Taco de Baja
Super Nomad
Posts: 1913
Registered: 4-14-2004
Location: Behind the Orange Curtain, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Dreamin' of Baja
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Thanksgiving in BOLA area
I did not get to go on this trip  . But, here is the report from my sister (The same
one, you'll remember, who got the 3 flats on her Armada this last summer)
| Quote: | The camping trip was fun. It was just the six of us, in two trucks. We left SD at 5am. Fueled up and got insurance at the Chevron station [San
Ysidro]. Stopped at El Rosario for fuel and rum. Passed Catavina a little past 11 and were in LA Bay by 2:30pm.
We camped the first night in LA Bay at one of the "organized" camp sites ... in a couple of palapas (we were all tired of driving and didn't know what
lay down the dirt road). The camp site was nice. We even went out to dinner and had hot showers in the morning. There was plenty of gas available
for starting off on the dirt roads the next morning.
We drove to the south end of LA Bay to see how things look. Very developed since we were there 20 years ago. Kendall [our 16 year old Neice] got
her first driving lesson on some of the hard mud flats. Miles even let her pull some donuts! We headed towards Animas Bay and got there by the mid
afternoon. All the good spots to camp on the north end were taken ... and we couldn't get to the south end. We camped where the beach is really
shallow. It was mud most of the time ... but we had fun watching the water pour in during the morning hours. We had a bit of rain that night with
lightening and thunder.
The next morning was warm ... but overcast. We got a bit more rain with lightening and thunder. It was pleasant though ... it was comfortable being
wet. Trinity [my sister's 3 year old] daughter just hung out in her swim suit the whole time.
We took off in the late morning and headed south. We explored a bunch of little beaches and random roads and ended up stopping at a beach marked "San
Rafael" on the map. It was just lovely. However ... we got the Armada BURIED in deep sand. We spent the whole afternoon trying to get the truck out
... and didn't get to enjoy the fabulous weather (sunny and warm) or the great camp site. Finally after a beautiful sunset, we called it quits and
had a yummy steak dinner for Thanksgiving. The night was nice.
We got up the next morning and started working on the truck again. It took a couple hours of work ... but we finally got the truck out. We then
enjoyed the camp spot for a few hours. The beach was wonderful ... the water was crystal clear ... about 74 degrees ... and fish jumping everywhere!
I want to go back. We then packed up and headed back for LA Bay. The roads are really good ... there is just no traffic on them. During our whole
trip, we only saw one group of motorcycle riders and one vehicle. It was totally deserted!
We camped up the paved road ... off the turn off for Calamuway (sp?). We had Federales come up to us after dark, but they left us alone once they saw
the kids. We drove home on Saturday and experienced one of the worst border crossings I have ever seen ... 2 hours 24 minutes. We were stopped way
back on the fence line road. Ugh! We didn't get home until 8:30pm. |
Bathing Beauty, Trinity at Animas Bay
Animas Bay. "Where'd the water go?"
Miles and little Matt at BOLA palapas
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: optimistic
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Very nice report---------
Sorry to hear that my favorite spot at Animas is getting so popular---------I have camped there off and on for over 25 years, and we usually had it
all to ourselves.
I think I know exactly where your sister got stuck at Playa San Rafael-------my friend got his Trooper stuck there, also. It is deadly!!! I had about
300 feet of towing equipment (Nylon rope, chain, cable, and winch line) which allowed me to yank him out. I cannot immagine having to dig out-----big
job!!!
Was that Daggett's where they camped at BOLA?
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64945
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Let the air out of the freaking tires you people!
I have bogged to the body in all kinds of 4WD cars, including Subarus with little13 inch tires... Clear away the sand, and flatten the tires to 10 PSI
or even a bit less... and you will drive right out. My 13" tire Suby was the best beach buggy at 10 PSI!
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: optimistic
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David, so true, and yet-------------
it doesn't always work----depends on the nature of the sand, I think.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64945
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Online
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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The worst sand is that mixed with coral... fluffy stuff... I was in it at Punta San Francisquito... also bad is the stuff mixed with pumice, south of
Coloradito... then the crushed shell/sand mix south of San Felipe like on Shell Island... Got through all in my Subaru... Perhaps the heavier rigs
with stiff sidewall BFGs are more prone to digging in? My Toyota does fine at 15 PSI, but might do better at 10... Not as easy to drive in deep sand
as the Subaru, however. It makes up for it with 9.5" of min. ground clearance for going into places like Mision Santa Maria, that the Subaru could not
get near.
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bajalou
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4459
Registered: 3-11-2004
Location: South of the broder
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The really strong sidewalls on some of the popular off road tires make it tougher to get the flotation needed when you air-down.
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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Taco de Baja
Super Nomad
Posts: 1913
Registered: 4-14-2004
Location: Behind the Orange Curtain, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Dreamin' of Baja
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Also, the fact that the beast weighs in at 6,800 pounds, with no passengers or gear also do not help it in soft sandy conditions either....
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