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Bajatripper
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3148
Registered: 3-20-2010
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Quote: | Originally posted by David K
The 'Baja Highway' is Mex. #1... perhaps that is it?
The new wider, 2 lane road north of San Felipe is also 110 kph (Mex. #5) |
My bad (on the 80KPH maximum speed limit I mentioned above). I was quoting a Federal official with whom I spoke when some bicycle riders really got
under my skin just north of Santa Rosalia a couple of years ago. Things have obviously changed considerably since then up north.
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Bajatripper
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Quote: | Originally posted by sharktooth
biking the Baja Highway 1 is like kayaking through a major international shipping port |
Man, you should feel the adrenaline rush from a kayak in Hong Kong Harbor--at night, during a monsoon rain! What a ride!
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Bajatripper
Ultra Nomad
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Quote: | Originally posted by Yackie
Good for you health "nuts", personally think it is incredibly risky biking the baja, cuz guess what, me in one lane, vehicle in oncoming lane, biker
ahead of me, now way am I swerving, guess who loses? |
That seems to be what we think we would do in such a situation, yet the evidence--or lack of--seems to indicate quite the opposite is the case, and
drivers do indeed find ways to avoid those damned crazy fools on bikes. Otherwise, where are all of the reports of dead bikers?
Of course, another possibility is that bikers are getting killed along the highway all of the time, but the Mexican government--wanting to keep the
flow of fools heading south--buries them in the desert to cover up the fact.
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Bajatripper
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Just one last entry on this thread for me and I'm done. One thing that doesn't get mentioned by the folks that feel they shouldn't have to share the
road with bicyclists is that bike riders have the same right on the road as a motor vehicle. This isn't my opinion, but rather, the official word from
a federal I talked to in Santa Rosalia when I stopped to report that there was a caravan of bikers riding TWO ABREAST along the road just north of
town (God, how I wanted to mow the entire group of arrogant SOBs down myself!).
Given that reality, if you do decide not to hit the brakes to avoid that bicyclist while you are probably speeding down the road, you had better make
it a hit-and-run, since you will likely go to jail for a while, which would probably put a crimp in your vacation plans.
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DENNIS
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Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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Baja tantalizes the senses in many ways. The beauty of pristine beaches....the clear skies at night....the friendly people...excellent fishing....the
unspoiled beauty of the land...and, of course, the sound of the road and other things passing underneith your Baja rig...THUMP THUMP.
Jes kiddin' , bicycleistas.
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puppy
Newbie
Posts: 6
Registered: 4-20-2009
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We had a nasty trip coming back up the Baja road the end of last April. We were
out in no-man's land, north of Catavina. Around 9:30 a.m. we were passing a Tecate semi truck, with no one else around. As our truck was getting past
the driver I (being the passenger) noticed that the semi was getting closer to us. Before I could yell, bam! the semi hit our travel trailer and
knocked it off the road. My husband stepped on the diesel fuel as hard as he could, and the trailer was fishtailing. We were totally out of control.
Luckily, we got the rig straightened out and was able to pull over. We expected the whole side of the trailer to be gone, but it wasn't. The impact
was so great that it knocked the trailer off the frame.
TIhe impact also crunched the two back trailer tires together and flattened one tire. We were so lucky to be alive. No cell phone contact and an
ambulance 5 hours away if we needed one.
We believe it was the semi driver's fault. He had driving all night from Loreto and was heading back to Tecate. His hood and tire got ruined.
We knew the trailer was totaled but luckily we were able to limp back across the border to buy straps and tie down the trailer to the frame.
We had Vagabundo insurance, but what a joke.
We have been going up and down the Baja for over 25 years and never had an experience like this one.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Quote: | Originally posted by puppy
We had a nasty trip coming back up the Baja road the end of last April. We were
out in no-man's land, north of Catavina. Around 9:30 a.m. we were passing a Tecate semi truck, with no one else around. As our truck was getting past
the driver I (being the passenger) noticed that the semi was getting closer to us. Before I could yell, bam! the semi hit our travel trailer and
knocked it off the road. My husband stepped on the diesel fuel as hard as he could, and the trailer was fishtailing. We were totally out of control.
Luckily, we got the rig straightened out and was able to pull over. We expected the whole side of the trailer to be gone, but it wasn't. The impact
was so great that it knocked the trailer off the frame.
TIhe impact also crunched the two back trailer tires together and flattened one tire. We were so lucky to be alive. No cell phone contact and an
ambulance 5 hours away if we needed one.
We believe it was the semi driver's fault. He had driving all night from Loreto and was heading back to Tecate. His hood and tire got ruined.
We knew the trailer was totaled but luckily we were able to limp back across the border to buy straps and tie down the trailer to the frame.
We had Vagabundo insurance, but what a joke.
We have been going up and down the Baja for over 25 years and never had an experience like this one. |
This should really be in its own thread! Thank you very much for posting.
Did you honk your horn to wake-up the driver of the Tecate truck so you know it wasn't intentional?
Why was Vagabundos Insurance a 'joke'...? Please provide the details so others won't get burned.
How long were you stuck and who made the repairs to your trailer and where?
Thank you!
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puppy
Newbie
Posts: 6
Registered: 4-20-2009
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My husband was busy keeping his eye on the road to pass, he did not see the semi getting closer.
Vagabundo outsources the insurance to a Mexican Company. We had the trailer insured for 8 grand but the Mex. adjustor told us if we dropped our
trailer right there in Ensenada Costco parking lot, he would give us a check for $1,500. his book value. Because we had cats, and a lot of gear in the
trailer, we live on the Baja 4 months, we figured we better limp it across the border. Gosh, the fridge. and stove is worth more $ than what we were
offered.
We were lucky that not too far up the road there was a tire repair shop. He didn't have many tools, but with his help, and all the many tools that
we had along with a handy-man jack, we were able to seperate the tires a little and prayed that we could at least cross the border.
A handy-man jack really comes in handy. That's how we were able to jack the trailer back over to the frame.
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