BajaNomad

Baja El Imposible The Run To The Border

Akula - 4-14-2019 at 04:52 PM

El Imposible is now in the books and I've finally had a bit of time to go through some of the pictures and videos of the trip. It's a long drive from where we live, but the destination was worth every bit of it. The distance from Vancouver Island Canada to Mexicali is approximately 2500 kilometers (1553 miles) one way. Aside from a CV failure in the Jeep's front driveshaft, everything went pretty well.

This video is the start of our trip. At the time British Columbia down through to Northern California were getting everything mother nature could throw at us. Thankfully the destination was having much better weather. Going through the Siskiyou Mountains the weather started to warm up a few degrees causing all the snow coming down to turn to slush.


Slush has the amazing ability to stick to the LED headlights in the Jeep causing zero visibility when traveling down I5 at night. At one point the GPS said that we were thirty minutes from Redding California. It took just under two hours to get there because of the constant stopping and removing slush off the headlights every three miles. We did make it though and the trip through Baja was nothing short of amazing.

https://youtu.be/OTkrPEjlSuY

AKgringo - 4-14-2019 at 06:34 PM

Thanks for the ride along! You brought up something I have never considered. Do LED headlights operate at a cooler temperature, allowing a faster ice build up?

Almost my entire driving history has been in the Sierras near Donner Summit, or Alaska, and I have never had quite the headlight problems you experienced!

blackwolfmt - 4-14-2019 at 06:50 PM

Cool vid, and u know I like the song:cool:

4x4abc - 4-14-2019 at 07:19 PM

I see headlight lens heater coming

David K - 4-14-2019 at 09:47 PM

That was the first video I have seen of the new Mexicali West border... I guess you didn't stop to get FMMs? We didn't in 2015 on Ken's tour then, either. Thanks for that brief look!

Ken Cooke - 4-14-2019 at 11:33 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
That was the first video I have seen of the new Mexicali West border... I guess you didn't stop to get FMMs? We didn't in 2015 on Ken's tour then, either. Thanks for that brief look!


The new crossing was way too confusing to even consider it. Also take into consideration my slow/late start and you had a recipe for skipping FMMs!

David K - 4-15-2019 at 07:15 AM

Sure, and as the Mexican Media liaison lady told me when we were at the customs area at Otay (last February getting papers for the TV filming equipment), not necessary for Baja Norte for the few days we were there (4 days).

Akula - 4-16-2019 at 12:43 AM

Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo  
Thanks for the ride along! You brought up something I have never considered. Do LED headlights operate at a cooler temperature, allowing a faster ice build up?

Almost my entire driving history has been in the Sierras near Donner Summit, or Alaska, and I have never had quite the headlight problems you experienced!


The LED headlights do run cooler. I have the Truck-Lite ones, they do make a version with a heated lens but they are quite a bit more expensive. I coated mine with Rain-X thinking that would keep the lenses clear, unfortunately that didn't work. This was the first time I have experienced the build up on the headlights. We solved the problem by making sure any of the high passes were traveled in the daytime on the way back home.

I have thought about rigging up a simple washer nozzle setup for the headlights. It would be easy enough to tap into the existing windshield system. We offroad in a lot of muddy conditions so this could help keep the lenses clear of mud as well.

Ken Cooke - 4-16-2019 at 04:24 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Akula  
Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo  
Thanks for the ride along! You brought up something I have never considered. Do LED headlights operate at a cooler temperature, allowing a faster ice build up?

Almost my entire driving history has been in the Sierras near Donner Summit, or Alaska, and I have never had quite the headlight problems you experienced!


The LED headlights do run cooler. I have the Truck-Lite ones, they do make a version with a heated lens but they are quite a bit more expensive. I coated mine with Rain-X thinking that would keep the lenses clear, unfortunately that didn't work. This was the first time I have experienced the build up on the headlights. We solved the problem by making sure any of the high passes were traveled in the daytime on the way back home.

I have thought about rigging up a simple washer nozzle setup for the headlights. It would be easy enough to tap into the existing windshield system. We offroad in a lot of muddy conditions so this could help keep the lenses clear of mud as well.


Good call on traveling during the day only on those high passes. Glad that we were able to wheel again with you and the Mrs.!!

Ken Cooke - 4-16-2019 at 04:24 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Akula  
Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo  
Thanks for the ride along! You brought up something I have never considered. Do LED headlights operate at a cooler temperature, allowing a faster ice build up?

Almost my entire driving history has been in the Sierras near Donner Summit, or Alaska, and I have never had quite the headlight problems you experienced!


The LED headlights do run cooler. I have the Truck-Lite ones, they do make a version with a heated lens but they are quite a bit more expensive. I coated mine with Rain-X thinking that would keep the lenses clear, unfortunately that didn't work. This was the first time I have experienced the build up on the headlights. We solved the problem by making sure any of the high passes were traveled in the daytime on the way back home.

I have thought about rigging up a simple washer nozzle setup for the headlights. It would be easy enough to tap into the existing windshield system. We offroad in a lot of muddy conditions so this could help keep the lenses clear of mud as well.


Good call on traveling during the day only on those high passes. Glad that we were able to wheel again with you and the Mrs.!!