rhintransit
Super Nomad
Posts: 1588
Registered: 9-4-2006
Location: Loreto
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Loreto to San Diego during the gas protests
Loreto to San Diego Road Trip, 1/3 and 1/4 during the gas protests...
We left Loreto early Tuesday morning, the day was uneventful. We did note long gas lines in El Rosario. We stopped for the night in San Quintin. We
asked what the hotel and restaurant folks knew about the protests, all they could say was the main gas station was closed. We had less than a quarter
tank of gas, but it was too late and too dark to go searching for more. Getting up at 6:30 we set out to look for gas. Every station in town was
closed, but a Federale told us there was gas in Los Pinos so we backtracked and filled up there. We encountered only short lines around 7:30. Back
to the hotel to check out, eat breakfast and get on the road.
Made it about two blocks before we hit our first road block. We took the side road just before the station, heading east, then took the first
promising dirt road off through the fields and fairly easily found our way around.
Shortly thereafter, we encountered road block number two. Barely slowing down, we followed likely looking locals to the left, then north the
first...very distant first...road paralleling the highway. After a very long slog though mud and potholes, we ventured out onto the highway again (we
did pick up familiar cars we informally convoyed with). The road was entirely empty of vehicle traffic, though we sometimes had to drive on the
southbound side of the highway to avoid groups of protestors who seemed surprised to see us and rocks blocking the road. At another Pemex, a group
ran out into the right lane when they saw us, carrying a section of fence. We slowed as if to stop, then passed in the left lane.
Carrying on, we next came to a major stoppage at a bridge over an arroyo, roadblock number four. Again, we quickly elected to follow a car we'd seen
before leading our detour. Down into the river bed and up the other side, again to the left, west. More muddy back roads and we hopped back onto the
highway where we made good time for awhile, before encountering a large parade of pedestrians walking in the northbound lane, and lining the hilly
banks of on the roadside. They were accompanied by a police car but eventually we got around them.
The last block was the worst, at least in terms of idling and stopped semis, buses and passenger cars. We swerved onto the right median and followed
our guardian cars...obviously one had a GPS...very very long out of the way trip to the east, more bad dirt roads, ending up near a junk yard where we
floored it and made it up a steep incline back to the highway which finally had some truck traffic. I think that the protesters had let a group of
traffic through. From then on, I am guessing this was after Camalu, the roads were clear though every Pemex station was closed until the first one
south of Vincente Guerrero. After that, all stations were open and we saw no further protestors.
It was another Baja adventure. It is sad to reflect on how hard the price increase will hit these poorest citizens, who are taking the only way they
know to protest. I have no ill will for them, only sympathy, and we made it safely to San Diego.
reality\'s never been of much use out here...
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AKgringo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5932
Registered: 9-20-2014
Location: Anchorage, AK (no mas!)
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Mood: Retireded
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Good to hear that you made it through, glad I wasn't with you!
It was fortunate that you had a 'pilot car' to guide the way, but I'll bet you were wondering if his final destination might be at the end of one of
those long detours.
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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SlyOnce
Nomad
Posts: 262
Registered: 12-26-2013
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On 1/5/17 we had exactly the same experience, driving around blockades in SQ on dirt roads and all stations were closed in SQ - Camalu.
The long detour to the east at the last (northbound) closure would be very tough in a 2 wheel drive car, we made it fine in our 2 wheel drive
Explorer.
We saw someone try to run a blockade and it turned violent very fast.
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Whale-ista
Super Nomad
Posts: 2009
Registered: 2-18-2013
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Sunny with chance of whales
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thanks for the update. sounds like a time to stay home.
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
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fishnbaja1
Newbie
Posts: 17
Registered: 9-6-2006
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I left Mulege on Jan 7th at 6 am, got to Tijuana at 7 pm.
Santa Rosalia reported that they were running low, but all stations were open.
Gas station at San Ignacio was closed.
Guerrero Negro, gas stations were open.
The rest of the way, gas stations were open, but all reported running low on fuel.
Tijuana: I must've driven past 10 gas stations while in town, 8 were closed. Reports state that gas trucks were to arrive Tuesday.
No demonstrations or road closures along the way.
Plan accordingly, i.e. bring extra gas.
Safe travels.
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13175
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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Boy, until this is over, I highly recommend staying put.
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Marc
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2801
Registered: 5-15-2010
Location: San Francisco & Palm Springs
Member Is Offline
Mood: Waiting
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Any guesses on how long this is going to last?
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