A week in Baja for first timers.

We adapted quickly to life in Baja:

This was our view from the camper that morning:

Thank you Nick, I look forward to your trip report!!!
That trailer looks like it serves you well... and can keep the Toyota light for exploring out from your camp.

This may be the first of a lifetime of Baja adventures for you?
TONS of trip reports and ideas here on Nomad posted since 2002.
You may get some ideas from these Baja Bound articles, too: https://www.bajabound.com/bajaadventures/bajatravel/

[Edited on 3-26-2016 by David K]

Personal campsite "mystique" is a facet of baja camping and in intangible ways it can act as a security deterrent. IMO the flag will serve you well in that regard.

Back in the day, arrival at a new campsite would have me carrying my Mayan ceremonial machete/axe around for the afternoon just to be a poser

Quote: Originally posted by bajacalifornian

Dang Nick. Apart from your great stuff . . . You )sent great photos . . . An accomplishment of sorts, In these parts, around here. Gracias!,

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666

What is "the way?" Is that flag also for "the way?"

"The Way" was a song from 1998 about a couple who drove off into the sunset never to be seen again. (actually a true story with a more tragic ending)

The flag... well it's a pirate flag representing Christopher Moody. from some family research and stories passed down in our family, he is a relative. I have embraced my pirate heritage.

Quote: Originally posted by woody with a view

too bad those FJs were discontinued. it woulda been my Tundra replacement.

Quote: Originally posted by BornFisher

Hey Nick--- Thanks for your post. Having a FJ Cruiser, I`ve seen your posts on one FJ Forum where you guided trips to Nevada ghost towns. So glad you made it south, there is a whole new World waiting for an explorer like yourself. Thanks for your post and pics, much appreciated!! Note to Mark--- Fishing bad!!! Hope to see you again!!

First day started at 0400 for us. We made a mad dash for the border! We followed a friend that has a place in San Felipe just so we could get a veterans view on crossing the border, money exchange, and dealing with the PEMEX stations. So we hit the border and had the rig sent through the big drive through X-Ray booth. (Don't worry, they take you out for that) After that we parked and went to the INM office and got our passports and FMM stamped, the race to San Felipe was on. We crossed at the east Mexicali crossing BTW. Not a single hiccup! Navigating Mexicali wasn't bad. Our biggest laugh was seeing a Burger King and McDonalds on the way through!

Once in San Felipe, it was time to get our Fish Taco on!
Maria's place fit the bill!


The famed Mexican Coke! So much better than in the US!


The once famous Boom Boom Room, now all borded up and forgotten:


San Felipe is just buzzing with people and vendors peddling all sorts of goods! yeah, my wife was in love with it!


If you like flowers, Mexico will be your heaven! Bougainvillea grow everywhere here!


So after getting about $5000 Pesos, our bellies full of tacos, and dragging my wife out of the last gift stop she could get to, we headed out of town just a bit to our first camp spot for the night. It was at Rancho Percebu. Not bad really. Here was the first culture shock for the wife though. Toilets were pretty much open with a shower curtain for privacy. The place did have a rocking bar and a little restaurant. They collected about $200 pesos the next morning for the camping spot.



The tide was out when we settled in:


We had a perfect sunset:


And a hell of a sunrise:


We took our time getting going and then headed south to meet up with the Baja FJ club to be escorted further south. Today was going to be a marathon run of "haul ass" as they wanted to get to Mulege where they had prearranged some rooms for the night.




[Edited on 4-1-2016 by BajaNomad]

First order of business on day two was a gas stop next to Alfonsinas campground. Exchange rate here on Gringo dollars is 15:1 by the way. Bathrooms.... hopefully you can make a hover shot. But hey, they do have hielo (ice).



The other FJ guys from TJ met us here and we boogied south.

Lots of long stretches like this in Baja!


Next stop was Coco's Corner. Coco was there and hanging out with everyone:


Marked my map for next time. I really want to go all the way to the coast east of Coco's place. It looked like an awesome camp site, or at least on Google Earth it did!









Next up was a lunch stop at a little place called Mauricios. Pretty neat little roadside stop and OMG talk about some good food!


And what would lunch be without the autoparts store next door!


Just in case you needed to know where we were:


And now launching for San Ignacio. (Past one more military checkpoint where they barely said a word except Buenos Dias!)

Front row parking:

The mission was built in 1786 and abandoned in 1840. Today it is one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture I have seen.

The interior is breathtaking!


I was told that the wood for the doors came from the ship that they arrived aboard:


[Edited on 4-1-2016 by BajaNomad]

Next stop, literally was Mulege...



It was $40 a night for a room. We used the bathroom, showered and then decided to sleep in the camper. Hey, we love our queen sized memory foam mattress. The next morning we parted ways with all of our new found Baja friends and headed off to Loreto alone. Sammie wanted to shop, and I quit fishing a long time ago, so it all worked out ok.

We headed off into "downtown" Mulege first. What a freaking cool little town! The streets were tight (and packed with traffic) We found the Pemex right off and topped off the tank. Met a fellow gringo on a 4 wheeler and one super cute girl on a motorcycle. She was certainly dressed for a long trek. Again, everyone was just awesome! We also wanted to know where the bank was, so we asked the Policia that was directing traffic. He just smiled and pointed down the street....about 25 yards and chuckled. I kind of laughed and said, "yeah, I know. Gringo Pendejo". He laughed at that and waved us on down the street. We finally found a parking spot and got out to walk around. Oddly enough, every time my wife got out of the truck, I could hear my wallet crying.

[Edited on 4-1-2016 by BajaNomad]

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc

how did the trailer do?

It worked like a champ! No issues at all. Some scratched paint from rock chips. We accidentally launched it and the FJ once on the road leading out of El Arco to our camping spot. It landed well.

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Wonderful! Enjoy the ride along! If you want to know more about any of the 27 missions, I can help.

A view of our little spot in Mulege:


Mission Santa Rosalía de Mulegé was built starting around 1766. It sits on a bluff above the city.




Again, there are flowers everywhere!


From there we wandered back "down town". Mulege is a busy, busy place! I loved it. You have to be careful navigating the tight one way streets though.

We found parking and got out and wandered around. YES my truck was safe, and YES we felt safe! The blue sign far ahead is the local bank.




Local police directing traffic.




The PEMEX station in town.


The bank, and plenty of places to spend those freshly obtained pesos.


Ice cream seemed to be a big deal in some of these towns.


So after spending an hour or two in Mulege, we headed off to Loreto, but not before bumping into our friends from TJ and out local Vegas peeps one last time. I think they were stalking my primo parking spot so they could get to the bank.

A quick view of Santispac as we passed by on the way south.


[Edited on 4-1-2016 by BajaNomad]

So we made it to Loreto and found Paco's place! (Not sure who Paco is, but he sells Tequila)



We found a nice shady parking spot..


Loreto is a pretty busy little town. The Malecon was jumping and every spot you looked had people going and doing.

This is a cool motel in Loreto. We'd like to stay there next time and give it a try.


A peek into the door showed an open courtyard


The bank sits in the open courtyard




And looking back out at the mission.


When she had her fill of shopping, and a great lunch at one of the local spots in the center of town, we headed back north. Originally we were headed to Aqua Verde to camp, but after talking to a local there we decided to go north to explore the Bay of Concepcion and see if we could make it to the lighthouse I have been scoping out for some time. We took heed to the warning about Aqua Verde when the local said "There willl be so many Mexicans you will be tripping over them and we don't go there on this weekend". LOL We had a good laugh and headed out.

I didn't get any pics on the trail to the lighthouse. We made it about three quarters around the bay of Concepcion towards the lighthouse and ran into a fence across the trail. Being alone, and not really knowing if it was ok to proceed we turned back and headed for Playa Santispac for the night. I marked the spot on our GPS track so I can get some help from the Baja Nomad folks. Hopefully in October, we can get to the point.

[Edited on 4-1-2016 by BajaNomad]

We arrived in Playa Santispac after dark. It was packed! We scored the last open spot next to some Canadians who had been traveling Mexico for the last 6 weeks!

The view the next morning was great! The crowd thinned a bit, but by noon they were packing back in again. We had to ask people to move so we could pull out. The Federales arrived shortly before. Seeing soldiers walking the beach in fatigues and carrying automatic weapons may be unsettling at first. The two that were under the palapa next to us were trying to escape the sun for a bit. I carried over some cold bottled water and chatted with them for a few minutes. We shook hands and parted ways. Remember, they have a job to do too.



Again, if you expect five star dining, stay home. If you expect some damn good food from places like this, then welcome to Baja!


Campground bathrooms were in a block outhouse. No doors for the men! If you don't mind doing your business and chatting with your neighbor, then you'll be ok.

After we got moving, it was off to Santa Rosalia to see the Eiffel church. Same warning here. SR has tight streets and is busy busy! 4 ALTO is just a suggestion in most places. Just be cautious and courteous and you will be fine. You could easily spend half a day wandering just this town.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iglesia_de_Santa_B%C3%A1rbara_...)

The design of the church is like nothing I have seen. What a beautiful place!




Again, street parking is at a premium


Santa Rosalia is a mining town. Copper has been the main mineral for many years from what I understand. Recently a Canadian company started fracking here and not everyone is happy about it. It is also theplace where you can catch a ferry to the mainland.

I had to stop and get a pic of the old mine workings on the way out of town.




Whatever you may think Mexico may be lacking, it does not have a shortage of tire shops!


Now we are headed north to get on the road to El Arco.

[Edited on 4-1-2016 by BajaNomad]

By the way, going into and out of Santa Rosalia, take your time. There are spots where two semis cannot pass each other going opposite directions! It is a tight winding road. At the top, you are graced with views like this:





Apparently, you can still get your Saturday Night Fever on in Baja:



We stopped for the night in San Ignacio. We were happy to get to spend some time in this little town. Great street side dining!


This is a great town to get out and wander:




Corner Market:


One last shot of the Mission before we headed off to find a hotel


The town was pretty crowded, and we had a tour bus beat us to the Desert Inn hotel so the only place left in town was Fong's. It was cool. $19 a night and pretty much Mexico standard for a cheap spot. We showered and sat outside in our lawn chairs for the evening. BTW, there is a great little taco stand right across the street.

The guy running the place was nice enough to let me back the FJ right on into the courtyard:
(Senorita not included)


[Edited on 4-1-2016 by BajaNomad]

.

thanks for taking us along

....love the rooster sunset silhouette in Percebo(near top)


...but sad to hear 'bout the fracking.

[Edited on 3-27-2016 by micah202]

Santa Rosalia Church

Thanks for sharing that link AK.

I'll add more tomorrow. The boss has had me busy today.

So after leaving San Ignacio, we headed for a gas stop on Vizcaino. (yeah, we heard the rumors of a cartel murder here least year, but again, no issues) PEMEX was great. Had one of the cutest girls I had seen the whole trip pumping gas and washing the windows. Handed off a 50 peso tip and away we went. We were looking for the start of a couple hundred miles of dirt road and the town of El Arco. We had to pass through another military checkpoint before this happened though. I don't have any horror story. In fact, the Sgt in charge was about my age, spoke great English and even shook my hand after they had a look in the camper.

(Used my gas from the top tank before finally hitting Bay of LA on this leg)

Start of the road to El Arco:


The terrain changed here for sure! THIS is Baja!


In El Arco, there is a pristine but empty military camp: (Next to it is the old camp that looks like another ghost town story)
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1515/25957544662_92f8efe319_b....

In El Arco we took the side trip out to Misión Santa Gertrudis (1752-1822). Plan on about two extra hours to do this side trip if you must.

The mision sits on a palm oasis.











As we left, a horned demon blocked the road. Well, just kidding. It was a side of hamburger, but wanted to add some drama to the story.


We spotted some leftover mining equipment back in El Arco on the way out


And we finally found Pozo Aleman! This was the crown jewel for me. And look, unlike in the US, no bullet holes, no graffiti, and no garbage:


More to come!

[Edited on 4-1-2016 by BajaNomad]

Quote: Originally posted by VegasNick

PEMEX was great. Had one of the cutest girls I had seen the whole trip pumping gas and washing the windows. Handed off a 50 peso tip and away we went.

Quote: Originally posted by VegasNick

And we finally found Pozo Aleman! This was the crown jewel for me. And look, unlike in the US, no bullet holes, no graffiti, and no garbage

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666

Quote: Originally posted by VegasNick   PEMEX was great. Had one of the cutest girls I had seen the whole trip pumping gas and washing the windows. Handed off a 50 peso tip and away we went. That's a big tip! Did you over-tip because she was cute or because she did a good job? If you over-tipped because she was cute and thought that would get you... you are _________! Quote: Originally posted by VegasNick   And we finally found Pozo Aleman! This was the crown jewel for me. And look, unlike in the US, no bullet holes, no graffiti, and no garbage The benefits of banning guns from people that should not have guns are many [Edited on 3-28-2016 by mtgoat666] [Edited on 3-28-2016 by mtgoat666]

Now I can bore you with just pics of the ghost town:







Dwellings!








After a couple hours of wandering here, we were back on the trail to find a beach camping spot.


Again, lots of beautiful scenery on the way!






[Edited on 4-1-2016 by BajaNomad]

I thought I recognized that Toyo set up. We were the bikers at Coco's when your group rolled in. I got a shot of some of you as we left, we headed north after 10 days and that afternoon one of our group had his chain break. It became a bit nutz with Samana Santa around San Felipe and needing to get the chain repaired. The second bike had flat tire syndrome to complicate things.....the adventure was winding down for us, looks like you had a good one.

Over 100 miles and some of the most fun road I have been on in a long time, we found our little beach spot. Sammie had wanted to camp on a secluded beach since the first night we arrived in Baja. Well, we found it!





Complete with bones in the sand!


On either side of our camp, there were abalone shells by the hundreds. I am going to guess an ancient camp?


The view from atop a little knoll behind the camper:


The Boss Lady enjoying marshmallows by the fire as a fiery moon came up over the ocean:


Embracing my pirate heritage:


Enjoyed yet another breathtaking sunrise in Baja:


After brewing up a pot of Kona, we headed for the Bay of LA:


[Edited on 4-1-2016 by BajaNomad]

Quote: Originally posted by Ateo

Did you find the old jail at El Arco?

Quote: Originally posted by Sweetwater

I thought I recognized that Toyo set up. ...

Small world!! Yeah, we had a blast. I am ready for October to get here so we can go back!

Great couple of photos.

Here is a photo of my wife's FJ:

Quote: Originally posted by VegasNick

One of about ten videos to come: https://youtu.be/FRv7RyTFuwU