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JZ
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Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666  | About the whale sharks. They are big, slow plankton eaters. Kind of fun to see once, but they are generally non-responsive,... 5 minutes and you are
done and can say “been there, seen it, done it.”
Suggest you do a panga trip focused on snorkeling in islands, visit a whale shark if you happen to see one in transit, and not do boat trip focused on
whale shark.
Whale shark, does it taste like chicken?
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This is 100% correct.
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MMc
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I have spent hours watching and swimming with them, I do enjoy watching nature being nature. if you get bored watching them, you might being moving to
fast to enjoy the whale sharks. My wife taught me to quite myself watch instead of interacting.
| Quote: Originally posted by JZ | | Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666 | About the whale sharks. They are big, slow plankton eaters. Kind of fun to see once, but they are generally non-responsive,... 5 minutes and you are
done and can say “been there, seen it, done it.”
Suggest you do a panga trip focused on snorkeling in islands, visit a whale shark if you happen to see one in transit, and not do boat trip focused on
whale shark.
Whale shark, does it taste like chicken?
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This is 100% correct.
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"Never teach a pig to sing it frustrates you and annoys the pig" - W.C.Fields
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pauldavidmena
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| Quote: Originally posted by MMc | | pf001c, Please disregard Billyjoe's trolls. He has been banned under a bunch of different names. This thread is about to go south and become useless.
Sorry. |
Kudos to the powers that be for taking care of this so quickly. He made several posts in a very short time - none of them informative and all of them
toxic in tone.
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David K
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| Quote: Originally posted by pauldavidmena | | Quote: Originally posted by MMc | | pf001c, Please disregard Billyjoe's trolls. He has been banned under a bunch of different names. This thread is about to go south and become useless.
Sorry. |
Kudos to the powers that be for taking care of this so quickly. He made several posts in a very short time - none of them informative and all of them
toxic in tone. |
Next to all postings box of other Nomads is a button called "Report" when you see toxic or spam posts, click that and Doug gets an alert. He can't be
on Nomad all the time and he has no moderators to help him. So, with that feature, we all can help Doug.
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ph001c
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Hello All,
Thank you for all the solid advice. It took me a bit to digest and rework our plan based on some of your suggestions. I've tried to group the
feedback you had for me into general themes and if I don't call you out by name, please don't be offended. I read and considered your post.
Drive times - as many of you commented the drive times are too long for each day and/or the estimates are too short. Please note that the numbers on
my sheet were in km instead of mi. They did not account for food and potty breaks. Based on the feedback from mtgoat666 to average 50mph (80kmh) I
re-checked them. We are also going to leave a day ahead and spend the night in Calexico so we can cross the border early and make Bahía Gonazaga on
the first day.
Whale sharks - MMc hit the nail on the head. The mission of this trip is to snorkel with whale sharks. This is a bucket-list item for myself and my
wife. And as 4x4abc pointed out it will be whale shark season in La Paz. Although I understand there are no "guarantees" with wild animals, and we
may see them in other spots, going to La Paz gives us our highest probability to encounter the creatures. The rest of the trip is just gravy. We
will spend a few days on the way back to get a sense of other spots and where we might like to visit again. Assuming we have a good time, this will
not be our first trip.
Loreto - many of you pointed out how awesome Loreto is (Stucksucks, JZ) so I've reworked the schedule on the way home to spend more time there. JZ, I
definitely want to check out the Agua Verde drive and San Javier (also mentioned by David K). I've also contacted La Mision to stay there. Loretana,
can you tell me more about the matriarchal culture there?
Misións - David K, JZ thanks for the guidance. We will definitely be checking out the Ignacio, Mulegé and San Javier. I am also interested in the
Iglesia de Santa Bárbara. David K your road guides were super helpful in the planning of this trip. Thanks for comprehensive work. Also, if I
order your book from Amazon, do you get paid the same?
Disco - AKgringo and David K. Yes, I get that this is Ford, Jeep and Toyota country with TRD having a home base here. Poor Land Rover reliability is
(fingers-crossed) a thing of the past. I've had the truck for 3yrs and only a few niggly electronic problems. And anyway, she's all I got so I'm going
to "run what you brung".
Border crossings - we will be entering/exiting thru Calexico and we all have Global Entry (and the vehicle is registered as well) so hopefully it
won't be too bad a wait.
4x4abc thanks for the recommendation for the guide in La Paz. We have already booked WhaleShark Diaries while we are there on the first day. 2hrs
with the whale sharks and then it goes farther to see the sea lion colony and visit a secret beach that everyone on the internet seems to know about.
ZipLine: they rent gear if you can't bring your own.
Last, I didn't see any negative posts, they must have been removed before I came back. Anyway, I take all that with a grain of salt on internet
forums. Nearly everyone here on Baja Nomad seems genuinely interested, helpful and constructive.
Well, I think that about covers it. Buenos noches!
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ph001c
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| Quote: Originally posted by JZ | Too much driving with the kids (or adults). Loreto is the furthest I'd go. It's a kick a$$ town and has all the stuff you have talked about doing.
World class kayaking, mule rides, the islands are great. The most beautiful mission in Baja, San Javier, is 30 mins away. Some very easy dirt road
side trips to beautiful bays (Agua Verde, San Bassilo). The Agua Verde drive is one your kids will never forget. It will hook them on Baja forever.
Your wife and kids will LOVE La Mision Hotel. Awesome hotel and a stunning view of the ocean from your balcony.
Driving down, I would try to make it past San Felipe on the way down. Leave early and you can make it pretty easily to Gonzaga Bay. San Felipe isn't
anything to write home about. Stay at Alfonsinas. It's a hotel right on the beach with a really great view. You can travel more leisurely the next
day(s).
If you make it to Bahia de Los Angeles, stay at Costa del Sol. Nice, inexpensive place.
[Edited on 10-16-2019 by JZ] |
JZ, is the attached the turn off and road for the Agua Verde drive ? I'm really interested in that one.
 
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JZ
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Great follow up. Well thought out. Good call about staying at Calexico. We live in LA, and have stopped there many times in prep for the drive
down.
Also, a good call about not staying San Felipe. It's mostly a big MX party town. Tip, if you like fireworks, there is a trailer on the left just
before you enter SF that has some amazing ones. Even if you just pick up some small firecrackers, little bottle rockets, and smoke bombs, it will
entertain your kids for many hours (be safe, as they have some big time stuff there).
In Gonzaga Bay, stay at Alfonsina. It gets be bit of a bad rep on here, because it use to be cheaper and the previous host was just so awesome. The
truth is, it's still awesome and not that expensive. The view and location is to die for. The rooms themselves are very basic. There is a website
where you can book in advance, just do a search, as it's not on the major sites like hotels.com.
If you want the best of the best hotel in La Paz, stay at Costa Baja and get suite. The regular rooms are "ok", but the suites are super pimp.
Sometimes you can get killer deals on them. Fantastic balcony views. Steinbeck restaurant is there. Some very good wine the wife will appreciate.
On the less expensive end, I really like B&B Casa Juarez. The host is really good. Lots of good accommodation options in La Paz that others will
give you.
In La Paz you should drive up to Tecolote one day. Then meander around in the dirt roads to the East. Nothing extreme, and your truck will handle it
easily. Some fantastic deserted beaches. Bring lunch, or stay into the evening and make a fire on the beach.
I'll post a kmz track for you to Agua Verde later. You should download an app like Gaia or Back Country Navigator (Android only) to your phone.
Great offloading GPS apps. The tracks that people give you will load directly into them. Agua Verde is so easy you don't need to worry about getting
lost, but still it's good to know exactly where you are.
[Edited on 10-21-2019 by JZ]
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JZ
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Here is the track into Agua Verde. Load Google Earth Pro onto your computer. When you click the link, it will load directly into GE.
It will also load into a phone based GPS like Gaia or Back Country Navigator (my favorite).
AV is roughly 25 miles from MX 1 to the bay. There is a little store there. The drive down is incredible.
The first 3mins of this video I shot are from Loreto. Specifically, from 39 seconds to 1:27 are Agua Verde. After that is is San Javier, the view
from La Mision hotel, and shots of Isla Coronado. For about $80, you can have a Panga take you out to Coronado for 3-4 hours. It's about a 20 min
boat ride, and the water is like the Caribbean. Bring drinks and food.
https://youtu.be/4VNTIhRa6q0
Attachment: Rt. into Agua Verde from Hwy 1 near Loreto.kmz (6kB)
This file has been downloaded 247 times
[Edited on 10-21-2019 by JZ]
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JZ
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| Quote: Originally posted by ph001c |
JZ, is the attached the turn off and road for the Agua Verde drive ? I'm really interested in that one.
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Your bottom one shows the general area. The top one is not the turn off. Not sure where that is.
The first few miles after you turn off MX 1 are paved.
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David K
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ph001c, thanks for ordering my book. No, I don't get the same income if they are from Amazon sales, but that's okay... as long as you will have it to
help make your trip more interesting (and educational)!
I think the price is about the same from Amazon is it is from me at www.oldmissions.com with the difference being I do sign and date the books that are from me and they are the latest printing (August 2019) with
new photos and details over earlier printings. You mentioned you are coming from San Diego North County? I live in North County, so there is a chance
I can sign your Amazon book and chat about your trip, too?
In any case, I think we all on Nomad hope you have a fun trip!
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David K
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Oh, PS... the road to Agua Verde is paved for the first 10 kms since your Street View map was taken.
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ph001c
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| Quote: Originally posted by JZ | Here is the track into Agua Verde. Load Google Earth Pro onto your computer. When you click the link, it will load directly into GE.
It will also load into a phone based GPS like Gaia or Back Country Navigator (my favorite).
AV is roughly 25 miles from MX 1 to the bay. There is a little store there. The drive down is incredible.
The first 3mins of this video I shot are from Loreto. Specifically, from 39 seconds to 1:27 are Agua Verde. After that is is San Javier, the view
from La Mision hotel, and shots of Isla Coronado. For about $80, you can have a Panga take you out to Coronado for 3-4 hours. It's about a 20 min
boat ride, and the water is like the Caribbean. Bring drinks and food.
https://youtu.be/4VNTIhRa6q0
JZ - awesome video. Nice drone-work, really professional production. The drive into AV looks amazing. Where is the shot at 3:05 with all the cacti?
Also the shot at the end 8:03 looks like something out of Dust to Glory or Dakar.
We are going to hit up San Javier and I've book La Mision. Thanks for the tips.
[Edited on 10-21-2019 by JZ] |
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ph001c
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JZ - I got the KMZ file. I'm a huge fan of Google Earth. I'll check out the apps you suggested.
David K - thanks for the inputs.
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JZ
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Here is another interesting day trip from Loreto. Easy drive. Beautiful bay.
Attachment: Rt. Hwy1 to San Basillo and San Juanico.kmz (2kB)
This file has been downloaded 276 times
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JZ
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| Quote: Originally posted by ph001c |
JZ - awesome video. Nice drone-work, really professional production. The drive into AV looks amazing. Where is the shot at 3:05 with all the cacti?
Also the shot at the end 8:03 looks like something out of Dust to Glory or Dakar.
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3:05 is just outside of San Evaristo. San Evaristo is a 70 mile, roughly 3hr drive on an easy and well traveled dirt road from La Paz. My kid drove
it at age 14 in a 2 wheel drive pickup we rented down there. It's a long day, but you can day trip up there from La Paz, I've done that 3 times at
least. Top 5 coastal drive in all of Baja, especially the last 10-15 miles.
All the shots until 4:09 are from that road. 4:10 to 4:35 are from the beaches East of Tecolote that I recommended earlier.
I have a track to San Evarsito if you want it. In San Evarsito you can pay a panga to take you out to the islands (San Francisco and San Jose). Cost
is about $100 for 4-5 hrs in a private boat.
Here is a pic from the mangroves on San Jose from July. Kids are riding the Zodiac.
[Edited on 10-22-2019 by JZ]
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David K
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Maps to San Evaristo from La Paz or Constitución Hwy.
The Dolores mission was near the coast from 1721-1741, then moved to its visita (visiting outpost station) of La Pasión (1741-1768).
Another Dolores visita became the mission of San Luis Gonzaga, in 1737. Both San Luis Gonzaga and Dolores (at La Pasión) were closed by the Spanish
government in 1768, after they removed the Jesuits and installed the Franciscans. The Spanish government then forced all the neophytes (Native Indians
of the missions) of both missions, to go south to Todos Santos where most of them soon died in a strange new land, far from their ancestral homes.
San Evaristo is a small fishing village. One place advertises food just south of the village...
The locals are friendly!
[Edited on 10-22-2019 by David K]
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ph001c
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| Quote: Originally posted by JZ | Here is the track into Agua Verde. Load Google Earth Pro onto your computer. When you click the link, it will load directly into GE.
It will also load into a phone based GPS like Gaia or Back Country Navigator (my favorite).
AV is roughly 25 miles from MX 1 to the bay. There is a little store there. The drive down is incredible.
The first 3mins of this video I shot are from Loreto. Specifically, from 39 seconds to 1:27 are Agua Verde. After that is is San Javier, the view
from La Mision hotel, and shots of Isla Coronado. For about $80, you can have a Panga take you out to Coronado for 3-4 hours. It's about a 20 min
boat ride, and the water is like the Caribbean. Bring drinks and food.
https://youtu.be/4VNTIhRa6q0
[Edited on 10-21-2019 by JZ] |
JZ, I got backcountry navigator. Looks good and runs on my old Nexus pad so I will use that for navigation. Which maps do you typically use? I
played around with some and found the ones with satellite imagery are good. Thanks for the KMZ files, will definitely be using these. Next step for
me it so plan my fuel stops.
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ph001c
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Trip Plan suggestions / Report
Hello All,
Sorry for the long delay between the request for suggestions and the report/update.
First, I want to say a big thank you to everyone for your helpful input. Much of it was spot-on. Our trip was a resounding success. We made it to
La Paz and swam with the whale sharks. Check one off the bucket-list. Aside from that the family fell in love with Baja. We ate some terrific food,
met some great people, got backed into (bummer) and generally had an awesome time.
The trip was too quick though, and although we slowed the pace in La Paz and on the way home, it was too much driving for 9 days as many of you
correctly pointed out. The last day was about 10h with about +1h in traffic delay on the 8 on the way home. We averaged 50mph and change mainly on
the paved roads. I have KMZ files I can share if anyone is interested.
In La Paz we went snorkeling with the whale sharks with Whale Shark diaries. They were top notch and within 20min of leaving the dock in La Paz we
were surrounded. We spent the remainder of the afternoon at a secluded beach snorkeling and eating ceviche. It was lucky that we went the day we did
as that night La Paz got dumped on. Apparently they average about 10in a year. We got about 6in from 4am into the next day. Streets were flooded
and water up over the hubs of the Landie (it has 30in tires. So the day we had set aside for sight seeing and souvenir shopping was a wash. We had a
great day playing games at the house though.
Highlights for me were seeing the whale sharks, I saw a turtle while I was kayaking around Bahia Concepcion. Mision San Javier was a great day trip
with some great roads. Loreto was an awesome town with great restaurants. We had our Thanksgiving dinner at Orlando's. I absolutely adored San
Ignacio, to me the oasis town with the little square and mision was exactly what I had dreamed Baja would be like.
Since then we visited Valle de Guadalupe for my wife's birthday. (It was her request.) Next up is a moto trip in the fall!
I've attached a few pictures and if anyone has specific questions I'd be happy to answer.
Thanks again for all the support from the forum!
       
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ph001c
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More pics
     
 
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ph001c
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and more pics
     
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