500 miles in Baja

[Matt Pascoe]

A group of old friends and I try to do at least one motorcycle trip in Baja each year, this year we planned a dusy! 500 miles, day 1 - Ensenada to Ojos Negros to Laguna Hanson (pine forest) to Valle de Trinidad to San Felipe. Day 2 - San Felipe to Valle de Trinidad to Mikes Sky Ranch (Back side of Mt Diablo). Day 3 - Mikes Sky Ranch to Camalu to Ensanada.

This year I picked up a great GPS software set that loads incredible detail of Baja into my Garmin. This is zoomed out pretty far, as you zoom in the detail gets amazing:

Day 1
Daybreak at the Hotel Corona, Ensenada:

Gas station in Laguna Hanson (beautiful pine forest, very similar to Idylwild, covered in snow in the winter)

End of Day 1, San Felipe (Sea of Cortez)

Day 2
After leaving San Felipe we crossed a huge dry lake bed. If you didn?t know this gas stop was here, you would never find it. An old Mexican named Jose lives in this plywood shack year round. He keeps cold drinks buried in the ground covered with burlap and ice.

Mikes Sky Ranch. This place is awesome! In the middle of nowhere, motorcycle or 4wd required to get there. Great food, clean rooms and a POOL!

Day 3
After ~300 miles I was feeling pretty done!

Heading West from Mikes - looks like California must have 200 years ago. Nothing but hills and scenery as far as you can see:

Finally made it back to the Pacific near Camalu:

and enjoyed a great meal before finishing the ride up the coast to Ensenada:

I think it's going to be a few weeks before I stop walking bow legged, but what a blast!

This trip could easily be done in a Jeep, might take a few more days, but definately doable. The amount of virgin canyons full of boulders that I saw could keep you busy crawling for the rest of your life. I definatley plan on some Jeep exploring trips South of the border

[TObject]

Wow, for a married guy with kids you sure do get around.

Great trip. Thank you for sharing and for the pictures.

What are the logistics on an expedition like that? You need to have a passport and buy Mexican vehicle insurance. Is there anything else? Did you make any reservations? Do you have to speak Spanish?

[Matt Pascoe]

Sergey,

Heres an email my wife sent me this morning
"A man was walking down the street when he was accosted by a particularly dirty and shabby-looking homeless man who asked him for a couple of dollars for dinner.

The man took out his wallet, extracted ten dollars and asked, "If I give you this money, will you buy some beer with it instead of dinner?"

"No, I had to stop drinking years ago," the homeless man replied.

"Will you use it t o go fishing instead of buying food?" the man asked.

"No, I don't waste time fishing," the homeless man said. "I need to spend all my time trying to stay alive."

"Will you spend this on greens fees at a golf course instead of food?" the man asked.

"Are you NUTS!" replied the homeless man. "I haven't played golf in 20 years!"

"Will you spend the money on a woman in the red light district instead of food?" the man asked.

"What disease would I get for ten lousy bucks?" exclaimed the homeless man.

"Well," said the man, "I'm not going to give you the money. Instead, I'm going to take you home for a terrific dinner cooked by my wife."

The homeless man was astounded. "Won't your wife be furious with you for doing that? I know I'm dirty, and I probably smell pretty disgusting."

The man replied, "That's okay. It's important for her to see what a man looks like after he has given up beer, fishing, golf, and sex."

[Matt Pascoe]

Next year you will be required to have a passport to travel baja. For now, just a drivers license. Mex insurance is a must, speaking Spanish helps allot, but depending on your trip you may never speak to anyone but the gas station attendant.

The peso has stabilized to about 10 pesos to 1 dollar. Makes currency conversion much simpler.

Never travel alone. You should have at least two vehicles if you travel in remote areas. Avoid traveling at night. Pretty much the same rules you would expect traveling anywhere. If you look for trouble you will find it and 99% of the time in Mexico it's alcohol related (gringos do really stupid things after too many drinks).

After you get South of the border towns (Tiajuana, Tecate, Ensenada etc) it is extremely rural and the people are very friendly. I avoid the border towns at all cost.

There are several companies that do SUV tours of Baja. I'd highly recommend going that route for your first Baja expedition (they are very reasonable also). Or, go with someone that has some Baja experience. Biggest problems are getting lost, running outta gas, not knowing where to sleep or eat.

If you enjoy adventurous travel, Baja will keep you thrilled for years.

[Britain]

Mr Baja 500

Cool trip! Really interested in the detail of the software. Been putting off GPS couldnt find good software for BC.

Did you run on the beach while going up to ensendada?

[Matt Pascoe]

Vern, I use the Garmin 60CS (Now called the 60CSx)

The software for Baja came from LB Maps. He offers a "Navigator" map set for $49. This is the one I bought. He also offers Mex govt issued Topo maps for $89. From what I could tell, the topo doesnt have as much street/gas station info. You can call Larry from LB maps directly and he'll explain the differences.

We only rode on the beach for about a mile. Soo smooth and fast compared to the desert. Tide was high and all the points prevented going any distance on the beach though.

[Britain]

Originally posted by Matt Pascoe
Vern, I use the Garmin 60CS (Now called the 60CSx)

The software for Baja came from LB Maps. He offers a "Navigator" map set for $49. This is the one I bought. He also offers Mex govt issued Topo maps for $89. From what I could tell, the topo doesnt have as much street/gas station info. You can call Larry from LB maps directly and he'll explain the differences.

We only rode on the beach for about a mile. Soo smooth and fast compared to the desert. Tide was high and all the points prevented going any distance on the beach though.

Thanks for GPS info, My dad had a house by the coastal area by San Vicente in the 70's. Used to bing him buckets of spark plugs for fishing weights. Mid 70's he got sic and asked me if I wanted the house...I told him no. Sort of kicking myself for that!

[Britain]

Matt .
couple more questions. The software you got once you zoom in does it go topo? Can you post a zoom in pix?

If the software doesnt do topo does the Garmin have the ability to switch between 2 different software?

I find the topo maps can be a big difference in exploring

Thanks!

Vern

[Matt Pascoe]

Heres a zoomed in shot of the area SE of Rumorosa (the area of the sat photo you sent me).

No topo detail. I agree that for canyon exploring the topo maps may be better. I'm not sure how that would work if you loaded both the topo and street maps. I got the impression from Larry that you can do it.

[Britain]

Yeah I think Topo will be needed if your going to explore . That zoom area is pretty bad area. Doesnt show the terra surface.

I think both will be needed. I should talk to Larry to see if he can send a pix of the same area to see if the gov maps are good, if he can. Does he only sell software? How about GPS units?

[NAILER341]

wow, Matt! that looks like a great time. you sure do have a tolerant wife
very nice pics. i cant wait to hear all about this while sitting around the campfire one chilly night in johnson valley

[Robert J. Yates]

Originally posted by Matt Pascoe
This trip could easily be done in a Jeep, might take a few more days, but definately doable. The amount of virgin canyons full of boulders that I saw could keep you busy crawling for the rest of your life. I definatley plan on some Jeep exploring trips South of the border

I am in serious planning mode for just this sort of trip next fall Matt.....maybe we can organize something through the board? Your knowledge would be of immense help as I have never been down past TJ. That trip looked like it was a blast although I can do without the bikes

[Matt Pascoe]

Robert, I thought I heard you might be planning a Baja trip. Next fall, a year from now? You do plan ahead, don't you!

Vern (Britain) has quite a bit of Baja experience also. I don't personally know Joel77, but from what I understand he lives and Jeeps in Mexico. I think if you put up a trip thread you would get ton's of good info.

Bikes vs Jeeps... The similarities are plentiful, but the bikes sure take a toll on the body

[Robert J. Yates]

Eh....not so much planning ahead Matt....more like having to deal with home and work life before I can go wheeling these days.

[Matt Pascoe]

Robert, Heres an article about a cool area in Northern Baja:
Guadalupe Canyon

I believe this is the same area that Vern has spotted some very promising crawling canyons (La Rumorosa Trail)

[Britain]

I'll post some pics of the canyon and area later tonight. Its a good place to camp. Little pricey though. But it certainly putts you smack dab in the middle of boulder alley

The canyon is privatly owned by someone in Brawley. Theres no music or loud parties allowed. Camp sites include BQ, covered hut , pumped up hot spring water into a pool. In Season its it full! Reservations required.

[Robert J. Yates]

I've added that article to my folder

[Joel77]

IMO the best time for Baja is the fall and spring, it's too hot during summer and too cold during winter.

[Robert J. Yates]

I'm shooting for sometime next September (end of the month) early October. I hear you on the weather.

[Britain]

Shoot I spent a couple weekends down on the salada exploring the canyons up to Guadalupe. Cant find the cd's. Well just have to do that again.

Heres a link to some stuff coming down the MX hyw 2

http://britain.connectnet.com/Photog...ico/index.html

This terrain goes south for abot 100 miles and in places just get worse.

Guadalupe camping rates last year was 20usd Monday through Thursday and Friday - Sunday 60USD..ummm sounds like Vegas.....

Temps down in the Salada are pleasent 70 -90. Get up on the mountain can be cold.

[Britain]

Picked up the Garmin 60csx and the LPmap Baja Expenditioner maping. Includes roads and topo. Whats interesting is the LP map is upgraded as we explores like us turn in gps info to LPmaps.

This is going to be fun! I'm ready to run some stuff up on the Rumerosa about 50 miles south of the us border. Lets see.....

[Britain]

I think Matt is right. The LBmap baja topo needs a little work:
No problemo I'll breadcrumb the points as I putt along...

[Britain]

But it will do



No gas stations but I'll find them

The 60csx in my house lets me know where I'm at. way cool!

[Matt Pascoe]

Thanks for posting that pic Vern. I've been wondering how the LB maps topo version looked (supposedly it comes straight from the mex government).

The topo version could be very useful if it had the street version overlayed

[Britain]

I'm going to waypoint roads that are not listed by the topo with google sat, in the areas I'll be exploring. Take a lap top along also.

I breadcrumbed on the way to work today the roads listed are good..so far

Again they update the map as they recieve the gps coord.

[Stu Olson]

Matt....I've got the same Garmin as do you. There are a couple of things that you could try and I think you would be pleased with the results. (perhaps you have already done this....if so, maybe someone else can benefit from it)

#1. Bring up the "street map" in MapSource....the map set that has gas stations, hotels, eating places, etc.

#2. Mark waypoints of those gas stations, motels, etc.

#3. Save those waypoints in MapSource and also upload those points to your GPS.

#4. Load your mexican gov't mapset and send the appropriate sections to the Garmin.

#5. You should now have your "travel maps" in the Garmin and they will show waypoints for all of the gas stations, etc.

Also....you can select various maps from different map sets using MapSource.....and then upload all of them to your Garmin. In MapSource, load a map and select the areas you want using the normal selection process. Now, load another map into MapSource and again select the maps you want. While doing this, you should see a list of map sections building on the left side of the monitor. When you have all the maps you need (or have reached your GPS memory limits), upload them to the Garmin. Consult your Garmin user manual for how select the mapset you want to display.

[Britain]

The newer Garmin and software allow I believe up to 1 gig mem.

Pass me those gas stations waypoints Matt!

first place in baja to check will be here (google earth required)

http://britain.connectnet.com/Photography/TastyRock.kmz

[Britain]

Ran the tracks on the Mexico map to see how acurate...not very.

The US map side was to the tee, the Mexico topo was off a bit.

I know now why Matt up grade his Google Sat. When placing the tracks on the google it was pretty much right on.

What I'll do now is pick the waypoints off Google and then add them to the Mexico topo on the first run.

[Stu Olson]

I've loaded maps into my mapping application and after thinking they were "off", I realized they were using a map datum different than what I normally use and have my software set for.

You can usually see that it is a datum issue if all of your tracks and waypoints seem to be off the same relative amount in the same direction. If the stuff is sporadically off in what looks like totally randoms distances and directions, it is probably just poorly made maps.

[papromike]

Matt, awesome pics... I am going to be driving in the Baja 1000, and BAJA 500 this year...

I cant wait.. I have prerun the course wher you were and its amazing...


I see you stopped off at Coco's Corner and saw Jose... cool guy huh??

he lost his leg a few years back in a car accident, and since then has had that shack with cold beer, free camping. he is an icon on the Baja and everyone stops there and pays their homage..