David K
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Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Baja Weekend Part 3: Sal Si Puedes, NOT!
While at Beach Bob's, we discussed exploring Baja. He told me of a neighbor and friend who wanted to go into Sal Si Puedes canyon, north of L.A. Bay.
This was the palm lined canyon made famous in Erle Stanley Gardner's 1961 'Hovering Over Baja'. Sal Si Puedes translates to 'Get Out If You Can'! To
Erle and others it meant Get 'IN', if you can!
Earlier this year I emailed with a Baja explorer who did get to Sal Si Puedes from Highway One. I told Beach Bob to tell his friend. I even had the
GPS data for the ranch on the mountain above the canyon and the canyon's headwater.
I decided to visit the ranch and see the top of Sal Si Puedes. About 8 miles north of the L.A. Bay highway junction with Highway One, the old L.A. Bay
road crosses the highway, going to the south-east. At this same point, a newer road was graded and reached Highway One going off to the north-east
(GPS NAD27 N29?09.59' W114?08.63').
It was a smooth, easy climb up the long slope. The Baja 1000 parallel road is crossed 1.3 mi. from Hwy.1. A corral and new well is passed 3.2 mi.
beyond that crossing. The road gets a little bumpy as it winds through some boulders at the foot of the mountain.
Then, around another bend, my heart sunk... a locked gate! I was 7.1 miles from Highway One and 2/3 the way to the ranch and Sal Si Puedes. BUMMER!!!
I climbed the boulder covered hill to scan the area. I could see the mountain next to Tinaja de Yubay, about 6 miles to the south-east and the road (I
wanted to drive) climb further up the mountain. The gate is at 29?12.75'/ 114?03.19', elev. 2,600' (that's a 1,100' climb from Higway One).
I drove back a couple miles and stopped to hike around a bit and found lots of quartz. I got back to Highway One and turned north.
At El Crucero (29?14.30'/ 114?09.28'), the race pit vehicles were gone, but a rancher's truck was there... driving through a new gate. If this is ever
locked, the old road from San Felipe, Gonzaga, and Calamajue Canyon would be closed at its southern end! I spoke with the man, and he said his new
ranch house was nearby and his ranch was also called El Crucero. I showed him a photo of the original El Crucero taken in the late 1960's. I expressed
my concern for all the new fences along Highway One and gates over roads. He said his gate would not be locked. But, if it was, one could get to
Calamajue by going 6.5 miles north to the water truck access road built for Highway One's construction at 29?17.52'/ 114?14.30'. I mentioned my
attempt at reaching Sal Si Puedes was cut short by such a gate. The ranch at the end of that road is called San Luis, he said.
Baja was once known as the land with 'hardly any fences'... That too, is changing.
To Be Continued...
[Edited on 14-11-2002 by David K]
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Mexray
Super Nomad
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Good stuff - like to read about your adventures, as always, and it's good to have those GPS notes....thanks.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 65161
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Thanks Ray! The GPS is a wonderful tool. As no two odometers give the same milage, what with oversize tires and the like, the GPS will get you to any
spot anywhere. Someday all cars will be equiped with them. I am anticipating that someday all Baja explorers and travelers will be GPS equiped and my
Baja GPS waypoints list could be desireable. In my next trip installment, you will see how far north of the existing mapped road I got towards Matomi
mountain!
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 65161
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Hang on amigos, part 4 is ready... posting soon!
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heffe
Newbie
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Registered: 11-10-2003
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Sal Si Puedes -Las Asemblea Canyon
D.K
I few over and around the canyon from the water to the top a couple times last week. We were staying at Raquel & Larry's at BDLA. I place the middle
of Sal Si Puedes at about 29.20.36/113.57.03
We are also pretty certain that you can drive from the BDLA road across the first two Luguna Secca lake beds the hump over the short pass btwn the
upper end of the 2nd lagune to thesmaller upper dry lake bed. That is where one of 2 branches of the Sal Si Puedes begins. Just befor that there is
another canyon that falls to the Sea Of Cortez that meets Asamlea . The bottom of this canyon is smother and you could ride a bike or ATV all the way
to the bottom then back up most of Sal Si Puedes, resting along the way under the palm trees tha flank bothe sides of the creek bed. We also so signs
of plenty of water in the bed, but who knows what it tasted like. We could not see any of E.S.Garner's RED DIAMONDBACK RATTLERS from 200 feet above
the canyon. We plan on going back in January or February for a ground run. Heffe
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 65161
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Wow... from one year ago!
It was Veterans Day weekend in 2002 when I took the trip described in that post (above) http://davidksbaja.com/1102 .
Hey Heffe, that sounds great! Did you take any photos from above SALSIPUEDES?
Last December, my kids and I went over those two dry lakes (LAGUNA AGUA AMARGA and LAGUNA SECA). You can get a truck all the way to the Sea of Cortez
from north, then northeast of that north dry lake.
The arroyo that leads to the gulf shore (opposite the north tip of ANGEL LA GUARDA island) is ARROYO LOS CANDELEROS and is about 8 miles down the
coast from ARROYO LA ASAMBLEA.
I did not see any tracks continuing north from LAGUNA SECA, at the point where the road turned east to get to ARROYO LOS CANDELEROS. It looks like all
mountains enclosing the VALLE LAGUNA SECA, except the way we came in, from the south and the pass over to the arroyo to the gulf.
'BillB' (using a Rokon 2WD trail bike) wants to get into SALSIPUEDES and that was one reason to see about driving to the north dry lake. ARROYO
SALSIPUEDES is west then north of the dry lake as it snakes seaward from CERRO LA GOBERNADORA.
If you have some recon photos or will have a plane in January... Bill and I would greatly appreciate the assistance. We would like to know the most
doable way to reach SALSIPUEDES (from LAGUNA SECA).
Photos from last December at LOS CANDELEROS at http://davidksbaja.com/1202
Thanks for writing!
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 65161
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Dry Lakes north of Bahia de L.A.
... are mentioned in this old post (love the Nomad search engine)... a link to my photos at Los Candeleros showing the north end of Angel Island is
included ( http://davidksbaja.com/1202 ) GPS for the road over the dry lakes to (both) coast shorelines is in my GPS waypoints web site: http://community-2.webtv.net/TheBaja/bajagpslist
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TMW
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David, your post is very interesting since I'm reading the book by Gardner now. Just finished the chapter where they lowered the Pak-Jaks down to the
wash and found the oasis. Good reading and great pictures. Especially when you consider what could happen in that area at that time, the wash name is
well fitting.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 65161
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Thanks TW, Baja's canyons are like the blood of life in this desert land. The miracle is water...
Matomi canyon is otherwise a dry desert wash... but if you travel up it far enough you will find water, year round. As you may have seen from the
photo 'worst stuck', it can be a flowing river for several miles (it wasn't raining): http://community-2.webtv.net/Baja4Me/album/page3.html
BillB is still hoping to get his Rokon into Salsipuedes, even if it means lowering down by rope as did the Gardner party.
FYI, I am scanning the many Gardner party photographs given to me by Choral Pepper and with my web host Dick Van Bree (BajaLinks.com) we are creating
a Choral Pepper web site so everyone can enjoy and have access to this great treasure that I have. I may do a teaser web site to give you a preview...
[Edited on 1-29-2004 by David K]
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Mexray
Super Nomad
Posts: 1016
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Location: California Delta
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Tease away, amigo...I would like to take a peek at those historical photos...
According to my clock...anytime is \'BAJA TIME\' & as Jimmy Buffett says,
\"It doesn\'t use numbers or moving hands It always just says now...\"
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