Neal Johns
Super Nomad
Posts: 1687
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: Lytle Creek, CA
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Mood: In love!
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The Trip That Wasn?t
It was supposed to be a trip to tie up loose ends. Accompanied by my wife, Marian and two Huskies, along with Gary (Cranky) Thomas in his S-10, we set
out a week ago to check on a few things passed by previously because of lack of time. The first of these was to drive up the arroyo that goes by Santa
Inez (next to Catavina) and see how far it could be run in a 4x4. Another was to take Highway 5 to La Ventana and GPS track the go-around that TW
found at the end of the Pole Line Road (and to leave a message for Ken?s group). We changed some dollars for pesos and headed for Ensenada to pick up
Cranky?s friend, Mariano, his spry 80 year old hunting buddy I had met once before. Halfway down, Cranky stopped to check out his errant automatic
transmission and pronounced it dying. Barely making to Mariano?s house, it was no surprise that Mariano knew just the place to take it and get it
checked. When a much younger man, before that smooth, black stuff called pavement, he drove a truck the length of the peninsula for years and knows
everyone. He lived in an adobe in El Rosario with Mama Espinosa as a friend of the family doing his formative years, and it served him well.
The transmission required parts, so we transferred all the stuff into Mariano?s Isuzu and took off to El Rosario. Arriving without incident,
after dinner at Mama?s, we ?camped? in the immaculately clean llantera belonging to a friend of his (19 on David K?s 2006 El Rosario map). The next
morning we headed south and took a detour to Agua Dulce off the old road where Mariano told us that it was the place that El Marmol got its water.
Continuing on the old road past La Virgen, we stopped at the Museum a few miles north of Catavina. It contains storyboards about the local
environment. I particularly enjoyed the picture of the Gopher Snake that was used to illustrate the Rattlesnake story. We drove the few miles to Santa
Inez and headed up the sand wash. We got a few hundred yards and the Isuzu was stuck. Investigation showed no front wheel drive. Back to the hard
ground at Santa Inez for troubleshooting where we found the end of the half axle had lost the clip holding it so the spines would drive the wheel.
Even worse, the spines were gone so there was no groove for the clip. Time to regroup. We went back to near La Virgen and took the 2wd road alongside
Arroyo Guillermo to where the palm filled canyon starts and camped early.
The next morning, we parted company and we both headed home, Cranky and Mariano went to visit Rancho La Bocana, a few miles west (lots of water
in the arroyo!), and Marian and I went back up the sand wash by Santa Inez to be skunked by boulders in two miles that require a Jeep-Jeep or quad to
get by. Are you listening, Ken Cooke? 
Heading north on Hwy. 1, we took the San Pedro Martir Observatory paved road for about ten miles and camped under a bridge for the night. The
next morning, we went halfway to the Observatory and cut over north, planning to take a road on the Baja Almanac that headed back down to Highway 1.
This proved to be, ah, interesting, as the road started to climb over 1000 feet and was obviously used as the November Baja 1000 course. Finally
getting to the top of rolling hills near Rancho Buena Vista without incident, we left the race course and started down a two-track. Well, sometimes it
was a one track. This did not bode well for our poor old 170,000 mile Toyota with pop-top camper on it. We continued over and downward, repairing a
couple of washouts until it became obvious that the road was not going to make it ? at least we were not going to make it. Failure! We turned tail and
made it back to the top of the hills and had lunch on a deserted, ?ditched? - to prevent drug runner use - airfield.
After lunch, we went back a few miles to the race course and rode the ridge tops of the two foot berms a few miles to Rancho El Coyote and a good
graded road to the Observatory pavement. In a little while, we passed through Ensenada, took the road to Tecate, camped for the night at Area 51, out
secret camp spot, crossed the border the next morning with a half-hour wait, and fueled by Burger King, we were soon home in Lytle Creek.
[Edited on 3-28-2006 by Neal Johns]
[Edited on 3-28-2006 by Neal Johns]
[Edited on 3-29-2006 by Neal Johns]
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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bajalou
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4459
Registered: 3-11-2004
Location: South of the broder
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Great story Neal, thanks
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64855
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Wonderful... Great that you keep going to those areas for further exploring!
Neal's photos from a previous adventure: http://vivabaja.com/neal2 (La Virgen, Arroyo Guillermo, Yubay, etc.)
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
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Mood: optimistic
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Neil----that is my kind of story-----
Thanks for posting it-------The stuff about the splines being missing on the Isuzu was interesting, if not a little dis-concerting. 
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John M
Super Nomad
Posts: 1921
Registered: 9-3-2003
Location: California High Desert
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geez son!!!
Neal, guess the trip plans gave way to common sense once again.........glad you and Marian made it home without difficulty. We'll try the ol' Jeep at
Santa Ynez one of these days if Ken doesn't beat me to it. 
Signed, dad
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Bedman
Senior Nomad
Posts: 523
Registered: 9-4-2002
Location: Orange County, CA.
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Geez Dad !!
Your trips always have a good end, middle and beginning! Thanks for the adventure!
Signed, son
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BAJACAT
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2902
Registered: 11-21-2005
Location: NATIONAL CITY, CA
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Sounds to me that this was really a trip afther all, any kind of trip in baja is interesting, Neal thaks for sharing...
BAJA IS WHAT YOU WANTED TO BE, FUN,DANGEROUS,INCREDIBLE, REMOTE, EXOTIC..JUST GO AND HAVE FUN.....
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Bob H
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5867
Registered: 8-19-2003
Location: San Diego
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The trip that wasn't? Huh? I think is WAS! Big time. Great trip report. Thanks,
Bob H
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64855
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Neal, do you (or any Nomads) have more details on La Bocana (the one near Cataviņa) you mentioned above:
"The next morning, we parted company and we both headed home, Cranky and Mariano went to visit Rancho La Bocana, a few miles west (lots of water in
the arroyo!), and Marian and I went back up the sand wash by Santa Inez to be skunked by boulders in two miles that require a Jeep-Jeep or quad to get
by. Are you listening, Ken Cooke?"
I got an email from someone seeking some details on this archeological site... Thanks!
Edit... searched some more...
I found a post by 'bajataco' in Jan. 2004 with some photos at Rancho La Bocana archeological site: http://www.bajataco.com/baja2003/index.htm
[Edited on 7-8-2011 by David K]
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13197
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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wow...2004 is a long time ago .... where is Team Brazil now ???!!!
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brewer
Nomad
Posts: 419
Registered: 1-4-2011
Location: BCS
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Mood: Grateful
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Where is that area 51 secret camp spot near Tecate? I need a place like that for those trips where I can just not quite make it home without driving
at night. Which I do not do.
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TMW
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Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
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Thanks Neal, any trip in Baja is an adventure.
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John M
Super Nomad
Posts: 1921
Registered: 9-3-2003
Location: California High Desert
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Rancho La Bocana site
David, I looked at the photos of your link, which are of Rancho La Bocana?
John M
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64855
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by John M
David, I looked at the photos of your link, which are of Rancho La Bocana?
John M |
In The 'bajataco' link, they follow the photos of Mision Santa Maria... There are a few of the petros and wet looking valley at La Bocana... then they
arrived at the Pacific in the SECRET SURF AREA we aren't allowed to say anything about
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