Baja Asylum Run '06....Baja or Bajaj?

gaspipe · 02-21-2006, 08:00 PM

Baja is just one of those mystical places of which a rider can never get enough. Faintly reminiscent of an addiction, riding across the open desert of Baja feeds, and proliferates, an insatiable thirst of which I can never be satiated. The elusive feeling of being at peace with my demons while roosting the sand roads of life permeate my soul when I am in the vast, empty expanses of the Vizcaino desert.

My personal and professional life conspired to thwart me of my annual exploration of the terraceria less traveled in Baja. However, thanks to Lasvegasrider, Leewildwater, Gypsyrider, JumpingChollo and Ibarra for rallying my mindset - reminding me that things happen to you for a reason. You can let the circumstances of life control you, or you can control them. I choose the latter, and luck be damned. As such, in the 11th hour, I chose to pursue the convoluted path of irresponsibility, and the road of adventure and challenge. I chose the magic of Baja, rather than the slow death of asphyxiation in the endless morasse of everyday life.

I chose Baja.

Lee set out from North Carolina on Monday eve, and we set course for Calexico early Tuesday morning from Casa de Gaspipe. We'd never ridden together before, however, we met after I put on a presentation of riding Baja last year at the Horizons Unlimited meeting in NC. We motored west and ended up in Amarillo, TX the first night. Lee and I became great friends during this journey west, and laughed our way along. We never even turned on the radio.

Amarillo, TX.

Why are there three bikes with us? More on that later. Ibarra had a rather difficult crisis arrive on his doorstep, precluding him from coming about three weeks before we were to go. The ride almost dissolved entirely. However, the others were determined, and the plans went forward.

Early on Wednesday, as we crossed the Painted Desert of Arizona, we learned that 'Chollo has some immense pressures placed upon him, and couldn't get away. Lee and I motored west, arriving at Calexico - 1,900 miles in two days.

I got busy finishing the prep on my 650R and the 640ADV, needing a new chain on the XR, and some smaller tweaks on both bikes to get them ready to go. Lee and I hit the border, and obtained a Tourist Visa for Lee, and found a cambio to change some greenbacks to some of Vicente Fox's paper. We test packed, and we're ready to roll.

LOWRIDER!

Lasvegasrider dropped me a VM - he was enroute and would be in Calexico in the early evening.

What's left to do?

Oh, yeah......this.....

LVR arrived at ~1900, and we went to work depleting the bar's supply cache. It'd been awhile since LVR and I crossed paths, and a celebration was in order. GypsyRider materialized, and the core was there - and I brought him my 640 ADV to ride.

Morning came fast - it usually does when you CLOSE the bar. More money is exchanged, bikes packed, ibuprofens chewed, copious amounts of coffee consumed....

Then the reality of intercontinental bureaucracy reared it's head, and at the crack of 1300, we got underway

A quick break at La Ventana, and off we go again....

---more later---

CMWoody · 02-21-2006, 08:07 PM

I had no idea you were such an elloquent writer.

Looks like a great ride man, on a great XR to boot. Staying tuned.

rokklym · 02-21-2006, 08:10 PM

This is gonna be good! I can't wait.

richard cabesa · 02-21-2006, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gaspipe

---more later---

It's later now

gaspipe · 02-21-2006, 08:21 PM

Itineraries are a concept I long since abandoned in my journies through Mexico. The more rigid and ambitious it is, the more disappointed you shall become. Before we even left the US, we were on our heels. I love it.

Through the laguna seca and onwards to La Ventana we went. I'd hoped to get an early start this day, and ride west out of Mexicali to La Rumorosa, then on up into the pine forests to Ojos Negros, but that wasn't meant to be. Maybe Mike's or El Coyote for dinner and a bed? Nope. Not gonna happen. We had to slab it south to San Felipe

A quick stop at La Ventana for some totopos and water, and we're off again.

San Felipe isn't one of my favorite places. Not that it's a bad place, it just more SoCal than it is Baja, at least to me. But it is a nice place to put your feet up, sip a beer, have a fish taco, and watch the tide do it's thing.

Funny how life's headaches seem like a bad dream already.....

Pass me a menu, we're not going much farther today now anyway.

My boots unbuckled, belly full, I watch the tide go out. I've never stayed in SF before. Seems like tonight will be that first time now.

Life's good for me in this place.

----more----

drex · 02-21-2006, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Been waiting for this ever since you started building the XR. Sweet! I'm heading for Baja this weekend for a quick jaunt.

gaspipe · 02-21-2006, 08:38 PM

Baja!

But we're sorely missing Ibarra and 'chollo......a ghost rider image for those less fortunate......

We saddle up, and head a bit south of the main drag to find a place to rest our bones tonight. After a brush with the law

we found some good digs, and burrowed in for the night.

Rooms secured, a walk on the beach is in order. Watch the sun go down, explore the tidal flats, enjoy the sea.

Lee and LVR getting into being here. Relax doods, it only gets better from here on out.

We ate lunch late, so dinner wasn't required. A couple beers, some totopos y salsa, and we're set.

Traveling light is my schtick. Socks and riding shorts washed and drying on the bike is a daily event, at least when water is available.

Drifting off to sleep, visions of sugarplum faeries....errr....XR650R's dancing in my head....

---more later---

lasvegasrider · 02-21-2006, 08:44 PM

Our lives seem to exist to serve those around us - our clients, our families, our modern commitments. This all changed a few years ago when I once again immersed myself in riding. In short order riding evolved into something far more relevant - adventure rides of exploration, and sharing my newfound obsession with those that shared the passion.

The backcountry areas of Baja, removed from the ordinary urbanized tourist locations, has become an obsession for some of us. I hope you like this little tale of our trip to that magical land.

Our pre-ride planning had several unexpected twists, and our pac of seven was quickly reduced to four riders, with a late arrival by Jeff Jones planned by in no way certain to occur. I had my XR650r all ready to go and then DMV needed another form to supplement the title work processed in December 2005. On Tuesday, the 6th of February, I was advised that it would take a week or so to get everything in order - NO XR650r for Baja , as my departure from Las Vegas was in less than 48 hours.

Damn, I was pissed. My KLR650 was in need of a full overhaul, and I had no choice but to push it back into service One More Time. Hell, it was blowing a quart of oil into the airbox every 500 miles by the end of the Sierra Madre ride in October, the shock and forks are shot, cracks, leaks and bent rims add up to one tired ride.

Screw it, I thought - I am GOING!

more in a bit...

lasvegasrider · 02-21-2006, 11:44 PM

All joking aside, my trips to Mexico start after the border. All the planning, or lack thereof, begin to pale in the light of the Experience. I treasure the moment of passage.

Ok, back to my storyboard

Jan Marc has some paperwork to do and I find this vagrant near a government tourista office... I move closer... Ah hell, its one of our gang!

Lee "Bob"!

1pm and we are FINALLY in our beloved Baja - the urban zone must be put behind us quickly, so we get serious and ride south toward the back country....

Jan Marc on one of Bruce's KTM 640 Adventure's -
yup, its prepped, including the suspension..

Lee on his well prepared XR650r gets with the post-border program.

Bruce, Lee, and myself, on the Exxon Valdez KLR650 OilSpewer

Lee keeps the naps to a minimum - only indulging in them while riding

Tramming on da Slab - Oh, just a little longer....

The three of us with heavy hangovers are awakening - Jan Marc played the prior evening out with sodas...

Hey Bruce, we are in funking BAJA Buddy!!

Lee, right back at ya! We will be done slabbing it in short order!

Hey Jan Marc - The slab liner run will not last - Just wait til tomorrow!

Hey me, it almost dirty time!

The haul to San Felipe is well under way and Bruce is still looking for a place to put his boots - sigghhhhh...

San Felipe, meet the BAR gang 06!

OH no! Rice and Beans in San Felipe, Baja, MX. How could so much good come to such a motley bunch?

Jan Marc, Lee and Bruce struggle to consume some mightly fine fish taco platters -
Life is hard guys!~

Low tide, fish-boat lift pickups, and a few dualsport hotrods - Ahhh, yes!

Lee and Bruce check out the fish net and tidal flats outside our hotel..

"What do you think about my Fengbu DualSporter Flipper Slippers Lee? I think they are choking my toes"!

While Lee and bruce discuss footwear, I find ONE fish that the Seagulls have not impaled with their beaks and make a determined effort to save it - ..

It was barely alive, using a small volumn of seawater to flush its gills. Pulling it free from the net while holding it in the seawater was awkward, but eventually I got it into open water, all the while immersing it in various water puddles on the way to let it get some O2..

Bruce and Lee joined up with me at the end of the transplant - I don't know if it made it, but it was moving its gills in the water : shock -trauma?? Well, it was time to head back..

"Hey buddies, they have a BAR on the beach"!

The pace then quickens... to a slow stroll...

Jan Marc was still debilitated form his soda orgy the prior night, so Bruce took charge of soda opening chores for the night.

We were out of the bar in under 30 minutes - It was riding that was on our minds - tomorrow we leave da slab!

Goodnight San Felipe ...

-

Hello Day 2 -

we are hitting the dirt today!!!

more tomorrow...

02-21-2006, 08:00 PM	#1
gaspipe Just a dude.... Joined: Jul 2004 Location: Pickwick Lake, Tennessippi Oddometer: 10,821	Baja Asylum Run '06....Baja or Bajaj? Baja is just one of those mystical places of which a rider can never get enough. Faintly reminiscent of an addiction, riding across the open desert of Baja feeds, and proliferates, an insatiable thirst of which I can never be satiated. The elusive feeling of being at peace with my demons while roosting the sand roads of life permeate my soul when I am in the vast, empty expanses of the Vizcaino desert. My personal and professional life conspired to thwart me of my annual exploration of the terraceria less traveled in Baja. However, thanks to Lasvegasrider, Leewildwater, Gypsyrider, JumpingChollo and Ibarra for rallying my mindset - reminding me that things happen to you for a reason. You can let the circumstances of life control you, or you can control them. I choose the latter, and luck be damned. As such, in the 11th hour, I chose to pursue the convoluted path of irresponsibility, and the road of adventure and challenge. I chose the magic of Baja, rather than the slow death of asphyxiation in the endless morasse of everyday life. I chose Baja. Lee set out from North Carolina on Monday eve, and we set course for Calexico early Tuesday morning from Casa de Gaspipe. We'd never ridden together before, however, we met after I put on a presentation of riding Baja last year at the Horizons Unlimited meeting in NC. We motored west and ended up in Amarillo, TX the first night. Lee and I became great friends during this journey west, and laughed our way along. We never even turned on the radio. Amarillo, TX. Why are there three bikes with us? More on that later. Ibarra had a rather difficult crisis arrive on his doorstep, precluding him from coming about three weeks before we were to go. The ride almost dissolved entirely. However, the others were determined, and the plans went forward. Early on Wednesday, as we crossed the Painted Desert of Arizona, we learned that 'Chollo has some immense pressures placed upon him, and couldn't get away. Lee and I motored west, arriving at Calexico - 1,900 miles in two days. I got busy finishing the prep on my 650R and the 640ADV, needing a new chain on the XR, and some smaller tweaks on both bikes to get them ready to go. Lee and I hit the border, and obtained a Tourist Visa for Lee, and found a cambio to change some greenbacks to some of Vicente Fox's paper. We test packed, and we're ready to roll. LOWRIDER! Lasvegasrider dropped me a VM - he was enroute and would be in Calexico in the early evening. What's left to do? Oh, yeah......this..... LVR arrived at ~1900, and we went to work depleting the bar's supply cache. It'd been awhile since LVR and I crossed paths, and a celebration was in order. GypsyRider materialized, and the core was there - and I brought him my 640 ADV to ride. Morning came fast - it usually does when you CLOSE the bar. More money is exchanged, bikes packed, ibuprofens chewed, copious amounts of coffee consumed.... Then the reality of intercontinental bureaucracy reared it's head, and at the crack of 1300, we got underway A quick break at La Ventana, and off we go again.... ---more later--- __________________ gaspipe [the original] Back in the saddle again.... gaspipe screwed with this post 04-08-2009 at 08:02 AM.

02-21-2006, 08:10 PM	#3
rokklym trail blazer Joined: Nov 2004 Location: Westby Wisconsin Oddometer: 3,754	This is gonna be good! I can't wait. __________________ Save $5 when you join smugmug! use code JMc4DshIbcV5c Unemployment ride in Moab Trans Wisconsin trail Baja 2007 Black Hills Gold www.lonewolfexpeditions.com

02-21-2006, 08:21 PM	#5
gaspipe Just a dude.... Joined: Jul 2004 Location: Pickwick Lake, Tennessippi Oddometer: 10,821	Itineraries are a concept I long since abandoned in my journies through Mexico. The more rigid and ambitious it is, the more disappointed you shall become. Before we even left the US, we were on our heels. I love it. Through the laguna seca and onwards to La Ventana we went. I'd hoped to get an early start this day, and ride west out of Mexicali to La Rumorosa, then on up into the pine forests to Ojos Negros, but that wasn't meant to be. Maybe Mike's or El Coyote for dinner and a bed? Nope. Not gonna happen. We had to slab it south to San Felipe A quick stop at La Ventana for some totopos and water, and we're off again. San Felipe isn't one of my favorite places. Not that it's a bad place, it just more SoCal than it is Baja, at least to me. But it is a nice place to put your feet up, sip a beer, have a fish taco, and watch the tide do it's thing. Funny how life's headaches seem like a bad dream already..... Pass me a menu, we're not going much farther today now anyway. My boots unbuckled, belly full, I watch the tide go out. I've never stayed in SF before. Seems like tonight will be that first time now. Life's good for me in this place. ----more---- __________________ gaspipe [the original] Back in the saddle again.... gaspipe screwed with this post 04-08-2009 at 08:08 AM.

02-21-2006, 08:38 PM	#7
gaspipe Just a dude.... Joined: Jul 2004 Location: Pickwick Lake, Tennessippi Oddometer: 10,821	Baja! But we're sorely missing Ibarra and 'chollo......a ghost rider image for those less fortunate...... We saddle up, and head a bit south of the main drag to find a place to rest our bones tonight. After a brush with the law we found some good digs, and burrowed in for the night. Rooms secured, a walk on the beach is in order. Watch the sun go down, explore the tidal flats, enjoy the sea. Lee and LVR getting into being here. Relax doods, it only gets better from here on out. We ate lunch late, so dinner wasn't required. A couple beers, some totopos y salsa, and we're set. Traveling light is my schtick. Socks and riding shorts washed and drying on the bike is a daily event, at least when water is available. Drifting off to sleep, visions of sugarplum faeries....errr....XR650R's dancing in my head.... ---more later--- __________________ gaspipe [the original] Back in the saddle again.... gaspipe screwed with this post 04-08-2009 at 08:18 AM.

02-21-2006, 08:44 PM	#8
lasvegasrider Scotty, I need more power Joined: Jan 2004 Location: Vegas Oddometer: 2,086	BAR 06 - it was a good one! Our lives seem to exist to serve those around us - our clients, our families, our modern commitments. This all changed a few years ago when I once again immersed myself in riding. In short order riding evolved into something far more relevant - adventure rides of exploration, and sharing my newfound obsession with those that shared the passion. The backcountry areas of Baja, removed from the ordinary urbanized tourist locations, has become an obsession for some of us. I hope you like this little tale of our trip to that magical land. Our pre-ride planning had several unexpected twists, and our pac of seven was quickly reduced to four riders, with a late arrival by Jeff Jones planned by in no way certain to occur. I had my XR650r all ready to go and then DMV needed another form to supplement the title work processed in December 2005. On Tuesday, the 6th of February, I was advised that it would take a week or so to get everything in order - NO XR650r for Baja , as my departure from Las Vegas was in less than 48 hours. Damn, I was pissed. My KLR650 was in need of a full overhaul, and I had no choice but to push it back into service One More Time. Hell, it was blowing a quart of oil into the airbox every 500 miles by the end of the Sierra Madre ride in October, the shock and forks are shot, cracks, leaks and bent rims add up to one tired ride. Screw it, I thought - I am GOING! more in a bit.... __________________ http://www.smugmug.com/ $5 discount code for Smugmug photo hosting is - EPHB80Ym7DR6Q beer Still riding and documenting - business and RE project still rule.

02-21-2006, 08:07 PM	#2
CMWoody Banned Joined: Aug 2004 Location: Hooterville, NC Oddometer: 5,250	I had no idea you were such an elloquent writer. Looks like a great ride man, on a great XR to boot. Staying tuned.

02-21-2006, 09:12 PM	#10
gaspipe Just a dude.... Joined: Jul 2004 Location: Pickwick Lake, Tennessippi Oddometer: 10,821	Day 2 Starts.... Another sunrise in Baja. Don't miss it. They get better and better the more miles you put under your wheels. Don't miss 'em. -----more tomorrow---- __________________ gaspipe [the original] Back in the saddle again.... gaspipe screwed with this post 04-08-2009 at 08:17 AM.

02-21-2006, 09:29 PM	#11
lasvegasrider Scotty, I need more power Joined: Jan 2004 Location: Vegas Oddometer: 2,086	On to Baja Work, WOrk, WORK - Geez, after servicing my clients until noon, I finally get the new chain and tires on the KLR, and it is already 1pm when the garage door closes behind me. Damn, I got to hit it to get to Mexicali - 350 miles is no big deal, but the sun is already setting it sights on the horizon as I approach Needles, CA. And here we go again - chunked! This little jem of tire has dropped 8 of its knobs and I have already pumped a quart of oil out of the motor.. What the hell was I thinking? Well, I go to Autozone, pick up 3 quarts of oil, DECREASE the tire pressure from 32 to 28psi, and go into dragass slow mode and putter on down at a whopping 55mph, in the dark.. Finally, my oil blower is brought to a halt adjacent to Lees truck and the three bikes that do not blow oil like an infant on a choclate Exlax binge Lets go find some BEER! SO, they are Applebees, eh? Man, it better be happy hour! Heyyyy BRUCE! - YAYA, good to see ya too, now lets get a freakin coldone right here! Geez, waitress is so slow I headed to the head to make some serious room for the brew - I am happy about my oil blowers performance so far, and it shows golldamnit! Oh no, Lee is dropping PCP into my freaking beer - Great idea - lets put some in funking KLR too - that petroleum sieve could use some perking up! And then Jan Marc arrives and Lee is rubbing his ear with... SALIVA! Run, Jan Marc, RUNNNN! What a crew - I Luv these Guys! (Lee, Jan Marc, Bruce, and the oil blowers owner) Yup, Lee is flicking nose candy all over the table,,, Ahhh what a night!! Lets have some more gin, and some of those dark beers, along with some light beers!!! Waitress asked us if we were driving -- hell no - we are Crawling back to the Inn - so bring another round of rounds and hurry up about it! Happy hour is running till closing time... Waitress is turning out the lights and give us the check - $150 bucks??? Happy hour prices confirmed??? We walk outside and develop a plan to rob the place using Bruce Lees patented "Folding Arm Skull Wacker" : a move he developed back in kindegarden. Ahh hell, time to go to bed as the manager is still cowering inside Dawn is only hours away and Baja AWAITS! more in a bit... __________________ http://www.smugmug.com/ $5 discount code for Smugmug photo hosting is - EPHB80Ym7DR6Q beer Still riding and documenting - business and RE project still rule.

02-21-2006, 10:04 PM	#13
doyle Sideways moving... Joined: Jan 2004 Location: Zeta Herculis Oddometer: 17,047	__________________ doyle *Got Smugmug? You know you want it. Use code HWkDUhHwGv5Tc for a discount.* thereasonwhyihavenofriends "My aesthetic has always run more towards the whimsical. I love the 240D because, paired with a nice pair of chinos and some tortoise-shell Wayfarers, I look like the middle car in an African dictator's motorcade." -maloryII

02-21-2006, 10:25 PM	#14
lasvegasrider Scotty, I need more power Joined: Jan 2004 Location: Vegas Oddometer: 2,086	Day 1 - Border to San Felipe Oh my GOD its dawn already? Lets do this! Yehawww buddies, we are going to Baja! DAMN, my head is dog kibble gravy - ughhh.. Oh ya, gearing up helps Hey, at least the drueling episodes are subsiding... Lee is doing MUCH better too Bruce mounts up and then droops onto the handlbar - we are so ready to do this! Jan Marc has to sort out his gear and get loaded up... took a bit longer than he thought it would... I feel a bit of facial movement - only took about 6 coffees and a pinched finger in the tie-down rachet Well, I got a bit ansy so I took the petroleum perculator out for a short spin - Geez it was now peeing oil like a little prom queen at a high school keggar - WTF... And to boot, Bruce has gone nappy time - Geez, it was only a $150 bucks of discounted swill, not like we got hammered or anything Hell, I think he is dead! Hey Lee, role over here and check his temp with your anal thermometer! Lee, come on dude, Bruce needs a probe, and quick! Well, Lee checked out Bruce, twice, found that Bruce was alive (it was like an episode of Feces and You - Discovery channel), and Jan Marc got settled into the saddle so we are off to BAJA! Ohhh, my head has improved so much that now, when I lean it on my shoulder ,I cut down the double vision by 5%! more in a bit... __________________ http://www.smugmug.com/ $5 discount code for Smugmug photo hosting is - EPHB80Ym7DR6Q beer Still riding and documenting - business and RE project still rule.

02-21-2006, 11:44 PM	#15
lasvegasrider Scotty, I need more power Joined: Jan 2004 Location: Vegas Oddometer: 2,086	D1 - part2: to San Felipe! All joking aside, my trips to Mexico start after the border. All the planning, or lack thereof, begin to pale in the light of the Experience. I treasure the moment of passage. Ok, back to my storyboard Jan Marc has some paperwork to do and I find this vagrant near a government tourista office... I move closer... Ah hell, its one of our gang! Lee "Bob"! 1pm and we are FINALLY in our beloved Baja - the urban zone must be put behind us quickly, so we get serious and ride south toward the back country.... Jan Marc on one of Bruce's KTM 640 Adventure's - yup, its prepped, including the suspension.. Lee on his well prepared XR650r gets with the post-border program. Bruce, Lee, and myself, on the Exxon Valdez KLR650 OilSpewer Lee keeps the naps to a minimum - only indulging in them while riding Tramming on da Slab - Oh, just a little longer.... The three of us with heavy hangovers are awakening - Jan Marc played the prior evening out with sodas... Hey Bruce, we are in funking BAJA Buddy!! Lee, right back at ya! We will be done slabbing it in short order! Hey Jan Marc - The slab liner run will not last - Just wait til tomorrow! Hey me, it almost dirty time! The haul to San Felipe is well under way and Bruce is still looking for a place to put his boots - sigghhhhh... San Felipe, meet the BAR gang 06! OH no! Rice and Beans in San Felipe, Baja, MX. How could so much good come to such a motley bunch? Jan Marc, Lee and Bruce struggle to consume some mightly fine fish taco platters - Life is hard guys!~ Low tide, fish-boat lift pickups, and a few dualsport hotrods - Ahhh, yes! Lee and Bruce check out the fish net and tidal flats outside our hotel.. "What do you think about my Fengbu DualSporter Flipper Slippers Lee? I think they are choking my toes"! While Lee and bruce discuss footwear, I find ONE fish that the Seagulls have not impaled with their beaks and make a determined effort to save it - .. It was barely alive, using a small volumn of seawater to flush its gills. Pulling it free from the net while holding it in the seawater was awkward, but eventually I got it into open water, all the while immersing it in various water puddles on the way to let it get some O2.. Bruce and Lee joined up with me at the end of the transplant - I don't know if it made it, but it was moving its gills in the water : shock -trauma?? Well, it was time to head back.. "Hey buddies, they have a BAR on the beach"! The pace then quickens... to a slow stroll... Jan Marc was still debilitated form his soda orgy the prior night, so Bruce took charge of soda opening chores for the night. We were out of the bar in under 30 minutes - It was riding that was on our minds - tomorrow we leave da slab! Goodnight San Felipe ... - Hello Day 2 - we are hitting the dirt today!!! more tomorrow... __________________ http://www.smugmug.com/ $5 discount code for Smugmug photo hosting is - EPHB80Ym7DR6Q beer Still riding and documenting - business and RE project still rule. lasvegasrider screwed with this post 02-22-2006 at 08:30 AM.

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