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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by baitcast
Mcfez are you going to tell us what it was like back in the old days again
Rob |
Yah... 'paved road' to Puertecitos...Finished mid 1990's, then full of pot holes within a couple years, and misearable to dirve in 1999.
How about before then... when the road went through the sulfur mine? Rafael (owner of Puertecitos) would grade it every couple of years... it was
pretty good after that!
Imagine having a 50 mile long driveway you had to maintain!?
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redhilltown
Super Nomad
Posts: 1130
Registered: 1-24-2009
Location: Long Beach, CA
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| Quote: | Originally posted by mcfez
Martyman ...legal to smoke your brakes
I tell you all...the VERY WORST part of this road was that &&*(^%$##@ potted paved road ....before Pueritcitos! That was insane.
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You mean that after pothole after pothole you would hit a decent stretch of blacktop-accelerate a bit- and then suddenly come upon the mother lode of
potholes and have to swerve over to the far left OR far right onto the dirt and whip against a few trees before realizing you had to basically SLOW
down all the way to Puertecitos? 
Once again I will miss all of that the first time on the new road I am stuck for an hour or two because some big rig is splayed across all lanes
wheels to the sky...
Hell...I miss it now and I am stuck inside of Long Beach with the Cortez blues again.
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baitcast
Super Nomad
Posts: 1785
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: kingman AZ.
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Mood: good
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What you don,t hear anymore is about the road crews of old or lack of,I think
David has a pic or two of the crew between Puertecitos and Papa,s.
The crew could normally be found in the Sister climbs,no trucks,no cats,the only equipment was a wheelbarrow,shovel and rake and a guy who
would attach a beer can to a brush for payment,we always left a dollar both ways when we could find the can.
Rob
Mcfez.......You were all of 10 when I first ran the gauntlet with my family,with a VW bus no less and I dare say it was a bit rougher
[Edited on 7-16-2011 by baitcast]
[Edited on 7-17-2011 by baitcast]
Anyone can catch fish in a boat but only \"El Pescador Grande\" can get them from the beach.
I hope when my time comes the old man will let me bring my rod and the water will be warm and clear.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by baitcast
What you don,t hear anymore is about the road crews of old or lack of,I think
David has a pic or two of the crew between Puertecitos and Papa,s.
The crew could normally be found in the Sister climbs,no trucks,no cats,the only equipment was a wheelbarrow,shovel and rake and a guy who
would attach a beer can to a brush for payment,we always left a dollar both ways when we could find the can.
Rob
Mcfez.......You were all of 10 when I first ran the gauntlet with my family,with a VW bus no less and I dare say the stretch you speak of was just a bit rougher.
[Edited on 7-16-2011 by baitcast] |
 
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baitcast
Super Nomad
Posts: 1785
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: kingman AZ.
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Thought I remembered that pic, Thx David
Rob
Anyone can catch fish in a boat but only \"El Pescador Grande\" can get them from the beach.
I hope when my time comes the old man will let me bring my rod and the water will be warm and clear.
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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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My pleasure... That photo is from Cliff Cross' Baja Guide of 1970.
I remember seeing the wheel barrow with a pick, shovel and a sign asking for a donation (nobody around)... back in '67...
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mcfez
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8678
Registered: 12-2-2009
Location: aka BN yankeeirishman
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| Quote: | Originally posted by baitcast
What you don,t hear anymore is about the road crews of old or lack of,I think
David has a pic or two of the crew between Puertecitos and Papa,s.
The crew could normally be found in the Sister climbs,no trucks,no cats,the only equipment was a wheelbarrow,shovel and rake and a guy who
would attach a beer can to a brush for payment,we always left a dollar both ways when we could find the can.
Rob
Mcfez.......You were all of 10 when I first ran the gauntlet with my family,with a VW bus no less and I dare say it was a bit rougher
[Edited on 7-16-2011 by baitcast]
[Edited on 7-17-2011 by baitcast] |
baitcast...
no doubt you were eating dust and rock way before I discovered Baja......however...I can tell you that road is no worst than the roads of Tulum back
in the 70's. We ate mud and vines. Tough roads are nothing new to me.
Old people are like the old cars, made of some tough stuff. May show a little rust, but good as gold on the inside.
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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
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From a friend who was on a border tour in Calexico.
"one of the guys on the tour is the director of the state highway agency. I asked him what the timing was on the Puertocitos to Chapala road. He said
two more years, late 2013. It will be done."
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motoged
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6481
Registered: 7-31-2006
Location: Kamloops, BC
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Mood: Gettin' Better
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| Quote: | Originally posted by mcfez
baitcast...
no doubt you were eating dust and rock way before I discovered Baja......however...I can tell you that road is no worst than the roads of Tulum back
in the 70's. We ate mud and vines. Tough roads are nothing new to me. |
McFez,
Yah,
The hongos from Agua Azul made the road seem like fun, I bet 
Don't believe everything you think....
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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 TW
From a friend who was on a border tour in Calexico.
"one of the guys on the tour is the director of the state highway agency. I asked him what the timing was on the Puertocitos to Chapala road. He said
two more years, late 2013. It will be done." |
Well, it has taken them 4 years to build 24 miles of new highway... yah, through pretty tough terrain....
It is 80 miles from Puertecitos to Chapala on Hwy. 1, so they are only 1/3 done in 4 years. They will need to really pick up the pace!
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bajalou
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4459
Registered: 3-11-2004
Location: South of the broder
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Much easier terrain for the rest of the road.
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
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beercan
Senior Nomad
Posts: 670
Registered: 4-3-2005
Location: North of da Bear
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Mood: happy to be in Baja
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it only took them 6 months to go around Puertecitos
I was there the day they really started . Then for the next 6 months I was busy listening to all the trucks, dozers and blasting !
* libs, all about choice until you choose different
* B. Hussein Obama - an Empty Suit for Empty Minds.
* Annoy a liberal - Work hard and be happy!
* Arguing facts & truth to libs is like bringing a warm smile to a gun fight.
* Lets win the War on Terror
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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 beercan
I was there the day they really started . Then for the next 6 months I was busy listening to all the trucks, dozers and blasting !
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If you look at Google Earth, it has photos of the area with the pavement well south of Puertecitos now, and the Puertecitos bypass looks pretty
straight an easy... and less than 2 miles long... 6 months to go 2 miles... GEEZE
So, 4 years to build and complete 24 miles means 6 miles (10 km.) a year average (so far). With a little under 60 miles still to go, that means 10
years of work! Yah, easier terrain means they could go faster... I did read here that they are doing a shortcut to the west of Coco's Corner and
bypassing poor Coco completely by about a mile.
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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
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I think in all fairness the Mexicans are building the road much better than in years past and the bridges are much better. It took over two years here
in Bakersfield to get a bridge exchange put in (hwy178/Fairfax) then had to redo the west bound ramp. I think there is a push to get to Gonzaga ASAP
but after that who knows. The Presidential election in 2012 may result in a stopage on the road to hwy 1 or slow it down a lot. There could be a lot
of pressure from business interest on the pacific side to slow it down. Once a hwy is open thru Gonzaga to hwy 1 a lot of traffic will be diverted
from the pacific side. Money talks on either side of the border.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by TW
I think in all fairness the Mexicans are building the road much better than in years past and the bridges are much better. It took over two years here
in Bakersfield to get a bridge exchange put in (hwy178/Fairfax) then had to redo the west bound ramp. I think there is a push to get to Gonzaga ASAP
but after that who knows. The Presidential election in 2012 may result in a stopage on the road to hwy 1 or slow it down a lot. There could be a lot
of pressure from business interest on the pacific side to slow it down. Once a hwy is open thru Gonzaga to hwy 1 a lot of traffic will be diverted
from the pacific side. Money talks on either side of the border. |
These are valid points TW!
The people of Santa Rosalia, Mulege and Loreto that count on highway business have obviously hoped to halt or postponed the San Ignacio to San
Juanico/ Insurgentes as that cuts over 100 miles from the Ensenada-La Paz run and eliminates two major grades up and down the mountain near the gulf
coast.
The San Felipe to Puertecitos highway will need to be re-built or re-aligned away from the coast as the current road with steep vados will only be the
cause of a lot of damage or the laughing stock of Mexican highway building.
North of San Felipe and south from Puertecitos we see the new wider, modern highway construction with bridges instead of vados... There needs to be
that caliber of road between San Felipe and Puertecitos before the pavement gets to Laguna Chapala for truckers to be diverted onto it (I would hope).
I think Desert Bull posted he heard of the new route, that would stay out of San Felipe and head straight for Puertecitos, much like the older
pre-1982 road did, through the sulfur mine.
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sancho
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2524
Registered: 10-6-2004
Location: OC So Cal
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DK, I'm goofing around with the idea of taking a Bus, TJ to the
Chapala turnoff/Coco's Corner, then riding a Mtn Bicycle
up to San Felipe, by your detailed info I have that at
about 130mi. I understand from El Huerfenito to SF is
decent pavement. My question is the surface condition
of the road from Hwy 1 to the pavement at El Huerfenito,
I have that distance at 60mi. or so,
do you think it is rideable on a Mtn Bike? I probably don't
need severe, deep, close together washboard or sand
of much depth
thanks for your time
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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 sancho
DK, I'm goofing around with the idea of taking a Bus, TJ to the
Chapala turnoff/Coco's Corner, then riding a Mtn Bicycle
up to San Felipe, by your detailed info I have that at
about 130mi. I understand from El Huerfenito to SF is
decent pavement. My question is the surface condition
of the road from Hwy 1 to the pavement at El Huerfenito,
I have that distance at 60mi. or so,
do you think it is rideable on a Mtn Bike? I probably don't
need severe, deep, close together washboard or sand
of much depth
thanks for your time |
Oh I think it is quite doable on a mtn. bike... It has been for ages, before so much paving and regrading. See Peterson' 'The Baja Adventure Book'...
a photo of mtn. bikers south of Puertecitos in the 1980s.
It won't be a picnic, but what kind of Baja adventure would it be if it was easy?
Be prepared to make many tire repairs from sharp volcanic rock chips.
The road from Hwy. 1 (Chapala) to Rancho Grande (35 miles) is in good shape (as graded Baja roads go)... and the next 3 miles to Papa Fernandez' road
past the military check, are fine, as well.
It is the next 10 miles that are still rough and un-graded for many years... to the Los Delfines road.
Then you have good, freshly graded road (parallel to new highway construction for 8 miles before the pavement begins near Okie's Landing... as of July
3, 2011).
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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
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Use a foam insert instead of a tube and you will have no flats. Walmart sells them for a 26 inch tire. However you will lose about 2 gears since it is
harder to pedal with the foam insert. I've been riding on them for years. No flats.
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sancho
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2524
Registered: 10-6-2004
Location: OC So Cal
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Ridden Mtn Bikes for decades, not so much
off road though, have the Tuffy Liners on the rear,
but I have to admit, I learned something here,
foam inserts, never heard of them,
makes sense, especially for a road like that
[Edited on 8-20-2011 by sancho]
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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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| Quote: | Originally posted by baitcast
What you don,t hear anymore is about the road crews of old or lack of,I think
David has a pic or two of the crew between Puertecitos and Papa,s.
The crew could normally be found in the Sister climbs,no trucks,no cats,the only equipment was a wheelbarrow,shovel and rake and a guy who
would attach a beer can to a brush for payment,we always left a dollar both ways when we could find the can.
Rob
Mcfez.......You were all of 10 when I first ran the gauntlet with my family,with a VW bus no less and I dare say it was a bit rougher
[Edited on 7-16-2011 by baitcast]
[Edited on 7-17-2011 by baitcast] |
you're the man, Rob. wish i could share some of your knowledge of that side in trade for some spotfin chasing.....
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