BajaNomad

La Ventana to Seattle trip report

brucedog - 1-8-2016 at 08:45 AM

Just returned to Seattle from La Ventana and here are my observations:

Yes, the road through Santa Rosalia is very rough but driving slowly it is easy to navigate without damaging your suspension. The worst stretch was between Jesus y Maria and Catavina. There were a lot more potholes heading north than I remember seeing when heading south three weeks earlier. Also, the biggest surprise was seeing rain in the Vizcaino Desert! It rained nonstop from 50 miles east of Guerrero Negro all the way to southern Oregon. Honestly, the toughest part of the drive was getting through Los Angeles in a driving rainstorm with accidents all around me.

I mentioned before that I was worried about the quality of diesel fuel for my 2015 Sprinter. I brought 40 gallons in jerry cans which allowed me to only use about 30 gallons on fuel from the pumps in Baja Sur. The van performed flawlessly and I never saw a warning light on the dash.

I decided to cross the border at Tecate to avoid the 2.5 hour wait time that my wife saw online. The road is so beautiful it was worth it for that. My wait time was 15 minutes and I breezed through.

Finally, traveling with a puppy was so helpful at the checkpoints and also the border. Everybody was interested in him, petting him, etc. I had a lot of gear in the van heading north and never was delayed more than 5 minutes.

Cheers

Bruce


David K - 1-8-2016 at 08:54 AM

Wonderful, thank you!

brucedog - 1-8-2016 at 09:02 AM

I need to clarify my timing because they have had a lot of rain the last few days. Sunday 1/3 La Ventana to Loreto. Monday left Loreto 3:00 am (couldn't sleep) and it across the border by 8:00pm. When I went through there wasn't water in any arroyos. I don't speed, I just don't stop much :)

TMW - 1-8-2016 at 09:24 AM

Excellent road report, thanks. What kind of pup do you have?

BajaBlanca - 1-8-2016 at 10:01 AM

those are the best trips - no hiccups except for rain.

bill erhardt - 1-8-2016 at 10:34 AM

Quote: Originally posted by brucedog  
I need to clarify my timing because they have had a lot of rain the last few days. Sunday 1/3 La Ventana to Loreto. Monday left Loreto 3:00 am (couldn't sleep) and it across the border by 8:00pm. When I went through there wasn't water in any arroyos. I don't speed, I just don't stop much :)


That is a long day on the road in January or any other time.

brucedog - 1-8-2016 at 11:08 AM

Pup is a 4 month old Golden Retriever, 3 months old when I left Seattle

AKgringo - 1-8-2016 at 11:24 AM

I am curious, did anyone ask for your dogs papers, US or MX? I traveled all over Baja on four separate trips with my old dog, and no one cared about her.

She did have a talent for making friends with just about anyone who was not a dog hater, and even won over a couple of those throughout her life. My current adoptee has not made the trip yet, and I wonder how she will react to the soldiers at the checkpoints.

I hope this isn't a hijack, but you mentioned 'dog', and it is your post!

brucedog - 1-9-2016 at 09:22 AM

I had all papers for the dog and was never asked for anything. The soldiers always ask if the dog bites and when I say no they are very friendly with him. The same was true last year with my 7 year old pooch :-)

AKgringo - 1-9-2016 at 09:52 AM

Quote: Originally posted by brucedog  
I had all papers for the dog and was never asked for anything.


I have had the same experience, but I will always make sure I have my papers in order just in case.

It is not just a Mexico thing, I have never been asked at US or Canadian border crossings either!

Ateo - 1-9-2016 at 09:53 AM

They love Golden's everywhere on Earth. I know! Sounds like a good time! Thanks for sharing.

Lee - 1-9-2016 at 11:30 AM

Goldens and Labs = best dogs on the planet. Traveled 13 years with my Lab never asked for docs. Always had them though --

David K - 1-9-2016 at 11:38 AM

My Golden Retriever named Sam, adopted us in 1985*, was awesome. Miss him when I see other Goldens.

*We came home one evening and he was (full grown) in our driveway as if waiting for us. No license, no name tag, just a collar. We looked at the newspaper and nearby bulletin board for several days and no dog lost postings. He was great when baby Christopher arrived 3 years later, too.

bkbend - 1-9-2016 at 10:21 PM

Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo  

She did have a talent for making friends with just about anyone who was not a dog hater, and even won over a couple of those throughout her life. My current adoptee has not made the trip yet, and I wonder how she will react to the soldiers at the checkpoints.


The dog we're traveling with loves people but barks like crazy at those cutouts of soldiers leading up to some of the checkpoints.

Sprinter Vans

surfhat - 1-10-2016 at 12:52 PM

Brucedog, thanks for the report on your trouble free trip with your 2015 Sprinter van in Baja. Taking those 40 gallons of ULSD must have worked enough to not cause LHM from having its say. This is great news for all the new models that want to go on down.

As a bit of great news for our Sprinters, Compass West has come up with a modest 2" lift that keeps the handling systems of traction control and stability control intact so we don't lose the wonderful handling that these vans offer. I found them on the Sprinter Forum in the last couple of days, so check out their site if you have an interest. I surely do for my 06. This modest lift would get around any rubbing issues for those going with larger tires. Thanks to all here. Happy trails.

[Edited on 1-10-2016 by surfhat]

micah202 - 1-10-2016 at 01:15 PM



....''a modest 2' lift''?? .....do you mean 2''?



...some sprinters are 4x4,no?


.

[Edited on 1-10-2016 by micah202]

surfhat - 1-10-2016 at 01:26 PM

Micah thanks for catching that mistake. I just edited it to reflect the 2" lift that was the intention. Thanks to all here.

micah202 - 1-10-2016 at 01:33 PM

.

....hey surfhat,,how do you find upkeep ,maintenance on 'older' sprinters. Have you owned yours from new?

..what is important to watch for on used sprinters?

surfhat - 1-10-2016 at 01:53 PM

I purposely bought my 06 so I could drive anywhere on the planet. I rely upon the Sprinter forum for any concerns I may have. In five and half years, I have used a dealer one time in Bakersfield on a trip for an egr problem. Their service was outstanding and not one of those 'others' we hear about all too often.

As for what to look out for, the first thing to check is to remove the plastic cover over the injector well to be sure Black Death is not happening. There was a recommendation to pour a small amount of oil in the injector wells to help stave off Black Death and whether it helps or not I can't say but it surely can't hurt.

A couple of other things every owner should consider is to replace the resonator with a straight pipe. It is a one time fix for a part that is known to fail. The turbo hose aluminum connector is one that all should think about. It is another one time fix for a part that ism known to fail.

Using the correct fluids is crucial.

Lastly, talk to Keith at GDE about eliminating all these worries, once and for all, without compromising any smog test results even here in California. More power, better mileage and reliability on the road.

I have always maintained my vehicles myself and haven't had a problem with my 06 since I bought it in 2010 with 180,000 well documented miles. Thanks to all here.

brucedog - 1-13-2016 at 08:41 AM

Mine is 4wd so already lifted about 5" more than a standard Sprinter. It's a bit of a climb just to get into the van....

Thanks for your Sprinter tips. I joined the forum a couple months ago and am slowly learning about my new rig. First milestone will be to figure out exactly what to do to convert from and empty cargo van to a nomad rig :-)