mcgyver
Nomad
Posts: 444
Registered: 8-22-2003
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Highway 5 San Felipe to Highway 1 and BOLA cutoff to Las Animas
Made the tripdown Highway 5 from San Felipe to highway 1 then 1 to Bola cutoff and 5 on to Las Animas and area. New paving to KM 52 south of San
Felipe then the worst pot holes ever to Puertecitos with some culverts caved in by ore trucks hauling from south of Puertecitos, from there to Coco's
is worse than ever, I think mainly because its so dry, even the sand side roads are washboarded,soft and rough. Coco'S to 1 is not as bad but still
washboarded, met a Motorcycle at Coco's looking for screws and he had only made 13 miles from 1! Bahai de Los Angles road is in great shape with some
paved pullouts added in the first 13 Kms?
Pemex in BOLA is only open from 7 AM to 9 AM and 2 PM to 4 PM and some times not then, drum gas was 15 pesos more than Pemex. Highway 5 from town
south to Gecko is bad as usual and washboarded worse than last year from there to Las Animas. Roads around Bahia Las Animas were so dry I was able to
drive my Geo Tracker to the south side of the bay in 2 WD to places that have not seen traffic in years, in two spots dust was 2 feet deep, drove
right across the marsh area to the south to the beach, very dry and loose sand, got stuck 8 miles down the south side in soft sand and I was by myself
so I chickened out and returned to the north side. I know people who have spent 8 hours moving 50 feet on the south side! The north side roads are all
passable in 2 WD, one wash has some soft sand but its not far across and can be crossed with power. In the week we were there there were 11 people
came and spent one or more nights except for 3 MC,s doing a drive through.
If you are thinking of traveling this road with a camper or boat 15 MPH is about the maximum you can do and not all at that speed, if you have a rig
with the shocks and tires to handle the washboard you can fly in the straight stretches. Figure 8 hours for a big camper from the Pemex at Gonzaga to
Highway 1. The full moon rising over the bay made it worthwhile.
[Edited on 11-5-2005 by mcgyver]
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bajalou
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4459
Registered: 3-11-2004
Location: South of the broder
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Great report mcgyver thanks
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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mcgyver
Nomad
Posts: 444
Registered: 8-22-2003
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San Felipe Roads
Thanks bajalou,
You know all the road paving machinery is still parked at Km 50 South and I asked the superintent the other day what the plans where and didin't get
much info, just that they are doing maintence on it and standing by. The rumor in the south campos here is that they will start paving toward
Puertocitos sometime this month. In Chapala the other day there was a grader and a oil tank and the girl there said they were going to start paving
toward Coco's this month.
What do you guys up there in the big city hear about it??
Of course if you go on rumors the latest one from Puertocitos is that the goverment is going to build a gas fired power plant fueled by the gas well
that they are going to drill at the hot springs. I think Cowpattys has opened for the winter and the crew is busy.
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bajalou
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4459
Registered: 3-11-2004
Location: South of the broder
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Havent heard much here lately except the usual "Mrs Fox bought land around Gonzaga so I'll be blacktop soon" and "Saw some surveyors so must be going
to build it this time" I'll wait patiently.
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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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8947
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
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Mood: Pole Line Road postponed due to injury
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Muchas Gracias McGyver!
I will travel this stretch Friday and I'll be careful of those pesky potholes. Blowouts can be a bad thing...
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john
Junior Nomad
Posts: 73
Registered: 10-14-2004
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I tried to get to the south end of the bay in august of this year. we were 2 vehicles a toyota 4x4 truck and a 4x4 isuzu trooper. we sent the truck
out to scout out a path and it got sunk to the axles in mud. I tried to get the trooper close enough to winch it out and now we got the trooper stuck.
we really felt like a bunch of losers. we freed the trooper around midnight and drove to the water to wash of all the mud on our bodies. the next day
it took us untill 8 pm. to extract the truck with a high lift jack. it was 114 degrees that day. at one point we had to stop digging because the tide
was moving in. we had to leave and wait it out. when we returned there was a new section of mud to cross that wasnt there before about 100 yards of
it. this is one of thoughs 4x4 trips I will never forget
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mcgyver
Nomad
Posts: 444
Registered: 8-22-2003
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John, We have made a second trip 2 weeks ago and the road that runs behind the little Mt. to the south is really getting bad with the silt over 3 feet
deep in someplaces, its very dry, I put tape and rocks across the road to try to save some one from getting stuck in the silt but it was gone before I
left. You can see spots where people have been stuck and now its dry and hard on the surface but break thru that crust and it goes to China! When the
wet season comes again some one will drive in there and see those tracks and follow them, when you feel that sinking sensation its to late! I left
there and decided to go to Puerto Santa Catarina, I heard of some fossils there and wanted to see the road they had hauled onyx down from El Marmol
on. Well its a good gravel road all the way in especially to Rancho Santa Catarina which is a oasis, 4 or 5 houses , nice campground, running water,
shade, friendly people! from there the road goes up on a ridge line and after a couple of miles there is a "Y " that goes to Punta Canoas. The road to
Puerto Cartarina goes on and on then you come to a flat spot on top of the ridge line called Buena Vista, super views in every direction! You can see
roads below you hundreds of feet. Then just around the corner you drop over the edge on what they say is a 19% down grade, that is very conservative,
its was freshly graveled right at the top and I was towing a Geo Tracker with a Tacoma, it started so fast I did not realize it at first and then I
was sliding all four wheels and gaining speed toward a turn! I slammed it into 4 low and got off the brakes and made the turn, getting on better
traction I got stopped and went back and put the Geo in 4WD too and went on down! camped for the night, checked the fossils, checked the fish camp for
lobster and headed back to that hill! I aired the Tacoma down even futher to 15PSI got in 4Low and went right up only spinning one time. There are
some motor homes and fifth wheels at the fish camp, guess they will stay there!
You are not the first to be stuck back on the south side and will not be the last, one of the Nomads confessed to me one time that he had spent a day
and night building brush roads back there!!
Anyone tells you they go offroad in Baja and do not get stuck I want to show them a road at Ensenada Alcatraz south of Bahia Guadalupe or Luguna
Aqua Amarga in a sudden rain storm!! 
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john
Junior Nomad
Posts: 73
Registered: 10-14-2004
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thanks Mcgyver trips like these is what baja is all about. heres a couple of pics after the extract
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john
Junior Nomad
Posts: 73
Registered: 10-14-2004
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pics
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john
Junior Nomad
Posts: 73
Registered: 10-14-2004
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pic
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mcgyver
Nomad
Posts: 444
Registered: 8-22-2003
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Stuck?
What did the brown thing with the light bar used to be?
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