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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Mision Santa Maria, May 2007 (Part 1, to Baja Cactus, Santa Ynez and the Peninsular Divide)
WARNING: EXTREME 4WD ROAD FOR CRAZY PEOPLE WITH SEVERE BAJA FEVER!
Please allow me a few days to post all the better or intersting photos of this Memorial Weekend adventure... I will let you guys know when I am done,
so please be patient.
Photos from my two cameras and Squarecircle's camera... reduced to under 50 kbs to meet 2007 Nomad photo size restrictions. Higher resolution images
will be found on a future web page for this trip, to be posted on my web site, http://vivabaja.com/msm
General info: Founded in October 1766 at Calamajué and moved here in May 1767, Mision Santa Maria was the last mission founded by the Jesuit Order in
California before the entire Society of Jesus (The Jesuits) were removed from New Spain by orders of the king of Spain in 1768... The Franciscans led
by Junipero Serra replaced the Jesuits and built the adobe buildings whose ruins we see today. The mission closed in or just before 1775 as the 1769
Franciscan mission at San Fernando Velicata had superior resources and land.
The 14.4 mile road to the mission was built by Fred Hampe of Rancho Santa Ynez over many years beginning about 1959 in hopes of creating a shortcut to
the ranch's property at Punta Final on the Sea of Cortez via the mission. Construction ended 2 miles past the mission at the edge of the deep Santa
Maria Canyon... The Transpeninsular Highway was completed in late 1973 and with the newly graded road from Laguna Chapala to Gonzaga Bay finished in
the mid-1980's, either the expense for a shortcut or the impossible terrain halted the project.
As you will see in the many photos to follow, this road is now an exhilarating four wheel drive challenge that allows those properly equipped to
experience some of the finest Baja has to offer!
Okay, the trip... My vehicle is a 2005 Toyota Tacoma 4 door with 5 ft. bed, 4WD and TRD off road package (16" tires, Bilstein shocks, locking rear
differential, etc.). Power is via 4.0 litre V-6 and 5-speed auto tranny and two-speed transfer case with automatic locking hubs. All worked
flawlessly, my truck has over 55,000 miles and is less than 2 years old.
Traveling with me is my lovely fiance, Elizabeth (aka 'Baja Angel' on Nomad).
Joining us as the companion vehicle are our friends Roy ('The Squarecircle') and his amiga Blanche in Roy's new Land Rover LR3 with a V-8 and special
traction control (he can provide more details).
We left San Diego about 2:00 pm Friday afternoon May 25, 2007, crossed at Otay to utilize the fantastic 'Blvd. 2000' (BC #201) expressway to Popotla
(south side of Fox Baja Studios)... The onramp to the Scenic (Toll) highway is not finished, so a 6 mile run on the old free road south to the next
on-ramp (Puerto Nuevo) was in order... Only one toll (San Miguel Village of $2.70 for the entire 75 miles from Otay to Ensenada.
Maneadero was very slow getting through due to construction as the highway is being widened to 4 lanes all the way through town.
We stopped at a taco stand in San Vicente for some tortas to hold us over until we reached El Rosario's Baja cactus Motel for a great first night
sleep before our camping adventure began, the next day. Roy and Blanche arrived just minutes after we did, even though they left early and did some
site seeing on the way south all day.
The next morning we had breakfast at Ed and Yolanda Lusk's restaurant (Baja's Best Bed & Breakfast), 2.2 miles from Baja Cactus... It was great
again... Ed showed me a special bottle of Tequila (see photo) before we headed for Cataviña and Rancho Santa Ynez to begin our adventure.
Tortas and beer, San Vicente...
[Edited on 6-1-2007 by David K]
[Edited on 8-10-2018 by David K]
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Superior comfort at Baja Cactus Motel for the first night after the 5 hour drive from the border...
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Nice rooms, low price, 24 hour security, friendly staff!
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Unforgettable shower... the tiled bench area in the shower is out of site, to the left.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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How much tequila does Ed think I can drink???
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Rancho Santa Ynez... the team of Matilda and Oscar (seated to the right) keep the tradition of Baja ranch hospitality going
[Edited on 5-31-2007 by David K]
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Stickers anyone? Viva Baja sticker from 2003 still in the upper left corner...
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Set your odometer to 0.0 at the ranch, check your time, say a prayer... and head out this way (left, north of the parking area). Go through the second
or left open gate...
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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You will go behind the ranch, cross the arroyo and come to an unmarked fork at 0.9 mi., go left... uphill.
At mile 1.8 is your first 4WD challenge, this gully... the far side...
[Edited on 5-31-2007 by David K]
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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When I got to the mission, I discovered my left 4X4 mud flap was gone... the right one is on Laguna Salada somewhere! Well, in this photo from Roy's
camera the mystery as to where it fell off is solved... notice it a few feet behind my tire (far right edge of photo) at the top of that gully?! We
didn't see it coming out, but suspected it came off near or on the Widowmaker, not this first grade so near Santa Ynez!
[Edited on 5-31-2007 by David K]
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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A long straight section, but it is muy rocky and slow... about 2 miles from Santa Ynez...
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Getting closer to those hills...
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Nice drive, eh?
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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This palm-lined arroyo is the very same one that passes by Santa Ynez and crosses the highway at Cataviña... here 5.6 miles from Santa Ynez, almost
an hour's drive!
[Edited on 8-10-2018 by David K]
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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The peninsular divide, 9.9 miles and 1.5 hours from Santa Ynez... The Sea of Cortez and Gonzaga's Punta Final can be seen...
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Check out my zoom, same direction as the above photo... that's Punta Final!
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Time for a break! (much more still to come)
PART 2 now posted: http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=24897
[Edited on 6-1-2007 by David K]
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7641
Registered: 3-12-2006
Location: on the bayou
Member Is Offline
Mood: undecided
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David K. Thanks for the pictures.
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CaboRon
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3401
Registered: 3-24-2007
Location: The Valley of the Moon
Member Is Offline
Mood: Peacefull
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David K., These are awesome pics! Looking forward to the next installment. CaboRon
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Steve in Oro Valley
Nomad
Posts: 105
Registered: 11-14-2002
Location: Near Tucson
Member Is Offline
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David:
Great fotos at just the right time!!
The countryside looks ultra-dry. Usually, the copalquines (Pachycormus discolor, the endemic Baja California elephant tree) have yellow orange leaves
from normal spring defoliation in May.
Cirios also show color of falling leaves in late May. Looks like everything has gone dormant early this year.. ..
May is a great time of the year to visit the Central Desert.
Does that Land Rover have real 4 wheel drive with a low range?
Thanks for the postings.....
Steve in Oro Valley
[Edited on 5-31-2007 by Steve in Oro Valley]
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