Baja California, Mexico 11/07

RIDGE

Adventurer
Well, my wife, Joey, and I were bummed I couldn't race this year's Baja 1000, so we helped one of the truck teams by transporting our friend, Camo, who was driving in the race on team PIRATE4X4.COM.

Joey
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Camo and me
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We had to take Camo about 500 miles south of the border. Our plan was to follow the race truck all the way to Cabo San Lucas, where the race ended. On our way home, we wanted to take our time, visit with our friend Greg, and see some cool stuff! Well, we got to do just that, and here's how it went down!

This was our first taco stand stop out of Ensenada. They served goat (who knew they were good for more than just cuddling?) and the best tasting Coca-Cola you've tasted in years (if you're from the States). They taste sweeter for some reason, like Coke used to when I was a kid.

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Next stop, San Ignacio. It was 3am and we shouldn't have been on the road. It is a very dangerous road during the day time, but at night there are many drunken locals and semi-trucks on the road. The safest way to travel at night is behind a big-rig. We made it to our destination without incident...this time! Heavy rains had flooded most of the small towns we drove through and the mud was pretty deep in some areas. Here are some pictures of the mission in San Ignacio. Construction on it started in the 1760s and it is still used today!

I don't know what that red signal is above Joey's head. Do you think 'somebody' is trying to tell me something? Hahahaha.
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This was so high up without anything to grab on to, so I made do with what was there.
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When Camo gets in the race truck, the chase crew, as we're called, has to drive like hell to keep up with him; which is just fine with me. Sometimes the chase trucks have to leap-frog pit stops if the race car is going too fast for them. Unfortunately, our team had a problem with one of the chase trucks, so we all had to haul butt! I think our drive through the mountains was more dangerous than being in the race car! What made the mountains so dangerous was Lance, the next race driver to get in the race truck, was not feeling well at all. That left the driver's seat open and I wanted in!!! Here is a short story of what happened next. I pulled this off Pirate4x4.com. Hopefully, you guys will enjoy this!
From Jeff:
"For those that were'nt there;
It was 2 or 3 in the morning. We're hauling [butt] outside of Loreto through the hills trying to keep up with Camo. We had just met up with Chris and Joey (Chase 7) via radio at this point and figured out they are who's in this old E150 van that shouldn't even be this far south in Baja, except for the fact that it's a total "walk away" (if this thing breaks down and you got a backpack and a thumb, you're better off than if you have a toolbox).

So right about the time we hit the windies with cliffs on both sides we find out Lance ain't coming to drive his leg, and discussion of who we're going to put in the drivers seat crackles over the radio. At this point we all have to push even harder to make time. Well, we're running behind the E150, that's E as in E-ticket, and Gerb has his hands full keeping it between the ditches, but I KNOW we're idiots. This guy in the van in front of us is laying down his [effing] resume, sticking corners in a drift and throwing it into the next one hard on the throttle so that the coils bind to get him the control back that the factory 1969 shocks gave up in '74. Now I'm thinking maybe he's Mexican 'cause he's using the road like he pays taxes on it from white line to white line.

We considered backing off as Gerb chirped the BFG T/As a few times in the turns, but decided to race the ETicket to the scene of the accident, so we could watch the whole show.

From my view from behind, I could see clearly through the passengers window several times and noticed that Joey was nowhere to be found. I assumed she must have taken a ride with a sane person. Only when we stopped this petite rocket climbs out of the bed in back of the van rubbing her eyes and yawning. Damn van guys get all the chicks.
__________________
Jeff Mello


From Dave: "...one thing i honestly never thought i'd see in my life was a 60's ford econoline drifting.... talk about impressive to watch, and that your wife never woke up!!!"

Here's a picture of the Jeepspeed race truck.

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Well, I didn't get to drive in the Jeepspeed but I had fun trying to impress them! The team won the Jeepspeed class for the second year in a row.

Joey and I stayed in Cabo for a couple days but we were mostly just planning out our drive home. By the way, it was about 80* and sunny in November! Here is the drive into Cabo, which is obviously under big construction!

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This was a little beach we found near Cabo.

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On our way out of town, we stopped by Greg's house for some van talking, picture taking, and engine tuning good times! My van was so dirty from all of the mud, dust, and road grime of a 1100 mile trip, that we just had to get it washed! Greg washed his too at his favorite car wash. It was a smokin deal at $50 pecos ($5.00 US)! Greg lives on the second floor, which in Mexico, means somebody elses roof...literally! That's his dog standing guard by the stairs. While Greg and I talked and tuned up the van, Joey made us some dinner.

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...continued
 
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RIDGE

Adventurer
Against Greg's advice, Joey and I got on the road...at night. At about 2am, we almost died. I've honestly lost count at how many times I've almost died in Mexico, but hey, I'm a motorcycle racer and that stuff happens. But it's not supposed to happen with your wife sleeping in the back! We clipped an F150 head on. He busted my driver's side mirror off, and I'm guessing his bumper is what grazed the top of the rear fender on the van! I saw it coming but I couldn't slow down because applying the brakes in this old '69 van makes it turn left, and that might have been the end! The breaking of glass down the side of the van actually woke Joey up,...or she saw my life flashing before our eyes and she had a ton of questions! Hahaha. I never even felt the grazing of the fender though, just the scuff marks. We were done driving for the night.

The next day was epic! We drove a lot of miles and eventually got off one of the only paved roads in Baja, somewhere around La Purisma. At one point, we drove 40 miles on a dirt road/trail to a desolate Pacific Ocean beach, where we decided to set up camp next to a wrecked boat that looked like a whale, and it happened to have a Ford 302 in it! The next day we headed north along the beach for miles and miles. I got worried when the differential started dragging in the sand because it was too soft and dry. I lowered the tire pressure to 15psi and made a u-turn! About 150 miles later, we were back on track, on pavement, and heading towards the Sea Of Cortez! The desert is truely beautiful in these parts of the world!

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I have no idea what this was all about. Maybe they were just waiting for more gringos to go night driving.
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If you ever drive to Scorpion Bay, when you see this sign, turn left.
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Robby Gordon wouldn't have anything on me down this stretch of the Baja 1000, especially since we were going backwards on the race course (in true local style!)
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This was our camp for the night. Talk about remote!
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How does that theme song go, "...a three hour tour"?
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continued...
 
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RIDGE

Adventurer
These pictures are on the way back towards the Sea of Cortez.

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You better pay attention down here! These potholes could easily break a wheel or suspension parts at 65mph.
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The scenary changes quickly. The time difference between the next 2 pictures is 20 minutes!
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If you look close, you can see the Sea of Cortez.
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Sometimes, I wish I was in the Porsche! Hahaha.
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The contrasts between the desert and sea are amazing. An amatuer photographer shooting out of the side window at 60mph doesn't do it justice! By the way, if you haven't noticed, we rarely stop!
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The road looks like this for miles and miles south of Loreto.
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Then it's back to this...time for auto pilot!
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You never know who you'll run into in Mexico, an ex-girlfriend, or brothers of an ex-girlfriend; always be on the lookout.
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RIDGE

Adventurer
As we got closer to Mulege, Joey spotted a really cool beach on the Bay of Conception. The cool thing about Baja is you can pretty much drive anywhere, as long as there is a road and it's not private property!
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This little campground is called La Playa Armenta. It is just south of Mulege.
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If you look closely, you can see where the shelf ends. You can walk all the way out there.
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We stopped for the night right after we went through Guerrero Negro, which is the divide between Baja north and south (Baja Sur), and a time zone change. I don't don't know how many miles we drove on the 20th, but it was quite a bit. The next day would be longer!

The reason we were now pushing to get home was to spend Thanksgiving weekend with friends; camping out in the desert! One of the safest ways to drive in Baja is behind a big rig, so here we were at 6 in the morning, doing just that.
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If you ever go to Baja, there are things you should know. In a nutshell, absolutely do not bring a gun or even a bullet into Mexico, don't drink the water, stay away from TJ (Tijuana), cops are bad, military are good, AND BRING RACING STICKERS! Hahaha. Here's a typical military inspection site.

A couple of these guys!
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Then the real thing!
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Then a place to hand out stickers so you can quickly get on your way!
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continued...
 
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adventureduo

Dave Druck [KI6LBB]
Awesome! I haven't seen Camo in years. I remember meeting him when he had the YJ that still looked like a YJ! at the Hammers! Nice drive man.
 

RIDGE

Adventurer
I'm finishing this up now! I should be done in an hour or so. Check the posts above as I have edited them quite a bit!

Thanks,
Chris
 

RIDGE

Adventurer
Well, I guess the truck we were following didn't have stickers because we left the check point while he was still getting his rig inspected. One of the best reasons to follow a big rig is common courtesy. No, they don't respect you, they respect each other, and if you're close enough, you can reap the benefits of it!

This is how the trucks come at you when you are travelling solo! The roads are really narrow.
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Even with him on his side of the yellow, it's still a little nerve racking, especially when you're driving and taking pictures at the same time! Joey was on strike.
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The more north you get in Baja, the more crowded it gets. It's all relative to where you come from, but comparing northern Baja (Baja California) to southern Baja (Baja California Sur), is like comparing Los Angeles, CA to Boron, CA. Yeah, where? Hahaha.
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San Quintin.
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As crowded as it may seem, always carry spare fuel. A fuel stop we counted on being open was under construction and the next station was out of reach. This is us after we had already used up our spare fuel! You could have put an egg on my gas pedal and I wouldn't have cracked it!
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Anyway, just like the rest of Baja there are flat stretches of road that seem to last forever, then mountains that are so steep it makes you wish you were back in the flats!
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Here are some turns you don't wanna miss! There are cars (pre guard rail I hope) sitting at the bottom of these turns!
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The last cool picture on our way home.
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I wasn't too interested in taking pictures of Ensenada or Tijuana. Cities really don't do anything for me. I've travelled to every major city in the US and none of them really impress me as much as the drive getting there. I'm weird, I know! The trips to Cabo and Anchorage remain at the top of my expeditions list so far. Yep, Joey and I drove to Alaska on our honeymoon! That's a story for another day though!

Thanks for reading this and your replies are welcomed! I hope I got all the names correct (I'm pretty sure I did.) If you are planning a trip and have questions, don't hesitate to ask me.

Thanks again!
Chris
 
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efuentes

Explorer
So is pirate4x4.com invading our turf ???. Whats next, mexican guys from Jeeperos.com? :)

Nice trip ... I like the van.

Note to myself. Its the trip not the car, remember.
 

RIDGE

Adventurer
efuentes said:
So is pirate4x4.com invading our turf ???. Whats next, mexican guys from Jeeperos.com? :)

Nice trip ... I like the van.

Note to myself. Its the trip not the car, remember.


No, it's definately the car! I wouldn't have enjoyed it so much in anything else. I actually (obviously didn't plan this) proposed to Joey in this thing!
 

milo12

Adventurer
Looks like a great trip. Thanks for posting pictures.

About the Coke. Years ago Coke was made with sugar cane as the source for the sweetener. Now, in the USA, due to politics, the beet, corn syrup powers got strong so beets and corn became the main source of sweetener. In other parts of the world they still use sugar cane so the Coke tastes better, like you remember it as a kid ( if you're old enough). Also I personally feel Coke taste best from a bottle. Nice cold glass keeps the drink cooler than a can.:beer:
 

RobinP

Observer
RIDGE said:
I have no idea what this was all about. Maybe they were just waiting for more gringos to go night driving.
VulturesbetweenInsergentesandSanJua.jpg

Those are Harris's Hawks - super rare find. They hunt in packs in the desert. Sometimes you can watch them corralling their prey until it tires and one of them catches it.

Anyhow, great photos and writeup - thanks!
 

cpg

Adventurer
RobinP said:
Those are Harris's Hawks - super rare find. They hunt in packs in the desert. Sometimes you can watch them corralling their prey until it tires and one of them catches it.

Anyhow, great photos and writeup - thanks!

I think thoes are just Turkey vultures.



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