April 5th, 2010 | Filed under: Motorcycles, Ride Reports, Travel | RSS Feed
Last November I busted my Baja cherry and enjoyed a solo ride around the northern parts of the peninsula, needless to say it left me wanting more (ride report). Well, it was now some six months on and it was time to go once again, and I was extra excited as this time I was to have a ride mate join me for the adventure. Unfortunately the best laid plans can still be tossed aside when life throws you too many curve balls, and life did just that by offering me not one but three problematic situations to deal with. The first was that work ate up way too much of my time leading up to the trip, meaning I had to leave my bike preparations until the last minute (bad!). That was then compounded by mechanical hassles in getting that preparation work completed (read more), thus delaying our departure by a few days. Finally both of those were trumped by personal issues as my seven year relationship with Ming was put into question, compelling me to hang around hoping to resolve things with her before departing. Sadly that resolution didn’t come and I was simply told to go on my trip and that we’d talk after I returned… Unfortunately all these delays cost us our first whole week of riding time, and ultimately they cost me my riding partner as he stopped responding to my phone calls, forum messages, text messages, etc. So with a heavy personal heart I decided that Saturday was it, one week had been lost and I was damned sure not gonna lose any more time. Here is the tale of that trip, read on and enjoy!
Day 1, Saturday March 27th: San Francisco to Ojai (410 miles)
At long last it was finally time to get outta town so I loaded up my KTM and hit the road, once again bound for Ojai but not knowing exactly how I would get there. The weather was nice and I was quickly lured out to the coast where I would end up staying almost the entire way down. I left San Francisco using Highway 280 but cut over to the hill and met up with Highway 1, going through Pacifica on down to Santa Cruz and beyond. The ride worked out perfectly, there was a reasonable amount of traffic all the way down past Monterey/Carmel but after that I was pleasantly surprised when it began to clear out a bit and I was left to ride along at a crisp pace with an ear-to-ear smile. My thoughts wandered about, thinking about my life, the coming ride and everything in between, I stayed in motion except when necessary for things like gas, small bites of food and the periodic photo stop. That all came to an end when I found myself stopping for a while at “Seal Beach” (more correctly known Piedras Blancas Beach).
My KTM once again loaded up and ready to roll
Panoramic coastal view looking north at Piegon Point Lighthouse (click the image to view a high-resolution version)
Further down the coast I took a break to take in the view
I just can’t enough of the awesome California coast, this time it’s again a view looking back to the north
Self portrait shot, good times!
I hadn’t planned on or even known about this “Seal Beach” until I rode by it. It was a beach with a fence keeping people off of it yet the parking lot was packed full of cars and people peering over the fence toward the waterline, I had to see what was up. I spun around and joined everyone in the parking lot and quickly found out why everyone was there, the beach was crowded with seals, elephant seals to be specific, all lounging on the beach soaking up the sun. I had to stop and watch for a while as I’d never seen anything like this despite being a life-long resident of California (lame, I know)! I hung out a while, stretched my legs and enjoyed the view, and of course took a bunch of photos.
I stopped at a beach (which one?) where there were lots of seals napping on the beach…
…and I mean a lot of ‘em, a panoramic view to show what I mean (click the image to view a high-resolution version)
This guy decided to say waddup, is he throwing up the shocker?! Can’t tell…
After my stop to check out the seals I made my final push on to Ojai, sticking to Highway 1 to somewhere north of Santa Barbara where I cut in-land on some local highway just to mix things up. I found myself pulling into Ojai at nearly 8pm and was tired from a long, but incredibly fun day of riding, and of course starving hungry as I’d really only snacked all day. I found a room at the Chantico Inn & Suites, took a shower and went out for some dinner. It was a perfect end to a great day on the road, the shepherd’s pie and beer selection at The Village Jester were great and I eventually called it a night so I could rest up for tomorrow once again entering Mexico!
Day 2, Sunday March 28th: Ojai to Tecate (296.6 miles)
Day 2 started with “breakfast” (a few pastries, a banana and coffee) at the hotel and then some quick packing/loading as I was eager to get going. Once again I was treated to near perfect weather as I slipped out of Ojai heading south towards Highway 101. I cut across the north end of the “LA Area” (Oxnard, Thousand Oaks, Pasadena, San Bernardino) and then turned south towards La Mesa, it was all less than exciting but on the up-side it did allow me to stop for a tasty lunch at an In-n-Out so it wasn’t all bad. By the early afternoon or so I was riding through La Mesa and out towards the border crossing at Tecate.
Me in Ojai getting ready to roll
Ahhh, good ol’ SoCal slab work… <yawn>
It’s only 30 miles or so from La Mesa to the border and I was soon at the border where this time I would stop for a pre-crossing photo. I snapped that photo, climbed back on my bike, rode approximately 150 yards during which I was once again waved into Mexico without even stopping and stopped to exchange my dollars for pesos. The crossing into Mexico is so ridiculously easy, I’ve yet to actually have to even put my feet down when going into Mexico! Of course the same can’t be said for re-entering the USA…
¡Bienvendios a Mexico! Ok, just the border but c’mon…
After stuffing my pockets full of pesos I left Tecate heading east about 10-15 miles where I pulled into Rancho Ojai, a great place to stay whether camping, wanting a cabin, in a RV, etc. I asked about a camp spot and just like last November I was quickly offered a cabin for $20 instead, the normal price being $60. I took the cabin offer and settled in, taking a quick hour nap before heading back into Tecate for dinner. I went right back into the center of town as I had a specific restaurant in mind, one I ate at last trip as well. Once again their food (a carne asada plate) was delicious and the double-dose of Tecate beer refreshing.
First I secured a cabin out at Rancho Ojai (east of Tecate), once again they gave me a great deal…
…then I went into Tecate for dinner at the town’s central square…
…where I met up with this lil’ guy (son of the restaurant owner), we chatted in Spanish and he was cute as can be
After filling my belly with tasty Mexican food I made my way back out to Rancho Ojai, stopping along the way to grab a couple of tall-boys to sip on back at the cabin. I drank my beer, looked over the map and guidebook I had and eventually went to bed content to once again be in Mexico. I knew that tomorrow would bring the real start to this trip as I’d finally grab a little Baja dirt!
Back at Rancho Ojai I enjoyed a few tall boy Tecates before nodding off to sleep
Day 3, Monday March 29th: Tecate to El Rosario de Arriba (292 miles)
I knew that a long day lay ahead of me, one that would finally offer some dirt, so I woke up early and quickly got on my way after some coffee, a power bar and a little route planning for the day. I knew that my target was either Eréndria, or if I had the time and inclination, all the way down to El Rosario de Arriba, but I hadn’t yet sorted out exactly how I’d get there. I set out east on Highway 2 and rode to Rumorosa where I topped up on gas and turned south in search of Laguna Hansen, finally gettin’ a bit dirty.
Time for the morning route planning session
Heading south from Rumorosa in search of Laguna Hansen
The ride south out of Rumorosa is easy for the most part, there are occasional patches of sand, a few rocky/steep sections, but overall it was all easy to handle even for me and I’ll admit I still feel like an off-road noob. The ride obviously put a smile on my face as I rode south looking first for having crossed into Parque Nacional de Constitucion de 1857, and then after that a turn-off for Laguna Hansen.
Panoramic view of the terrain north of Parque Nacional de Constitucion de 1857 (click the image to view a high-resolution version)
Yes, I’m excited to finally be enjoying some time off-road
Another panoramic image just before entering Parque Nacional de Constitucion de 1857 (click the image to view a high-resolution version)
I’m stoked to have reached the entrance to Parque Nacional de Constitucion de 1857
Entering the park things finally started to get a bit wet with numerous “puddles” like this one, but no real water-crossings
After entering the park (translation: after riding past the sign and a boarded up ranger hut) I plodded along and soon realized I wouldn’t need to look for a turn-off for Laguna Hansen, instead it just appeared there on my left. I pulled up to the shore of the lake and took in the view, sitting there all alone for a good 20-30 minutes relaxing in the sun, stoked to be sitting there after such a fun ride. After my pit stop I mounted up and continued on, heading south and soon realizing two things: (1) the lake is actually two lakes and I was only at the northern one, and (2) that I wasn’t alone at all as just down the way I found about 5-6 families camping/in cabins at the southern lake. Ah well, that faux sense of solitude was enough for me and on I went in search of Highway 3 somewhere south of me.
Me taking a break when I finally reached Laguna Hansen, a gorgeous place where I had the north end all to myself
After hanging out at Laguna Hansen I rode south a bit, then made a pit stop here for a cold drink
Occasionally winter’s damage could be seen, the bridge partially washed out but the locals quickly adapted
Up and over the hills I went, it’s now downhill to Mexico’s Highway 3
The dirt road was much better than before and I was able to ride along at a quick pace, having fun and enjoying the view. But as you can expect the faster pace almost meant a quicker end to the dirt-section I was enjoying and all to quickly I found myself at Highway 3. I turned right, heading west towards and quickly through Ensenada where I continued south on Highway 1. During this stretch of the ride I found myself marveling at the difference in colors this trip (spring) versus my last trip (end of fall). Last November things were all shades of brown and orange, it was dry and parched after the long hot summer as it had yet to really start raining. This trip I found myself in Baja in the spring after lots of rain had been falling and everything was lush and green, offering gorgeous view after gorgeous view along the way.
As I turned west on Highway 3 heading towards Ensenada, I enjoyed the lush green landscape
A photo from November 2009 while stopped along Highway 1 near Eréndria…
…and a photo taken in March 2010 at the same location, notice the intense color changes
As I mentioned earlier I had two possible destinations in mind, either Eréndria or a bit further south, El Rosario de Arriba. I pulled over at the turn-off for Eréndria to go to the bathroom, sip some water and make a decision as to whether I’d stay there or ride on. Luckily it didn’t take long to decide, I could easily reach El Rosario before dark and I just didn’t feel like I was done riding for the day so on I went set on El Rosario de Arriba as my destination for the night. On I road, enjoying the parts I could (sweeping turns, passing traffic by romping on the throttle, etc.) and slogging through the parts I couldn’t (town after town, countless topes (speed bumps) and traffic I couldn’t pass). I pulled into El Rosario and shacked up at Mama Espinoza’s, conveniently also the site of my dinner for the evening (more carne asada please).
While stopped we made eye contact, that made my mind wander to thoughts of dinner…
The reward I gave myself for another great day of riding: carne asada at Mama Espinoza’s in El Rosario
Day 4, Tuesday March 30th: El Rosario de Arriba to Bahía de Los Angeles (212 miles)
Once again I was up early and after breakfast I again broke out my maps and guidebook to make a plan for the day. I quickly settled on Bahía de Los Angeles as my destination, with a side trip out to a place called El Marmol along the way. I topped off the tanks and rode south on Highway 1 enjoy the views (notably the cacti and boojum trees, they are so cool!) and trying to keep an eye out for the turn-off towards El Marmol, a point I also had marked on my GPS so it’s all good, right? Nah.
Another day ready to begin after breakfast at Mama Espinoza’s
Mexico’s Highway 1 winding it’s way south from El Rosario
The cacti (like behind my bike) and the Boojum Trees (to the right) were huge!
A lil’ thorny face with my KTM in the background
As I rode south on Highway 1 I kept my eyes out for any signs along with watching the GPS, especially as I neared the waypoint I’d punched in that morning that supposedly marked where the turn-off to El Marmol is according to the map set I had loaded. Well, the waypoint came along and there was flat out no sign of any road or path, I backtracked a bit to see if I missed it and came up empty once again and so I decided to just keep heading south and see what might happen. Another few miles down the road I came upon some houses with (as is usual in Baja) a hand painted sign that said “El Marmol” with an arrow pointing down a dirt road. Gotta love Baja! I turned down the road and found myself enjoying the 9-10 mile dirt ride out to El Marmol. When I arrived at El Marmol I was less than impressed, especially as the Rough Guide Baja book made it sound so neat. Bah, it offered little more than a pit-stop and turn-around point and I was soon on my way back out to Highway 1.
I was not impressed with my visit out to El Marmol
At least I had fun on the twenty mile (or so) ride out there and back…
…and enjoyed a break sitting in shade of this tree
While heading south on Highway 1 I soon realized I was approaching Cataviña and that meant it was time to keep an eye out for anyone selling gas. The area I was traveling in simply didn’t offer any real gas stations, there was a Pemex back in El Rosario and one down in Guerrero Negro, and according to what I’d read the one out at Bahía de Los Angeles was sometimes open and sometimes not. So while I had enough gas in the tank to make it to Bahía de Los Angeles, I was worried about getting there and then being stuck without enough gas to leave. Luckily Cataviña delivered what I needed, as I rode through town I easily spotted a kind gent selling gas out of the back of his pickup. I topped up on gas and continued on my way, heading south bound for the Bay of LA!
Just to be safe I topped up on gas in Cataviña
Mexico’s Highway 1, speed limit? 80 km/h… yeah right
Approaching Bahía de Los Angeles
Panoramic view looking out over Bahía de Los Angeles (click the image to view a high-resolution version)
I pulled into Bahía de Los Angeles and discovered two things, the first is that it was definitely a small little town, but that it had not one but two open and active Pemex gas stations, I lol’ed at my earlier worries about gas. I rode around town, then to a few campos north of town, but eventually settled in at a hotel along the waterfront right in town. I opted for that as I was once again able to bargain for a good room rate as the place was nowhere near full despite it being a holiday week in Mexico (Semana Santa, all schools are closed). I’d not yet had any fish tacos and now that I was pleasantly along the gulf coast, with a nice breeze coming off the water, I naturally ordered up an order of fish tacos and cold beer. I spent the evening lounging about the hotel, talking with a few other Americans that were there as well as one Mexican family visiting there from Tijuana. All told it was a relaxing end to the day and I once again went to bed with a massive shit-eating grin on my face, good times in Baja! Unfortunately this is the part of the story where foreboding music plays and a voice over says: “until tomorrow…”
Man those fish tacos tasted good!
Day 5, Wednesday April 1st: Bahía de Los Angeles to Bahía Gonzaga (188.4 miles)
I crawled out of bed in the morning and went for a walk along the waterfront before breakfast and my daily ritual of packing and loading up the bike. It was a peaceful way to start what would eventually prove a frustrating, yet in the end entertaining, day on the road. After packing up and I rode north out of town as folks told me that I should at least check out La Gringa, a beach area some ten miles north of town. I arrived at La Gringa and found that it was a pretty little spot at the north end of the bay, I hung out a bit watching some locals wrestle their boat and stuck trailer up and out of the water while sipping a Red Bull and planning my day’s ride.
Panoramic view of Bahía de Los Angeles from La Gringa (click the image to view a high-resolution version)
Ready to roll, leaving Bahía de Los Angeles from La Gringa
Upon leaving town I topped off with gas and set out on my way, my destination for the day being Bahía Gonzaga. I’d settled on a route that had me riding back out towards Highway 1, but part-way turning south into the desert (off-road) towards Misión San Francisco Borja and then out to Highway 1 where I’d turn north. The ride was fun and as I’d read about a bit on the rough side, but for me on my motorcycle it was all very doable and on I went into the desert. During the ride I was amazed once again by the size of the cacti and boojum trees and stopped a few times along the way to snap some pictures. After a bumpy and fun thirty miles (plus or minus, I don’t recall exactly) I came up on the mission and as usual I did so with a big ol’ smile on my face. The mission was out in the middle of nowhere, yet I pulled up to find a few small houses where the caretakers lived, and I was quickly offered entrance to and a tour of the mission by a kind old lady. We got by on her limited English and my Spanish, they let me on the roof where I enjoyed some great views.
Riding south towards Misión San Francisco Borja
Misión San Francisco Borja
Visiting inside Misión San Francisco Borja
A panoramic view from atop Misión San Francisco Borja (click the image to view a high-resolution version)
Me in front of Misión San Francisco Borja
After spending an hour or so at the mission I was mounting up and heading out, I was going to continue on the same dirt road out to Highway 1 and the southernmost point of the ride. I waved at the caretakers on my way out and I looked forward to another twenty to thirty miles of dirty fun. Not a mile or two down the road the rear felt odd, a bit “squirmier” than normal and so I stopped to give it a look. Fuck. It was going flat and I needed to fix it, so I turned around and limped back to the mission so I could park and fix things in the shade (and frankly, around others just in case). I got back to the mission and found myself alone, they’d all gone somewhere, so I settled in the task at hand: unload the bike, remove the rear tire and replace the tube and finally remount the tire and reload the bike so I could continue on.
My quick and sad return to Misión San Francisco Borja, look at that rear tire…
…it had gone flat due to this lil’ bugger…
…which was a screw picked up way out here in the desert, seriously?
I pulled the rear wheel off and set about replacing the tube (I had a new tube with me for the trip)
While wrestling about trying to break the bead I heard something coming up the road towards me, it was a “clippity clop” type sound and I turned around to find some guy riding up to me on horseback. His name was Jose and he offered to lend a hand, and his help made things go a lot quicker. Together we replaced the rear tube, remounted the tire and put the rim assembly back on the bike. After offering Jose my thanks for his help I took a picture with him, I appreciated his help in getting back on the road as quickly as possible. I once again left the mission heading west out towards the highway, at first riding a bit conservatively with an eye on that rear wheel to make sure all was ok, but eventually my confidence was restored and I picked up the pace, having some fun and as seemed normal on this trip found myself simply loving the terrain I was riding through. Eventually the dirt came to an end as I reached Highway 1 and the southernmost point of my trip, from here on out I’d be heading back north towards San Francisco.
Thanks go out to Jose, who rode up on a horse and offered to lend a hand
Back on the road, a panoramic shot heading out to Highway 1 (click the image to view a high-resolution version)
Back at Highway 1, and at the southern most part of the trip, good times
Upon reaching the highway I turned north and began a long-ish pavement ride to the turn-off for Coco’s Corner and ultimately Bahía Gonzaga. The ride north on the highway was and enjoyable scoot with little traffic and nice weather, and after a while I turned east off the highway and on to a dirt round bound for the coast once again. The ride out to Coco’s and Bahía Gonzaga is easy, it’s a rough dirt/gravel road with the occasional soft dirt or sand section, but nothing dramatic. Along the way I passed a few pickups but was otherwise alone until pulling into Coco’s Corner for a visit. I pulled in and parked my bike to find Coco chatting with three Americans, two guys my age and the son of one of those guys (sorry but all names have been forgotten). We all sat there chatting a while, of course sipping a few beers and shooting shit. They ended up leaving first, I hit the road after a second beer, I knew that Bahía Gonzaga wasn’t far off now and I wanted to hustle in the hopes of finding a room at Alfonsina’s, yeah right…
A note about Coco’s health: last time I posted about a visit to see Coco lots of folks asked about his health as he’s been battling health issues for a few years now. I’m pleased to say that he seemed very healthy and even confirmed that when asked. So even with having lost both legs below the knees he’s healthy and kickin’.
Heading off-road out towards Coco’s Corner and Bahía Gonzaga
Me and Coco, hangin’ out (he remembered me from my last visit)
Panoramic shot of Coco’s Corner (click the image to view a high-resolution version)
Fast and fun riding on the way north to Bahía Gonzaga
Panoramic shot of the approach to Bahía Gonzaga (click the image to view a high-resolution version)
I pulled up to Alfonsina’s to find it packed with cars and my hopes of getting a room quickly disappeared. Oh well, I had my tent with me so plan B, not a bad plan at all mind you, was to grab a palapa at the southern end of the beach and camp there for the night. I asked about a room just in case and was of course told that none were available. I ordered a beer before hitting the road and while sipping on it started chatting with Oscar, a father there with his and a few other families for the weekend. Oscar was cool and asked the owner if there really was no space available, between that and the owner seeing my bike and remembering me from my last trip I was soon offered a place to stay: the couch in the office!
Ok, I didn’t end up sleeping on the couch as instead they put me up in what was clearly a second rate room where family, friends and staff sleep, the bathroom was less than complete, there were no power outlets, etc. But no matter, after a quality dinner (camerones al ajillo – yum!) and a few beers while chatting with Oscar and family I quickly fell asleep without any complaints.
Day 6, Wednesday April 2nd: Bahía Gonzaga to San Felipe (108.3 miles)
I woke up relatively early in the morning and decided that I’d start the day with a walk, the tide was low and I walked north from Alfonsina’s along the beach enjoying the fact that I was making “first tracks” along the way. As I looked about it was clearly time for the birds to feast on the various fish that were stranded in pools of water after the tide had gone out, and it was time for the locals to all be out digging for clams and whatnot. All told the walk was a great way to start the day, but my stomach started to growl at me and so it was time to walk back for breakfast. After some huevos rancheros (a classic) and coffee I walked outside and was treated to the site of a low-altitude fly by on the part of a small airplane, they were checking the wind sock and getting ready to land! For the first time in my two visits to this area I was finally treated to an actual fly-in arrival. They were a nice couple from Oregon that had flown down and around Mexico for a few months, they were hoping for a room to stay in that night but at a minimum just wanted to eat some grub, how cool is that?
Not long after sunrise I made first tracks on the beach at Bahía Gonzaga
Panoramic view of the back bay at the north end of Bahía Gonzaga (click the image to view a high-resolution version)
Oh yeah, Bahía Gonzaga is a fly-in location! (nice old couple from Oregon, long-time Baja visitors)
After chatting with the older couple from Oregon for a bit I began the morning ritual of packing and loading up my bike and was soon ready to hit the road. I started to push my bike backwards in the sand to turn it around and I found that quite difficult to manage, at first I thought it was simply due to the sand but upon closer inspection I had a larger problem than that. Lucky me, my rear tire was once again going flat! As I sat there in the sand unleashing a small series of expletives I asked one of the hotel guys if a “llantera” (tire shop) was close by and he said there was, out by the Pemex. So I unloaded my gear, removed the rear tire and was about to make the walk of shame out to the llantera when Oscar appeared and offered to give me a ride in his truck (it wasn’t far but it was a good mile plus). He and his two sons gave me a lift out to the llantera where we found two other friends of his already getting a flat fixed on their van. We all sat there while our tires were getting repaired, sipping beers, talking shit (in Spanish) and having a good time. This flat was turning out to be much more fun than yesterday’s! Today’s flat was a pinch flat based on how well, or not, I’d repaired things yesterday, but at least it was a simple tube repair and about 100 pesos and I was on my way once again.
Upon attempting to leave I noticed that I had yet another rear flat so off it came…
…but this time I took it to a llantera (tire shop) to get fixed as one was nearby…
…and then finally get things back together and hit the road (this is out back of Alfonsina’s)
I had started the day with the idea that I’d try to reach Guadalupe Canyon for a nice break in the hot springs, but now it was nearly noon and I was finally hitting the road so I figured I’d see how I felt when I got to San Felipe and make my decision then. So off I went riding north in the dirt, a smile slowly creeping back onto my face after a second round of flat tire drama. I remember riding along, having a good ol’ time and peeking in my mirror wondering “hey, what’s that blue thing flapping around back there?” and for a moment I shrugged it off as nothing to worry about. But then I quickly came to and realized that “blue thing” was my rear dry bag and it was flopping around and rubbing on the rear tire! I pulled over to find that in my rush to mount up and leave I’d failed to strap that bag on properly and it was now torn to shit. The tire had rubbed through the dry bag (ruining the bag) and gone through parts of my tent as well (now also ruined). Yay. Needless to say I wasn’t exactly pleased with myself.
On the road headed north towards Puertecitos and on to San Felipe
Unfortunately some lazy work strapping on the blue dry bag resulted in catastrophic bag/tent damage, damn
I don’t approve of my gear tie-down skills, or rather my lack thereof that day
After getting things properly secured I hit the road once again, this time finding myself in the middle of a pack of trucks/jeeps making their way to San Felipe as well. The dust at times sucked, blocking almost all visibility, and at other times it simply wasn’t a problem as the wind blew it sideways long before it bothered me. But in any case I enjoyed traveling, even if only for a little while, as part of a group, but all too soon we found out just how far they’ve come with the pavement heading south. Last November it was a good 40-45 miles of dirt between the southern end of the pavement and Bahía Gonzaga, now it was just a hair over 30 miles of dirt and that means they’re closing in quickly. With a bit of a frown I turned north on to the pavement and continued north towards San Felipe.
I made a pit-stop at a familiar location where I’d taken a photo the year before, notably this one
Soon enough I found the pavement, it’s now only 30-miles of dirt heading north out of Bahía Gonzaga
As I rode north towards San Felipe I quickly started to realize that Guadalupe Canyon was falling off the radar and that I’d likely stop in San Felipe for the night, then make a run for the border the next day. I wasn’t too crushed by that as it had been a great ride already and I could save that spot for next time, but there was a certain sadness that the off-road parts of my trip had come to an end. To assuage those worries I found a long-ish dirt road that cut out towards the coast and took it, having some fun heading out there and back, making sure to pause for the cause (bathroom) as well as a Red Bull to soak up that last bit of Baja dirt.
I pulled myself a ways off-road somewhere south of San Felipe to sip a Red Bull, the off-road part of the trip was all but done
After that last pit stop I rode on in to San Felipe and realized just how large and popular a vacation time Semana Santa really is, I rode around to numerous hotels and in-town-ish camping spots only to find they were all full! Finally I found one hotel, once again the Costa Azul, that had a room, for only one night and for $100! By this time in the trip I’d managed to travel on the cheap, the hotel was right there next to the malecon (waterfront/beach area) and so I said fuck it and charged the room for the night. Price be damned I was ready to clean up and join the festivities as the town was packed with people lookin’ to party, I wanted to join in! After my shower and change of clothes I went out for the afternoon and long into the evening. I ate countless tacos and drank countless beers, I met a number of Mexicans there on holiday and a pair of Americans from Wisconsin that lived in Baja importing cheese! Wild times to say the least and somewhere around 1am or so I realized I’d about had it and with blurry vision and a less than steady walk I bumbled my way back to my hotel and crashed out for the night. The ride that day had been cut short due to yet another flat and a late start, but the day as a whole was awesome so it was all good.
Day 7, Thursday April 3rd: San Felipe to Palmdale (368.7 miles)
Given my previous night’s events I slept in a bit later than expected, then took my sweet ol’ time eating breakfast and sipping my coffee, meaning I just made it out of the hotel before check-out time and was on the road late once again. I topped off at a nearby Pemex and hit the road heading north on Highway 5, my plan was to cross back into the USA at Mexcali and then just keep riding north towards San Francisco until I was tired and/or felt like stopping for the day. The ride was mostly uneventful, but it did provide two highlights (well, one was almost a low-light) in particular. The first was the potential low-light and that was due to the fact that as I reached the area where Highway 5 intersects with Highway 3 I entered an area where some road construction/repair was underway. What struck me as odd was the fact that the temporary solution was to route traffic on to a parallel dirt road for a good 10-15 miles! Once again, gotta love Baja! The second event of note was traveling behind a pickup truck for a number of miles, in the back of the truck sat 6-8 kicks that just couldn’t get enough of me (smiling, waving, giving me the hang loose sign, etc.), it’s always fun to see kicks get excited over motorcyclists like that. Otherwise I plodded on, making my way to Mexicali and through the border after a bit of a wait in line. All of it rather boring and simply a matter of working through the steps in order.
Topping off the tanks at a Pemex before leaving San Felipe
Mexico’s Highway 5 was under repair, this was the replacement route (yup, dirt) that went on for a number of miles
Looking northwest at Laguna Salada while on my way to Mexicali and back into the USA
A final in-motion self-portrait before a tame ride to Mexicali and across the border
After crossing back into California and the USA I decided to once again do all I could to avoid the LA area, and in fact I wanted to avoid Interstate 5 at all costs. My plan was to ride north and get on to Highway 99 which I would take through Bakersfield and Fresno, until I would turn west on Highway 152 to skirt the southern end of the bay and ride home on Highway 101. I had no idea how far I’d make it on this day but that was the “today and tomorrow” plan so on I rode. With my feet pulled up on the crash bars I sat there all comfy cruising my way north, thinking about how good of a trip it had been. Soon enough I saw signs for the Salton Sea, a place I’d heard about but never visited and as I came to Salton City I saw the Travertine Grill, a truck-stop diner type place, and decided to stop for some lunch. I was treated to roughly the worst hamburger ever and I immediately felt like turning back to the south and getting my ass back into Mexico… but alas, home was calling me and so north I went. I continued on through Palm Springs, past the edges of San Bernardino to Hesperia and finally pulled into Palmdale at roughly 9pm, it was dark and I was tired and ready to call it a day, but not before getting one last “gift” courtesy of the moto-gods. <insert evil music here>
After crossing the border I rode for a while, stopping for the worst burger ever in Salton City
It was starting to cool off and I needed some pep, I closed all vents and sipped coffee while getting gas
While doing slab work scooting around the LA area I was treated to an awesome sunset
I had been on the road for a good ten hours, I’d covered over 350 miles and endured a border crossing, I was tired and beat. I’d punched in the Days Inn as my GPS destination and was making my way through town to get there when the front end started to feel, well, “funny”. At first I blamed it on feeling tired, but as always when something doesn’t feel right it probably isn’t right so I kept an eye on it the rest of the way. As I pulled into the hotel parking lot and came to a stop I soon realized exactly why it was feeling funny, it was a reason I was now familiar with on this trip, my front tire was going flat! I stood there out front of the hotel office and must have looked quite the crazy man, I was in full moto gear helmet on letting loose a train of expletives like never before. I caught my breath, relaxed a bit and decided to just ignore the problem for the night. I booked a room, limped my bike over to a parking spot and proceeded to have a great night at the nearby sushi restaurant/bar, washing down my sorrows with a delicious tuna steak, gyoza, way too many pieces of sushi/sashimi and three tall Asahis for good measure. Like the night before I staggered back to bed resigned to dealing with yet another flat tire the next morning.
Day 8, Friday April 4th: Palmdale to San Francisco (407.1 miles)
I woke up and for at least a few moments had forgotten about my flat front tire, but that was only a brief break from reality. I had the front tire off the bike, using both my room’s garbage cans full of water as counter-weight for the bike to sit on the back tire (with much pleading, in Spanish, with the maids to *not* fuck with things, they were nice and understood). As I sat there pondering the fix I noticed that it was roughly 8:30am and after a quick web search (thanks iPhone!) I realized that by waiting 30 minutes I could call the local Honda motorcycle shop and ask about having them fix my flat. I used that 30 minutes to get some breakfast and coffee and at roughly 9:00:01am I dialed the shop, the phone was immediately answered by a nice older gent who heard my sob story and who responded with incredible generosity.
That kind old gent on the phone was the shop owner, hearing my situation he immediately offered to come pick me up, have my tired fixed right away and then drop me off once again, saving me from yet another possible walk of shame (from the hotel to his shop and back). Not only that, but he offered to do all that and only charge me $20 for it all, despite the shop’s minimum service charge of $80. So he picked me up, his shop guys fixed up my front tire while I drooled over the owner’s bike collection which included both a Honda RC30 and a RC45 and then I got a ride back to the hotel where I mounted up the front once again. I can’t thank those guys enough for their speedy help on the cheap, so I’ll give them a plug here: Palmdale Honda on Palmdale Ave., quality folks in my book! (if they had a web site I’d link to it)
Note: this third flat was a result of having heavy duty tubes and me pushing a 360+ mile day, all on pavement and all at speed. The tube rubbed on the inside of the tire and wore a hole through which the slow leak began…
I started my last day on the road dealing with flat tire number three, this time up front
Luckily the owner of the local Honda dealership (Palmdale Honda) offered to give me and my tire a lift to/from his shop, thanks!
And I got things put back together again so I could hit the road for the last leg of the ride
After getting the front remounted and my rituals performed (packing/loading) I managed to once again check-out just in time and then hit the road for the long slog home. While I could have taken two days to get home, I really wanted to get there in one day and leave Sunday as a day of rest in my own space before rejoining the crew at work. So off I went knowing that I faced 400 some miles of road work on my way back to San Francisco. This part of the ride was really quite boring compared to everything else and it was all just a matter of sitting back and letting the miles, and hours, tick by. I rode north on Highway 99, turned west on Highway 152 and eventually north on Highway 101. The ride took me through central California farm land as well as the south bay on up to San Francisco, I spent those last hours on the road flipping between memories of the ride I’d just had and thinking about the life, and in some cases problems, I was returning home to. No matter, I looked forward to being home and seeing friends and telling the (tall) tales of the trip and so with a big smile I pulled up to my apartment and dismounted for the last time of the trip.
Funny, I have a friend named Hanford Lemoore…
I stopped to sip some go-juice…
…and gas before starting the last 200 or so mile push home
And after all of that I return home safe and sound and in one piece
As I’ve mentioned before, I climb on my bike for fun and mental health, and as a way to seek my own connection with God, whoever he/she/it may be. On this trip my bike was a source of stability in a time of emotional turmoil, a cocoon for me to crawl into and out of each day to ponder the drama and events spinning around me, something I needed to do away from everyone. I found my connection with God once again, we talked at length and I was able to glean some insight into my life’s current direction. Through it all I had a great trip and returned home with a sense of calm about how to walk the path that lays in front of me. Motorcycles and Baja, for me the two are an exercise in perfection and together they once again offered me a slice of paradise and I can’t wait to go back!
[...] pleased to say that he seemed very healthy and even confirmed … Read the original here: HiggyB » Baja Again: Another solo ride around northern Baja Share [...]
Great pictures and info about your trip! I’m going down Highway 1 in a day and am thankful for the useful information here! Happy riding.