John M
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 9-3-2003
Location: California High Desert
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Trip Report part 1
We left Irvine, CA about 7:30 on Wednesday May 3, got to the border and exchanged dollars for pesos, one fellow got insurance, picked up our visas and
headed south.
Found the route to the toll road easily, paying $2.35 each toll booth.
Plenty hungry after getting through Ensenada so we stopped at highly recommended El Poblano, east side of Highway 1, in Maneadero a little south of
the road to La Bufadora. Great food set us up for a few more hours. We, and maybe two dozen other cars & trucks followed behind a snail's paced
semi up the grade toward Santo Tomas - seemed like an eternity but the flip side is that we enjoyed the scenery much more than usual.
We turned west alongside the Santo Tomas river for almost 4 miles where we detoured to visit the site of the first Santo Tomas Dominican mission. We
found it quite easily and then just west of the mission site a few hundred yards is this lovely campground setting. Oaks, flowing creek, perfect temps
all caused us to make an early camp. c-cktail hour made its appearance right away.
Very comfortable night spent, next morning we moved along slowly to the beach at La Bocana. Horses, flowers, bee hives and farming was seen all along
the way - even some folks harvesting callalillies. We turned back east looking for the road south and soon found it about 4 miles inland from the
beach. There were some fresh appearing day-glow marks at the turn and we were to see more along the route over the next few days. Not Score markings
we presume as many were not along the route of the upcoming Tecate Score Baja 500.
The gps at the turn out of the Santo Tomas Valley is at 31 33 12.7/116 55 38.8 (NAD 27) This is at "A" on the attached map.
We immediately began to climb a fairly long but not too difficult hill for maybe a mile or better, just a little rutted here and there. A few ranches
along this road and not much chance to make a wrong turn yet.
We passed through a ranch fence line in 2.5 miles at gps 31 31 52.1/116 34 55.7 This is at "B" on the map.
Just beyond the fence there were several routes possible but it looks like they all converge back onto the main road south. Some were marked again
with day glow paint and ribbon.
The next mile or so we passed a few ranches and came to a road intersection - " C " on the map - gps is 31 30 56.6/ 116 34 14.6 - this is 3.9
miles from the Santo Tomas Valley.
This is shown on the Baja Almanac page 7, very near what is called the Rancho Viejo. We continued straight, not taking the right turn which apparently
leads to the coast via La Bocana de Viejo ranch.
This whole area is dotted with oaks and rolling ranch land, a very pretty area. Continuing along we came to a fairly steep downhill, rocky is spots,
eventually bringing us, at mile 6.8 to a fence line corner, gps 31 28 51.2 / 116 34 14.6 - spot " D " on the map.
Shortly we came to the main coastal road and turned north 1.7 miles to get to the Punta San Jose lighthouse. See attached photo of the coastline near
the lighthouse.
From there it was south on the primary road, following the coast from time to time, moving inland other times. Small ranchos and villages passed
through, and we bacame complacent, losing (temporarily at least) our way. Continued later in part 2.
John M.
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John M
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 9-3-2003
Location: California High Desert
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second photo - map
see map attached
Map sure didn't come out very clear. I'll mess with it tonite.
John
[Edited on 5-12-2006 by John M]
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John M
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 9-3-2003
Location: California High Desert
Member Is Offline
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coast north of lighthouse
attached
[Edited on 5-12-2006 by John M]
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64946
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Good job John!!! Thanks for the details!!!
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