Maine Riders

More people do that than I ever realized. I've talked to quite a few guys over the past few years that spend winters there. Most of the guys that spend the winter months there are retired, which obviously makes it a lot easier as far as having the time. But, I've also been surprised by how many people I've had contact with that store a bike out there somewhere and fly out there for trips as often as they can. Until I started spending a lot of time riding out there I didn't realize how many people are actually pulling that off. All kinds of people - from all over the place. Some from far away like us, and some from places not that far away like CO who stash a bike in AZ and go ride when they can in winter months. Some have a house out there, some have their bike stored at a bike shop, some have their bike in a storage space, and some have a friend or relative that lives out there. I've met some pretty interesting people. Last month I met a guy from Alaska who spends winters in AZ - he had to be in his mid 70's - said seven years ago he rode his bike down and left it there. Now he's got a K1100 and a KLR in AZ. He's had a bunch of beemers over the years and looked at my 1100GS like it was an old friend - had one just like it and wishes he still had it, but likes the 1200GS he has in Alaska now. We had a nice chat, I got an invitation to Alaska, and I couldn't help but smile watching the old guy zip away on the K-bike.

I don't think many of these guys actually rent houses out there because they don't stay in one place unless they're retired and spending the winter maybe - most fly out and ride off somewhere. If you think you'd like to spend a month somewhere warm in the winter and do some riding I'd consider renting a house in Baja - a lot of people rent houses in Baja during the winter months. Personally, I'd probably never do it because I'd rather be traveling all over Baja than staying in one area.

I've found that there's one thing all these people have in common - there's no place they'd rather be riding than the southwest. One other thing I've noticed is that a lot of these guys are very well-traveled - they've been all over the place and have all kinds of stories to tell. Always wish I had more time to talk to them.

thank you sir

Boom.

americans can't own that property without creating a "trust"...i've already looked into it. it's called a fideicomiso.

I certainly hope they were insured, where else are we gonna get 93 octane now?

That is probably why there is a $200/month land lease on that place. It does mention a " gringo" community. I didn't look TOO closely

I haven't been able to find 93 around here for a couple of years. My 200xc-w likes the good stuff.

In my travels in Baja over the past few winters I've met several US & Canadian citizens that own homes in Baja. And many others who rent homes there for the winter. I believe many of the coastal homes are owned by foreigners like us. There are also many US & Canadian citizens running businesses there. There are properties for sale or rent all over Baja. Many people from the pacific northwest and western Canada winter in Baja. I've met several older folks (people in their 70's) who have been going to Baja all their life. I've learned a lot talking to those folks.

Racing fuel accelerates burning of landmark Maine store
"It's toast,' says the owner of Webb’s Store, also known as Water Street, on Route 127 in Randolph.
It took firefighters from Randolph, Pittston, Farmingdale and Gardiner about 90 minutes to control the fire and another 90 minutes to put it out. Crews had to contend with 10 five-gallon containers of racing fuel stored inside the store. Five of them caught fire and intensified the fire tremendously, Fire Chief Ron Cunningham said.

The racing fuel, coupled with propane fuel tanks outside the back wall of the store, initially kept firefighters from attacking the fire from inside. Cunningham said firefighters focused part of their effort on keeping the propane tanks cool.

Store owner Dan Kilmer said the store, which employs six people, was insured.
He said he plans to rebuild. I’ve still got my tanks and my pumps, Kilmer said. That’s the most expensive part of the operation.”

i absolutely agree its possible. the property previously linked is a coastal home (within 32 miles of the coast) and therefore part of the "restricted zone" defined by mexican government. i believe this also includes 64 miles from any border (notably the US border). in order to do so you need to setup a trust. more info here.

i believe there was an effort underway (started in 2013) to possibly relax these restrictions but i didn't follow up. as much as i'd like to own that mulege home, i don't think i'd be able to get to it more than once a year for a couple of weeks. the price tag for that home is cheaper than parking spots in NYC.

Yup. I only get so many vacation days a year. But now if we could get internet access there... hmmm.... I could work remotely...

the closest international airport is in Loreto (LTO) - i just priced a ticket. $3,600! holy cow. so that leaves Cabo or San Diego as potential airports to fly into.

as an alternative fly to SAN, pick up bike from storage and ride down. the 'fun' way would be 2-3 days of riding. the slab would be about 11 hours. cabo is about 8 hours from mulege.

sadly my firm doesn't have a 'work remotely' policy or i would have been gone from this hell hole long ago!

http://goo.gl/maps/ARxc7

That, right there, is an airstrip. And I'm working on my pilot's license....
How much bike gear can you put in a Mooney?

kind of redefines "fly-n-ride" doesn't it?

Sorry I meant to say $500 a WEEK. My bad..... but still cheaper than a hotel.

Just a reminder to attend this Saturday's meeting in Augusta.

Door prizes will be awarded. Dinner @ 5PM and meeting @ 6PM.

There are a number of airstrips in Baja. A couple years ago I met an older gentleman from California at Alfonsina's (Gonzaga Bay - another dirt airstrip) who was a pilot and said he always used to fly his plane into there years ago when he was renting a house on the beach. And when I was down there this year there was a small plane parked at one of those houses. Unless you're flying into La Paz or Cabo, I imagine you'd pay a small fortune to get flown into one of those little airstrips in the middle of nowhere. There may be an airstrip at Gonzaga Bay, but there's no town - one small store and one gas station, a couple dozen rental homes on the beach, and Alfonsina's. Like a lot of places in Baja, there's no water, no electricity, no internet. Every house has a small water tank up high and they buy water from a truck, they all have solar for (limited) power, and some have a dish to get some tv/internet signal. But, the view of the bay is outstanding, the people are great, life is simple, there's great riding nearby .... and Coco's is just up the road a bit.

Although there are cities at both ends of Baja, a large portion of the 1,000 mile long peninsula is a sparsely populated remote area with a scattering of small villages and a few small towns here and there.

but the sandwiches start at $30 and go up from there.