Lewis and Clark, et. al - 2 months and 8,000 miles in a FJ40.

[tglaser]

I'm back in my home in Austin, Texas and like a lot of folks who take the time to something like I did, am slowly returning to something of a daily routine. The days on the road run together looking back, so I'll do my best to put things in order and tell a few stories and post a few pictures along the way...

First, let me introduce the rig. A 1969 FJ40 mostly original condition - factory F engine, 3 spd transmission, power steering, disk brakes, rear locker, and that's about it. No speedometer, no odometer, no A/C. This metal box on wheels was to serve as my room and board for 8 weeks from Austin to LA to the southern end of Baja, up to British Columbia and back. I ran dual fuel tanks - I figure about 375 mile capacity on full. Roof rack on top for a bag and a jerry can - also to sleep on when the weather's right. Ended up doing about 8,000 miles in 8 weeks and crossed into 3 countries.


Rough sketch of the route attached below:




My Dad decided at the very last minute to ride along with me as far as San Diego - see me off and also help ease his own mind about the trip. It was great to have him along that far and we got to spend to time together that otherwise wouldn't have happened. Here's a shot of us the morning I set sail.

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Lots more to come - may be a day or two - but it'll happen. Stay tuned folks.

[cruiseroutfit]

[x32792]

Subscribed and looking forward to your RR with lots of photos.

[tglaser]

OK - from the beginning. This trip started out as a 2-3 month tour of Mexico - I planned to climb as many of the 4000m+ peaks I could near Mexico City and then loop back to Texas in time for deer season. Backup plans didn't exist from the beginning - they were conjured up as the days rolled on. The plan was to make the trek with my dog, Chico, and there was a possibility of my girlfriend meeting up somewhere along the way. Plans were vague by design. I tried to quit my job before I left, but was given the option of a sabbatical-type arrangement for three months and went with that. That means I still have health insurance in Mexico. Nice.

So fast forward to the day before I left - all my packages had come in the mail - bags were packed - Chico was fresh on vaccinations and papers were in order. I got in touch with my Dad about 8 o'clock that night and laid an offer on the table - told him if he could be packed and ready by 07:00 the following morning he could co-pilot the first leg of the trip (he's retired and can entertain such things) - it'd be good for us to spend some time together - and he's also the most meticulous person I've ever come across - figured that'd come in handy as we're running the cruiser full out for about 1300 miles to Southern California - needed to find the weak spots before I hit the border. So he jumps aboard - we say our goodbyes - and by nightfall that day we're in Van Horn, Texas - still a couple hours south of El Paso, but certainly a healthy run for 41-year old vehicle. I figured 4-5 hours of driving a day but Dad and I pushed it to close to 8 that day followed by two more days of 10+ hours of driving. I think I was just excited to finally get underway that I didn't want to dilly dally getting to the border at TJ.

Van Horn, Texas



Quartzsite, AZ



Cruiser update - before I left I had it buttoned up best I could - no leaks, lots of factory-new parts, and loaded down with tools/spare parts. By no means a full restoration, but I made sure the main systems were intact and knew the rest would figure itself out along the way. By the time we reached the CA/AZ border, I'd sprung a rear axle leak and deduced that I was losing vacuum advance somewhere. I knew a cruiser shop in Burbank so with more frequent stops now - for checking the fluid level in the rear axle - we changed course and headed in a more northerly direction. Got to the shop close to lunchtime and by sundown that evening had everything back together. Drove to San Diego - my launching-off spot - and stayed with a friend of my Dad's. The next morning, it was decided, I was going to hit the border at TJ with my fingers crossed.

[BEVAN]

Cant wait for the rest of this one...

[FourByLand]

Patiently waiting more!

Love the Cruiser. She looks solid! And what a great photo of you and your dad!

[mires]

Subscribed! I sure hope you have pics to go along with your story.

[tglaser]

"The first condition to understanding a foreign country is to smell it." - No idea of who's quoted saying that, but it's true.

Passed into Tijuana with two, no three things in mind - needed to (1) stop at the border and get square with the Immigration folks, (2) locate a cash machine and (3) get the hell out of there. The border crossing ended up being cake and the cash machine could elude me for only so long - got both of 'em whipped in less than an hour and even got the assistance of some Muni police officers to boot. Couldn't have been easier.

An hour or so later and I'm in Ensenada. I'd heard and read about this town -and was already beginning to feel like I was getting into the "real" Mexico. I'd read trip reports of folks who had opted for the Cuota (toll) road while it was available but I had some silly notion of wanting to connect with the locals as much as possible on this trip - prompting me to take the Libre road like the common folk in Mexico do - and looking back on it, I say this to you - Take the Toll road. There may be times on a trip when you can eat the local dish, or partake in an unusual custom to gain a little cred in a foreign place, but not with this. The locals just stared as they looked down at my rig bouncing all over the "Free" road from up above - on the Toll road - where they had a great vantage of all the potholes coming up in front of me - all could have been avoided for about $3USD.

I feel like someone's looking at me. I look up. Damn sure is. It's Jesus. A 300' tall statue of the man who has his hands full with a people gone awry. Baja was already a place of stark contrast. This place reveals so much in the opening few paragraphs - all the history told and the scars worn with pride. It's hope without optimism, but hope nonetheless. With a great big, plaster Jesus watching over it all.

[tglaser]

Plans for the day were to reach a small ranch near the pueblo of Camalú and base there for a couple days while I explored the San Pedro Mártir National Parque. The roads between Ensenada and Meling Ranch looked like this:







Unbelievable. The colors down here are full of life - the mountains around me were dramatic and calming in the same breath - they seemed to understand why it was that I was here in the first place. The ranch was an hour and a half off Mex 1 and about an hour this side of the Park. No cell service - no internet. But what they did have was a family-run operation complete with five or six spare bedrooms, swimming pool, horse-back rides and a home cooked meal ready at seven o'clock on the dot. There were places to camp - the front yard - and I met some really interesting small families on vacation from the San Diego area. They had cold beer and the makings for smores so we became quick friends.

The next morning I was the first one awake and packed up my bag and my dog and started up toward the top. What Beatrice (the owner's wife) described as a quick, 20-kilometer drive ended up being a treacherous stretch of very steep, deteriorated road that led to the Park and the Observatory, just below Picacho Del Diablo. The road had been broken into many pieces by the ice storm of the previous season. Many places where a sneeze could mean life or death. It looked like this:







I lucked out and was able to take a tour of the observatory - very interesting and although it has never been on purpose - I've been through quite a few of them in my day - I may end up being an accidental astronomer one day. While up on top I was able to see 7 of the estimated 180 or so California Condors alive in the wild today. Massive, powerful birds. Binoculars and camera were handy, as well my jacket 'cause it was mighty cold up there - for Mexico, anyway. While I was up there I also got my first peek at the peak - and man, was it serious. Only about 10 1/2 thousand feet, but rough - that could be seen with the naked eye. Not what I wanted to get into my first day or so into the trip...

[Rot Box]

Oh wow Can't wait for more!