I left Colorado at about 3pm to head towards Las Vegas where my buddy Ross from MN was flying into. I B-lined it for St. George UT, I knew I would be having a late night dinner here consisting of In and Out Burger. *I made it to Mesquite NV at about 10pm. Grabbed a inexpensive room at one of the Casino's enjoyed a beer and played some black jack for a few hours.
Good By Colorado
Hello UT
The rare occasion I am bypassing Moab....
Day 2. Woke up, breakfast at the casino, a little more blackjack and it was off to Vegas with an extra 80 dollars in my pocket and the room covered by winnings. Picked up Ross at 1230 at the Airport we headed to the nearest grocery store to fill the coolers. *Next was lunch, Yup, In and Out Burger.
We headed south down US-95 and then over to the Glamis sand dunes where we would camp for the night.
Day 3 we woke up early and headed towards the MexiCali border about 40 minutes away. We stopped in El Centro/Calexico on the US side to get some Peso's and a few last minute items at Walmart. Grabbed gas and we were off to Mexico.
At the border crossing we immediately got flagged. Truck full of camping gear covered by a tarp with a weird looking roof top tent looked a little fishy I guess. They had us drive into a giant X-Ray machine, kicked us out of the truck and took the X-Ray. They then quickly had us back on our way which was conveniently right next to the immigration office. (We would have missed this had it not been for getting flagged) *We grabbed our tourist visa’s and headed south down the MX-5 highway.
The plan was to head south off road via the Arroyo Grande to Mike’s Sky Rancho where we would spend our first night. *Unfortunately it was pouring rain with no end in sight. *An arroyo is a dried riverbed so with the rain we would be putting our selves in a flash flood area. *We decided *to head to San Felipe which was just south of the line of rain. *Here we experienced our very first fish taco’s. WOW, they were good. *
We explored San Felipe a bit and then headed back north to access the road to Mikes Sky Ranch. It was still pouring rain so it was a good thing we decided to abandon our off road route. We still had 30 miles of dirt road into Mike’s.
The dirt road was now mud, but I was glad to throw it four-wheel drive, finally, working our way through mountains. About 20 miles in we found another group. They had one 4x4 truck and two 2wd trucks. They asked if we had a strap, which we did, we lent them the strap and they said they would see us at the ranch. *
We would arrive at Mike’s with out issue and a muddy truck. *It was still pouring rain. *We were the first ones to arrive for the day, we poked around and finally found some one. The lady asked if we need a room, and then said room 21 in broken English and then said you will have hot water for the shower in an hour. *We headed up to our room and a worker went sprinting by us, behind our room to fire up the water heater.
There is no power at the ranch, but they do have running water from a well with fresh, pure spring water. At night there is power for a few hours. The best way I can explain this place is that it is straight out of the late 70’s with all original furnishings. But the place is amazingly clean and taken care of. *Pool, bar, and they feed you dinner and breakfast, they cook some awesome food, and I am pretty sure the amazing tortillas and salsa were home made. *What more can you ask for? It’s pretty much the ultimate guys trip destination. Most ride their dirt bike or ATV down to the ranch from the border and use it as a base camp. *
This was *a good section of the road.
Still Raining.
We woke up the next morning to sunshine and another amazing meal for breakfast. We tracked down Mike and paid our bill, they are amazingly laid back here, to the point we had to remind them we needed to pay. We swapped some stories with some of the other guys there and got our strap back. The guy who borrowed the strap said that he first came to the ranch when he was 4 years old when Mike looked at the land when he bought it. He said they have been coming back ever since. He had plenty of stories of awesome riding and crazy parties.
Finally lots of sun!
We took off from Mikes and head back to San Felipe. We got gas and noticed a shack across from the gas station that said Car Wash. I pulled in the muddy truck and asked how much? The gentleman took a double look and politely said, “10 dollars”. SOLD! He went to town with his pressure washer and bucket of soap for about 45 minutes, even crawling under the truck and getting the under carriage nice and clean. *The truck was spotless and incredibly shiny, he explained he used soap with wax in it. Whatever it was it worked well. *I gave him about 20 bucks in pesos for a job well done.
We headed south to Gonzanga Bay on the Sea of Cortez. The views off the MX5 Highway were amazing.
We got to Gonzanga Bay just in time for lunch at Alfonsinas hotel. They claim to have the best fish taco’s. They were good, but I liked the ones in San Felipe Better.
On the opposite side of the bay from Alfonsinas is a camping area where we setup camp for the day/night.
Not a bad view from the tent.
The next morning we packed up to head south and over to the pacific.
The nice new pavement of the MX5 Highway quickly disappeared into a gravel road that did not appear to be maintained. I felt bad for the truck drivers trying to crawl through this road. I put the Icon suspension to use *and the truck was quite comfortable at 40mph soaking up what was left of the road. *This was a bit fast for this road but hey it’s the closest I will get to the Baja 1000….
We took a pit stop at the famous “Coco’s Corner” we met Coco who was hard at work building an antenna out of an old speaker. We had an interesting 15 minute conversation, a cold drink and continued south. *You may want to google Coco’s Corner if you’ve never heard of it… Hard to explain!
Coco’s Corner
We headed south to about 45 miles north of the border of Baja Sur. I had a off road trail I found on Google Earth that lead to a secluded section of the Pacific coast. *The trail was about 15 miles long and I was happy to get off road some more. We had no idea what to expect as I was only going off Google earth. It ended up being one of the best places I have ever camped. *There was nothing for 50 miles north or south. Just miles of *sections of rocky and then sandy beaches and coves. * This must be a surf camp as there was numerous stone walls built up for wind breaks and paintings every where. We were the only ones there now.
On this day we watched the Sun rise on the Sea of Cortez and then watched the Sun set on the Pacific Ocean.
More to come...
Good By Colorado
Hello UT
The rare occasion I am bypassing Moab....
Day 2. Woke up, breakfast at the casino, a little more blackjack and it was off to Vegas with an extra 80 dollars in my pocket and the room covered by winnings. Picked up Ross at 1230 at the Airport we headed to the nearest grocery store to fill the coolers. *Next was lunch, Yup, In and Out Burger.
We headed south down US-95 and then over to the Glamis sand dunes where we would camp for the night.
Day 3 we woke up early and headed towards the MexiCali border about 40 minutes away. We stopped in El Centro/Calexico on the US side to get some Peso's and a few last minute items at Walmart. Grabbed gas and we were off to Mexico.
At the border crossing we immediately got flagged. Truck full of camping gear covered by a tarp with a weird looking roof top tent looked a little fishy I guess. They had us drive into a giant X-Ray machine, kicked us out of the truck and took the X-Ray. They then quickly had us back on our way which was conveniently right next to the immigration office. (We would have missed this had it not been for getting flagged) *We grabbed our tourist visa’s and headed south down the MX-5 highway.
The plan was to head south off road via the Arroyo Grande to Mike’s Sky Rancho where we would spend our first night. *Unfortunately it was pouring rain with no end in sight. *An arroyo is a dried riverbed so with the rain we would be putting our selves in a flash flood area. *We decided *to head to San Felipe which was just south of the line of rain. *Here we experienced our very first fish taco’s. WOW, they were good. *
We explored San Felipe a bit and then headed back north to access the road to Mikes Sky Ranch. It was still pouring rain so it was a good thing we decided to abandon our off road route. We still had 30 miles of dirt road into Mike’s.
The dirt road was now mud, but I was glad to throw it four-wheel drive, finally, working our way through mountains. About 20 miles in we found another group. They had one 4x4 truck and two 2wd trucks. They asked if we had a strap, which we did, we lent them the strap and they said they would see us at the ranch. *
We would arrive at Mike’s with out issue and a muddy truck. *It was still pouring rain. *We were the first ones to arrive for the day, we poked around and finally found some one. The lady asked if we need a room, and then said room 21 in broken English and then said you will have hot water for the shower in an hour. *We headed up to our room and a worker went sprinting by us, behind our room to fire up the water heater.
There is no power at the ranch, but they do have running water from a well with fresh, pure spring water. At night there is power for a few hours. The best way I can explain this place is that it is straight out of the late 70’s with all original furnishings. But the place is amazingly clean and taken care of. *Pool, bar, and they feed you dinner and breakfast, they cook some awesome food, and I am pretty sure the amazing tortillas and salsa were home made. *What more can you ask for? It’s pretty much the ultimate guys trip destination. Most ride their dirt bike or ATV down to the ranch from the border and use it as a base camp. *
This was *a good section of the road.
Still Raining.
We woke up the next morning to sunshine and another amazing meal for breakfast. We tracked down Mike and paid our bill, they are amazingly laid back here, to the point we had to remind them we needed to pay. We swapped some stories with some of the other guys there and got our strap back. The guy who borrowed the strap said that he first came to the ranch when he was 4 years old when Mike looked at the land when he bought it. He said they have been coming back ever since. He had plenty of stories of awesome riding and crazy parties.
Finally lots of sun!
We took off from Mikes and head back to San Felipe. We got gas and noticed a shack across from the gas station that said Car Wash. I pulled in the muddy truck and asked how much? The gentleman took a double look and politely said, “10 dollars”. SOLD! He went to town with his pressure washer and bucket of soap for about 45 minutes, even crawling under the truck and getting the under carriage nice and clean. *The truck was spotless and incredibly shiny, he explained he used soap with wax in it. Whatever it was it worked well. *I gave him about 20 bucks in pesos for a job well done.
We headed south to Gonzanga Bay on the Sea of Cortez. The views off the MX5 Highway were amazing.
We got to Gonzanga Bay just in time for lunch at Alfonsinas hotel. They claim to have the best fish taco’s. They were good, but I liked the ones in San Felipe Better.
On the opposite side of the bay from Alfonsinas is a camping area where we setup camp for the day/night.
Not a bad view from the tent.
The next morning we packed up to head south and over to the pacific.
The nice new pavement of the MX5 Highway quickly disappeared into a gravel road that did not appear to be maintained. I felt bad for the truck drivers trying to crawl through this road. I put the Icon suspension to use *and the truck was quite comfortable at 40mph soaking up what was left of the road. *This was a bit fast for this road but hey it’s the closest I will get to the Baja 1000….
We took a pit stop at the famous “Coco’s Corner” we met Coco who was hard at work building an antenna out of an old speaker. We had an interesting 15 minute conversation, a cold drink and continued south. *You may want to google Coco’s Corner if you’ve never heard of it… Hard to explain!
Coco’s Corner
We headed south to about 45 miles north of the border of Baja Sur. I had a off road trail I found on Google Earth that lead to a secluded section of the Pacific coast. *The trail was about 15 miles long and I was happy to get off road some more. We had no idea what to expect as I was only going off Google earth. It ended up being one of the best places I have ever camped. *There was nothing for 50 miles north or south. Just miles of *sections of rocky and then sandy beaches and coves. * This must be a surf camp as there was numerous stone walls built up for wind breaks and paintings every where. We were the only ones there now.
On this day we watched the Sun rise on the Sea of Cortez and then watched the Sun set on the Pacific Ocean.
More to come...
