BajaNomad

Off Road Trip went bad with good ending

bajatrailrider - 9-5-2020 at 07:21 PM

I have a American friend form San Diego older guy at 76 years. He rents a space 4 blocks from me. He loves fishing paddle broad and has a Razor SXS. We go out on day trips with SXS his two dogs ride with him. He is very hard headed always asks for advice. Then argues with us full timers tells us of a deserted beach . Around Socorrito I cant remember the name he will camp there alone. Again asked for advice we tell him dont go get another to go with you. I told him nobody there as you say your not in good health if you have trouble. Yes indeed he had trouble his new Full size Toyota 4x4 Pro model (Im sure David can help on this model) . Stuck on beach down to Axels in sand . As he was parking he has a drop down over head camper. So he made camp let dogs out. Next day he tried to dig out and let air out of tires. No dice stuck 2 1/2 days at 3am he is awoke by a truck. Now he is scared two young guys and young lady. They offer to help he refused as scared they will harm him. They dont leave start to dig his new toyota out. They work over 2 1/2 hours jack up his truck put anything they can under tires. They then till him drive it out :bounce: He gives keys to young man asks him to drive it out:bounce: You would think they would just drive off with his truck:bounce: They drove it to hard ground he tried to give them 60 bucks. They did not want any money. He put the money in there beat up jeep. He returned told me the story now will listen to us . Lucky guy

Ken Cooke - 9-5-2020 at 09:05 PM

Not a good idea to travel off road alone. I go alone now because of the virus, but my on-board SOS feature through SIRIUS/XM provides communication in case of breakdowns or getting stuck. Get your friend a simple air compressor for Christmas. That and some tire deflators.

TMW - 9-5-2020 at 09:12 PM

Some people are just hard headed.

advrider - 9-5-2020 at 09:19 PM

All's well that end's well. Glad he still had a sense of adventure and hope he learned a few new things in the end. Good advice is always good to take!

bajatrailrider - 9-5-2020 at 11:17 PM

last month he got bad fuel in his razor so I pulled him in. with a tow strap. At his age a little more careful is a good thing. always travel off road in two rigs or more.

ehall - 9-6-2020 at 05:35 AM

So many good people down there ready to help. Makes me want to help everyone I can.

mjs - 9-6-2020 at 07:40 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Ken Cooke  
Not a good idea to travel off road alone. I go alone now because of the virus, but my on-board SOS feature through SIRIUS/XM provides communication in case of breakdowns or getting stuck. Get your friend a simple air compressor for Christmas. That and some tire deflators.


The Uconnect on board sos only works if you have a cellular connection. FCA version of On Star. There's also the possibility that it won't work in Mexico at all. Since it uses the cellular network it would have to be set up to use a GSM cell service and dial an international phone number.

Not saying it is useless, just be aware of its limitations and plan accordingly for you.

David K - 9-6-2020 at 09:04 AM

Nothing wrong traveling solo. That is how I usually travel in Baja. Required is some off-road driving experience, wise decision making, and a reliable vehicle.
A simple thing, like deflating the tires is almost always the solution to not get stuck.

The Garmin (formerly DeLorme) inReach satellite device is the real deal to communicate with friends and family while in Baja. They can see where you are as well as exchange text or email messages.
I traveled all over Baja solo in 2017 & 2018, about 12,000 miles, researching the Baja Bound Road Guide and having the inReach was very comforting plus the added benefit of the maps it makes (driving track) and GPS waypoints recorded.

PaulW - 9-6-2020 at 09:30 AM

True. InReach is best for Baja where cell phone coverage is rare away from the cities. However the InReach offerings other than Explorer device have lot of missing important features.
Solutions similar to Ken's abound in the USA. where it is hard to find places without cell coverage.

motoged - 9-6-2020 at 09:35 AM

It's all good .... until it isn't.

Roll the dice, but do it intelligently.

98% of my moto adventuring (Baja and home) is solo....still here to tell the stories.....just too bad no one enjoys the accounts for their great entertainment factor ... ;)

AKgringo - 9-6-2020 at 10:26 AM

Ged, I feel honored that Bailey and I are in your "2%"!

Our 2016 trip is the only one I have had any human company since 1999!

del mar - 9-6-2020 at 10:33 AM

brings to mind Gary Patton....

bajatrailrider - 9-6-2020 at 10:48 AM

I hear you solo riders it's all good untill problem. To each his own after rescuing many riders . I try my best to not be one.

del mar - 9-6-2020 at 11:37 AM

and it sucks not to have someone to bench race with!:P

motoged - 9-6-2020 at 12:39 PM

Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo  
Ged, I feel honored that Bailey and I are in your "2%"!

Our 2016 trip is the only one I have had any human company since 1999!


The honour and privilege is mine, Gary. You and David were great travel partners.....I think we handled the conditions of our private suites in Commondu a bit better than David did.....he needs to do some more rustic adventures.....and not be surprised by mystery chicken parts in his caldo...;)

The shower was superb as was the selection of tree fruits....the handmade ranchero cots were cozy.....but whatever nuclear disinfectant the guy slopped around made Fabulosa smell like Chanel.

An epic trip.:cool:

motoged - 9-6-2020 at 12:52 PM

Quote: Originally posted by bajatrailrider  
I hear you solo riders it's all good untill problem. To each his own after rescuing many riders . I try my best to not be one.


I have had my share of broken limbs (with and without company) and minor mechanical issues, but have ridden out every time.

These days I am more cautious with my risks....solo riding is a function of I can go whenever and wherever I want....less Kluster-F potential.... good riding partners are difficult to cultivate, but worth their weight in gas.:biggrin:

I like to ride with others if they aren't whiners or RedBull wannabees.....have shared rides with world-class riders (Baja winners) and first-timers..... even some Nomads (enjoyed the company).

I have a Spot and used to use it until proven ineffective....
not interested in techno-safety gizmos these days....

Lots of keyboard recommendations....but the recent thread on Coco only demonstrated a lack of understanding of his reality while spewing techno solutions for the desert rat....

Ride Smart, Ride Safe....it's your ride.

Mulege Canuck - 9-6-2020 at 01:00 PM

I am a recent convert to airing down my tires. I have a large Bigfoot camper on an F350 crew cab. As advised on this forum, I dropped down to 30 PSI on the rears and 20 PSI on the fronts. With the weight of the camper I would not go any lower. The tires bulged out and I just floated out over some sugar sand on Vancouver Island to get to our campsite.

My buddy had his rebuilt VW synchro. He got stuck and I pulled him out. Pretty funny. I thought it was not worth airing down but I can go anywhere with lower tire pressure. If you have not tried it, do it, it works for sure.

bajatrailrider - 9-6-2020 at 01:11 PM

i second that as living here 24/7 . Low psi in all motos both 4x4s they don't see much hiway. Even my sxs 8 psi another point when using 4 wheels. Even that most of time you don't need 4x4.: Hit that button or lever at any hint you may get stuck. Getting stuck in 2wd you may not get out at that point in 4x4

AKgringo - 9-6-2020 at 02:01 PM

Just this week a mechanic I use here in Nevada County scolded me because the tires on my Isuzu only had 20lbs pressure.

I am off road almost every day, and only cover about 8 miles of pavement to get to my property. I thanked him for checking them, and promised to air up if I decide to drive to Sacramento or Reno!

He had already aired them up to 30 lbs, so I guess it is time to make a Costco run!

bajatrailrider - 9-6-2020 at 02:34 PM

yes on other riders to ride safe and count on each other for help. also routes you travel most ours nobody maybe every few years horse back rider. The spot device fine but when the bike is on top of you . dripping gas on your body buddy close by better.