Page-1 Heidi and Tom do another season adventuring in Baja Mexico --> This is fun stuff!
The race bike is again transformed back for civilian use with passenger pegs so Heidi can join in on some bike action.
Driving cross country to Mexico we like to try new fun routes. The possibilities are endless.
Chugwater Wyoming! The name just sounds cool to us so we have to check it out. We learn a lot about this area and the towns name. A great joy about traveling with Heidi, we are always exploring and learning.
Our Mexican rental is beyond expectations. The outside patio area is perfect with a view of the Sea of Cortez a mile away and the El Diablo mountains in back. The patio bricks are a little disturbed from the recent hurricane but in no time we have everything sweeted up. We've learned while traveling that accommodations are often not ideal so we come prepared to make it our own. Comfortable lawn chairs are a must so we bring our own. Lighting is important so we always carry a long extension cord and a portable yard light. A few candles and we are set!
San Felipe Day of the dead parade. This has been our home away from home for the second year in a row. Sometimes it takes a while to fully know a location. I think we have San Felipe down now.
San Felipe is a great fishing village right on the Sea of Cortez.
And a fun local tourist destination. We're glad it's not a Cancun still retaining it's origional Mexican charm.
The world famous off road race, the Baja 1000 goes right through where we live. Heidi and I setup out in the desert what we think is a good spot. Oh Yeah!
Helicopter signals the lead motorcycles are near. Super!
We have been watching Mexican doing this for years now, we learn. Everyone is so happy and nice, just great.
We watch the live tracker for people we know so we can cheer them on when they pass. So fun.
This is a popular spot to watch off road racing apparently, a food cart makes it rounds.
Lead trophy trucks coming through. Bikes get a 4 hour lead to lessen the chance of trucks passing bikes.
San Felipe is off road racing central races are happening all the time. We head down to the malecon for the El Jefe 300 contigance. Great fun we see NORRA media friends doing interviews of the racers. Makes us feel at home, just great.
The San Felipe is alive! Race cars, buggies and bikes. A great vibe for our Winter home town.
Coming soon 2023' adventure is still in progress :)
Tom goes off on a Baja motorcycle adventure, solo (a little crazy)
I feel a need to go where I’ve never been, Baja is a good place for that. The time is now before I’m out of time, life has an expiration date.
Last year while riding a big Northern Baja loop I found myself unprepared. The XR400r I rode was not equipped to carry anything so no tent or sleeping bag, not enough warm cloths, it gets cold in north Baja. But the big thing was I didn’t know the fuel options and distances on the routes I made. Fuel concerns caused me to wimp out on multiple sweet trails because ‘I didn’t know!’ wha wha! This year I will not repeat.
What am I missing?
Packing List:
Survival:
- Large water bladder.
- Food bars.
- First-aid kit / suture needles, heavy needles, thread, fishline.
- Big bandages / elastic wrap / light cord.
- Space blanket.
- Flint / water proof matches / fire starter sticks / candle.
- Good multiblade army knife.
- Water purification pills.
- Cipro for food poising.
- Duct tape.
- Tie straps.
- Stiff wire.
- Tarp & cord.
Tools:
- Stock Suzuki tool kit.
- Oil change / filter change tools.
- Tire wrench.
- Chain breaker / spare links.
- Small vice grip, wire cutter, mini pliers.
- Zip ties.
- 16oz motor oil.
- Spare nuts & bolts.
- Electrical wire.
- Tow strap & long rope.
Moto Gear:
- Moto jacket / jersey / pants.
- Moto boots / gloves.
- Goggles tinted & clear.
- Light T-shirt.
- Thermals, turtlenecks & bottom.
- Down jacket / scarf.
- Wool socks.
- Backpack / water / food bars.
Camping:
- Tent & sleeping bag.
- Sleeping pad & small pad.
- Coffee bottles x 2.
- Water bottles x 2.
- Canned food tuna/beans/fruit.
- Instant coffee.
- Fire starter sticks.
- Large tin cup & medium tin cup.
- Camp pants & shirt / swim trunks
- Leather moccasins.
- Dome light & headlight /w spare batteries.
- Reading material / glasses.
Personal:
- Hygiene kit / health pills.
- Face & lip zinc sunscreen.
- Bar soap.
- Camp towel.
Electronics:
- Motorcycle GPS with pre-loaded Baja maps & custom tracks.
- Spot-X satellite text and email device /w emergency SOS.
- Android smart phone /w internet hotspot.
- Small android tablet /w Baja maps & track maps /w fuel waypoints.
- Small travel camera & charger.
- Plugin USB charger hub for wall power & for bike battery.
- USB cable type-C and type-micro & extension cable.
Security:
- Bike cable lock.
- Gear cables and padlocks.
- ID, contact info, paperwork, fakes.
- X, Y, Z.
This seems like a lot of stuff but it is minimal camping gear.
The Bike:
- 1990 DR350S Suzuki
- Scotts steering stabilizer.
- Progressive front springs.
- Luggage rack.
- Air filter skins.
- Bib mousse puncture proof tubes front & rear.
- Dunlop desert tires new chain & sprockets /w 1000 miles of wear.
- This bike finished this year’s NORRA Mexican 1000 in Vintage Lites class 1st place.
While preparing for this ride I used detailed Baja travel and adventure maps I found free on a BajaBound.com newsletter. These maps have fuel options not on my other maps, which is huge for this effort. Real or not I made fuel waypoints all down the peninsula along my GPS track.
Next I alter the tracks to center around fuel and make them work with the bikes fuel range. For certain tracks I will need to double back to the fuel once I run through my range. If that’s what it takes to make this happen, so be it!
The Ride
Day one, San Felipe to Bahía de los Ángeles. I’ve done this route many times so I’m looking for other trails and a new place to spend the night. I seek adventure, we will see…
This ride I’m carrying a tent so I’ll be on the lookout for camping spots starting at Gonzaga Bay. I’m finding lots of great camping areas but it’s early, I like to ride until I can’t. I know of a beach north of Bay of LA where windsurfers camp.
I have all day to get to Bay of LA. There is no shortage of trails I have never ridden.
I first stop in town for camping supplies then head north along the bay. I’m stopping about a mile short of where the windsurfer RVs are parked, secluded and comfortable. I can deal with this!
“The gladdest moment in human life, me thinks, is a departure into unknown lands.” – Sir Richard Burton
Day-2: Bahía de los Ángeles to somewhere south in the desert. I’ll be hugging the Sea of Cortez as much as possible. This is a new route for me, what this ride is all about before I’m out of time.
Breakfast and coffee at camp before hitting the road. This is working, it’s a good protocol.
Having good reading material makes it hard to leave this spot.
I need to ride through town again so I load up before hitting the unknown trail. Tacos de Guisado with a view, top notch.
The Baja 1000 race went this way last year, Heidi and I were here! Obviously it’s been graded recently.
Wow what a mixture of great riding, a little bit of everything with lots of deep sand forever and great scenery. I do a side track to checkout Ranch Sanfransqueto. Cool place but it’s still early so I ride on, that’s what I do.
While I was looking at the maps ahead of time I was considering camping here. These buzzards would not budge! I looked over the cliff for a carcass. Not a good feel for camping, and it’s still early.
I pass the grader over an hour ago. Now there are good steep rocky hill climbs and long stretches of deep rutted sand. Fun stuff. I am happy.
I was informed of a place to purchase fuel and to spend the night along this 145 mile stretch, Rancho Piedra Blanca. A ‘Rad’ working ranch as Tim puts it. It looks super inviting and cool but not tonight. I keep riding because that's what I do. Right near dusk I find myself in beautiful desert surroundings. In no time I score a prime desert camp well off the trail. There is a lot of firewood here so I celebrate with a night fire, just for fun.
This was one of the weirdest nights out in the wild ever. First I see a long shooting stars, like the longest ever. Later I see what looks like an alien drone of some sort. This thing moves like a giant firefly and as bright as the brightest planet bouncing around sometimes a quarter mile away then it would scurry to over a mile away, sometimes just above the cactus others it would zoom up hundreds of feet, all the time super bright. Whoa……
Day-3 will be riding through the El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, the center of the Baja Peninsula, the largest wildlife refuge in Mexico. The plan is to find primitive beach camping somewhere past Bahia Tortuga (Turtle Bay) My research suggests RV’ers like to congregate on beaches near or at the tip of this Peninsula. I like to go where others can’t or won’t go, we will see…
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” – Mark Twain
The morning temperatures are ideal with no bugs. This is unheard of in Wisconsin.
Coffee and map reading in the tent is good here.
The best freeze dried camp food ever. I’m not sure of how far the nearest food is so I break out the heavy carbs for the start of todays ride. Perfect!
A small village in the wildlife refuge.
This is great.
On a highway streach before hitting the next off road section I stop to fuel the body, a must do (wink) fantastic!
Heading West towards the tip of El Vizcaíno Peninsula I pass a salt zone. Super cool!
While looking for camp on a side road I cross this wet sand. looks suspicious, vehicles have turned around here.
More deep wet ruts. I keep high into the dry loose stuff.
This looks good. Further up closer to the water I can be seen by the small fishing village a mile away (respect). Here I’m hidden and no bother, paradise. Tent up boots off all good.
It gets dark early this time of year so having activities that use time at camp is important. Zen and Yoga stuff on the beach. Collect firewood along the miles long beach until almost dark. Read motorcycle and adventure stuff with a headlight. Then ending the night tending a campfire is perfect. I try to pack in a beer or two also for times like these. Can deal…
Another great morning drinking coffee, eating, hydrating and planning the days ride. This is totally working.
The goal today is to explore more of El Vizcaíno Peninsula and hopefully discover another pristine beach camp for tonight. Before starting this ride I created several tracks along this coast and inland Peninsula that need to be checked out.
”Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory. ” George S. Patton
While riding along I see a trail down to a water crossing I thought I should explore. Suddenly I have a bad feeling and abort at the last second. My only problem is when I turn around to retreat, I go too wide. OUCH! It’s like the bike is cemented in place and will not budge!
I pull all the gear off the bike, find a good size boulder and place it next to the foot peg. With everything I got I crank and crank the bike over onto its side and pull and slip on my ass several times until I get the rear wheel to pop out of the mud. Then I drag the bike back onto the trail which is firmer ground. Not the type of challenge I was bargaining for but the exhilaration of this victory is still sweet, freaking yeah!
Unreal! The bike is completely covered with wet thick clay mud, I ride through a small costal village and a guy is out watering some plants in his driveway. So kind he hoses me and the bike down for as long as it took, no questions he was just glad to help out. So great!
Mini marts in Mexico often have delicious homemade food in plastic containers at the checkout counter. These empanadas are killer good! My wife Heidi will be jealous, she loves empanadas.
I look close for signs of wetness on the trail today.
Score. I can’t believe these camping spots I find. The sound of waves and birds is intoxicating. And no people.
The beer tastes good tonight. No PM campfire, dry wood is scarce here. Saving the fire for morning coffee.
Continued: ---> Baja Mexico Adventure 2022' Page-2<----