Deeper into Baja Part 2

Remote beach south of Bahia Asuncion

The weather ended up running us out of Ojo de Liebre so we opted to break camp and head south towards Vizcaino and then turn west towards the pacific side of Baja to the little town of Bahia Asuncion.  From there we'd be back on dirt and follow the coastline to Punta Abreojos.  I was in Bahia Asuncion last year and had planned to do the coastline to the south but got really ill after eating some bad fish taco's at a little road side stand.  It was a miserable few days afterwards and I knew I was going to die in Baja! I survived and was looking forward to exploring the remote coastline that I missed last year and reminded myself to bypass the same fish taco stand this time around.  We stayed in Bahia Asuncion for one night and then worked our way down the coast spending one more night out before returning to pavement in Punta Abreojos.  Remote area as I remember only seeing one other group camped in this section which was about 40 miles along the coast.  Main reason it's not crowded is having to deal with washboard roads from hell. In places, it is really bad and will beat a rig to death if you don't air down or slow the hell down. Other than some small fishing camps there isn't much here.  Miles and miles of open terrain, sand dunes and beautiful beaches.

 Coyote encounter

Sunset from camp along the pacific side

Miles of remote coastline

Mission in fishing village of La Bocana

After hitting pavement again we were headed for San Ignacio which is a small village located about halfway down the peninsula of Baja and is genuinely unique.  It's like taking a step back in time as the pace of life is slow & the people are friendly. San Ignacio should not be missed if in Baja.

 San Ignacio Mission (founded 1728)

Our end goal was to cross the Sierra el Cuchillo Range, spend a couple of nights in the mountains, before ending up in the village of Mulege back on the Sea of Cortez side.  We had also seen some ruins on our maps that we wanted to investigate.  Neither Wayne nor I had been up in this area and hoped we'd be able to get through.  We had heard conflicting reports as to whether the route was doable. Waynes rig is certainly more off-road worthy than mine but he was also pulling an adventure trailer which can be a problem if you end up somewhere you can't easily turn around.  This would all have to wait due to some legal problems! While walking around the town square I look over and a rotund Mexican cop is writing a ticket on Waynes vehicle.  This turned out to be very entertaining for me as Wayne was instructed to follow the police to the village station.  I followed a few minutes later and when I enter the station he's pleading his case to the police & administrative personnel in the station about how he is an innocent tourist and was being taken advantage of.  Not sure any of them understood a word of English but they either felt sorry for him or got tired of his begging because he eventually got the fine down to $100 pesos (about $6.00 American). Started at around $1000 pesos! Of course, as we're leaving I informed his captive audience that he was a bad hombre! One of the ladies found this funny and looked at me like I'd lost my mind. I'm sure the term "loco gringo" was uttered numerous times after our departure.  Only thing that could have been more entertaining would have been if they'd of locked him up for the night and I would have had access for pictures! I will concede that it was a total bullshit ticket and they simply saw a gringo rig and probably needed some beer funds for the day.  Where he was parked was not marked in any way.  I enjoyed the whole ordeal and of course,  gave Wayne a hard time for weeks afterward. 

San Ignacio town square and the crime scene.

The bad hombre!

After Wayne escaped the clutches of the police we headed for the hills. As it was getting late we eventually got off-road and looked for a place to camp where we ended up simply stopping at a wide spot as the sun was setting.

Petey doesn't like to stop this late and called it quits for the rest of the evening

Following morning as we were headed towards the mountains we ran across a local rancher and asked him about the road going over the mountains. With the language barrier, I reverted to pointing on the map showing what we were wanting to do.  He simply smiled, waved his hand and stated "no mas".  The road was not passable and in fact, gone in places.  We got out of him that even a motorcycle could not make it all the way over to Mulege. I doubted that a bike couldn't get over & we debated going up and checking for ourselves but in the end, decided to turn around.  It would have been another long day had we driven up towards the pass and then not able to get over. We talked about it in camp that night and regretted not to have at least tried it. Next time, I'll see it for myself before turning around. 

The "no mas" rancher.

We worked our way back out to pavement with a stop to check out a DC-8 dozer that had been abandoned in the middle of this dirt road.  Some engine parts had been stripped and it appeared to have been there quite awhile.

After dodging Caterpillars and cows we headed down through Mulege where we set up camp for an extended stay in Bahia Concepcion.

Petey ensuring it's safe to continue

More to come...................................

Deeper into Baja

After laying up at Pancho's place I continued on the track south to San Francisquito where I again ran into the group camped on the beach. It was here that I met Wayne and we decided to join forces and travel together for a while as we both wanted to get off the beaten path.  Wayne and I left the following morning and headed east to pop out back on pavement just south of Guerro Negro.  

 Sunset at Puerto San Francisquito

 Beach at San Francisquito

Road heading back out towards Guerro Negro.

On our way out we decided to take a a little detour into the small fishing village of El Barril.  Not much here but we did go down to the docks and check out the mission.  Not really sure it's worth the drive in here as the road is pretty bad and overgrown in places.  After spending maybe an hour in town we backtracked and kept heading towards Guerro Negro.

 Docks at El Barril.

 Little village of El Barril with the mission along the ridge.

 Needs just a little work and it will be fine!

 Petey getting his prayers in at the Mission before moving on.

Mission had a weight room.

 Finally popped back out on pavement after a little over 70 miles of  some beautiful scenery albeit with some bad road in places.  Headed into Guerro Negro for supplies and gas.  We got in kind of late so opted to stay at a little campground behind a motel in town.  Certainly nothing like where I'd been camping for the past week but......hot showers, cold beer and a sit down resturant with wi-fi.  After enjoying the civilized life for a night we took off the following morning en-route to Laguna Ojo de Liebre. Our destination after a planned re-supplying in Guerro Negro was Laguna Ojo de Liebre.  A major breeding/calving  lagoon for the gray whales that migrate here every year to give birth.  Wayne had planned to go out on the lagoon to whale watch but the weather moved in along with some high winds so the trip was cancelled and we moved on the following morning.  I was camped here last year for about 4 nights and had the chance to go out and it was a memorable experience.  Well worth the trip to Baja just for this experience alone. If in Baja when the whales have come into the Lagoon (Jan-Mar) I would highly recommend it.

Picture from last years trip.

While tooling around Guerro Negro ran into this guy.  Would have loved to sat around and visited with this character.  Had patches all over his outfit, a cape sewn on the back and a neck scarf.  God only knows what his story is! He was really friendly and I so wanted to hang out awhile but we needed to move on.

Camp at the Lagoon.

To access the Lagoon area you drive through miles of salt flats which are mined. You have to drive through a guarded checkpoint and they have some salt deposits on display next to the guard shack.

A nest about a quarter mile from camp.

Sunset from camp.

More to come..............

Pancho!

Road heading south out of Bahia de Los Angeles.

I don't think the real Baja begins until one gets south of San Felipe which is a few  hours south of the border and I was anxious to get there.  San Felipe is full of ex-pats and still close enough to the border where one feels like you haven't quite made it to Baja just yet. I made contact with the group of Overlanders again after spending a night in Bahia De Los Angeles. While camped out on the spit at the mouth of the bay I watched as they rolled in lost after dark.  The line of rigs drove out on the other side of the marsh where I was set up missing the turn off for the spit, turned around and went back into town to find an established campground.  I tried signaling them but as I was doing so I kept asking myself, do I really want them to come out and camp where I'm at?  I had a beautiful spot all to myself and the thought of 8 other rigs setting up next to me was.....not so good.  I stopped signaling and watched their tail lights disappear back to the south.  At least, I made the attempt. Following morning,  I left Bahia De Los Angeles and headed south along the coast.  Once leaving the Bay of LA area it's dirt and some four wheeling  for about the next 125 miles or so until you pop back out on pavement just south of Guerrero Negro.  Destination out of Bay of LA was a little fish camp called San Rafael(some drone footage at the end of this posting).  I had been on this road as far south as the fish camp previously when down with a group of friends on motorcycles many years ago and wanted to stop and spend some time there before moving further south to San Francisquito.  Although San Rafael is depicted on the map it's really nothing more than a beautiful beach with a plywood hut where a character by the name of Pancho lives.  There are times when fisherman use the beach to launch their Ponga's but no village or town. It's located about 30 miles down a dirt road south of Bahia De Los Angeles. Pancho has lived here for the past thirty-one years and hasn't been to town for the past 5 years. As you can imagine he leads a very simple lifestyle out here with no electricity or running water.  He does have a solar set up which provides him with some lighting.  I ended up spending a few days here, one of which was New Years Eve. Dining and drinking with Pancho was a New Years I won't forget.  The locals call him "Correcaminos" which translates to RoadRunner.  Everything he does is done at double speed.  He scampers around just like one. I enjoyed the few days I spent here hanging out with Pancho.  He's a character and if you're ever down this way stop stop in.  Great beach, good campsite and hanging out with Pancho is worth the trip alone.  If you bring him some Tequila or dog food, you'll be a friend for life.

Of course, before leaving town I had to stop for some fish taco's.

Drone view of Poncho's place.  

Camp at Poncho's place.  A beach that goes on for miles with no one on it.

The man, the legend.....Pancho.

Morning coffee with Pancho.

Pancho preparing a little dinner for the New Year celebration. Some tostada's, tequila and cold beer.

Pancho outside his bedroom.  He told me that he spent 2 days holed up in the old camper during the last big hurricane that came through a few years ago.  Stated he didn't think he was going to make it as he was sure he was going to end up in the ocean. He had it tied down with some old nylon rope.

A short walk from camp back into the desert.

Bumped into another bike traveler, Ian, who had ridden down from Canada and was headed down to the tip.

Whale bone washed up on the beach just below camp.

Petey was glad for a few days rest and the weather was really starting to warm up.  The warmer the better for Petey.  

 Estuary near camp that had a lot of birds.

Met a guy from California who was flying a very nice drone set up and he was nice enough to give me a couple of clips that he shot one morning while I was camped at Poncho's.  Thought I had written his name somewhere but can't seem to find it. Click on the links below to view.

Drone footage at Pancho's

Drone Footage at Pancho's Part II

More to come................................................................................

Live and Learn

I was already breaking one of my cardinal rules while on another roam about.  A schedule!  I had been on the road for less than a week and I had to be somewhere on a set date.  A big no-no in my book. I never make reservations and just go where my mood strikes me at the time. I had agreed to meet up with 8 other Overlanders that I had been in contact with via a forum on the internet I follow and had to be in Yuma on the 27th of December to rendezvous with the group prior to crossing the border.  As I was working my way south towards the border I was questioning my decision but convinced myself, with the help of Tiffany, that it would be good for me to travel with a group.  Security, meet new people, share the experience, etc., etc.  What a crock of shit that turned out to be.  To put it bluntly, traveling with a large group is torture. I'll take the solo or maybe one other rig route anytime.  Traveling in mass is like herding cats, each with their own special quirks.  Now, I'm sure I've got my own quirks but good god. All members of the group were nice enough guys/gals but unless you really know everyone, and know them well, traveling as a group is for people who want to socialize and not explore.  I like to seek out some solitude, get back in out of the way places, and encounter the locals in hopes that some adventure will follow. Rolling up on a locals little ranchero and their Mexican family with 9 other rigs and they think they're being invaded by a herd of Gringos. I definitely prefer the solo route.  Damn the security and socializing.  I really knew it wasn't going to work out when on the first day, Petey, whose pecker is maybe two inches off the deck, took a piss on one of the rigs tires and the owner of said rig admonished Petey and then, you're going to love this, proceeded to wash it off with a water bottle.  Understand, we're in four wheel drive off-road rigs in the desert, in Baja, and said driver is worried about a little dog piss on his friggin tire. If you've been to Baja before you know that every time you stop numerous stray Mexican dogs descend on your vehicle and begin to mark it as their own. So you can understand my amazement as I'm standing there watching this and thinking.... you've got to be shitting me, he's actually washing that tire off?  A later discovery revealed that one of the group didn't want to get mud on his rig! For gods sake, why don't you just set up in an RV park somewhere. It was almost comical to me that someone with an off-road rig had this mentality. Following morning, I took off on my own but had second thoughts and waited for them in Gonzaga Bay. I convinced myself I was waiting as I was actually sitting around talking with some locals at a little store when the group came rolling in.  I realized I shouldn't have waited and opted to move on and camp solo that night. I would run into the group about 4 days later after being solo where I met and became friends with one of the group, Wayne Long and his dog Ike, who is from the Calgary area.  Wayne and I left the group but ran back into the group remnants, as most had already turned north to the border, at Bahia Concepcion where we camped for about 6 days. Wayne has become a real friend and is a great traveling companion as he's well prepared, has a laid back personality, is open for any type of adventure, is a great cook and doesn't mind all my stopping for pictures.  Plus, he puts up with my giving him a hard time about his tent camper, among other things.  More on that later. He also doesn't give a shit if Petey takes a piss on his tire and damn sure doesn't mind getting his rig a little dirty. We've had some adventures, met some interesting locals and seen the real Baja as we've been off-road in some of the more remote sections.   Had we stayed with the group there is no way we would have had the adventures we've encountered. This is my fourth extended trip to Baja and it has been my most memorable so far. Anyway, this starts the first segment of my roaming around Baja.  I'm way behind as I crossed into Baja on the 27th of December.  I just haven't had the time or availability to wi-fi to keep up but hope to catch up soon.

Wayne and his pal, Ike.

Camped in a canyon on the second night out.  Shared it with a couple out of Vancouver who had quit their jobs, sold everything and were taking a year to bicycle down to the tip of South America.  Sat around a campfire that evening over some cold beer and discussed their travels to date.  Nice couple who I hope to keep in contact with to hear more about their travels south.

 Cier and Michele from Vancouver

 Camp visitor early the following morning.  These guys are a major concern for me down here with Petey.  That can become pretty brazen and some seem to have no fear of humans.  I've had a couple come right into camp.  Petey would be a nice snack for one of these guys if given the opportunity.

Appeared a truck had gotten stuck out on the flats at low tide outside of San Felipe.  With the tide at the high mark the truck disappeared.  Not a good day for whoever owned this rig.

 Cloud formation that evening.

 A dog's life in Bahia de Los Angeles

 Walking Petey out on the point near camp in Bahia de Los Angeles

 Old prison just south of Bahia de Los Angeles

More to come..............................