BajaBlanca
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Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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PART I - LA BOCANA TO SAN IGNACIO TO SAN JUANICO
Thursday June 30, 2011, we left at about 7 a.m. headed towards San Ignacio, where we stopped by Juanitas casa leree and bought BAJA CALIFORNIA PLANT
FIELD GUIDE to help me identify my plants and visited the brand new botanical garden she is helping to plant – to the left of the church. It is
beautiful. Interesting that she is working on the exact same project that I am here in La Bocana.
We took off headed for laguna san Ignacio, thinking we would have lunch at Antonio’s restaurant. The road getting there is fine, partially paved as
one leaves san Ignacio and plenty of machinery as they continue paving. The road after pavement is rough but OK.
Arriving at the lagoon, we found Daniel (Antonio’s son) there and we discovered that the restaurant is only open during the whale watching season. Nor
were there any other alternatives. We had some snacks and 3 small bottles of water, so we weren’t too worried. We were taking Rex on his first road
trip since he arrived in Baja from England 5 years ago and we had a gallon jug filled with agua for him too. I can tell you, in all honesty, if I
knew what trouble was ahead of us, we would have turned around right then and there and gone home. And hired a helicopter to take us to san juancio.
But we had no clue what we were in for and I had definitely forgotten that Baja is always an adventure 
and not a vacation so …. we went on ….and the road got very rocky
and extremely rough and all of a sudden there was a deep gulley full of huge boulders and deep dust bowls … turns out we took the WRONG turn at one
point and instead of turning right or left at EL BATEQUI, we somehow took the middle road which is the roughest way (we have heard since that even the
Baja 1000 guys prefer not to take this route). We ended up going thru 3 of these monster sand and rock trap gulleys. We had windows open as it was
really boiling hot so going through the first trap, the dust overtook us
(following is an actual picture I took and we are MOVING)
and the dust was so bad, we could not even see at all where we were going…the car was jumping like it was kangaroo on drugs …. I was white faced and
so nervous I did not get any photos of the worst parts …Les is white knuckle gripping the steering wheel and putting car in 4 wheel drive while in the
middle of the gulley and uttering unprintable words ….. Rex has decided he would prefer to exchange parents right NOW, please.
Once you get through the first one you think that’s the worst of it but no, we STILL HAD 2 MORE AFTER THAT !!!! At one of the traps, Les got out to
check options: go either straight ahead on the road or bypass it left or right but side paths were not any better so we just TOOK A DEEP BREATH and
ploughed, I mean literally ploughed right thru. We were extremely lucky and got through each trap without getting stuck. Only because God really
truly loves all 3 of us and our Geo tracker is one heck of a good vehicle for Baja … would you believe we did not even have a shovel with us … we
had left it in the Titan, sitting under the palapa at the house LOL !
People, I had read what Shari had written on her report, and I told Les many times before we left: ”Hon, there is a way that Shari recommends we not
take …” but husbands and wives have a way of communicating but not communicating and so life goes on. I do not know how we did not get stuck. And
had we gotten stuck, trust me, I think we would have died. One, the route is really Very Remote and two, we did not have enough water. It was so hot,
Rex (who is used to Baja after 5 years) was lifting his paws up and down due to the heat of the rocks. I definitely wanted to turn around but that
was not an option either – return to the gully again - no way … My one thought was that CP in san juancio had written asking what time we expected to
arrive and that they would send out a search group if we did not appear. Little did she realize those words bounced in my head over and over for
hours as we continued ahead …
THE END RESULT: we arrived and we immediately fell in love with san juanico – small and cozy, huge sweeping curvy gigantic beach with ridiculously
long waves …. More to come in PART 2.
[Edited on 7-3-2011 by BajaBlanca]
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8940
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
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Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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I visited this region 10 years ago, so my recollection of the sights is foggy. Thank you for posting photos of your travels to this area, Blanca.
[Edited on 7-3-2011 by Ken Cooke]
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Roberto
Banned
Posts: 2162
Registered: 9-5-2003
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Santiago? Is that a "blooper" Ken? 
Blanca you are lucky you did not get stuck, though you might be surprised (I know I have been) by the fact that there IS traffic on that road.
Two words: 1. GPS 2. Maps.
And, maybe a third for long stretches of dirt: emergency supplies (Food, Water, First Aid).
Communications are nice too. At that point you are bulletproof (or almost so).
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
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Mood: Everchangin'
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"North Road Thoughts"
Blanca, welcome to the club! here is the best wisdom, insights, and comedic prose to keep you going next time you head "out there!"
written by my buddy Marc, AKA Taxcutter.....
I have traveled every road into S-bay since 1979. And even though I
want less people in the water, I really want to stop people from making
the wrong choices in roads. The photo of the dirt road on the web site
looks too easy. Don't fool yourself. And please remember to be prepared
for the camping conditions; shade, windscreen, lanterns, etc. However, I
do stick to the one rule of helping fellow travelers that are stuck and
broken down on the dirt road, usually in the middle of nowhere.
First, thanks Dave and Laurie for getting the message board up and
running! And is the wireless working at the Cantina? I imagine Internet
access is now working as well at the Cantina. Again, many thanks. The
both of you work very hard and have to deal with a lot of funky people.
Especially you, Lauire.
Before you go remember this, S-bay has a very, very small swell
window and it could be flat for days, weeks. So before you go,
think and plan very carefully about going to S-bay. Plus remember the
tides, high tide can shut down 3rd point.
Another thing to consider is even though a swell maybe hitting S-bay,
the surf is very lully or inconsistent. It makes it great to paddle out. Most
times you can paddle out without getting your hair wet. But waiting for
20 minutes for a 3 wave set can tax your patience.
And remember this, if you are reading my post, on this web site, I
imagine thousands of other people are eye balling S-bay. Last summer,
June, July, August, the place was packed. Now it's not Newport Beach, but
more than likely, it's packed and prime campsites are gone. At least most
people are somewhat respectful and share waves, but after a 20 minute
lull, the crowd gets hungry.
Ok, I can understand you really want to go to S-bay. Please be
respectful to your fellow travelers. And be very, very respectful to the
Mexican locals. You are a guest in their country and it is the hyper kooks
that ruin it for the rest of us.
Regardless of which road, is your car up to the challenge? Although in
1980 a friend drove a VW Karmenn Gia via the south road (he got stuck in
moon dust sand and was eaten alive my sand fleas while digging out) and
a three years ago, I saw a Porsche at S-bay, your car is your life and is
your car up to the challenge?
May I suggest you bring an extra tire or 2 and dump any donut spare
tire. And make sure the spare is properly filled with air. Get a good jack
and lug nut wheel wrench. The standard car jack does not cut it and the
standard lug nut wheel wrench does not have the torque to get the lug
nuts of your car. Bring an air compressor that plugs into your car cigarette
lighter. And don't buy the small cheap air compressor. It gets to hot in
the desert and either the device will shut down quickly or break. The
combo battery charger and air compressor is my choice; it does not need
the car cig lighter.
I always bring duck tape; zip ties, various hose clamps and ropes. The
dirt road, North, East or South, will rattle any bolt, screw or clamp. So if
you break down, maybe you can limp on out using some duck tape, etc.
In April, my front grill rattled off on the upper North road. At San
Ig, fellow traveler, laughing at me, mentioned that he saw my grill on the
side of the road just north of Cadaje. One year, I used my surf leash to tie
up my back rear bumper. A zip ties saved me another year. One year I
went thru 3 tires! Another year, I duck taped my radiator hose and
poured beer into the radiator. Last year a shock mount busted and I had
to get that wielded back on. Be prepared, please!
Remember, every bolt, screw, clamp will be tested. The dirt road will
rattle your car to pieces. One year my car CD player rattled loose and was
stuck so hard inside the dash board that I could not get it out. I ended up
listening to one CD for 3 weeks. Now I know the words to every song,
POD plays. Even if you take the south road, your car will be tested.
This last April, my 4x4 Chevy Suburban broke down, going home on
the upper North road. Just pass El Cuarenta, and just pass Senior Aguila's
Ranch. The seal for the back end differential broke and the drive shaft
popped off and the oil spilled out. The seal costs 2 bucks to replace. But I
was stuck in truly the middle of nowhere. It took me 3 days to get out.
And I was very, very lucky.
I am not a negative person, but get real. Your car will be tested and
your camping skills will be tested. Be very, very prepared. As a general
rule, if you did not bring it, you will not have it.
Here's one hot tip for camping. It gets really windy and if you are
camping, go buy telephone pole stakes to hold down your tent and/or
shade. I bought mine at Home Depot, located near the rebar and cement
section. The ground is a hard as rock, in fact, it's lava rock. And forget
about plastic stakes for your tent. You will not get plastic stakes into the
ground. Even regular metal tent stakes break or bend. You need the
heavy duty telephone pole stakes. Trust me on this one.
If it is your first time into Baja, or traveling with people that stress out
easily, or speak none or very little Spanish, or have no time for a break
down, or not well equipped, or just love your car, do not take the North or
East Road. In fact, don't drive down. Fly to Hawaii and surf.
Upper North Road
I always fill up with gas at the Pemex station, on the main road, at San
Ig, it is the last chance to purchase gas from a Pemex station. You can
purchase gas in San J from Camacho, and other local places along the dirt
road, but it will be more expensive, if you can get it at all. One year, a
friend purchased gas from a local, in the middle of nowhere, but soon
afterwards, his car fuel injection system clogged up. Dirty gas and you
know what happened next. However, in San J, Camacho is a super cool
local and I have never had any problems with gas from him. In fact, he is a
great mechanic and has a super cool family.
Turning right off the Mex 1, the main paved road, I go into San Ig.
Depending on the time, I stop off and get something to eat. Remember,
it's 105 or so off road miles and generally takes 3-4 hours to get to San J.
And if you start late in the day, it could be nite time by the time you get
into S-bay. One golden rule: do not drive at night. Just too many
stories and friends that die, crash or get lost at night. Please, do not
drive at night. Regardless, you do not want to set up camp at
night. It sucks and it's a hassle. Personally, I do not want you to camp
next to me, if you pull up next to my camp at night. Again, show some
simple respect! If you don't think you will make it to San J. before
sundown, stop at San Ig. and stay at Rice and Beans. Super cool people,
the speak English, clean rooms and more than likely, you'll run into some
fellow surf travelers. On top of that, you can get a report on the North
Road.
I always stop at the church in San Ig. I light a candle, pray for safe
travels and donate some pesos. The church is at the main town square. If
you go into the church, it will blow your mind away, super cool. Turning
left, at the church, passing the square, the (I been doing it for so long, I
don't even think about it) third street or so, I take a right, up a small hill,
the satellite tower is on top, and turn left and that's the start of the dirt
road to Laguna San Ig.
In April, taking the North Road, just outside of San Ig, the locals were
dumping and covering the washboard with hard dirt. It was around
Zacaria area, about 10 k outside San Ig. So be prepared to see dump
trucks and a grader. Drive slowly and try not to kick up a lot of dust.
Remember this motto, I am a guest, a tourist in Mexico. Show some, no,
show a lot of respect. Don't be a hyper kook from the big city. As they
say, " take it easy."
About 30 miles on the washboard, heading towards Laguna from San
Ig, more than likely, you will see a sign suggesting you to turn left. The
sign should say something like Scorpion Bay, and has an arrow
pointing left. A typical Mexican sign. You look at the sign and think is this
for real? This is the start and one of the route to take the upper North
road. You have a choice to make. Keep going straight, and the road will
take you pass Laguna and Fish camps and through the salt flats to San J
or turn left on what I call the upper North road.
If you never have been on the North road, I suggest you turn left at the
marker and take the upper North road. A lot of locals take this road
(maybe, one car a day). Since it is in daily, weekly use, the road is ok for
being a washboard. For the first 30 miles or so, generally, it's flat. There
are some sand sections, but not that bad. The last 30 miles it can get
steep hilly with arroyo washouts. The arroyos can be nasty. But with a 4x4
car, it should no problem, maybe. Thankfully, I did not come across the
famous moon dust, sand sections, this last April.
On dirt roads, at times, you will notice a parallel road to the main dirt
road you are on. The locals, at times, start, make or travel on the parallel
road. This is because the main road is too washboard or was washed out
from rains the year before or for some other reason. But be aware. This
parallel road is usually sandy and sometimes difficult to get back on the
main dirt road or it will take you away in a different direction and you can
get lost or worse you can get stuck. So if you are a rookie, stay on the
road most traveled on, the main dirt road. If in doubt, stop and check out
the dirt for tire tracks on the road. And when I say stay on the main dirt
road, you will be laughing on what is considered the main dirt road.
On the upper North road, you will come across a little ranch just past
an arroyo washout. It's about 25 miles from the laguna turn off around
the El Cuarenta area on the map. You have to cross his property to
continue south and usually he has a gate closed. No problem, his name is
Thomas Aquila (last name may be misspelled, I know him as Senior
Thomas). He has a huge family, something like 8 sons and who knows
how many daughters and he knows everybody in the region. He even has
a son, that's a fisherman. And the fishermans son lives next to the salt
flats road. At one point, but not today, I'll tell you about him and the salt
flats. Senior Thomas is around 70 years old and in great shape and does
not speak English. But when he opens the gate for you, he will show you
a piece of paper.
The piece of paper will ask you if, (very respectfully) if you can spare
some water or some food. Please, show him some kindness and respect
and offer/give his family whatever you can spare. If you flip over the
piece of paper, hopefully you will see my comments. More importantly, if
you are leaving S-bay, heading Northbound, give him everything you can
spare. You don't need all your junk. You are leaving heading home. Not
only is Senior Thomas a nice guy and great family, not only he knows
everybody in the region, more than likely if you get stuck, lost, broken
down, whatever, he will helped you. He has help many of my friends and
me. Please give what you can.
This upper North Road is pretty much straight. No major decisions on
which fork in the road to take. If you make a wrong choice and turn left,
you will end up in the mountains. If you make another wrong choice, and
turn right, you will end up at the ocean. Remember to look for tire tracks
on the road. You may make a turn, go around a bend but you should end
up heading South again. And if you make a wrong choice, you will know
pretty quickly. If you took the salt flats, you can get lost very easily. The
East Road is very, very easy to take a wrong fork in the Road. And you
must be lame if you get lost on the South Road. Again, look for the
road most traveled!
From his ranch, you are a little less than half way there. The road is
washboard and at times can get a little hilly. Be careful on the hills.
Another rule: If you can't see the road ahead of you, slow, slow
down. It just seems a lot of people crash around the hilly sections
because as they go around a corner, a cow, a horse, a mule, a donkey, a
person, a car, the burm, a rut, soft sand and so many other reasons,
something makes your crash.
In the early days of my Mexico travels, I met this guy at S-bay. He told
me, a couple of years earlier, he was driving alone, at night, in a new
camper/truck to S-bay and he hit a cow. He totaled his car. Furthermore,
if you hit a cow, it's like hitting a family member!
Remember, you are automatically guilty if you get into a car accident
and more than likely to will go to jail until the police figures it out. Which
means getting money from you. So here's my plug; I always get my
Mexico car insurance at size=2>www.mexicanautoi
nsurance.com/ It's Lewis & Lewis and even though Old
man Lewis is retired, his son is a great person and he a some great stories
of idiot/stupid/horror stories of American drivers in Baja.
Anyway, this guy did not have Mexican car insurance and after the
accident some Americans grabbed him, hush, hushed, him into their car
and drove him North and across the boarder. This guy had to leave
everything he owned and he was in bad shape. But he was very grateful
and alive. Can you imagine being thrown into a Mexican jail and you need
a doctor? However, when he hit the cow, the cow bounce up over the
hood and smashed into the windshield and the cow hit his head and
leather burnt his forehead and hair. So when I met him at S-bay, he had a
big scar burn on the front quarter of his head and that section of his hair
was gone and could never grow back again. Although it was a kinda
funny story told to me many, many years ago at S-bay one night,
please drive safe and not at night.
Around 10 miles before Balena del Raymondo is the turn off for the salt
flats. I'll talk more about the salt flats route later, much later.
Around Balena del Raymondo (it's on the map) sometimes, the Military
has a minor checkpoint. This last April, the Military boys were hanging
out and stoped me. And when I say minor, it's usually just a couple of
guys bored stiff. Sometimes, the Military guys are there. Sometimes they
are not. And these guys almost never can speak a lick of English, so be
prepared. I usually never get hassled because I speak Spanish. But, if you
give them some gum or maybe a deck of playing cards, it will make there
day. My buddy likes to give them Playboy Magazines!
This next section has plateau/hills. And going up and down the
plateau's, the road get a bit steeper and you traverse thru some arroyos
(washouts) that may have some water flowing. It can be round river rocky,
and have soft sandy areas. The washout areas can have deep ruts. The
local Mexican do not like or want to drive in the ruts or heavy
washboards. Always look for the most traveled road. But it depends on
the time of year and/or storms that year. Since my trip in April, the upper
North Road was not bad at all (Last year, late Aug/Sept. heavy rains
from a hurricane washed out the South Road and the rumor is the South
Road still has many soft sand areas). Going southbound, on the North
road, on your left is a huge mountain range. It could be dry as a bone on
the road, but up in the mountains, it could be raining hard and a flash
flood could happen. So be advised, any arroyo, washout or riverbed can
flash flood or have enough water to sweep your car away. I've seen it
happen. So the hot tip is not to park in the center of the arroyo. If in
doubt, stop your car and check it out before any crossing. Always look for
the most traveled road.
This last April, it was dry as a bone, except for a trickle at Cadaje.
Now Cadaje is like the county seat. It is where they make the decisions
for the area, including San J. There is a small airport, a Military outpost
and a school and a bunch of homes. On the North road, going south, you
are on a plateau, you come around a corner, now going down a steep hill
and there it is, Cadaje. At the school, turn right, cross the arroyo and
back up the steep hill. If you miss the turn, the road ends in town. You're
about 15 miles to San J.
But remember, anytime you travel thru a town, village or by a home,
slow down. You don't want to kick up dust or run over a chicken and a lot
of times a local policeman just may be hanging out just waiting for some
gringo to fail to stop at some stop sign that is hidden or going faster than
5 miles an hour.
This is especially true as you head into San J. It's around 10-15 miles
from Cadaje. And as you approach San Juanico, you are hot, tired and just
want to get a beer at the cantina. But slow down. You are going down a
gentle hill approaching San J. The local police can see you coming down
this gentle hill. The police are really mellow, but they still have to make
some beer money. Slow Down! As you enter the town, turn at the
first left. Go slowly down the street. Please drive slow. Make a right at the
end of the street. This is the Malcon and the ocean is right there. Go
straight ahead on the Malcon, past Arthuro's liquor store, up gringo hill,
and about half a mile from the Malcon is the Scorpion Bay Cantina.
Last year, I heard, a young girl, alone, in a VW camper bus took the
upper North Road, drove in from San Ig and had no problems. A 2 wheel
drive car can make it. I have taken the North Road with a 2 wheel drive
van with little clearance. You see the Mexican locals do it all the time. But,
I have also taken the South road in a 2 wheel drive car and I got stuck in
the soft sand. But if you get stuck or break down, you have better have
stocked up on the beer and ice before your trip.
On a closing note, be respectful, be patient, relax; it could be worse.
Bring candy for the local kids and clothes for the families. Count the
billion stars at night. Relax, you can always fix your car later. But be
prepared to rattle every bolt, nut and screw in your car. And if you break
down and I see you, please have a cold beer for me.
I will stop to help you.
Taxcutter
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13045
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
Member Is Offline
Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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hahahaha...hate to say I told ya so Les..but...I LOVED the photo of the sand Blanca...too funny....good you now remember baja can be an adventure so
next time you can be better prepared just in case Les takes another wrong turn....great trip report amiga.
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13195
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
Member Is Offline
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roberto .. WE HAD GPS and we had MAP ... just a wrong turn in the middle of nowhere ....
shari - we have friends who go to el datil in a big truck and I think he just assumed it would be OK
living and learning !!
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