Team Dead End Rides Baja! (Yes...another Baja RR!) - Page 6

NMTrailboss · 03-25-2010, 08:22 PM

OK, sorry for the delay...and now back to the story!!

February 18th

Morning came quick, but we had a great night sleep at the Baja Cactus. The beds were the best of the trip! We headed to breakfast at Mama Espinosa's and discussed the route to the Pacific. Hoping no further road damage would be encountered today!

Paul looks so lonely!

Breakfast was great as has been the norm in Baja so far.

After breakfast we geared up...

...and fueled up...

...and headed south out of El Rosario headed for the Pacific coast. The fog was still hovering over the coast and was a little chilly for awhile, but soon cleared and warmed up nicely! Should be a good day!!

NMTrailboss · 03-25-2010, 09:37 PM

Several miles south of El Rosario, we were moving along at a pretty good clip with Kevin leading, me running in the middle and Paul close behind me. We came up over a rise in the road and I looked ahead and saw a huge mud hole in the road! I just had time to clutch the front end up and slam through it at top of third gear. Paul came over the rise just in time to ride right through the wave off of my bike and completely drenched himself and his bike!

We rode a couple more miles before we stopped for photos and saw him covered in water and mud. Timing is everything!!

It was cool to finally be riding on a dirt road that was not destroyed by floods!

Cool cactus everywhere in Baja!

We continued for several more miles over rolling hills and finally came to the Pacific coast. What a different body of water from the Sea of Cortez side! Every bit as beautiful in it's own way. Not as deep blue in color, but much more aggressive and powerful. Impressive views!

The majority of this route was along cliffs looking into the Pacific. Not many beaches in this area!

We continued down the road with Kevin leading us through the road intersections with ease. It's cool to have a guide that knows the way!

We crossed a side canyon that allowed us to get the bikes down to the shore below the cliffs and get some photos.

Notice Paul still covered in dried mud!!

Don't see this view in New Mexico much!

This one's for you buggs!!

We rode along with fantastic views all the way as we cruised away from the coast, crossed side canyons, back to the coast and repeat for 30 miles or so. Still had to find a bypass for some muddy sections from time to time.

Even the off coast areas were beautiful.

After about 40 miles we finally had enough space in the tanks to empty the fuel jugs on our waists. It doesn't seem like much, but carrying a gallon of fuel on your belt over rough terrain gets heavy after awhile! It felt good to shed the 8 pounds or so.

And we couldn't avoid taking some more shots of the Pacific while stopped!

A few more shots along the route...

Someone had a good time through here!!

NMTrailboss · 03-25-2010, 10:10 PM

Several miles further, Paul noticed that the handguard mount had broken on his bike!

This prompted a little trail side repair. Time to see if we really planned for any type of repair we could think of or not! The tools came out and Paul went to work on the mount.

I went back to photograph the ocean some more!

Paul still working on the handguard mount...

Finally!! Success!! A perfect trail side repair with some washers and mechanics wire. With a little thought and bailing wire, almost anything can be repaired!

One last photo stop along the coast before heading inland in search of some single track!

Our route now headed east inland from the coast and the scenery changed dramatically in a very short distance. We went from cool breezes along the coast to warmer desert terrain and some of the most fantastic cactus I've ever seen!

These big cactus are Cordon cactus and looked a lot like the Saguaro's of Arizona, except much larger and the arms start from ground level. Very impressive!

There were also Boojum trees which were very interesting as well.

Next, we search for some single track trails through this beautiful desert!

Gordy · 03-26-2010, 07:05 PM

Still tuned in bro. The pics are beeeutifull!!

burque magoo · 03-26-2010, 07:18 PM

I'll second that, great pics Curtis!!

grizzzly · 03-26-2010, 11:13 PM

brewtus · 03-30-2010, 11:10 AM

grizzzly · 03-30-2010, 09:15 PM

[quote=NMTrailboss]

quote]

that is one big cactus

NMTrailboss · 04-07-2010, 08:28 PM

After gawking at the beautiful cactus for awhile, we headed north on the road we were on following Kevin's lead for several miles enjoying the views of the desert. It was an amazing change from the morning running along the Pacific to be cruising through the desert in only a short distance and I couldn't get over the beauty of the desert in this area. Amazing!
After several miles of this route, Kevin slows and stops in the road, looks around knowingly and takes off cross country. Paul and I looked at each other wondering WTF he was doing! He didin't stop, so we took off following him. For several miles, we ran cross country or following cow trails hoping Kev knew where he was going! We ran across some ridges and came to the edge of a bluff overlooking a valley and checked out the view.

We headed down the ridge and across the valley below and followed along a fence for awhile. Eventually we came upon a single track trail and started following it! It pays to know the area!!

Paul's bike decided to take a short nap here after sliding through the rut.

It was great to finally get some single track in after several days of dodging wash outs and dead end roads!

The XR650R triplets!

The single track trail varied in terrain as we went along from hard pack dirt, to sandy sections, to river bed rock and back to hard pack. Beautiful desert scenery all the way through!

Eventually we popped out on a narrow road and headed north looking for the next section of trail called the 15 Mile Trail.

It took a little map research and some looking, but finally we found it! Off we headed down the 15 Mile Trail.

NMTrailboss · 04-07-2010, 09:20 PM

The 15 Mile Trail started out as a smooth, fairly straight, fast and fun trail across the desert. Not as much vegitation at first, but that would change!
It would become much more interesting and challenging when we reached the mountains in the distance.

About five miles in on the trail, we came across this cattle pond in the middle of nowhere! Kevin almost went for a swim, but saw the water and got stopped before getting wet.

We worked around the big mud/water hole and continued down the trail towards the mountains.

Finally, we reached the mountain portion of the trail and climbed steeply up to a small saddle. The decent down the other side was steep and the trail had been eroded from the rains. We managed to decend to the canyon below and found ourselves in one of the most beautiful cactus gardens I've ever seen! It was absolutely breathtaking and unfortunately the photos don't do justice to the colors of the rock mixed with the desert flowers and the huge variety of cactus in this canyon. Kevin blasted ahead, but Paul and plunked along in first gear admiring the beauty of the area and the cactus.

The whole trip was beautiful, but the seven or eight miles of single track through this valley probably sticks out for Paul and I as the most beautiful and memorable part of the trip.

As beautiful as the cactus were along this trail, you surely don't want to run off the trail and into one of these! There's a penalty for every blown corner!!

Mean little suckers!!

Eventually we reached the next dirt road after what seemed like forever to ride eight miles due to camera and scenery stops. We had come out on a good dirt road near the small village of Santa Catarina and headed northerly back to Mex. Hwy. 1 and on to Catavina for the night.

We stopped once more along the highway to get some photos of the rocks and Cardon cactus near Catavina.

Shadows were starting to get long as we pushed on the last 5 miles into town.

One last stop for fuel with Perfecto and we were off to the Desert Inn Hotel.

Time for a cold one and a shower!! What a fantastic day from ocean to desert!!

grizzzly · 04-07-2010, 10:20 PM

izom · 04-07-2010, 11:54 PM

...just AMAZING!!!!

usafric · 04-08-2010, 07:03 AM

I'm in on the next trip no matter what! Looks like a memorable trip.

NMTrailboss · 04-08-2010, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by usafric

I'm in on the next trip no matter what! Looks like a memorable trip.

Awesome!! It's already in the planning stages. Stay tuned!!

Gordy · 04-08-2010, 06:32 PM

The cactus garden is awesome!!

03-25-2010, 08:22 PM	#76
NMTrailboss ^OP Team Dead End Joined: Mar 2008 Location: Albuquerque, NM Oddometer: 4,458	OK, sorry for the delay...and now back to the story!! February 18th Morning came quick, but we had a great night sleep at the Baja Cactus. The beds were the best of the trip! We headed to breakfast at Mama Espinosa's and discussed the route to the Pacific. Hoping no further road damage would be encountered today! Paul looks so lonely! Breakfast was great as has been the norm in Baja so far. After breakfast we geared up... ...and fueled up... ...and headed south out of El Rosario headed for the Pacific coast. The fog was still hovering over the coast and was a little chilly for awhile, but soon cleared and warmed up nicely! Should be a good day!! __________________ NMTrailboss screwed with this post 03-25-2010 at 09:11 PM

03-25-2010, 09:37 PM	#77
NMTrailboss ^OP Team Dead End Joined: Mar 2008 Location: Albuquerque, NM Oddometer: 4,458	Several miles south of El Rosario, we were moving along at a pretty good clip with Kevin leading, me running in the middle and Paul close behind me. We came up over a rise in the road and I looked ahead and saw a huge mud hole in the road! I just had time to clutch the front end up and slam through it at top of third gear. Paul came over the rise just in time to ride right through the wave off of my bike and completely drenched himself and his bike! We rode a couple more miles before we stopped for photos and saw him covered in water and mud. Timing is everything!! It was cool to finally be riding on a dirt road that was not destroyed by floods! Cool cactus everywhere in Baja! We continued for several more miles over rolling hills and finally came to the Pacific coast. What a different body of water from the Sea of Cortez side! Every bit as beautiful in it's own way. Not as deep blue in color, but much more aggressive and powerful. Impressive views! The majority of this route was along cliffs looking into the Pacific. Not many beaches in this area! We continued down the road with Kevin leading us through the road intersections with ease. It's cool to have a guide that knows the way! We crossed a side canyon that allowed us to get the bikes down to the shore below the cliffs and get some photos. Notice Paul still covered in dried mud!! Don't see this view in New Mexico much! This one's for you buggs!! We rode along with fantastic views all the way as we cruised away from the coast, crossed side canyons, back to the coast and repeat for 30 miles or so. Still had to find a bypass for some muddy sections from time to time. Even the off coast areas were beautiful. After about 40 miles we finally had enough space in the tanks to empty the fuel jugs on our waists. It doesn't seem like much, but carrying a gallon of fuel on your belt over rough terrain gets heavy after awhile! It felt good to shed the 8 pounds or so. And we couldn't avoid taking some more shots of the Pacific while stopped! A few more shots along the route... Someone had a good time through here!! __________________

03-25-2010, 10:10 PM	#78
NMTrailboss ^OP Team Dead End Joined: Mar 2008 Location: Albuquerque, NM Oddometer: 4,458	Several miles further, Paul noticed that the handguard mount had broken on his bike! This prompted a little trail side repair. Time to see if we really planned for any type of repair we could think of or not! The tools came out and Paul went to work on the mount. I went back to photograph the ocean some more! Paul still working on the handguard mount... Finally!! Success!! A perfect trail side repair with some washers and mechanics wire. With a little thought and bailing wire, almost anything can be repaired! One last photo stop along the coast before heading inland in search of some single track! Our route now headed east inland from the coast and the scenery changed dramatically in a very short distance. We went from cool breezes along the coast to warmer desert terrain and some of the most fantastic cactus I've ever seen! These big cactus are Cordon cactus and looked a lot like the Saguaro's of Arizona, except much larger and the arms start from ground level. Very impressive! There were also Boojum trees which were very interesting as well. Next, we search for some single track trails through this beautiful desert! __________________

03-26-2010, 07:18 PM	#80
burque magoo master of disaster.... Joined: Feb 2009 Location: nuevo mexico Oddometer: 3,670	I'll second that, great pics Curtis!! __________________ -Baja survivor NMOHVA/RMARiders.org/COHVCO/BRC/AMA/USA-ALL I'm not a Gynecologist... But I'll have a Look... 2006 KTM450EXC/2001 Honda XR650L

03-26-2010, 11:13 PM	#81
grizzzly The Pre-Banned Version Joined: Apr 2007 Location: socorro NM Oddometer: 2,731	__________________ you actually expect people to take responsibility for their actions in today's society?!

03-26-2010, 07:05 PM	#79
Gordy Team Listo Joined: Dec 2001 Location: NM Oddometer: 18,302	Still tuned in bro. The pics are beeeutifull!!

03-30-2010, 11:10 AM	#82
brewtus Buffoonery, Inc. Joined: Jul 2008 Location: Albuquerque, NM. Oddometer: 2,273	__________________ Work hard. Play hard. Team Dead End. The drinking team with a Trials problem. 2-Time winner of the coveted "Best Shenanigans" award at Capt. Rick's annual BBQ.

03-30-2010, 09:15 PM	#83
grizzzly The Pre-Banned Version Joined: Apr 2007 Location: socorro NM Oddometer: 2,731	[quote=NMTrailboss] quote] that is one big cactus __________________ you actually expect people to take responsibility for their actions in today's society?!

04-07-2010, 08:28 PM	#84
NMTrailboss ^OP Team Dead End Joined: Mar 2008 Location: Albuquerque, NM Oddometer: 4,458	After gawking at the beautiful cactus for awhile, we headed north on the road we were on following Kevin's lead for several miles enjoying the views of the desert. It was an amazing change from the morning running along the Pacific to be cruising through the desert in only a short distance and I couldn't get over the beauty of the desert in this area. Amazing! After several miles of this route, Kevin slows and stops in the road, looks around knowingly and takes off cross country. Paul and I looked at each other wondering WTF he was doing! He didin't stop, so we took off following him. For several miles, we ran cross country or following cow trails hoping Kev knew where he was going! We ran across some ridges and came to the edge of a bluff overlooking a valley and checked out the view. We headed down the ridge and across the valley below and followed along a fence for awhile. Eventually we came upon a single track trail and started following it! It pays to know the area!! Paul's bike decided to take a short nap here after sliding through the rut. It was great to finally get some single track in after several days of dodging wash outs and dead end roads! The XR650R triplets! The single track trail varied in terrain as we went along from hard pack dirt, to sandy sections, to river bed rock and back to hard pack. Beautiful desert scenery all the way through! Eventually we popped out on a narrow road and headed north looking for the next section of trail called the 15 Mile Trail. It took a little map research and some looking, but finally we found it! Off we headed down the 15 Mile Trail. __________________

04-07-2010, 09:20 PM	#85
NMTrailboss ^OP Team Dead End Joined: Mar 2008 Location: Albuquerque, NM Oddometer: 4,458	The 15 Mile Trail started out as a smooth, fairly straight, fast and fun trail across the desert. Not as much vegitation at first, but that would change! It would become much more interesting and challenging when we reached the mountains in the distance. About five miles in on the trail, we came across this cattle pond in the middle of nowhere! Kevin almost went for a swim, but saw the water and got stopped before getting wet. We worked around the big mud/water hole and continued down the trail towards the mountains. Finally, we reached the mountain portion of the trail and climbed steeply up to a small saddle. The decent down the other side was steep and the trail had been eroded from the rains. We managed to decend to the canyon below and found ourselves in one of the most beautiful cactus gardens I've ever seen! It was absolutely breathtaking and unfortunately the photos don't do justice to the colors of the rock mixed with the desert flowers and the huge variety of cactus in this canyon. Kevin blasted ahead, but Paul and plunked along in first gear admiring the beauty of the area and the cactus. The whole trip was beautiful, but the seven or eight miles of single track through this valley probably sticks out for Paul and I as the most beautiful and memorable part of the trip. As beautiful as the cactus were along this trail, you surely don't want to run off the trail and into one of these! There's a penalty for every blown corner!! Mean little suckers!! Eventually we reached the next dirt road after what seemed like forever to ride eight miles due to camera and scenery stops. We had come out on a good dirt road near the small village of Santa Catarina and headed northerly back to Mex. Hwy. 1 and on to Catavina for the night. We stopped once more along the highway to get some photos of the rocks and Cardon cactus near Catavina. Shadows were starting to get long as we pushed on the last 5 miles into town. One last stop for fuel with Perfecto and we were off to the Desert Inn Hotel. Time for a cold one and a shower!! What a fantastic day from ocean to desert!! __________________

04-07-2010, 10:20 PM	#86
grizzzly The Pre-Banned Version Joined: Apr 2007 Location: socorro NM Oddometer: 2,731	__________________ you actually expect people to take responsibility for their actions in today's society?!

04-07-2010, 11:54 PM	#87
izom Gnarly Adventurer Joined: Jun 2006 Location: LandofArnoldS./Vienna Oddometer: 292	...just AMAZING!!!! __________________ 03 640 adventure....still lovin it! 82 xr 500 - love those old thumpers http://www.youtube.com/user/izom

04-08-2010, 07:03 AM	#88
usafric Rio Rancho NM Joined: Oct 2009 Location: Rio Rancho, NM Oddometer: 405	I'm in on the next trip no matter what! Looks like a memorable trip.

04-08-2010, 06:32 PM	#90
Gordy Team Listo Joined: Dec 2001 Location: NM Oddometer: 18,302	The cactus garden is awesome!!

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