BajaNomad

A New Kind of Trip Report: La Purisima - Paso Hondo - Mulege

Nikno - 9-4-2019 at 09:45 AM

I've been playing around with some new technology and created a kind of trip report/travel guide for a trip I did in June 2019.

This trip started in La Purisima, through Paso Hondo, along the Guajademi Valley and ending up in Mulege.

https://story.mapme.com/baja-paso-hondo

It's called a Story Map. The map is completely interactive so you can zoom in or out, move it around and click around on any of the points. You can also view it as a slideshow by clicking through with the ">" button. There are a lot of ways to navigate through the site so just play around with it for a while and click on things.

I included a link to the GPX file at the bottom of the first page and there are other relevant links on some of the waypoints. Some points also have multiple photos. Coordinates are listed for each waypoint.

My goal was to create a trip report that would allow others to follow along and replicate the trip on their own. I tried to include as much information about the route as possible including points of interest, road conditions and some historical information.

I would love to get some feedback on this. Do you like this format? Do you hate it? What information is missing? What else would you like to see? Anything I got wrong?

This is a work in progress and my first attempt at something like this. I have many other trips I can present like this if there is interest.

David K - 9-4-2019 at 10:04 AM

I love it!
Great format and nice job!!
I applaud you for making the page. Are there any road details like miles, etc.?

Some history notes:

The La Purisíma mission was not across the street from the two tombs, but right next to them, just west. You can see the tombs in old photos from 1906 and the 1950s with the church next to them. A private home is built on the site now.

I also have my doubts about the mission existing at Purísima Vieja first... That is indeed a mission period site but I think it was a visita rather than the first mission location. I am looking for Jesuit letters that say the padre moved it, but haven't seen them yet.

AKgringo - 9-4-2019 at 10:49 AM

I applaud your effort! That is a route that I have considered, and this is useful information. Since I travel alone (except for a dog) I better look for someone else that is looking for a travel partner for that run.

I intend to spend more time with your program!

JZ - 9-4-2019 at 11:16 AM

That is really cool. Great pictures, descriptions, and use of technology.

We are planning to do this route in November, but East to West Going to spend 4-5 days around Mulege hitting a bunch of different trails.


4x4abc - 9-4-2019 at 11:36 AM

does not open for me - tried more than one browser

HeyMulegeScott - 9-4-2019 at 12:34 PM

I like it. Great format. I was curious about those cave paintings. Haven't seen much information about them. Do you remember how much they charged to see them? Thanks!

Nikno - 9-4-2019 at 12:44 PM

AKgringo:

Thank you for the feedback. As someone who is considering doing this trail, is there any information that is missing or that you wish would be included to help you plan your trip?

Also, I think this can be done alone under the right circumstances. I did it in a single vehicle. There is a section of about 15 miles that does not see any regular traffic, but you are never more than about 5 miles from an active ranch. These are good places to seek help and shelter in an emergency. I would consider the following to be requirements if you wanted to do this alone:

- Well versed in off roading and how to make minor repairs and able to change a tire on your own.
- Prepared to spend a night or two out there in case of a breakdown and thus having adequate water, food and supplies.
- Using a GPS device with pre downloaded maps and the GPX route saved. I use a tablet running Gaia GPS and it works great for navigation.
- Having an emergency locater beacon such as an InReach or Spot for worst case scenario.

Nikno - 9-4-2019 at 12:52 PM

David K:

Thank you for the corrections. There are various opinions on Purisima Vieja. Ed Vernon refers to it as the original mission site but I have also seen it referred to as a visita. It's a relatively large site for being just a visita but it's hard to judge the exact era of the stone walls that are there. To me they appear quite similar to Comondu Viejo. Keep us posted on what you uncover.

I have considered adding mileage logs and that would be easy to do. At the same time, I strongly feel that anyone venturing remote in Baja should be using a GPS device with saved maps and routes. That is the only reliable way to navigate. As mentioned, I use a tablet running Gaia GPS and it works great. It is also synced with my phone and laptop as backup.

Nikno - 9-4-2019 at 12:54 PM

JZ:

Thank you! If you do it in the other direction just remember to turn around and look back on a regular basis and make stops to take in the views looking east. Truly stunning. From La Purisima it is an easy hop over to San Juanico. I'll be posting some stuff from that area soon.

Nikno - 9-4-2019 at 12:56 PM

Harald:

Do you have Flash installed and running on your browser? Sometimes you need to give the browser permission to use flash. Usually a small red exclamation point on the top right of the browser. It should work on any browser including tablets and phones. I also posted the link on Talk Baja so you can try accessing it from there.

Nikno - 9-4-2019 at 01:01 PM

Three2Tango:

I didn't stop for the cave paintings. That picture is the only one I didn't take myself. It is from their Facebook page. The link is at the end of the description. I assume it is a pretty nominal fee, maybe 200 pesos per person. I intend to make more stops next time I do this trail and I will actually check out the cave paintings and update.

Anyone who has stopped there or travels through there in the future, please chime in on the cave paintings.

David K - 9-4-2019 at 01:19 PM

Thanks Nikno. You are a welcome breath of fresh air here!

Ed Vernon and I exchanged data and he shared photos with me where I didn't have any, when my mission book was published. Ed also worked with Max Kurillo and our own Nomad, Jack Swords on mission research.

Marc - 9-4-2019 at 04:46 PM

Wonderful & looking for more from you in the future.

4x4abc - 9-4-2019 at 05:56 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Nikno  
Three2Tango:

I didn't stop for the cave paintings. That picture is the only one I didn't take myself. It is from their Facebook page. The link is at the end of the description. I assume it is a pretty nominal fee, maybe 200 pesos per person. I intend to make more stops next time I do this trail and I will actually check out the cave paintings and update.

Anyone who has stopped there or travels through there in the future, please chime in on the cave paintings.


parking lot for the paintings is right next to the road
open to the public (last time I was there)
maybe the ranch people have claimed it now as their own
easy hiking trail

Attachment: foot trail cave paintings.kmz (2kB)
This file has been downloaded 285 times

Attachment: parking.kmz (807B)
This file has been downloaded 247 times

advrider - 9-4-2019 at 08:28 PM

Cool report and unique way to present it, thanks.

JZ - 9-5-2019 at 05:50 PM

Can you tell us more about Mapme? Can you embedded a story (trip) into a web page?

Are there any other competing products like it that you considered?



[Edited on 9-6-2019 by JZ]

Nikno - 9-5-2019 at 07:18 PM

JZ:

Yes, you can embed a story map into a web page. My goal is to create a website that will eventually feature 50+ story maps of different Baja trips I've done along with GPS info, photos, waypoints, restaurants, hotels, camping spots, etc. Basically a resource for anyone who wants to explore Baja and discover new things. If I ever get to that point I would also like to feature other people's trips.

There are several other products out there that can be used like this. ESRI Story Maps is similar but I like Mapme better. You can also do the the same thing with Mapbox but it's way more complicated to use. I'm still learning a lot of the features and playing around with it. There are a lot of different ways to use it and a lot of map interfaces to choose from. I like the interactive map because you can visually follow along on the journey and you can zoom in and check out things.

JZ - 9-5-2019 at 07:27 PM

Been thinking about doing something very similar. I bought the domain travelingbaja.com about a year ago.

We have a ton of GPS tracks, trip stories, drone footage, etc.

Seems like we have very similar hobbies and interests.


KurtG - 9-6-2019 at 12:34 PM

I really like that format. Your report brings back great memories of our trip through that route in Spring 2012. Following is our log from that drive:

Trip Report/road log San Isidro-Mulege Mountain Route 3/22/2012

For reference our vehicle is a 2000 Explorer stock Bauer Ed. with 255/70/16 Michelin street tires run at about 22#.
The report is a mileage log and includes GPS data and elevation for key points. The log is as accurate as Garmin and Ford's odometer could provide.
Mile Zero is starting North from San Isidro at 26.12.866x112.01.577.
Excellent road to Purisima Vieja at mile 12.3 then to Paso Hondo at mile 15.4. Both are oasis villages with some great scenery.
Mile 17.8-Springs and ponds on left.
Mile 18.3-Small village.
Mile 21.2-water crossing/palms and on to Buenos Aires at mile 25.9.
Mile 29.1-Agua Grande
Mile 32.2. 26.32.962x112.06.834. Elev.2100. Sign: El Llano straight, Guajadami to the right. Go straight.
From here the road is steep and rocky with a lot of erosion. Low range used to the top of high plateau at Mile 36.7. Elev. 3350 at 26.35.899x112.07.222.
Mile 37. Incredible views of deep gorge on right. Continue to climb to:
Mile 39.1. 26.37.146x112.06.743. Elev. 3765. High point overlooking the broad expanse of El Llano below. This is where the road ended when I attempted this route some 15 years ago. The descending cuesta was the most difficult of the entire trip. Steep, sometimes narrow and off camber and rough eroded rock with lots of loose stuff. This is an area to use extreme caution. We crept down in low range, 1st gear to arrive in the flats of El Llano at:
Mile 40.6. 26.37.786x112.07.153. Elev. 2616. At this point we met a rancher with a Ford F350 4wd and a cattle rack who had 3-4 cattle loaded. We told him we were going to Mulege and he said he was as well. That gave us a better feeling about actually completing the trip since I didn’t feel we could climb back up that previous cuesta or at least really didn’t want to attempt it. He confirmed that that plateau is El Llano. As we started up the next grade we saw him starting behind us. A rough ride for those cows! The road continues up and down a bit before a gate at the top of the final cuesta at:
Mile 43.1. 26.39.029x112.08.07. Elev. 3429. Now down the cuesta, steep and rough but not nearly as bad as the earlier one. There has been traffic up and down this area since we were on it and turned back a few months ago. I think we could now go up this one ok.
Mile 46.2. 26.40.320x112.07.130. elev. 1346. This position is right by the ranch at the bottom of the cuesta. Rancho El Llanito. It is relatively new. This is the important coordinate for anyone doing this trip north to south since it is not shown on the maps and in my experience the Baja Atlas and other maps are only an approximation of the roads in this area. From this point you are on the road that goes straight to Mulege. There are occasional roads that come in from both side notably at Mile 50.8 which has a sign pointing back to Rcho El Llanito. I believe the other fork here leads to the area of El Potrero and El Batiqui and Pia de la Cuesta Guajadami. I have motorcycled in that area but not since the hurricanes changed some of the roads a few years ago. Note that I have not called this the Guajadami Road since it splits off from the old mission route and is generally to the west of it. Continue straight into Mulege arriving at Hwy 1 (icehouse road junction) at MILE 67.3. This trip took about 6 hours so an average speed of about 10 mph. Thanks to Mulegena for the trip report on Baja Nomads that inspired us to do this trip. The scenery was wonderful although I would still rank the San Juan de la Pila road as the slightly more spectacular but I am really splitting hairs on that call. Do them both and tell me what you think!
Kurt and Kathy, March 22, 2012

Nikno - 9-6-2019 at 04:08 PM

KurtG:

Great to see your trip report from 2012. That's the same route! Impressive you did that with a stock Explorer. The section down the first cuesta is definitely still the diciest part of this trip.

San Juan de Pila is on my list and I plan on checking it out when I am down there in December. However, I have read on this forum that 2-3 miles of this trail were completely washed away last year and it is currently not possible to get through. If anyone has any updates on that, please post. My Jeep is pretty modified and capable so we will see how far I get.

KurtG - 9-6-2019 at 04:43 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Nikno  
KurtG:

Great to see your trip report from 2012. That's the same route! Impressive you did that with a stock Explorer. The section down the first cuesta is definitely still the diciest part of this trip.

San Juan de Pila is on my list and I plan on checking it out when I am down there in December. However, I have read on this forum that 2-3 miles of this trail were completely washed away last year and it is currently not possible to get through. If anyone has any updates on that, please post. My Jeep is pretty modified and capable so we will see how far I get.


I drove the San Juan De La Pila route twice from the Mulege side but it is almost 20 years ago. I timed it well and while it was rough it was just doable in my '86 S10 Blazer short wheel base which served me well for quite a few years in Baja. The latest info I have heard is that the road is passable for really good moto riders but not 4 wheel vehicles but that is all second and third hand info. Even if the road doesn't go all the way through it is still a great drive from Mision Guadalupe up to the summit.

David K - 9-6-2019 at 04:56 PM

The re-opened road between San José de Magdalena and Mission Guadalupe is pretty impressive... and it won't take much weather to close it again. Best to go if you can before another hurricane! See some of it in Episode 1 of the recon videos. It was closed in 2014, fully washed out. They fixed it almost a year ago. 4x4 recommended as it is steep and narrow in places. The south road has some gates to open and close.

JZ - 9-6-2019 at 05:04 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
The re-opened road between San José de Magdalena and Mission Guadalupe is pretty impressive... and it won't take much weather to close it again. Best to go if you can before another hurricane! See some of it in Episode 1 of the recon videos. It was closed in 2014, fully washed out. They fixed it almost a year ago. 4x4 recommended as it is steep and narrow in places. The south road has some gates to open and close.


If you are doing the 80 mile loop starting at Mulege and going back to Mulege is it better to drive the ~20 miles up MX 1 before hitting the dirt, or just start going Southwest right away?



[Edited on 9-7-2019 by JZ]

David K - 9-6-2019 at 05:07 PM

We went clockwise: west from Mulegé, north to Guadalupe, down to San Jose de Magdalena and east to Hwy. 1, then south to Mulegé.

Yes, I think that is better than going up from Magdalena.

[Edited on 9-7-2019 by David K]

JZ - 9-6-2019 at 05:33 PM

Ok, we'll do clockwise as well.