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Author: Subject: Baja Grande: L.A. Bay to Mission Santa Maria a.k.a. "MISSION IMPOSSIBLE"
Ken Cooke
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[*] posted on 12-3-2007 at 06:35 PM
Baja Grande: L.A. Bay to Mission Santa Maria a.k.a. "MISSION IMPOSSIBLE"


It is now 7 a.m., and our group caught wind that there was no gasoline available at the main Pemex station in the Bay of L.A. The entire town was out of power! How on earth would we get our vehicles back up Hwy 1? Or, would we resort to traveling back up to Gonzaga Bay to the Pemex station? What a catastrophe!

With our group all together at 8:30 a.m., the generator pump was turned on, and mysteriously, the Pemex sprang back into life, pumping $2.35/gallon gasoline back into our Jeeps (and Toyotas), and we would be able to reach Catavina in just 2 ½ hours. In Catavina, our group parked across the street from the La Pinta Motel where we dined at a wooden structure adorned with the four letter word we came to love – CAFÉ. After washing our hands in a 3 gallon concrete-lined bowl, we had lunch in one of our favorite places on the peninsula. After lunch, it was a fast 3 minute drive to Rancho Santa Ines where we aired our tires down and marveled at a group of birds sunning on cacti, with their wings spread out, soaking up all of the sun their extended wings could take in.

Jay and Brigette McKnight drove down Interstate 5 from Cupertino, CA in their stock Toyota 4 Runner. Still wearing its’ original manufacturer equipment running boards, this Toyota received a modest boost from 32” height All-Terrain tires. The trip into Mission Santa Maria from behind the wheel of a stock Toyota with marginal traction-assist resulted in our assembling an impromptu team of spotters that would help Jay and Brigette reach the mission, but not without requiring a yank strap to climb a steep ledge that would have otherwise left this Toyota out in the wilds of Baja.

The trail into “Mission Impossible” contains a small canyon that starts off the action. Vehicles too tall, too wide, wearing tires that are too bald, or vehicles without enough suspension articulation had better look elsewhere for a good time on the trails in Baja. This trail is considered by most to be Baja’s most difficult and most challenging. A trail that eats gears, differential housings, tires, and in our case, steering components from perfectly new ’07 Rubicon Unlimiteds!

As our group of 13 vehicles (down from 14), idled up a benign hill, we stumbled upon an unfortunate driver of a near stock YJ and his Toyota SR5-driving buddy who was pulling the YJ out at the end of a long day. With his rear differential exploded and only being able to pull with front-wheel drive, this unfortunate driver showed us all what lie ahead if we dared to continue. Most travelers simply park their vehicles at the grade above, “The Widowmaker” hill and hike the last 1.5 miles to the mission. Instead, our goal was to camp near the mission, making it our home for both the 21st and the 22nd – Thanksgiving Day.

Traveling along this route containing off-camber slabs of granite, steep descents, and rocky streambeds, both our driving skills as well as our efficiency on Baja California’s most challenging trail were put to the test. At 4:15 p.m., we passed the mission. We had roughly 45 minutes to make it down the last 1.5 miles of trail in order to set up camp, but just as we passed the mission, a call went out over the radio – Mike in his ’07 Unlimited Rubicon was in trouble.

::To be continued::




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David K
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[*] posted on 12-3-2007 at 06:46 PM


Oh goodie...:yes::lol:



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Ken Cooke
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[*] posted on 12-3-2007 at 06:48 PM


Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Oh goodie...:yes::lol:


Dark humor from the Toyota crowd...:rolleyes:




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David K
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[*] posted on 12-3-2007 at 06:53 PM
I love that road!


After photographing Roy's Land Rover, Baja Angel and I climb back up to take our turn:










Oh, what a feeling!




"So Much Baja, So Little Time..."

See the NEW www.VivaBaja.com for maps, travel articles, links, trip photos, and more!
Baja Missions and History On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bajamissions/
Camping, off-roading, Viva Baja discussion: https://www.facebook.com/groups/vivabaja


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Ken Cooke
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Posts: 8923
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline

Mood: Its Pole Line Road time

[*] posted on 12-3-2007 at 07:27 PM


The stock 4Runner that went with us had a considerable lack of ground clearance and approach angle. Much less than your pickup truck. I guess the new model has been improved this way? Not sure, but all that low-hanging plastic was permanently scarred and disfigured off of the McKnight's 4Runner...

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
After photographing Roy's Land Rover, Baja Angel and I climb back up to take our turn:




Oh, what a feeling!




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