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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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let me know before you split and maybe we can swap lies and propaganda on the road to nowhere....
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Ateo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5897
Registered: 7-18-2011
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10-4
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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
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Just got back from spending about a week in Baja. Road construction with detours in the dirt at KM103 south of Ensenada for a few miles but traffic is
moving good. More road work further north several miles but I don't remember the KM mark. Traffic was moving good thru it. Race vehicles are on the
highway at Camalu for about 15 miles and one more very short on/off section about 10 miles further north. North of Catavina they cross the highway at
KM168. The southern most hwy crossing is at KM170/171 north of the LA Bay turnoff. If you use a 55mph average for the faster racers you can pretty
much time where the lead vehicles will be with a whole lot of slower ones following.
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bajaandy
Senior Nomad
Posts: 769
Registered: 2-7-2004
Location: North County
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Mood: Adventurous
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Woody, try to go thru (AROUND) Ensenada on contingency day, which is Thursday the 14th. If you can do that, you'd be well ahead of the race day
hoopla. You'll still have to deal with the chasers and pit crews heading south that night, but it shouldn't be too bad. If I make it down there, I'll
keep my eyes peeled for you.
Catch one for Curt.
subvert the dominant paradigm
"If you travel with a man, you must either fall out with him or make him your good friend."
JBL Noel
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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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i can't leave til 1pm-ish on friday.
and i will Catch one for Curt!
[Edited on 10-26-2013 by woody with a view]
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liknbaja127
Nomad
Posts: 463
Registered: 1-17-2012
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woody, late is better, in Enesnada on race day, but hwy 1 will be filled
with chase trucks, and race people! if you must drive, at this tme, be safe!
be carefull!
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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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sounds like it's gonna be brutal. i got 3 weeks to get my mind right!
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StuckSucks
Super Nomad
Posts: 2318
Registered: 10-17-2013
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I worked as a recovery vehicle for our Class 10 car near race mile 433 (Punta Blanca). The road in from KM233 is impressive - definitely 4x4. It's
silty and rocky and a slow go - the road is 35 miles long and took us three hours to get to the Pacific. The keyword is REMOTE. As it turned out, our
Trophy Truck and Class 10 both DNF'd prior to getting to us.
We got to help two motorcycles and one car - we think they stopped because we were the only humans for miles.
On Saturday morning we drove out, stopped at Coco's for a cerveza, then Alfonsina's for dinner and a room.
Photos and videos to follow.
[Edited on 11-18-2013 by StuckSucks]
[Edited on 11-18-2013 by StuckSucks]
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Ateo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5897
Registered: 7-18-2011
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| Quote: | Originally posted by StuckSucks
I worked as a recovery vehicle for our Class 10 car near race mile 433 (Punta Blanca). The road in from KM233 is impressive - definitely 4x4. It's
silty and rocky and a slow go - the road is 35 miles long and took us three hours to get to the Pacific. They keyword is REMOTE. As it turned out, our
Trophy Truck and Class 10 both DNF'd prior to getting to us.
We got to help two motorcycles and one car - we think they stopped because we were the only humans for miles.
On Saturday morning we drove out, stopped at Coco's for a cerveza, then Alfonsina's for dinner and a room.
Photos and videos to follow.
[Edited on 11-18-2013 by StuckSucks] |
Cool. Can't wait to see some videos and photos.
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StuckSucks
Super Nomad
Posts: 2318
Registered: 10-17-2013
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We took a dirt road from Laguna Chapala KM233, west to Punta Blanca. Working for COPS Racing, our job was to hang out in the silt beds near RM430, and
extract our race cars, should one get stuck (this applies for the Class 10, not the Trophy Truck). The road was 35 miles to the coast and took three
hours. Expect rocks and silt, some bad, some not so bad - not for 2x4. At first I was indignant that BFG didn't include this route in their pit books,
but quickly figured out why they didn't.
Crossing a dry lake bed about 5 miles west of Chapala:
Down a hill about 10 miles from the highway. A short distance farther, we passed a Mag 7 pit trailer on the side of the road, bent in half. As it
turned out, the worse was yet to come.
The road meanders toward the coast:
Mid afternoon, we were passed by dirt bikes and quads in the race:
Camp site next to VCP41. The race came at us from the right, made a square right corner (where the quad headlight is), and headed north along the
coast.
Driving back to Chapala on Saturday morning. The desert was green and blooming and happy.
The road had heavy rutting almost everywhere. In one place, the road had 6' deep ruts (we figured a way around).
Bonus photos from Coco's Corner:
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64743
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Great! Thank you!!
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Ateo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5897
Registered: 7-18-2011
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Great license plate. I could've sworn I saw you at the Pemex in El Rosario on Thursday around 1PM. Nice photos. Thanks for taking the time.
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StuckSucks
Super Nomad
Posts: 2318
Registered: 10-17-2013
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Ateo
Great license plate. I could've sworn I saw you at the Pemex in El Rosario on Thursday around 1PM. Nice photos. Thanks for taking the time.
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That was probably me - I was gassing up at Rosario about then. We spent the night with the rest of the team where the course crosses the highway north
of Catavina, then drove into Punta Blanca Friday morning.
As far as we can tell, we were the only humans for miles next to the course on the coast - we ended up helping three different teams other than ours.
I think they were happy to see anyone. And good karma for us.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64743
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by StuckSucks
| Quote: | Originally posted by Ateo
Great license plate. I could've sworn I saw you at the Pemex in El Rosario on Thursday around 1PM. Nice photos. Thanks for taking the time.
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That was probably me - I was gassing up at Rosario about then. We spent the night with the rest of the team where the course crosses the highway north
of Catavina, then drove into Punta Blanca Friday morning.
As far as we can tell, we were the only humans for miles next to the course on the coast - we ended up helping three different teams other than ours.
I think they were happy to see anyone. And good karma for us. |
That's easy to explain... the surf N-zis have made it clear that area of the world doesn't exist! Also, no matter how many maps and guides have shown
the road, unless it is graded or paved don't expect to see many others in that part of Baja. Heck, even the graded roads aren't traveled much!
Thanks for the photos... nice that the dry lake west of Chapala (El Islote) was dry... You can see it covered with water on some satellite images from
the past. We even discussed it as a 'Lost Lake' a few years ago... before the road west from Chapala was made.
Thanks again!
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StuckSucks
Super Nomad
Posts: 2318
Registered: 10-17-2013
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Thanks for the photos... nice that the dry lake west of Chapala (El Islote) was dry... You can see it covered with water on some satellite images from
the past. We even discussed it as a 'Lost Lake' a few years ago... before the road west from Chapala was made.
Thanks again! |
Thanks for the name - I was wondering what that lake was called. And while I doing my homework to get out there with Google Maps, I saw the lake was
flooded and slightly panicked. But then I noticed that the imagery was from '08.
El Islote was a handsome playa.
[Edited on 11-20-2013 by StuckSucks]
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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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I look at dry lake beds like that and think...."Oh boy....let's rip!" .... and then am reminded of times "dry" turns to goo in a heartbeat 
What are the telltale signs that the dry crust is only a few inches deep and underneath that is a ton of hurt?
A few years back a friend pre-running the 1000 on a moto took a brief "shortcut" to straighten out a curve in the track on Laguna Salada....took five
guys four hours to get him out 
Don't believe everything you think....
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64743
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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TW's Road Log
TW made mileage notes going to the coast from Chapala and then coming back out on the older road via San Antonio...
The map route I made using Google Earth, since the Chapala to Pacific road is not on the Almanac.
The Dry Lake was Mile 5 and another at Mile 15.
The coast road was Mile 30.
It was 12.5 miles south on the coast road to the San Antonio road.
Leave the coast road, reset odometer to 0.
San Antonio was Mile 24.5.
The fork to go either to Hwy. 1 north (Km. 252) at Mile 34, or Hwy. 1 south (Km. 270) was at Mile 26.4
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StuckSucks
Super Nomad
Posts: 2318
Registered: 10-17-2013
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
TW made mileage notes going to the coast from Chapala and then coming back out on the older road via San Antonio...
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The San Antonio part was this year's race course, so I couldn't use it for access. Chapala was my only option.
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StuckSucks
Super Nomad
Posts: 2318
Registered: 10-17-2013
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
The Dry Lake was Mile 5 and another at Mile 15. |
The lake at M15 was in a wide valley covered with grass - the actual lake was a little north of the road, so it doesn't jump out at you.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64743
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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10-4, thanks... I think it was the 2003 Baja 1000 (Dust to Glory year) that it was originally going to come to Chapala from the coast on the new (dry
lake) road... but at the drivers request, due to dust pits 'of the 3rd Kind', the race course came back up the Faro San José road to Santa Ynez/
Cataviña then ran the highway to Chapala.
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