Christmas Baja trip

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Judd

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Location
N.E. Ga.
Just got back from a trip to Baja. Great trip. Left the house in Cumming Ga. the day after Christmas at 4:30am and met up with a friend in Woodstock Ga., left there at 5:45am. Hopped on I20W and stayed on it till we hit a hotel in Abilene Tx. at 9:30pm. We fiddled around alot and my friend was on a GSXR 600 so we had to stop about every 120 miles or so for fuel so it was a bit over 1000miles in about 17 hours. Rode through cold, pretty bad winds and several pretty bad dust storms. Also had a tumble weed T-Bone along the way.

Next day,,, we left at 8am, got on I20W till it ran into I10W. Grabbed a hotel in Wilcox Az. at around 8pm so it was a slow day. Cold as heck and my controller went bad on my heated gear. Decided to pull in early. A respectable 780 mile day considering we rode through high winds and cold again.

Left the hotel in Wilcox at 11am {big sleep in due to the cold} and continued on I10 till it ran into I8W and we stayed in Chula Vista. A crappy day with only 450 miles covered in 13 or so hours but we wanted to stay on the USA side for he night. Had no desires to go into Tijuana at night.

Left the hotel in Chula Vista at roughly 7:30am and entered Mexico on Hwy 1. Had all our paperwork ready {passport, title for the bikes, insurance ect.} and nobody wanted any of it. Basically,, just ride right into Mexico. Hell,,, you could have a twin fifty mounted on a tri-pod in the back of your pick-up and all would be cool. We even stopped a Tijuana cop and he told us all was fine, just spend dollars! Grabbed a hotel in El Roserio at Mama Espinoza's around 5pm so once again, a jippy riding day with only 250 miles covered.

Left the hotel at 6am and it wasn't long before we peeled of on the dirt road that runs east-west and connects Hwy1 on the Pacific side with Hwy5 on the Sea of Cortez side. Let me tell ya, we sorta under estimated that dirt road. A good bit of deep/loose sand {the worst} and about five miles from the end it got very rough. Lots of road work leaving good sized rocks and some steep inclines {at least for a couple of loaded down streetbikes}. We camped near Playa La Costilla at around 4pm. Very rough day with only 180 miles covered in 10 hours of riding. Since we seriously under estimated that dirt road, we really didn't have enough water. We were OK but we were left wanting. Beautiful scenery and a great sunset!

Left camp at 7am got back to paved road {Hwy 5} at around 8AM!!!!! Seriously folks,,, that 80 odd mile dirt road took roughly a whole day of riding to cover. I have never had to concentrate so hard for so long just to keep it on two wheels. Like I said the sand was the worst but there were several rocky/loose uphill sections that sucked equally as bad. Very, very happy to see paved road again. Hit the US border sometime around 2:30pm or so, hit I8W then I10 and eventually grabbed a hotel inCasa Grande Az. so around 450 miles that day and a happy New Year back in the USA!

Left that hotel at roughly 7:30am and headed west on I10. We decided to check out the Alamo so we stayed on I10 and ended getting a hotel in San Antonio at around 10 or 11pm I think. Did roughly 950 miles that day. Not too bad considering our sight seeing and picture taking along the way.

Left the hotel around 10:30am and found the Alamo. Took pics and left sorta let down due to commercialism of the place. Continued along I10 and made it to my uncle's house in Silverhill Al. near Mobil so around 720 miles in spite of the Alamo side step and waking up late.

Slept in late and talked over old times with family so we didn't really get moving till 9:30am and I got home around 5pm I think with a stop at Cycle Gear in Alpharetta. That short day netted around 390 miles and the total trip was 5212 miles in slightly less than 9 whole days {around 209 hours or 8.7 days} for a trip average of 600 miles a day. Considering that it took roughly a day of riding just to cover that 80 odd mile stretch of dirt rode,,,,,,, not too shabby for a couple of bike neither of which were in their element the whole time. That GSXR was really out in left field ehh?

Here is pic of that dirt road hotlinked from my buddy's page-

DSC07540-small.jpg


Not the roughest part by far. When it was really rough, taking pics was the last thing on our mind at the time. Overall,,, a great trip! :yahoo:

 
Woo-hoo! :yahoo: :clapping:

Crazy bastards aren't you two? Uhhh.....dirt roads in Baja are fun, but on the appropriate bikes!!!!

What you ***should*** have done is taken all paved roads. First 1A down to Ensendada, then 3 across to San Felipe, then 5 back north.

Still, sounds like you had a great adventure and will have a great story to tell for the rest of your life.

My favorite ride that I have ever done is an 11 day trip to Cabo San Lucas and back with 3 others. That Old Fart beemerdons outdid herself and led us on a great trip. Now if I can only get him to stay up past 7pm there would have been some partying going on! It was ALL on PAVED roads I might add. ;) What an adventure it was! And the best parts were in the southern half of Baja, or Baja Sur. Santa Rosalia, Loreto, Todos Santos, Mulege, San Ignacio, and La Paz were all great places. I actually didn't think too much of Cabo San Lucas as it was so commercial compared to the other places.

Here's a few photos from my trip:

Baja233.jpg


Baja014.jpg


Baja296.jpg


Baja261.jpg


Baja255.jpg


Baja183.jpg


Baja040.jpg


 
Judd: Very nice report on Baja and thanks for pictures of your FJR and the Gixxer on Pacifico - Mar de Cortez cross connect road. You and your buddy are great riders to do this on those machines, I'm usually on a BMW R1100GS for that dirt road!!!

Judd, if you like riding Mexico: 6 of us Phoenicians are riding to Guatemala; I rode a BMW solo to Guatemala City years ago.

AZ BEEMERS OCTOBER 2010 RIDE TO CHIAPAS ESTADO FOR BMW MOTO CLUBS OF MEXICO INTERNATIONAL RALLY!

We AZ Beemers had such a wonderful time in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta this October for the Moto Clubs Rally in 2008; let’s go to Chiapas!!

Phoenix to Guaymas, via Hermosillo: 8 hours and 425 miles.

Guaymas to Mazatlan, via Los Mochis: 11 hours and 490 miles.

Mazatlan to Puerto Vallarta, via Tepic: 6 hours and 285 miles.

Puerto Vallarta to La Mira, via Barra de Navidad: 8 hours and 365 miles.

La Mira to Acapulco, via Zihuatanejo: 5 hours and 225 miles.

Rest Day in Acapulco and have the significant others fly in to join us.

Acapulco to Puerto Escondido, via Cuajinicuilapa: 6 hours and 240 miles.

Puerto Escondido to Tuxtla Gutierrez, via Juchitan: 9 hours & 350 miles.

4 nights partying with our fine friends from Mexico Moto Clubs in Chiapas.

Tuxtla Gutierrez to Villahermosa, via Palenque: 9 hours and 250 miles.

Villahermosa to Veracruz, via Acayucan: 7 hours and 300 miles.

Rest Day in Veracruz and have companions fly home to Estados Unidos.

Veracruz to Tampico, via Tuxpan: 8 hours and 315 miles.

Tampico to Brownsville, Texas: 7 hours and 315 miles.

2 days: 18 hours and 1,250 miles from Brownsville back to Phoenix, AZ.

These times and miles came directly from the AAA Map and Guide Book.

AZ Beemers: Start saving your vacation time and dinero for a 3-week and 5,000+ mile trip to see our amigo Senor Ruben Tenorio in Chiapas 10/2010!

 
Woo-hoo! :yahoo: :clapping:
Crazy bastards aren't you two? Uhhh.....dirt roads in Baja are fun, but on the appropriate bikes!!!!

What you ***should*** have done is taken all paved roads. First 1A down to Ensendada, then 3 across to San Felipe, then 5 back north.

Still, sounds like you had a great adventure and will have a great story to tell for the rest of your life.

My favorite ride that I have ever done is an 11 day trip to Cabo San Lucas and back with 3 others. That Old Fart beemerdons outdid herself and led us on a great trip. Now if I can only get him to stay up past 7pm there would have been some partying going on! It was ALL on PAVED roads I might add. ;) What an adventure it was! And the best parts were in the southern half of Baja, or Baja Sur. Santa Rosalia, Loreto, Todos Santos, Mulege, San Ignacio, and La Paz were all great places. I actually didn't think too much of Cabo San Lucas as it was so commercial compared to the other places.

Here's a few photos from my trip:

Baja014.jpg
Yep, we saw Hwy 3 and decided to take the dirt road on purpose. Why live life in black and white when you can choose Techni-Color {hell,,, that dirt road was HD I reckon!}?

Any who,,, the picture above......... was that on Hwy1 bout midway between El Rosario and the dirt road?? Hotel directly across from it? If so,,, we fueled up there too. Got dern near the same pic! Not much further south was some great rock formations.

 
Judd: Very nice report on Baja and thanks for pictures of your FJR and the Gixxer on Pacifico - Mar de Cortez cross connect road. You and your buddy are great riders to do this on those machines, I'm usually on a BMW R1100GS for that dirt road!!!
Judd, if you like riding Mexico: 6 of us Phoenicians are riding to Guatemala; I rode a BMW solo to Guatemala City years ago.

AZ BEEMERS OCTOBER 2010 RIDE TO CHIAPAS ESTADO FOR BMW MOTO CLUBS OF MEXICO INTERNATIONAL RALLY!

We AZ Beemers had such a wonderful time in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta this October for the Moto Clubs Rally in 2008; let’s go to Chiapas!!

Phoenix to Guaymas, via Hermosillo: 8 hours and 425 miles.

Guaymas to Mazatlan, via Los Mochis: 11 hours and 490 miles.

Mazatlan to Puerto Vallarta, via Tepic: 6 hours and 285 miles.

Puerto Vallarta to La Mira, via Barra de Navidad: 8 hours and 365 miles.

La Mira to Acapulco, via Zihuatanejo: 5 hours and 225 miles.

Rest Day in Acapulco and have the significant others fly in to join us.

Acapulco to Puerto Escondido, via Cuajinicuilapa: 6 hours and 240 miles.

Puerto Escondido to Tuxtla Gutierrez, via Juchitan: 9 hours & 350 miles.

4 nights partying with our fine friends from Mexico Moto Clubs in Chiapas.

Tuxtla Gutierrez to Villahermosa, via Palenque: 9 hours and 250 miles.

Villahermosa to Veracruz, via Acayucan: 7 hours and 300 miles.

Rest Day in Veracruz and have companions fly home to Estados Unidos.

Veracruz to Tampico, via Tuxpan: 8 hours and 315 miles.

Tampico to Brownsville, Texas: 7 hours and 315 miles.

2 days: 18 hours and 1,250 miles from Brownsville back to Phoenix, AZ.

These times and miles came directly from the AAA Map and Guide Book.

AZ Beemers: Start saving your vacation time and dinero for a 3-week and 5,000+ mile trip to see our amigo Senor Ruben Tenorio in Chiapas 10/2010!
Would love to ride and will keep this bookmarked. A local forum I'm on actually tried to plan up a trip but one of the main charactors had to back out and since he was actually from there it sorta damped everyone's spirits. I will certianly keep this in mind and will do it if possible.

Planning a trip to Prudhoe Bay this June/July. Any interest???

 
Sounds like fun!Got a link to your buddy's page for any more pics?
Have not had time to post em up yet but I myself took around 300 pics and he prolly did near the same. Will post up a link when we get it done.

 
https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?s...=113359&hl= Judd, my twelve year old son Seth and I will be riding our 2009 BMW F650GS Twin off Alaska Marine Highway Ferry Columbia at 2:15PM on Monday, June 15 at Skagway, Alaska.

If Haul Road to Prudhoe Bay is totally bone dry, we'll consider riding with you; if the timing is right for both of our schedules.

Just a word on the Dalton Highway: While working in Alaska I have ridden it twice; once on my 1984 Harley-Davidson FLH Electra-Glide and once on my 1986 BMW R80RT. A piece of cake is there's no rain, absolutely treacherous if it's barely wet!

 
I'd say it takes a helluva rider to take the FJR on 80 miles of that stuff. Woulda been fun on a KTM, I'll bet.

Skooter, your Photo #3 really caught my eye, as I've never seen where the desert cactus meets salt water. That is a great shot.

 
Woo-hoo! :yahoo: :clapping:
Crazy bastards aren't you two? Uhhh.....dirt roads in Baja are fun, but on the appropriate bikes!!!!

What you ***should*** have done is taken all paved roads. First 1A down to Ensendada, then 3 across to San Felipe, then 5 back north.

Still, sounds like you had a great adventure and will have a great story to tell for the rest of your life.

My favorite ride that I have ever done is an 11 day trip to Cabo San Lucas and back with 3 others. That Old Fart beemerdons outdid herself and led us on a great trip. Now if I can only get him to stay up past 7pm there would have been some partying going on! It was ALL on PAVED roads I might add. ;) What an adventure it was! And the best parts were in the southern half of Baja, or Baja Sur. Santa Rosalia, Loreto, Todos Santos, Mulege, San Ignacio, and La Paz were all great places. I actually didn't think too much of Cabo San Lucas as it was so commercial compared to the other places.

Here's a few photos from my trip:

Baja014.jpg
Yep, we saw Hwy 3 and decided to take the dirt road on purpose. Why live life in black and white when you can choose Techni-Color {hell,,, that dirt road was HD I reckon!}?

Any who,,, the picture above......... was that on Hwy1 bout midway between El Rosario and the dirt road?? Hotel directly across from it? If so,,, we fueled up there too. Got dern near the same pic! Not much further south was some great rock formations.
Judd: Skoot is getting a bikini wax and a pedicure today, so I'll answer. Yes, that's Catavina and hotel directly across from it is the La Pinta. The rock formations are known to old Mexico hands as "Rock Garden." Did you like the wild boojum cactus?

 
Woo-hoo! :yahoo: :clapping:
Crazy bastards aren't you two? Uhhh.....dirt roads in Baja are fun, but on the appropriate bikes!!!!

What you ***should*** have done is taken all paved roads. First 1A down to Ensendada, then 3 across to San Felipe, then 5 back north.

Still, sounds like you had a great adventure and will have a great story to tell for the rest of your life.

My favorite ride that I have ever done is an 11 day trip to Cabo San Lucas and back with 3 others. That Old Fart beemerdons outdid herself and led us on a great trip. Now if I can only get him to stay up past 7pm there would have been some partying going on! It was ALL on PAVED roads I might add. ;) What an adventure it was! And the best parts were in the southern half of Baja, or Baja Sur. Santa Rosalia, Loreto, Todos Santos, Mulege, San Ignacio, and La Paz were all great places. I actually didn't think too much of Cabo San Lucas as it was so commercial compared to the other places.

Here's a few photos from my trip:

Baja014.jpg
Yep, we saw Hwy 3 and decided to take the dirt road on purpose. Why live life in black and white when you can choose Techni-Color {hell,,, that dirt road was HD I reckon!}?

Any who,,, the picture above......... was that on Hwy1 bout midway between El Rosario and the dirt road?? Hotel directly across from it? If so,,, we fueled up there too. Got dern near the same pic! Not much further south was some great rock formations.
Judd: Skoot is getting a bikini wax and a pedicure today, so I'll answer. Yes, that's Catavina and hotel directly across from it is the La Pinta. The rock formations are known to old Mexico hands as "Rock Garden." Did you like the wild boojum cactus?
Man that's downright funny. My FJR is the same color and it's in nearly the same position. There are differences in the pics for sure but the simularity is eerie!

Had to look up "boojum catus" as I didn't know what it was but yep,,, liked em enough to get quite a few pics of em even though I didn't know what the heck they were at the time.! B)

 
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