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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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An old ride to Baja....
In 1974, a Chevrolet El Camino .... for the Camino Real of Baja. We are parked main street in Sta Rosalia. Changed a bit since then.
David K...that hatted gentleman on the far right is Blackjack..(J.W. Black)... Earl S. Gardener's Baja expedition ramrod. That's Blackjack's red
buggy...one of his designs, a Grasshopper..parked in front of my El Camino.
[Edited on 1-19-2006 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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ursidae69
Nomad
Posts: 275
Registered: 2-22-2004
Location: Youngsville, NM
Member Is Offline
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Cool thread
I like this topic. 
This is my old truck, a 2001 GMC Sonoma ZR2, took it to Baja 3x.
I upgraded to a 2004 Toyota Tacoma. I've taken it into Baja 2x now.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64859
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Awesome... Go go Toyota!
[Edited on 1-20-2006 by David K]
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64859
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Born to drive among boojums!
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Mexray
Super Nomad
Posts: 1016
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: California Delta
Member Is Offline
Mood: Baja Time
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Here's a nice 'dream' machine...
...got to get my order in when I snag the big Calif Lotto tomorrow...
http://www.sportsmobile.com/
[Edited on 1-20-2006 by Mexray]
According to my clock...anytime is \'BAJA TIME\' & as Jimmy Buffett says,
\"It doesn\'t use numbers or moving hands It always just says now...\"
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Mexray
Super Nomad
Posts: 1016
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: California Delta
Member Is Offline
Mood: Baja Time
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and another shot
According to my clock...anytime is \'BAJA TIME\' & as Jimmy Buffett says,
\"It doesn\'t use numbers or moving hands It always just says now...\"
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Mexray
Super Nomad
Posts: 1016
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: California Delta
Member Is Offline
Mood: Baja Time
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cool beach shot....
According to my clock...anytime is \'BAJA TIME\' & as Jimmy Buffett says,
\"It doesn\'t use numbers or moving hands It always just says now...\"
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Mexray
Super Nomad
Posts: 1016
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: California Delta
Member Is Offline
Mood: Baja Time
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Here's the camp mode....
According to my clock...anytime is \'BAJA TIME\' & as Jimmy Buffett says,
\"It doesn\'t use numbers or moving hands It always just says now...\"
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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another Baja ride...
Hey Mexray...In this 5th Wheel we are using 4 of those 6-volt deep cycle Powerstride batteries you turned us on to in San Diego. I bought 16 of them.
Same as Trojan but a lot better price...Thanks again for the tip.
This rig makes for a nice camp spot boondocking anywhere in Baja. 32' Montana triple slide, sat tv, internet, a/c, genset, belts & whistles
pulled by 2500Ram CumminsTurbo 4X4 with XMsat. Margaritas at 4pm... blended or on the rocks?
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Mexray
Super Nomad
Posts: 1016
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: California Delta
Member Is Offline
Mood: Baja Time
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Pompano...
...the new rig looks great, Roger. How was it driving that 'tractor/trailer' down Hwy 1? What kind of fuel usage do you get with that combination?
A couple of friends have similar rigs that visit over at Playa Naranjos - and I've looked em' over, nice 'rides'! Just back up to the ocean there on
the beach and...enjoy! I like the rigs with the windows in the rear...better views outside when the wind kicks up! My friends use the 2000 Watt
Honda inverter gen sets when they need to charge up their batteries - much quieter. I also bought one last year and used it down there - I could
recharge my golf car batt's in a couple of hours (I have an 85 amp HD battery charger)!
I saw your post on RV.Net board, and read through the replies...several were very informative as to what to look out for, preferences, etc. How do
you like the Montana, so far! Looks like you've got your 'open road' shoes ready to roll!
[Edited on 1-21-2006 by Mexray]
According to my clock...anytime is \'BAJA TIME\' & as Jimmy Buffett says,
\"It doesn\'t use numbers or moving hands It always just says now...\"
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sunshine
Junior Nomad
Posts: 28
Registered: 11-5-2003
Member Is Offline
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good ole f-150
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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Yup..we like this for the Baja Road...and everywhere else.
Hola Ray, Si, Felipa and I like the Montana fifth wheel and the Dodge 2500 Cummins. Very relaxing and gives you so many choices...how can you go
wrong? It's like having your cottage with you. I can't imagine a better way to enjoy a liesurely trip across the continent and down the Baja Road
while transporting mucho supplies for our Conception home. By this time next year we will be up to speed on what makes a good Fiver for us.
The truck and rig weighed about 24,000 lbs total at a Flying J truck scale in Montana. (We pack a LOT of gear and supplies.) The Cummins has all the
horsepower we need so far and pulling that load is a breeze as long as you realize your braking capabilities. The addition of an engine J-Brake or
similiar system makes going down the mountain grades easy. (This was always a white-knuckle event at Diablo Canyon north of Sta. Rosalia, along with
Beartooth Pass, Wolf Canyon, Suicide Hill, Desolation Pass, and a few others!)
Driving Baja is not so bad, but then I have become very familiar with all its tricks and dangers. The worst Baja dangers for us were potholes and
those damn unmarked topes (speed bumps). The VERY worst for us is LA. Forget that hysterical ant colony..I won't even go close!
We lose a little mpg because of the 4X4 that is mandatory in our Up North neighborhood, but still the rig makes about 20 mpg solo and 12-14 mpg
pulling the load. Sometimes we pull the boat behind the Fiver with no noticeable mpg change. This makes us almost 75ft long, which is the maximum
limit you can double-tow in any province or state.
We use the super-quiet Honda EX5500 generator and it supplies more power than we need to run AC, microwave, hairdryer, toaster, lights, tv's,
satellite internet, etc. That unit can also double as a backup genset for our Baja house. We added 2 100-watt solar panels to the roof, a 2500 watt
inverter, and 4 of those Powerstride 6-volt batteries you recommended. This solar power alone generally gives us all the power we need for our style
of boondock camping, so we are already thinking of using a smaller genset (Honda EU2000) because we really don't need the big one except for long
hours of AC ..and we don't camp in that many really HOT places. With a sat tv and sat-internet dish we are in contact wherever we boondock.
Those 'mountain view' rear windows on our fifth wheel are indeed huge for an RV and offer unlimited vistas wherever you camp. Just point the rear
end towards your best landscape, kick back in your recliner, and viola...you are snug and cozy. REALLY great for those windy, cold days..like now.
The view windows, along with the cook-friendly U-shaped kitchen helped make up our minds on this model. It has triple slides ..living room, kitchen,
and bedroom...which give you tons of room for two people and a basement storage area that surprised me. I look forward to using it for hunting this
coming fall..carry all my gear below decks, including decoys, blind, etc. The unit is artic-insulated and good to camp in freezing temps in an elk
camp or goose field.
[Edited on 1-22-2006 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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More Baja ride stuff...
I had test driven all Big Three pickups.. Ford Powerstroke with their new Tow system ...and the newest GMC/Chev Duramax with that great Allison
tranny. (All 3/4 and 1 tonners) This time Dodge got the nod, however, because I think the Cummins is bulletproof. I have a '99 Dodge Cummins with over
250,000 miles on it and it's still running strong. The only change I may go to next time might be a beefier TV with the Allison tranny...like this
one.
Add a cow-catcher and we are all set for the Baja Road!
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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bajataco
Nomad
Posts: 117
Registered: 11-26-2003
Location: Arizona
Member Is Offline
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Fun thread. My Baja ride is a Toyota Tacoma. Our longest trip was when my wife and I lived out of this rig for 4 months while exploring the entire
peninsula. It has sleeping quarters in the back, long-range fuel, can get into remote places pretty well, and nowadays has a 12v/120v fridge, camera
system, dual batteries, and lots of other toys. More details and trip reports are at http://www.bajataco.com
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8947
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Pole Line Road postponed due to injury
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajataco
It has sleeping quarters in the back, long-range fuel, can get into remote places pretty well, and nowadays has a 12v/120v fridge, camera system, dual
batteries, and lots of other toys. |
I see you have the same tires as Baja Xplorer. Very nice rig indeed.
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bajataco
Nomad
Posts: 117
Registered: 11-26-2003
Location: Arizona
Member Is Offline
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Thanks so much Ken  Actually, BX has Toyo M/Ts on his Tacoma. I am using the
(sort of) new Cooper Discoverer STT. I just put them on before the last Baja trip and have been very pleased. They still need a good flogging in the rocks
before I can make a final evaluation though. It seems they are an excellent alternative to Goodyear MT/R's
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8947
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Pole Line Road postponed due to injury
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajataco
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I also like the design of your winch bumper. It provides plenty of clearance and still has that desert styling so many of us on Baja Nomad love so
much.
The problem I experienced with the Goodyear MT/R was that the tread chunked so much when I took the tire in the dirt and on the rocks. I am now
running the BFG MT/KM and that tire is also beginning to chunk up. At any rate, you've got some killer lighting and coilovers which probably smooth
that washboard considerably. Very cool!
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bajataco
Nomad
Posts: 117
Registered: 11-26-2003
Location: Arizona
Member Is Offline
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Thanks again Ken. The bumper has been a very interesting piece of the truck that has "morphed" or evolved over quite some time. It works really well,
and I am very happy with it.
The Goodyear MT/Rs that I have used held up pretty well and worked super good on the trail. I did have some minor chunking, but nothing too terribly
bad. The problem that I had with them is that they were out of round and would "hop" depending on rpm's. It was pretty annoying. These Coopers are
nice and round. A good friend of mine is experiencing issues similar to yours with his current set of BFG M/T's. This is the first set that has given
him this type of trouble and he has used them extensively over the years on many vehicles. 
The coilovers are made by Sway-A-Way and they are pretty sweet. 2.5" diameter shocks, 3" x 14"/625# coils. I also have some custom valved 2.5"
Sway-A-Way reservoir shocks on the rear and they work VERY well. For a truck as heavy as mine, the regular 1.5" shocks just don't last long enough.
I'm hard pressed just to get these 2.5's warm.
Thanks again, I really dig your Rubicon too. Those are amazing vehicles. A good friend of mine that I often do trips with has one, and every time I
see him do the trails he can do in it  and sleep inside of it at the
end of the day, it makes me want one. Not to mention the topless fun-factor.
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8947
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Pole Line Road postponed due to injury
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'06 will be the last year the retractable tops will be available on Jeeps. The '07 models will have 'panels' which will pop out that you must remove
manually. I do love my Jeep. Having the top down in the Spring & Summer sure turns heads and its more fun to drive than the pickup I once drove.
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bajataco
Nomad
Posts: 117
Registered: 11-26-2003
Location: Arizona
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Ken Cooke
'06 will be the last year the retractable tops will be available on Jeeps. The '07 models will have 'panels' which will pop out that you must remove
manually. I do love my Jeep. Having the top down in the Spring & Summer sure turns heads and its more fun to drive than the pickup I once drove.
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Yep, I have seen the '07. I like the look of it.
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