Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8923
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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Baja Grande - Gonzaga Bay to L.A. Bay
With our group rested from the long and bumpy ride from Puertecitos to San Luis Gonzaga (Gonzaga Bay), our first item on the agenda was to taste some
of the region’s best seafood. Alfonsina’s located at the northern cusp of the bay offered a variety of meat and poultry dishes, but the specialty
that makes tourists seek out this eatery is the seafood. Mariscos and fish caught in the Mar de Cortes (Sea of Cortez) are given the Alfonsina
treatment with beans, rice, fluffy flour tortillas, and washed down with a variety of beverages available at the bar for a nominal price.
Our group itinerary deleted a base camp travel day from Bahia de Los Angeles (Bay of L.A.) to Bahia Las Animas (Animas Bay) due to our Red Rock trail
gunners Brad and Rhoda Green sitting out this year. With the extra time on our hands, we decided to dedicate some quality time towards trail
maintenance, so with several group members looking for a challenge, we rose early and traveled the dusty road towards Coco’s Corner. Turning westward
8 miles north of Coco’s, we slowly ambled up a rocky canyon which led our Jeeps (and lone Toyota) to the La Turquesa (The Turquoise) Mine.
La Turquesa Mine is located high atop the canyon bearing the same name, and provided miners with a mother lode of turquoise during this mines
operation during the early half of the 1900s. Pools of stagnant spring water filled slick rock depressions close to where our tires rotated en route
to the mine. Once there, a faint trail lie off in the distance – just shy of the opposite end of the canyon, but obscured by cholla cacti, rocks both
large and small, and the occasional ledge which hid holes deep enough to swallow a 35” Swamper.
Our Baja Grande group was supposed to meet with Roy from Bajanomad.com with the intention of clearing a path to reach an access road which washed out
decades ago. This access road leads the adventurous traveler to Hwy 1 just south of Catavina and Rancho Santa Ines. After looking around for 20
minutes, we realized that Baja Grande was on its’ own, and we decided to find our own way up the canyon. At the foot of the mine was a steep dropoff
bearing the marks of quad tires which appeared to have dove off the cliff and into the canyon. Being the wild man that he is, Nick Kozin took the
challenge in his Total Chaos-equipped Toyota Tacoma on 33” Revo’s. Nothing held this guy back, as he flug his Tacoma into the wash, and right into
the path of a mute Cholla which left its mark in his front drivers tire. Nick abandoned his quest for the access route to Hwy 1, choosing instead to
utilize his Leatherman tool to pull out countless Cholla spines which hooked into, but did not damage his Revo tires.
Being the sensible yet typically scared driver that I am, my Tomb Raider Rubicon instead traveled back down the trail and entered the canyon from a
more timid vantage point. This route quickly changed for the worse, and a simple go-around reveled a radical ascent up a 3’ to 4’ tall waterfall.
The risk was not in just the camber, but the amount of traction this rock provided to our rigs tires. Following from behind, C.J. Wasserman of Sun
City, Arizona offered extrication from the hole/waterfall combination I found myself in, but with correct tire placement, a Jeep flop was averted.
With Nick finished pulling cholla from his tires, and the group dusty and hot, we decided to call it a day. But before leaving, Russ insisted on
locating the path to the route which switchbacked down a slope visible roughly 2 miles to the west. After squeezing our two Jeeps between cacti,
mesquite trees and large rocks, the two of us reached a dead end. Although Kacey Smith’s Baja Motocross GPS Guide considered this to be a loop to
Mission Santa Maria and back, our Jeeps were DNF without any hope of finishing what we thought was a passable route from everything we had read on the
‘web.
Back in camp, 75% of our group rested and enjoyed the sand and the warm waters. Michael from “Team Isreal” and “The Fun Family;” Irene, Phil and Dan
Londo fished the waters of the Cortez’ filling a bucket full of fish and providing enough eating for the rest of their Baja Grande experience. With
Jeeps and friends, life is indeed good.
Tuesday, November the 20th saw our group venturing south towards Coco’s Corner. Bad News: Coco was told to seek immediate medical treatment, and he
left yesterday (Monday the 19th) for Ensenada to have his “Good” leg possibly amputated. The mood was indeed somber, but the folks from “Team Isreal”
stumbled upon a glaring fact that none of the hanging underwear bore writing in Hebrew. So, “Team Isreal” remedied this problem by providing a
well-worn pair of briefs for future visitors of Coco’s Corner.
Coco Update Thread:
http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=28197&pag...
Turning our Jeeps northward, we traveled to the route leading to “Green Valley” which was on this years’ Baja 1000 race. After a short while, our
Jeeps were in a green, fertile valley containing green grasses, water-crossings which filled wheelwells and reached rockers, and some of Baja’s
smelliest mud ever encountered. Wait – mud? In Baja? Yes, “Green Valley” was an oddity whose spring-fed canyons reminded us of the Palm Springs
region more than a bone dry peninsula that so many of us from Alta California associate with Baja California. After a stunningly scenic side trip
between the Sierras La Josefina and Calamajue, our posse reached El Crucero in the “Valley of the Cirios.” The highway leading to the Bay of L.A. lie
straight ahead. Just before nightfall, we reached town, but with a malfunctioning pump, would our group have the gasoline to reach El Rosario to the
north, or would we instead take up residence in this idyllic fishing camp?
To be continued.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64587
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Sounds good... How did Calamajue canyon look so soon after the Baja 1000 blasted through the wetlands?
Here's my little Subaru in there in 1979, pre-running the Baja 1000!
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8923
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Sounds good... How did Calamajue canyon look so soon after the Baja 1000 blasted through the wetlands?= |
Just tire tracks through the muddy sections, nothing visible through the dry patches. Your normal muddy/dirt road. Nothing serious - no major
environmental catastrophie that I am sure the Center for Biological Diversity would lead people to think had happened...
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64587
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Yah, nature is a lot more powerful than man and fixes what we try to change!
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