Hook
Elite Nomad
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Mileage from San Felipe to Hwy 1 via Gonzaga?
I might try this route rather than give ANY money to the ridiculously expensive Guaymas-SR Ferry.
But I need to know just how far this section is. I can guestimate the rest.
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Santiago
Ultra Nomad
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About 130 miles. Took us 6-7 hours in a pick up w/o stops. Coco tells people 6 hours from his spot and I don't think he's far off. South of
Puertecitos the road is real bad where the heavy equipment is using it to build the new road.
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David K
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My notes are very close with Santiago... 136 miles total.
San Felipe to Puertecitos= 55 miles
Puertecitos to Gonzaga Bay= 45 miles
Gonzaga Bay to Laguna Chapala= 36 miles
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bonanza bucko
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I drove the trip from Gonzaga Bay to San Felipe....and San Diego three weeks ago. We normally fly in there but we have been hauling stuff for our
house at Alfonsina's.
As DK says, the road between SF and Puertectos is about 50 miles.....but it will take you an hour + because it has vados and you need to go through
them slowly; if you hit one at 55 MPH you will wish you hadn't. Some vados are worse than others. The bad ones will require you to go very slowly.
From Puertecitos to Gonzaga Bay the trip is another 50 miles. You will have about 9 miles of newly paved road...very good road. Then there are
another 4-5 miles of construction road that is graded and generally very good compared to the 37 miles south of there.
The construction road is OK and you can go 20 -25 MPH except where recent work has buried big rocks under dirt where you can't see them or where they
are currently bull dozing the mountain....you gotta go slow. The construction road is also poorly marked....it changes daily and, since Mexico hasn't
sunk to the level of needing OSHA, you can be surprised by coming up on a canyon where the bridge hasn't been built yet.....be careful.....you are not
the most important thing in the minds of the construction guys there who don't work for Caltrans.....and despite the hallucinations of a lot of Gringo
buddies of mine Triple A does not show up if you get wrecked.
The OLD "ROAD" is the last 37 miles. That will take you about 2.75 hours if you know the road....know where you can go 35 MPH...and where you had
better slow down....If you hit a spot that's only good for 15 MPH going 35 you will break something and not make it at all. In other spots you will
be climbing rocky passes full of boulders and you will be going 5 MPH.
On the old road you had better have tires with three ply side walls.....most of us us BFG TAs. You should let the air out of them down to the place
where they are just soft enough to handle the washboard but the shape of the side walls will still deflect sharp rocks. Those sharp rocks will ruin
the sidewalls of most "off road" tires sold up here in Gringo land. I once saw a brand new Ford Ranger with factory tires shred all four within two
miles of the start of THAT ROAD.
So....you're gonna spend about 4 hours between San Felipe and Gonzaga Bay if you REALLY know the road and have a truck that can take it.
Then you will have another 1.5 (37 miles +/-) out to Mex 1 at Lake Chapala....not counting a required stop to say howdy to Coco.....about 5.5 hours
total on a good day...more like 6-7 if you stop for a Pacifico and to take a leak here and there.....and if you know the road and/or can handle it.
The trip is beautiful but on THAT ROAD south of Puertecitos you will not see it because you are nutty if you take your eyes off the road above about
15 MPH.
Be wary of teen age Gringo Kamikazis "practicing" for the Baja 1000 and/or immortality in some off road magazine....they come around blind curves on
mountain sides at 40 MPH high on Bennies and will run you off a cliff without ever seeing you. Ditto for dirt bikers who have the same road manners
as a hungry c-ckroach.....and who are generally cases of arrested development if they are not high on bennies too....don't mean to offend...just to
state the plain and obvious facts......it's Mexico and you don't need to be PC! :-)
You should also stop and have a taco and a Pacifico at Cow Patties in Puertecitos. Note the parking lot which is "paved" with Pacifico bottle
tops...my kinda place.:-)
If you have not driven on 3 inch washboard before the 37 miles south of Puertecitos will take you hours and hours.....you need to "get up on top" of
the washboard at about 25-30 MPH or you need to stay down in it at about 10 MPH. It's better for your truck to be on top....but you also, then, gotta
know where to slow down...that requires knowing the road. If you don't know that road or know how to drive one like this you had better be ready for
a long drive in this piece of the trip. Just slow down, relax and take your time.....you can make it in an old Buick Four Holer sedan with bad shocks
if you have all day...and half the night. We have seen German tourists in a rented VW Beetle make it in after knocking the oil pan off...and we have
seen little old ladies in a Chevy sedan take about 10 hours to get there. If you are motivated you can do it slowly or you can do it fast if you know
what you are doing and have good equipment.
Alfonsina's at GB has a good cantina and motel. She usually has Pemex too...but don't count on it unless you are ready and willing to wait about a
week if they ain't got it....they always run out on holiday weekends. Rancho Grande has a newly expanded "7-11" built in preparation for the new
road if and when it makes it there. Rancho Grande can't sell gas if the Alfy Pemex is open because of the gummint gasolina monopoy. But, if Alfy is
out, Rancho Grande might sell you some gas if you are nice and look desperate...and rich.
There is a Pemex at Puertecitos but it is never open.....the owner is nasty and nuts.
There is another very good cantina at Papa Fernandez about 5 miles out from Alfy's turn off. Very, very nice people there and a lot of history
too....look for the picture of Papa and John Wayne on the wall.
Have a good trip. Don't tell anyone how nice it is.
Tell any pilot you know about the fact that Alfy's runway is under five feet of water at the high tides and that salt water melts magnesium wheels.
After all those problemas you gotta look out for Chupacabras who sneak out the canyons after dark and suck the blood outa your family goat.
...but the place is beautiful...perfect....quiet...clean....and, so far, undiscovered by anybody with a camper from Buena Park.
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alafrontera
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Registered: 11-4-2009
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bonanza bucko
I drove the trip from Gonzaga Bay to San Felipe....
...but the place is beautiful...perfect....quiet...clean....and, so far, undiscovered by anybody with a camper from Buena Park.
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Awesome, I read it twice  Well done !
I also liked "About 130 miles. Took us 6-7 hours ..."
So you guys are saying this isn't I-5 ?? 
low lattitude attitude
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 65408
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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| Quote: | Originally posted by alafrontera
| Quote: | Originally posted by bonanza bucko
I drove the trip from Gonzaga Bay to San Felipe....
...but the place is beautiful...perfect....quiet...clean....and, so far, undiscovered by anybody with a camper from Buena Park.
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Awesome, I read it twice Well done !
I also liked "About 130 miles. Took us 6-7 hours ..."
So you guys are saying this isn't I-5 ?? |
First view of Gonzaga Bay:
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