Baja, the Long Way

[Mcgee]

I'm still hanging on and enjoying every bit of the way! I've been to many of the places you are reporting on and loving the memories. Keep up the good work.

[HardWorkingDog]

Originally Posted by Mcgee

I'm still hanging on and enjoying...

Nice! As the trip nears its completion it's hard to avoid feeling rushed...the pull of home is starting to call, whether 6 days or 6 weeks. But there's still some discoveries ahead.

[HardWorkingDog]

Day 34, 2/2/13
Bahia Concepcion to Rancho Piedra Blanca



That evening we sat on the sand as the sun went down and were treated to an LED light show...the snowbirds along our
stretch of the Bahia enjoyed creating light sculptures with twinkle lights strung along the fronts of their camps.





We fell asleep to the gentle sound of the Sea of Cortez lapping near our feet.




That morning I woke with the dawn, my tent glowing orange. Almost every day in Baja begins with a
great sunrise, but I think this was the queen of all sunrises, at least for our trip.





Just spectacular.





Today's goal was to get some miles in--we wanted to get back to our friends at Surf Camp and spend
a few more days with them before our trip ended--and we still had a long way to go. The destination I'd
planned was Rancho Piedra Blanca, another place I'd read about here and at bajabound.


We weren't expecting to really find anything there; at this point of our journey we'd found that the best
places were found, not planned and so as we rolled out of Bahia Concepcion we knew that we had
a few options if Piedra Blanca didn't pan out.


We followed Mex 1 north through Mulege--that name is just plain fun to say: Moo La HEY--and along
the coast to Santa Rosalia where it turns west towards San Ignacio. The road is very enjoyable as it
sweeps past the volcanoes and up and over the backbone of the peninsula.





We pulled into San Ignacio, filled up at the Pemex and once again stocked up at the tienda there.
It was Saturday afternoon and the market was the place to be, full of people, busy in a good way.


We slogged on northwest along 1, painfully aware of the saddle as the road became straighter,
bulling its way through the central plain and eventually we found ourselves in Vizcaino where we
filled up our tanks again. We'd made good uneventful progress, now we could indulge ourselves.


Just beyond Vizcaino a dirt road angles off of Mex 1 towards Punta San Francisquito and
Bahia de Los Angeles, we were ready to get off the asphalt and ride some good ol' dirt.





A fun ride, not too difficult to navigate although there were several intersections and mazes. We'd
become used to finding branching roads that eventually all come back together, usually the branch
has been created to get around some obstacle or another. A good mix of sand, rocks, washboard and
dust. We were having a great time.






When planning this trip I'd spent a fair amount of time trying to locate the Rancho. It wasn't easy, as the
people who I found who'd been there hadn't marked its location carefully, so I'd placed a waypoint as
a guess based on things like "yeah, it's about where that creek on the map crosses the road, right where
it reads '21.2'..." We were about a 1/2 mile from my waypoint when we see a weatherbeaten sign for
Rancho Piedra Blanca, round a small spur and there it is.







We ride up amongst people on horseback, small girls hiding behind fenceposts, dogs running and
barking------not sure if this is the right place. Is this Rancho Piedra Blanca? Can we camp here?

Si, Si!!





It is one of the best memories of the trip. And one of the reasons I wish I could have spoken better
Spanish. As near as I can tell it is a family-run ranch, with cattle, horses, herding dogs, the works.
They've built a few casitas on the upper edge of their homestead along with a very nice bathhouse
and separate toilet building. There's a big palapa with chairs and a table, a barbecue, places to camp
and a HUGE dining room.

The owners are very friendly, curious and it would have been so much more enjoyable to be able
to converse with them, but all we could do is stumble along in our poor Spanish, use some sign language,
and lots of laughter.





They prepared us a delicious meal of carne asada burritos, and when we'd plowed through one plate
fixed another until we were stuffed.





There were some good-looking rock formations nearby so my son took his bouldering shoes and went
off in search of some climbing





while I sat in the lawn chair





and watched a young man practice his roping skills on a calf, helped by a dog or two.





One of the men had made sure to light the water heater as soon as we arrived and we took advantage,
I think we turned it into a sauna, but we simply couldn't help it.





The perfect Baja day.

[Tim H]

Originally Posted by HardWorkingDog

Hey Tim H------is this Tim H as in rmd Tim H, Idaho Spodefest Tim H???

I'm.......honored that a mere 5 years after joining, MY report was the cause of your first post.

I won't let you down.

Yep, that's me.
I followed Deeney over here, then Tami passed through briefly on her way to CafeHusky, but it's kind of like driving past a car wreck: you just have to look. I've bitten off many, many replies over the years, but folks around here eat their young if they dare speak against the adv line, so I've kept it to myself (that is a personal record, by the way).
Loving the report, envying the trip. Looking forward to the rest, too.

[HardWorkingDog]

Originally Posted by Tim H

Yep, that's me...Loving the report, envying the trip. Looking forward to the rest, too.

Well, cool! Say hi to the rest of the clan. That reminds me, I need to fire up my newsreader and see if it'll still jiggle bits--kinda rusty

I think WoodsChick is still kinda miffed though.

[Tim H]

Originally Posted by HardWorkingDog

Well, cool! Say hi to the rest of the clan. That reminds me, I need to fire up my newsreader and see if it'll still jiggle bits--kinda rusty

I think WoodsChick is still kinda miffed though.

"Hi's" will be delivered. Not much to be seen at rmd even if your newsreader blows out the cobwebs and works perfectly. They seem to have really managed to kill rmd off this time.
I think Tami will get over it. I can always distract her by bringing up her telescope, or talking about riding out of the Sawtooths (Sawteeth?) with her on her hose-clamped-together Pampera, or following her out of Gifford Pinchot with her tweaked knee, or helping her out when she beat the hell out of herself at Butterfly Lake up by Stanley, or, well you get the picture. Plus, I've even replied to her reports on Cafe Husky without regard to my personal safety in posting to a Husky site while riding a GasGas. Hell, I even attended a CafeHusky ride at China Hat without a single Husky. Hopefully we'll be all right.
Tami? Still love you , lady. You know that.

Tim H

[Butcho]

Great job on the report. Got our sleeping bag liners and tried them out on the living room floor, {still winter here} They are super cool. Thanks Again!

[HardWorkingDog]

Originally Posted by Butcho

...Got our sleeping bag liners and tried them out on the living room floor, {still winter here} They are super cool. Thanks Again!

Nice! I'm sure it seems like they're too thin to do much at all, but believe in the thermolite! It takes some time to figure
out how to pull it up around your head while inside the bag, but once you get the inch-worm-boogie down you're golden.




Forgive me, loyal readers (sheesh that sounds lame of me )--------going to be
another delay, probably won't have another installment for a week or so while we take family
to tour Death Valley.



There's a week left, 1200 miles or so to get home. It's been an amazing trip so far..........

[Ratman]

HWD, I can relate to that road northeast from San Jose de Comondu. I took it back around 1990 in a Baja bug. Back then the road was well defined, but the locals had stopped using it a few years back judging from it's condition.

The road was on the AAA map back then.....and shouldn't have been. They don't upgrade those maps very often. Like never!

I was in my Baja Bug with a companion. If I'd known what I was getting into, I'd have never gone that way. As you did, I felt very vulnerable out there.

Congrats on the successful transition of that route. You guys rock.

[NSFW]

Originally Posted by HardWorkingDog

Nice! I'm sure it seems like they're too thin to do much at all, but believe in the thermolite! It takes some time to figure
out how to pull it up around your head while inside the bag, but once you get the inch-worm-boogie down you're golden.




Forgive me, loyal readers (sheesh that sounds lame of me )--------going to be
another delay, probably won't have another installment for a week or so while we take family
to tour Death Valley.



There's a week left, 1200 miles or so to get home. It's been an amazing trip so far..........

charles, hurry up before the natives get restless.

well done rr and enjoyed each post.

have fun in dv. you're a week ahead of us, we'll be there last weekend of march. you will miss the spectacle of watching 200 noobs doing what they do best....

hey ratman....being one of the founding fathers of this event, come and join us.

[HardWorkingDog]

Originally Posted by NSFW

...well done rr and enjoyed each post.

have fun in dv. you're a week ahead of us, we'll be there last weekend of march. you will miss the spectacle of watching 200 noobs doing what they do best....

Thanks, dude!

It's not a coincidence that we'll be there the week before

[stevodadevo]

Great report! Thanks for sharing.

[HardWorkingDog]

Thanks, stevodadevo-----I'm back, had a great but too short time in Death Valley.

Will get back on the report tonight...until then here's Lippincott, with Saline Valley in the background:

[RHrider]

Charles, great meeting you at Panamint Springs. Jennifer is starting to read your report.... I think she is hooked and doesn't even ride dirtbikes!
Take your time on finishing, I can wait

[HardWorkingDog]

Originally Posted by Ratman

HWD, I can relate to that road northeast from San Jose de Comondu...If I'd known what I was getting into, I'd have never gone that way. As you did, I felt very vulnerable out there.

Congrats on the successful transition of that route. You guys rock.

Wow, thanks Ratman. That's exactly how we felt, I'm glad my report was able to reflect some of that Baja
sense of......alertness.....to the situation.

Originally Posted by RHrider

Charles, great meeting you at Panamint Springs. Jennifer is starting to read your report.... I think she is hooked and doesn't even ride dirtbikes!
Take your time on finishing, I can wait

Say hi to all, RH! What a great coincidence to meet up there, I'm really glad I saw the D36 sticker and took
the chance to stop by and talk. Hopefully we can find a way to ride together soon.