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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64829
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Steve& ebby
Ken, Is this run down by Gonsaga Bay? Looks interesting,might even have to lock the hubs on my CJ |
Steve/Debbie, I do a pretty complete trip report with photos, map, milages, etc. into Mision Santa Maria... Which is in the hills, west of Gonzaga
Bay/ Punta Final... However, the only road comes in from Santa Ynez/ Cataviņa on Hwy. 1. Go to: http://vivabaja.com/msm
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64829
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Barry A.
Ken---------Have those palms been burned for some time, or do you think recent??
Barry |
Barry, the palms were burned before I first went in in 1999. Matilda at Santa Ynez said a loco gringo did it...?? How would she know unless it was a
confession? Perhaps another burn was more recent, they do look blacker in Ken's picture than I recall from my last time in, in 2007.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64829
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Ken Cooke
| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
"These small pools do not look imposing, but after running into a water-filled track, and getting stopped by a tree root, my Jeep could not travel
forward. I hit reverse, and because I was in 2WD, my Interco TrXus MTs simply dug me in about a foot deeper."
WHY WERE YOU IN 2WD? You have a 'Trail Rated' Jeep with front and rear lockers. It is spinning 2WD tires that wreck the roads. Geeze Ken, it would
drive me crazy seeing what you guys were doing instead of just enjoying the tough road and beautiful sites. Also, why did you drive all the way back
to Cataviņa for the c-ckroach motel/ cold water showers instead of camping at the beautiful oasis and mission ruins? Oh well, to each his own
thrill... Thanks for the report. |
I was shifting in and out of 4WD every one or two minutes. After cruising over the rock cropping, I shifted into 2WD. It was sufficient to get me
through the swamp on our trip in.
On tough sections, I run 4WD. On the really tough stuff, I run 4WD w/the rear locker. With all of the weight on my rear axle, hopping and digging
will only destroy my driveline. I have to get to work in that Jeep tomorrow morning, so destroying the route was not my objective.
I know that when a person drives a Jeep, the first thing they think is that they're out to wreck the environment. We kept our vehicles AWAY from the
adobe walls. However, we did see tire tracks that ran over the ruins. These were an All-Terrain-type pattern similar to the tire pattern that we
followed into the Mission that morning. In 2WD, I was doing fine before I ran into that tree root. Had I known the tree root would have stopped me,
I would have been in 4LO instead. Tread Lightly. |
I know you do not damage historic sites or vegetation with your Jeep... However, once you leave Rancho Santa Ynez and come to the first deep sand or
that big ravine crossing less than 2 miles away, that's where one needs 4WD to avoid spinning tires or to climb out... and there is no reason to shift
out of 4WD the rest of the way in or back out... Only shifting into and out of LOW RANGE is an option, for the several steep grades and descents. I
mean, you 4WD is dying to be used since most of our vehicles are in 2WD every day... I know you will next time, right?
got 4WD?
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8942
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Barry A.
Ken---------Have those palms been burned for some time, or do you think recent??
Barry |
Barry, this is recent - since the past 12 months. It looked like a late summer or fall fire. The cow carcass is now gone (a good thing), and most of
the critters that lived down in the swamp have moved on.
This photograph was taken exactly 12 months ago. Note the long skirts on the palm trees. These are now gone entirely. The ground is all burnt and
all of the brush has been clearned by the burn as well.
Last week:
[Edited on 12-1-2008 by Ken Cooke]
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8942
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 KI know you do not damage historic sites or vegetation with your Jeep... However, once you leave Rancho Santa Ynez
and come to the first deep sand or that big ravine crossing less than 2 miles away, that's where one needs 4WD to avoid spinning tires or to climb
out... and there is no reason to shift out of 4WD the rest of the way in or back out... Only shifting into and out of LOW RANGE is an option, for the
several steep grades and descents. I mean, you 4WD is dying to be used since most of our vehicles are in 2WD every day... I know you will next time,
right?
got 4WD? |
The Rubicon has a 4:1 gear reduction in the beefed-up transfer case. This means, you can travel in 4th gear at roughly 10 miles per hour. I can only
have 5 gears, so I had to shift out of 4LO. Also, gasoline consumtion skyrockets when you are in 4WD. Another issue is in the swamp, there are
downed trees now which are closer to the trail, and the maneuverability of 2WD makes it easier to avoid dinging your rig. The downside of course, I
slipped into a small muddy ditch with a tree root that blocked my passage. In 4LO, I would have easily walked right over this. In hindsight, 4LO and
locked would have been the better option. Traveling alone, my Jeep would still be there if the winch/electrical system was to malfunction. I got
covered in mud, and the water line was all the way up to my passenger-side turn indicator. 4LO next time for sure. 
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3747
Registered: 10-17-2006
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You guys are NUTS!!! Incredible trip, great report, loved the pics. Thanks for sharing a trip that I and many other Nomads will never do.
Iflyfish
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larry
Nomad
Posts: 233
Registered: 8-22-2005
Location: Orinda, CA
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Great info and photos! Thanks Ken.
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8942
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Iflyfish
You guys are NUTS!!! Incredible trip, great report, loved the pics. Thanks for sharing a trip that I and many other Nomads will never do.
Iflyfish |
Nuts??? US??? Nah... Get a 4WD and come join us next year. I'm dying to visit San Borja. 
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8942
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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| Quote: | | Originally posted by BAJACATNext year I will not only buy one,but I will go with you in your trip.. |
That's great news, Jose!! Tell your wife, we will return in 1 piece!
hahaha
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BAJACAT
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2902
Registered: 11-21-2005
Location: NATIONAL CITY, CA
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Me no problem , but my truck will be a dif. story, looking at your pictures I think I will have a hard time taking on the SMM. rd.
BAJA IS WHAT YOU WANTED TO BE, FUN,DANGEROUS,INCREDIBLE, REMOTE, EXOTIC..JUST GO AND HAVE FUN.....
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8942
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
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Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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First thing, I would remove the steps. Their mounts will get bent, and that's no good for you or your truck's resale value. Wax the paint before the
trip, so you can buff out the scratches, or just rent/borrow another vehicle so you can enjoy the fun without incurring any unnecessary expenses to
your beauty of a truck.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64829
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Ken, the road into San Borja is a 2WD easy road (22 miles from the L.A. Bay highway or the same from Hwy. 1 at Rosarito)... See the photos in my web
site.
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8942
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
Ken, the road into San Borja is a 2WD easy road (22 miles from the L.A. Bay highway or the same from Hwy. 1 at Rosarito)... See the photos in my web
site. |
2WD is not necessarily a bad thing. You should see how damaged my tire carrier is. I never thought I could break a Garvin Wilderness rack.
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BAJACAT
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2902
Registered: 11-21-2005
Location: NATIONAL CITY, CA
Member Is Offline
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Ken do you have more pictures of the Mission you want to share..please,please,
BAJA IS WHAT YOU WANTED TO BE, FUN,DANGEROUS,INCREDIBLE, REMOTE, EXOTIC..JUST GO AND HAVE FUN.....
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8942
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BAJACAT
Ken do you have more pictures of the Mission you want to share..please,please, |
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64829
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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That's better Ken! If you have more like them... please!
You can insert captions between the images to tell peope what they are looking at.
The shot of Punta Final on the Sea of Cortez (as seen from the peninsular divide on the road to Mision Santa Maria) is great!
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8942
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 KYou can insert captions between the images to tell peope what they are looking at. |
Israeli Military Veteran freezing in sub-zero Baja winds.
Sea of Cortez and Punta Final is in the background.
Israeli Military Veterans, a U.S. Military Veteran, and a Baja Grande non-Veteran standing near the entrance to all the exciting stuff w/a small patch
of the Sea of Cortez in the background (righthand side).
[Edited on 12-4-2008 by Ken Cooke]
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BAJACAT
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2902
Registered: 11-21-2005
Location: NATIONAL CITY, CA
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THANKS KEN, if those pix. don't make people want to go there, I don't know what will. I hope next year I can visit this great place...
BAJA IS WHAT YOU WANTED TO BE, FUN,DANGEROUS,INCREDIBLE, REMOTE, EXOTIC..JUST GO AND HAVE FUN.....
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8942
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BAJACAT
THANKS KEN, if those pix. don't make people want to go there, I don't know what will. I hope next year I can visit this great place...
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The guys had a blast fishing as well. These are pics of the guys fishing in the Gonzaga area. Lots of
bites and plenty of fresh fish!!
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8942
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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