deanoid
Newbie
Posts: 5
Registered: 7-29-2007
Location: San Diego County/Las Encantadas BCN
Member Is Offline
Mood: Baja withdrawal
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Tramo Puertecitos-Laguna Chapala
I was just down to my place near Punta Bufeo last week. Work on the road is progressing, but they're not as far as I predicted last Memorial Day.
Presently, the pavement ends 9.1 miles south of where I used to mark my odometer, which was at the south end of Puertecitos, where the boat was on the
roof. From there, the road bed was finished-graded for another 2.7 miles. You can haul ass on the finished graded part. I went about 45. From the end
of the graded section, the present track came and went out of the old road bed. In places, an entire new route was cut as a detour, some of it roughly
following the old-old (pre-87) track. An immense bridge is being constructed over a wash a couple miles north of El Huerfanito, right near what I call
Pomo Hill, where a massive accumulation of pumice often lies. You still cross Pomo Hill, but all of that section there is in better condition that it
was 4 months ago. I think the construction companies did some grading so as to not beat their trucks up too bad. After coming down Huerfanito Grade,
the road detours to the west a bit. The new roadbed is being constructed roughly where the old one was, but is elevated. Bridges, culverts and flow
diverters are being used instead of vados. Construction is happening for I'd say 3 or 4 miles south of Huerfanito. After that, it's the same rocky
mess that it's been for the last 5 years. On the way back, we observed the road's latest victim: a fiberglass center counsel boat on a trailer. The
axle on the trailer was sheared off. The other tire was gone, the motor was gone....it was weird. the boat looked too nice to abandon, but it sure
looked abandoned to me. I took a couple pictures and left it alone. I hope the owner claims it.
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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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Thank you for the report. The new section for Puertecitos south sounds like it is really being built to last... high standards.
I wonder if they will re-do the San Felipe to Puertecitos section which was made so poorly, just paving over the graded road of 1982 with sharp dips
(vados) that come up without warning (except where a gringo painted the attention getting 'Oh Sh#! Dip' on the road).
Thanks again!
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deanoid
Newbie
Posts: 5
Registered: 7-29-2007
Location: San Diego County/Las Encantadas BCN
Member Is Offline
Mood: Baja withdrawal
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I agree on both counts. The new road is way better than the Puertecitos-San Felipe stretch, which, as you alluded, has numerous dips that I can
usually anticipate, but pee my wife off when I don't quite nail it quite as good as she'd like.
I too am curious as to whether the Puertecitos Road will be upgraded. I highly doubt it. Personally, I would have preferred the new section not even
be upgraded, just graded every year would have suited me fine. How this easy access will affect the area is subject to great speculation, but it
can't be good to old-time residents like me. The thing we'll still have going for us is it's still a long way from the USA, has no infrastructure,
and unlike San Felipe, severely limited water resources. I'm resigned to the thing now; not grading the old road since late 2004 made the trip pretty
unpleasant the last few years, especially going over the mountains.
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Corky1
Nomad
Posts: 416
Registered: 11-22-2003
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The road is smooth compaired to years past!!!!
Corky
 
\"Keep The Rubberside Down\" |
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baitcast
Super Nomad
Posts: 1785
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: kingman AZ.
Member Is Offline
Mood: good
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There is a road somewhere in there.....Last climb.
Bob H.
[Edited on 10-23-2009 by baitcast]
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PabloS
Nomad
Posts: 187
Registered: 4-8-2003
Location: North central AZ
Member Is Offline
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http://geocities.com/pts1_2000/images/threesistersw.jpg
http://corky1.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Motorcycles/three-sist...
I guess you missed the copyright notice corky1
PabloS AKA pts1_2000
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TacoFeliz
Nomad
Posts: 266
Registered: 7-22-2005
Location: Here
Member Is Offline
Mood: Exploratory
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Sorry, PabloS, I visited your site on Geocities and missed it too. Is it hiding? Just yankin' ya...
Great photos, by the way.
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