to Bahia Asuncion would be another change of scenery and worth a trip.

It is the kind of drive that I go to Baja for!

David K - 12-23-2015 at 11:30 AM

Quote: Originally posted by wolffo  
my understanding is either go way north or way south to cross over to the 1, right?

otherwise hardcore dirt roads?


I am not clear on what you are asking about. Can you see the map I posted above?

Denver to L.A. Bay: South of Mex 5 to Mex 1 (Chapala) to L.A. Bay (40 mile paved sideroad off Hwy. 1 at Parador Punta Prieta).

L.A. Bay to Denver (with a visit to Camalu): Back to Hwy. 1 at Parador Punta Prieta or via Mission San Borja and out at Nuevo Rosarito (just south of road to Santa Rosalillita on map). North on Hwy. 1 to Camalu and on to the border at Tijuana or Tecate.

wolffo - 12-28-2015 at 07:44 AM

excellent!
I get it now
thanks guys!

what time of year does the wind typically die own around the LA bay area?

elbeau - 12-28-2015 at 09:38 AM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  

...The Montevideo side road is 2 miles south on the San Borja road then about 6-7 miles to the painted cliff. No hiking, you can drive right to the art...




...
Quote: Originally posted by wolffo  
interesting stuff

I recently saw the rock art in Moab, UT with similar round/spiral "shields"



Early this year I wrote a post about a possible writing system in prehistoric Baja California. In a reply to the post, Osprey pointed me to Levan Martineau's book "The Rocks Begin to Speak". Both myself and Wilderone followed Osprey's suggestion and read the book and loved it. Our discussion included comments about the Montevideo site that David mentioned above. Here's a link to the post and discussion:

"Tablas" as a Writing System in Prehistoric Baja California

In that thread we also discussed some Valley of Fire rock art which is probably not dissimilar to the rock art you saw in Moab.

I was later able to travel to the Valley of Fire to study the panels we discussed but I never came back and updated the thread. I'll try to find time today to give the thread a bump and add some more comments about my subsequent visit to the site.

I would HIGHLY recommend Martineau's book to anyone interested in rock art. I grew up in Utah and saw many rock art sites in the beautiful back-country of the "beehive state", but before I read Martineau's book, everything I saw looked like hunting scenes or just jibberish. Visiting rock art sites is a completely different experience for me now. I don't think that Martineau is necessarily 100% correct, but regardless, his book gets you looking at rock "art" in a whole new light.

hombre66 - 12-28-2015 at 09:42 AM

Most reliable time frame in the midriff, IMHO, is right around 4/15 thru 5/15. Having done a spring trip to B oLA/Pta SFO every year during the 90's , I might call it a time of "minimal" wind, meaning, there's a good chance you won't encounter a 5 or 6 day blow that will have the sand stripping the skin off your ankles. Be prepared for anything! A good alternative for B O' LA area, if theres a blow, is to slip over in a jiff to the pacific side and explore the area around Sta Rosillillita. Many times if the gulf is howled out, the bigger pond to the west is mellower.

wolffo - 12-29-2015 at 07:27 AM

good stuff
there is a gigantic hole in my calendar in February, so...

elgatoloco - 12-29-2015 at 12:19 PM

If you are coming all that way you should really try and fill some of that hole with a side trip to a grey whale nursery. You won't be disappointed. :saint: