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John M
Super Nomad
Posts: 1921
Registered: 9-3-2003
Location: California High Desert
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Road from Mikes Sky Ranch to Meling Ranch
Anyone traveled this route lately?
Planning to do it in early October.
John M
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DirkEXC
Junior Nomad
Posts: 64
Registered: 12-14-2006
Location: Sherman Oaks, Ca.
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If you are on a bike it's great fun, in anything else I hope you have a short wheel base and lockers front and rear.
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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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Five years ago... photos and a detailed road log with mileage and travel time from Hwy. 1 (San Telmo) to Hwy. 3 (San Matias) via Mike's Sky Rancho: http://vivabaja.com/905/
The only 4WD, low range part is the long grade climbing up from Mike's as you head south to the Observatory road (which is now paved).
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arbee
Junior Nomad
Posts: 49
Registered: 2-17-2007
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If you haven't been there recently, the road is not the same as five years ago. It is much more difficult due to the storms that blew through there
last winter. Like DirkeEXC said, it is fun on a moto.
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Cyanide41
Nomad
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Registered: 1-7-2009
Location: Tijuana
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I took that road last October from Melings to Mikes, I don't think I ever took it out of 4wd high and I don't have lockers or a short wheel base. I
did get stop by some troops in a hummer out in the middle of no where.
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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
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A few months ago someone indicated Mike Jr was bull dozing the road toward Rancho Coyote. There hasn't been any races thru Mikes for over a year and
the 1000 won't go thru there this year so someone should make a trip and report the progress.
John M you may be the one telling us. I'm not heading down until the 1000 opens for pre-running, sometime after the Off-Road Expo Oct 8-10 in Pomona.
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John M
Super Nomad
Posts: 1921
Registered: 9-3-2003
Location: California High Desert
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for dirkEXC??
When did you last travel the route, or hear of its conditions?
John M
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DirkEXC
Junior Nomad
Posts: 64
Registered: 12-14-2006
Location: Sherman Oaks, Ca.
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I think Baja has had its fair share of damage since last October. I rode into Mikes last April and the road was washed out in several places but as
the Baja people do there were good routs around the washouts. I was in San Quintin last weekend and I happen to notice just a few of the bridges on
the way down had been washed out and were in the proces of being replaced with 4 lane bridges.
Look at some of Astobaja posts where they were stranded for a few days before the Racers and Rancers crowd came and helped with the washed out road.
To answer your question I had some friends ride from Mikes to San Telmo/the Highway about a month ago and they said it was doable on a bike but a
truck may be a different story. I will get exact condition and u2u.
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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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John M has a 4WD Tacoma, so he has the upper hand of off road able trucks!
I would think, Mike Leon Jr. would have used their tractor to scrape the washouts after the winter rains.. But, until a Nomad we know can post details
and photos of the road heading up the mountain from Mike's, it is anyone's guess. The washed out bridges are from accumilated water flow at the base
of the mountains, near the coast... Mikes' is at 4,000 feet, quite a ways up the water flow, damage would be less, as the streams are smaller. For
sure, they can be mud and boulder slides to deal with... as at Rancho Concepcion's road (not too far south of Mike's).
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TMW
Select Nomad
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Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
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Well why don't some of us go done there and find out what is doable and what isn't. We could check out the road to Rancho Coyote and maybe visit
Astrobaja and see if it goes thru to Mikes, with his permission of course.
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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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Yes, good idea! 
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TMW
Select Nomad
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I emailed Tim Morton about doing the road toward Coyote in my GMC 4x4 and here is his reply.
["I haven't been up there in a couple months but I'd say NO it's not doable between Mikes-Coyote.
It was torn up really bad. It won't be passable by basic 4WD until a tractor goes thru. It is passable by hard-core jeeps right now."]
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Ramon
Banned
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Registered: 5-17-2010
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Went thru there a few weeks ago. 4 bikes, 2 full size 4x4 trucks. The trail right out of Mikes is tore up pretty good. Rutted, off cambers, wash outs,
boulder strewn..... totally doable with a higher clearance truck and 4wd helps for sure. Storms last year added to an already rough trail. The trucks
blew 2 sidewalls on Mickey Thompsons and we had 1 tube to change out mid trail on a bike. No sweat. Go for it.
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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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| Quote: | Originally posted by Ramon
Went thru there a few weeks ago. 4 bikes, 2 full size 4x4 trucks. The trail right out of Mikes is tore up pretty good. Rutted, off cambers, wash outs,
boulder strewn..... totally doable with a higher clearance truck and 4wd helps for sure. Storms last year added to an already rough trail. The trucks
blew 2 sidewalls on Mickey Thompsons and we had 1 tube to change out mid trail on a bike. No sweat. Go for it. |
You see, that is the 'can-do' spirit we need here on Nomad!
John, put the Taco in L4 and lock the rear differential in front of Mike's bar... If your Taco is an '09 or newer Off Road TRD 4WD, turn on the A-TRAC
instead of the locker (for turning ease and front traction, too).
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irenemm
Senior Nomad
Posts: 623
Registered: 7-16-2009
Location: vicente guerrero, baja
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Mood: relaxed
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astrobaja was here this past tuesday. we talked about the road up to his place and up to the top all is good.
He did not say anything about rancho meiling or mike's
if i hear from him i will tell him to post
go for the adventure life is short.
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John M
Super Nomad
Posts: 1921
Registered: 9-3-2003
Location: California High Desert
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Thanks Irenemm
Where is "his place"
Above Meling Ranch?
John
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wessongroup
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 21152
Registered: 8-9-2009
Location: Mission Viejo
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Mood: Suicide Hot line ... please hold
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Just took your trip, on the computer of course....
Great job, thanks for all the work..
Really interesting adventure for me.... thanks again...
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TMW
Select Nomad
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Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
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John M Astrobaja's place is off the Observatory road just past the Meling Ranch at KM 68 called La Concepcion about 2 miles from the hwy. From Mikes
Sky Ranch if you go left when you cross the water the turn off is 6 miles turn left for another 4 miles to his place.
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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Ramon
Went thru there a few weeks ago. 4 bikes, 2 full size 4x4 trucks. The trail right out of Mikes is tore up pretty good. Rutted, off cambers, wash outs,
boulder strewn..... totally doable with a higher clearance truck and 4wd helps for sure. Storms last year added to an already rough trail. The trucks
blew 2 sidewalls on Mickey Thompsons and we had 1 tube to change out mid trail on a bike. No sweat. Go for it. |
Sounds to me like some road building is needed. Ken and his Jeepsters are the ones that should lead this cleanup. Excess rocks can be loaded in DKs
truck for landscapingwith the sprinkers.
Well Ken, are you going to wear out that Jeep on the SoCal hwys are doing good work in Baja?
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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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