vandy
Senior Nomad
Posts: 538
Registered: 10-10-2003
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Mexicali-San Felipe-Gonzaga-Laguna Chapala road report
Paved road is fine. Crossed at San Luis Saturday noon with a one-hour wait heading south.
Lots of rocks in the road through the cut-banks.
Still some construction going on, but good smooth detours.
Now for the bad part:
Not an inch has been paved from the Gonzaga bridge to Laguna Chapala, a little under 40 (FORTY) miles of BAD ROAD.
It makes the Cabo Pulmo/East Cape road look like a race track.
Most of the really bad road is near the south end, with major holes and washouts on either side.
Watch closely for piled rocks, tires and wheels marking car/truck killers.
I thought this road was bad enough with an empty Subaru a few months ago; with a full Subaru and worse road conditions I will not drive this road
again.
I averaged 30 mph last time; this time about 20...and STILL made a few almost-costly mistakes.
There are sections where the silt/sand/rock-chip loose mix is rutted by pickups, with an occasional rock hidden in a pile.
Go slow and get rattled and shaken up, or go through Tecate?
I'm choosing Tecate next time.
But if a road grader comes through? Maybe I'll try again.
I should know within one mile heading up from the south.
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basautter
Senior Nomad
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Drop your tire pressure to 20 PSI for the gravel road. It helps a lot! There is a tire shop in Chapalla that will air you back up.
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CortezBlue
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Location: Fenix/San Phelipe
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I can't believe it took an hour to cross at San Luis, what a pain
In the future do what I do. I dial San Luis police when I am at mile marker 35 near coyote wash. They will tell you if 95 is backed up crossing the
boarder
If it is then I will cross at Los Algadones or calexico east
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bufeo
Senior Nomad
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Location: Santa Fe New Mexico
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| Quote: | Originally posted by basautter
Drop your tire pressure to 20 PSI for the gravel road. It helps a lot! There is a tire shop in Chapalla that will air you back up.
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I imagine Vandy knows that.
Allen R
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BeemerDan
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Location: Port Orchard Wa
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I'll be crossing at Mexicali this AM, Heading for SF then down to Coco's, Anyone know if he's around? I'm riding the bike down so don't have alot of
room to carry stuff, but I'd like to take him some food or whatever I can strap to the bike.
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John M
Super Nomad
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Registered: 9-3-2003
Location: California High Desert
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Beemer
When you get back would you post what he needs - we'll be visiting him in two weeks and can carry stuff.
Cat food we presume!
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John M
Super Nomad
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Beemer
When you get back would you post what he needs - we'll be visiting him in two weeks and can carry stuff.
Cat food we presume!
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dizzyspots
Senior Nomad
Posts: 603
Registered: 9-22-2008
Location: Mescal AZ
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Mood: rather be on the beach at Gonzaga
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Dittos!! headed down Oct 30 thru Nov 7
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Casey67
Junior Nomad
Posts: 75
Registered: 4-4-2009
Location: Bahia Concepcion
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Mood: Baja Hot
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Has the road really degraded much in the last 3+ years?
I came down that way in early January 2010, 2 weeks before the rains took out 3 bridges on HWY1. As I foggily recall it didn't seem that bad at all,
however I was in a 2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara lifted to ~10" of ground clearance, custom suspension and 2 full size spare tires. The many tire carcasses
at the side of the road every 20 feet lead me to dub it the 'tire eating road' but I came through unscathed.
I can't imagine the Gonzaga-Chapala road is as bad as the back-road from HWY1 (between Mulege and Loreto) to San Isidro (as last seen in ~April 2012).
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vandy
Senior Nomad
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Casey...the roa
ave been fine with ten inches clearance.
As I said, I was in a subaru.
Just have to watch out for the truckxeating washouts
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vandy
Senior Nomad
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I am trying to learn tol type on a soxcalled smart phone.
Must be for people with tiny fingers or sharp nails
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redhilltown
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Location: Long Beach, CA
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I just went through there last week in a stock Toyota Sequoia...no problems but there are a few wash outs. Lower the tire pressure and slow down and
it's a breeze...the bad parts are child's play compared to the bad parts of the old road south to Gonzaga. And I totally agree with the mini rock
slides...be careful in that you can go quite fast on that road now and 20" boulders can do some damage!
Posted a few thoughts as to Coco in the trip reports section. He is doing fine and getting ready for the race. Fresh veggies and maybe some cooking
staples always seem to be well received...though maybe too many of the "fresh" may not last long and some pantry items might fare better? i swear,
more than anything I think Coco likes company... I just thought of this but he used to draw quite a bit...did drawings of visitors...I wonder if some
note pads and pencils might be welcomed?
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gringorio
Senior Nomad
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Location: Tucson, Arizona
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Thanks for the update! I'll be headed that way in a couple weeks - in a Subaru Outback with a spring lift... Thanks for the cautionary notes on the
hidden obstacles!
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64857
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Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Greg, if you (or another Subaru owner) emailed me today, please re-send... it was in my junk mail folder and I hit the delete key about the same half
second as I saw 'Subaru' in the subject bar!!! Sorry!
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spikemd
Junior Nomad
Posts: 38
Registered: 10-4-2013
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Thanks for the report. I will be heading down Nov3rd thru 9th and am actually looking forward to being offroad!  I hope to explore some other trails near Gonzaga but my truck is set-up for it with lift, skid plates and large tires.
I am sure other vehicles may not fare as well.
I want to reiterate the comfort that airing down tires can provide on dirt roads and washboards. Think of airing down as an additional set of shocks
to help absorb the rough roads. You can pick up a cheap tire inflator from $10 - $40 that plugs into your cigarette lighter to air back up when you
hit pavement. Sounds like there are a lot of rocks to watch out for, but sometimes more speed can be helpful as you can hit a resonance between the
washboards that actually smooths out the road but you have to be careful with your speed.
Airing down is critical when you are in the sand as it give you a larger contact patch and more traction to float over the sand.
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bryanmckenzie
Senior Nomad
Posts: 561
Registered: 9-23-2009
Location: 400 Km from Mexico Beach, Florida
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Mood: Hot & humid --- not hot & dry.
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These photos and videos are from April 2012, Bahia Gonzaga to Coco's Corner to Lagua Chapala junction.
Gonzaga to Cocos: April 2012 Photo and Video Reconaissance
Cocos to Chapala: April 2012 Photo and Video Reconaissance
I'm told by David K that the road from el Huerfanito to Bahia Gonzaga is now all pavement. I imagine that the road south of Gozaga has deteriorated
even more during that time --- not better. I'd bet that the final 30 miles of construction are still 3-5 years off, as I saw no survey markers, no
clearing, etc. in April 2012 heading southbound in a 2WD VW Jetta.
(high-resolution videos available upon request)
[Edited on 2013-10-26 by bryanmckenzie]
[Edited on 2013-10-26 by bryanmckenzie]
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”
-Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910)
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cbuzzetti
Nomad
Posts: 193
Registered: 5-22-2006
Location: Atascadero, Ca
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Mood: Lookin for a vacation
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Just came through there a few days ago. Road is fine, no wash outs except one small one on the side.
Stopped at Cocos and he is having a solar panel issue for the one by his camper. It is not putting out sufficient voltage anymore. He said it is now
19 years old.
We took the batteries and hooked them up to his system on the main building to charge them. We will stop back by there on Friday.
He has his new legs now and is excited about more mobility.
He could use a spare VHF radio and antennae for his camper.
He looks great for a guy 77 years young.
BajaBuzz
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vandy
Senior Nomad
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Whatever you do, DON'T AIR DOWN YOUR SUBARU'S TIRES on this road.
There is very little space between barely making it over rocks at a decent speed and losing your oil pan.
Like maybe 1/2 inch.
Of course, I realize that some people value their vehicles and drive the whole length of dirt slowly, but I keep hitting 4th and 5th gear on the
straightaways...
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bryanmckenzie
Senior Nomad
Posts: 561
Registered: 9-23-2009
Location: 400 Km from Mexico Beach, Florida
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Mood: Hot & humid --- not hot & dry.
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I concur. When I drove OR, I kept full pressure to maintain every bit of clearance I could. And for fear of a side puncture/scrape. Of course it was a
light vehicle (Jetta) compared to most Nomad rigs. Although soft, sandy side-tracks can be tricky. Ya gotsta keeps moving and never, ever touch da
brake. 
[Edited on 2013-10-28 by bryanmckenzie]
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”
-Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910)
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