| Pages:
1
..
6
7
8
9
10 |
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
Great!
|
|
|
TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Member Is Offline
|
|
Excellent, glad everyone had a good time.
|
|
|
Sweetwater
Senior Nomad
Posts: 915
Registered: 11-26-2010
Member Is Offline
Mood: chilly today hot tomale
|
|
Quote: Originally posted by motoged  | We nailed it !!!
Three days of some very challenging long stretches of boulder arroyos, over a dozen wet crossings up to three feet deep, lots of soft sand, washouts
that could wreck a trip, and everything in between provided three solid days of adventure.
AKGringo (Gary) came down from Grass Valley, Ca. with his beautiful, well-mannered, rambunctious pit bull/boxer (Bailey) in their Kia Sportage, and
03David came up from Los Barriles with his bike (500 Husqvarna) were excellent travel mates each very capable in their abilities and spirit.
Day One was west out of Mulege....the first half of that day presented some challenges and great canyon/mountain scenery...the second half was endless
miles of rocky riverbed track usually visible with lots of wet crossings with intermittent soft sand and occasional short stretches of hardpack
road...and managed to find accomodation in San Juanico, but Gary camped on the beach as all three places with rooms would not allow dogs....
Day Two was down to Comondu...easy paved day hat was short in duration....the new hotel Hacienda Don Mario would/could not offer us rooms ("but if you
wait until after 6:00 pm we might give you a room if the reservations don't arrive")...as it was 2:30, we could take the risk that rooms were
available in La Purisma an hour or so away....and as the conversation continued, the guy said he could find rooms in two other casas but couldn't
promise that....a half-hour wait resulted in confirming that offer which we accepted after I pressed for a guarantee handshake.....and what we got was
an annex of sorts to the church that had three separate rooms with defunct bathroom and kitchen....and reeked horribly of a kerosene type smelling
liquid they mopped the floors with (insecticide?)...handmade cots of palm wood and dried stretched leather strips....we ate at the Don Mario....very
simple but good chicken soup, beans, tortillas for supper and huevos revuelltos con machaca for breakfast....
Day Three was north to San Isidro/La Purisma for a lookabout and I snapped a few pics of the mission site in LP for DK (will post later) and then out
to highway #1 and up to Mulege. Road from San Isidro to highway junction had a lot of washout ravines in road and rocks, ledges and abrupt
dips....shorter than the duration of Day One conditions, but its own harder surface irregularities.
Summary: Day One was the difficult day compared to the other two; I have respect for Gary taking his Kia through there at the pace that Dave and I on
bikes were impressed with...Bailey was the silent hero of the trip and a cool dog (looked fierce but was muy amable) ...the group dynamic couldn't
have been better, no accidents or breakdowns, the mix of two bikes and a 4-wheel vehicle was good as Gary carried some gas which we needed as well as
a day pack for Dave and I with change of clothes....made the bikes lighter.
We saw some fat tire cyclists near the last part of day one heading towards Mulege and who were just getting into the difficult stuff...glad I wasn't
doing that....maybe part of the cycle route mentioned in another thread....
So, I consider the rally a raving success....more vehicles would have increase the risk of issues arising and accommodation problems, so the camping
readiness is a strong suggestion for "next time".
I want to thank Gary, Dave and Bailey for showing up and doing the loop....great guys to travel with.... |
Nice description but as always, useless without pics (and fancy maps of your route).
Everbody\'s preachin\' at me that we all wanna git to heaven, trouble is, nobody wants to die to git there.-BB King
Reality is what does not go away when you stop believing in it. -Philip K Dick
Nothing is worse than active ignorance. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe(1749-1832, German writer, artist and politician)
When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I\'ve never tried before. - Mae West
Experience is what keeps a man who makes the same mistake twice from admitting it the third time around.
|
|
|
AKgringo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6027
Registered: 9-20-2014
Location: Anchorage, AK (no mas!)
Member Is Offline
Mood: Retireded
|
|
Ged forgot to mention the shower in the annex that we stayed in. There was a dirt path to an outbuilding in the court yard, which had a floor drain
and a pipe in the wall that could have held a shower head, but didn't. Our shower was a five gallon bucket filled at the faucet in the garden, and a
plastic pitcher used as a ladle. Refreshing! The same five gallon bucket was also the plumbing for the toilet, if we had been brave enough to use
it!
At least we had an enclosed courtyard/garden to secure our vehicles, and for my dog to romp in!
I will post more later in small entry's, because I am having connection problems with my P.O.S. laptop. (and sorry, no photos)
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
|
|
|
chuckie
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6082
Registered: 2-20-2012
Location: Kansas Prairies
Member Is Offline
Mood: Weary
|
|
Dissapointed that only 3 dudes showed up..After all the hoopla, should have been more..
|
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
Being close to the Baja 1000 and to Thanksgiving may have had a lot to do with it?
Usually, TW, John M, The squarecircle, and sometimes me, are good for these off road adventures!
Looking forward to photos.
Ged, feel free to email all you took, of the La Purísima site, if there are some that may not look interesting to others, in your opinion. My hotmail
account or my website email: info @ vivabaja.com
Thanks agian!!!
[Edited on 11-28-2016 by David K]
|
|
|
o3dave
Junior Nomad
Posts: 90
Registered: 10-20-2013
Location: Oregon
Member Is Offline
|
|
our guide
A steep section of road nicely concreted for traction
The arroyo gods deeming this steed as worthy
|
|
|
o3dave
Junior Nomad
Posts: 90
Registered: 10-20-2013
Location: Oregon
Member Is Offline
|
|
Scorpion bay at Happy hour
2 men enter 1 man leave. My room on day 1
|
|
|
o3dave
Junior Nomad
Posts: 90
Registered: 10-20-2013
Location: Oregon
Member Is Offline
|
|
Commandu self serve laundry
So this is what held the roof up. It did the job but I could have slept better.
Commandu Prison
Got to see some of Baja that was all new to me. Already thinking about the next one. 
|
|
|
o3dave
Junior Nomad
Posts: 90
Registered: 10-20-2013
Location: Oregon
Member Is Offline
|
|
Valet parking in San Juanico even. We stayed at Cowabunga bar and grill plus bungalows (pictured above).
Mike and cholie were very gracious hosts as we rolled in during their Thanksgiving dinner.
I could not get the other guys to swim after this.
And in Commandu, there are no keys or keycards at the hotel. This was how Gary chose to secure our door. Worked nicely
[Edited on 11-28-2016 by o3dave]
|
|
|
motoged
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6481
Registered: 7-31-2006
Location: Kamloops, BC
Member Is Offline
Mood: Gettin' Better
|
|
Thanks for the pics, Dave...I really tookvery few 
The Comondu church annex was really "old Mexico"...and after the shower and venting the place a bit, all seemed better. Poor Dave managed a night with
stereo snorers in adjacent rooms....no chocolates on the pillow....Oh!...no pillows.
Comondu is a MUST for any serious Baja lover.
Don't believe everything you think....
|
|
|
motoged
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6481
Registered: 7-31-2006
Location: Kamloops, BC
Member Is Offline
Mood: Gettin' Better
|
|
You had your chance....
Don't believe everything you think....
|
|
|
Mulege Canuck
Nomad
Posts: 387
Registered: 11-27-2016
Member Is Offline
|
|
I drove the road from Mulege to San Juanico last year in a F350 and a large camper. Very slow as we had to cut back a lot of brush.
What was the road like from Commondu to San Isidro? I am about 8 ft wide with that camper. Are there a lot of narrow sections against rock bluffs
where I would be too wide?
The road last year from San Isidro to the highway was in pretty good shape. No problems for us.
|
|
|
wilderone
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3824
Registered: 2-9-2004
Member Is Offline
|
|
"This was how Gary chose to secure our door" -- LOL!
|
|
|
AKgringo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6027
Registered: 9-20-2014
Location: Anchorage, AK (no mas!)
Member Is Offline
Mood: Retireded
|
|
It kept my dog off the street!
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
|
|
|
motoged
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6481
Registered: 7-31-2006
Location: Kamloops, BC
Member Is Offline
Mood: Gettin' Better
|
|
MC,
The Comondu - San Isidro road has been recently maintained and is fast and open (no efforts at topiary needed), and no cliffside or narrow stretches
or width issues (like Day One route)....WillyAirstream indicated that a race was held there a few months ago and some work was done on the
road.....gas in San Isidro and La Purisma as well as two places in San Juanico.
| Quote: Originally posted by Mulege Canuck | I drove the road from Mulege to San Juanico last year in a F350 and a large camper. Very slow as we had to cut back a lot of brush.
What was the road like from Commondu to San Isidro? I am about 8 ft wide with that camper. Are there a lot of narrow sections against rock bluffs
where I would be too wide?
The road last year from San Isidro to the highway was in pretty good shape. No problems for us. |
[Edited on 11-28-2016 by motoged]
Don't believe everything you think....
|
|
|
bajatrailrider
Super Nomad
Posts: 2432
Registered: 1-24-2015
Location: Mexico
Member Is Offline
Mood: Happy
|
|
| Quote: Originally posted by o3dave | Valet parking in San Juanico even. We stayed at Cowabunga bar and grill plus bungalows (pictured above).
Mike and cholie were very gracious hosts as we rolled in during their Thanksgiving dinner.
I could not get the other guys to swim after this.
And in Commandu, there are no keys or keycards at the hotel. This was how Gary chose to secure our door. Worked nicely
[Edited on 11-28-2016 by o3dave] |
Thanks for great story and pictures.
|
|
|
AKgringo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6027
Registered: 9-20-2014
Location: Anchorage, AK (no mas!)
Member Is Offline
Mood: Retireded
|
|
| Quote: Originally posted by Mulege Canuck | I drove the road from Mulege to San Juanico last year in a F350 and a large camper. Very slow as we had to cut back a lot of brush.
What was the road like from Commondu to San Isidro? I am about 8 ft wide with that camper. Are there a lot of narrow sections against rock bluffs
where I would be too wide?
The road last year from San Isidro to the highway was in pretty good shape. No problems for us. |
MC, You will have no problems on the Comondu to San Isidro road. It has been recently repaired, and is a good road for any light truck or SUV. It
is a bit narrow on the grade coming out of San Jose Comondu, but you will have plenty of room unless you encounter traffic.
The road was far better than the road from San Isidro to Mex 1! I last drove it in November 2014, and it has washed out badly since
then.
Tommorow, or the day after, I am going to check out the road from San Javier to the Commondu's. It may be a few days before I have internet options
to report back.
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
|
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
Thank you AK!
|
|
|
willyAirstream
Super Nomad
Posts: 1786
Registered: 1-1-2010
Member Is Offline
|
|
| Quote: |
morow, or the day after, I am going to check out the road from San Javier to the Commondu's. It may be a few days before I have internet options to
report back. |
looking forward to that report also.
Thanks for the story and pics.
|
|
|
| Pages:
1
..
6
7
8
9
10 |
![[*]](images/xmbforum/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
