Baja May 2021 - Baja Virgin's Exploration

Working on the write up- will slowly be updated

Hey all,
I was debating whether I should document my Baja experience, but I don’t want to follow the Norcal Broverland “secret spot” mentality. If you end up doing this trip, good for you and major respect. It’s a hell of a trip. Please respect the wilderness, pack in pack out, leave no trace etc. The Baja beauty is that it’s not trampled by overlanders who never learned respect for the outdoors as a child.
I’ve been wanting to go to Baja for about a year or two. I knew nothing about Baja except that there’s a Baja 1000 race, endless beaches, sun, and fish tacos. What lured me is just that, I knew nothing about it. Why not go see what the hells over there?
For research I used YouTube, looked through @David K ‘s post and Bajanomads website. I also used Ioverlander for some camp spots.
Although I’m adventurous, I had a few friends who were also interested in joining. We planned the first few days together, then I would break off and keep going south since I had more PTO.
My goal for this trip was to “understand” Baja. Some people recommend doing 2 weeks in a small section, but my strategy was to cover more ground and learn what I like, learn how the roads are, learn where the gas is, the food etc. Do a recon.
So here we go.

Total trip 3200 Miles 19 Nights



Checkpoint Note:
I went through more than 8 military checkpoints throughout the trip. I dont mention my interactions in each or post pictures but I had no issues. Great interactions. The guys are supposedly trying to intercept drugs being smuggled north through the peninsula since it's so remote. The guys loved having me open the truck and showing them all the mods, as they "searched" lol. Only a couple times they asked whether I had weed on me (which I think is dumb, that isnt their purpose there) but I said no and they usually laughed and had me move on. Funny guys really, I think they're bored but well armed.

5/13 Santa Cruz CA Eve Before Departure

Thursday… I wake up with nothing packed. The truck was mechanically ready, but I had nothing ready. I didn’t have: Travel documents, InReach connected, Mexican insurance, clothes, food, the list goes on. Job-wise, I had a very important presentation cancelled, which allowed me to focus on preparing for the trip – thank god. I created a hand off folder for each of my projects and called it a day at work.
I had bought a jerry can but had no way of securing it. Classic me- I decide to make a jerry can holder instead of packing. I present to you, the home depot jerry can holder.


Ready to roll. I strapped it up later.

5/14 Santa Cruz Ca to Ocotillo Wells (camp in desert)

Desert temperatures were to be 98F and slowly cool off into the night. I was in no rush to get there, but wasn’t expecting a delay either …
My battery had been acting up the pastfew days, sometimes it would start the truck, sometimes not. It started up in the morning, but not after my second stop, PANIC. The truck doesn’t start, great. I got triple A out within an hour and we saw the battery had 7 cranking amps left. They offered me a new battery with 6 year warranty for $170 , sold!
Grabbed some fishing supplies from BassPro and finally off to Ocotillo Wells where I would meet up @nudavinci64 @Toynado and a Jeep friend - lol.
Was a windy night but we woke up ready to rock.


5/15 Mexicali Border Crossing to San Felipe

Woke up and headed towards "El Centro" to meet two more friends, a jeep and a 4runner.
The group crossing the border consisted of 5 vehicles at this point. We grabbed some breakfast and exchanged currency right outside the border. Had a little gameplan/pep talk and headed towards the entry point. We must have gotten lucky and went through within 10-15 minutes, no checks. We hopped out and grabbed our visas from the office there, about $25 US if I remember correctly. There is dispute whether its neeed or not, we got them to avoid any hassles. I was not asked for it at any point in the trip.


We drove through Mexicali and headed towards San Felipe. The temps were around 100F and the scenery was, well a desert lol.

I was actually frying and stoked to get to the water.
We entered the first of many military checkpoints with no issues.(no image)
We stayed at Kiki's RV camp which is right on the water.

We got some great food and drinks next door and discussed whether the large crowds were something we wanted.

We planned two evenings there. It was decided that one evening was enough. We forfitted $35 each for the second night but thought it was best to keep going and find something different. When we planned this- we weren't really sure and allowed flexiibility in the schedule.
This is a good stopping point when preparing to cross the border back into the US at mexicali.


That taco... Goodnight

5/16 San Felipe to Gonzaga Bay to Bahia de Los Angeles
We woke up, packed our stuff, got fresh squeezed juices with Birria tacos and headed towards the gas station in San Felipe. Here we broke one of my rules. Always get gas when you see it... Because the station was backed up we figured - get gas in Puertocitos. Of course, the stastion was closed.

We hadn't filled since the border, we crawled 45 miles into Gonzaga Bay (punta final) and found a gas station there. Unfortunately, no premium. @nudavinci64 was not a happy camper with the supercharger requiring 91. He made do with some 87 and some Lucas additive. A few of us decided to fill up their extra cans.


The atmosphere was tense and by luck we stumbled upon Alfonsinas- an oasis.
The cool little hotel provided a break from the wind and a great view for lunch. We had the staple, beer, tacos and laughs which slowly brought back some smiles.


We reloaded on some beers at a nearby store and headed towards a potential camp spot.

Reached Punta Final. The first deep boggy sand we had encountered. A lot of fun!
Might post a video later. Everyone was tired, but the beach was exposed, and the gusts of wind made being out very unenjoyable.
We made a quick decision to keep driving towards other options.


As we drove down the 5, we ran into Coco's corner. Of course we got some beers and signed the book. Unfortunately, this was at the new building he is in, and the inside decorations were not there. I am unsure why the original is no longer in use.


We debated where to camp for the night and decided to push through to the Bahia de Los Angeles where we had booked Camp Archelon for the following day. We would barely get there before nightfall so off we were. Arriving there at night, they were very accomodating and found us a spot to park our vehicles although the area was pretty much full.
Unfortunately we did not escape the wind. I would say we experienced some 20mph wind with 25+ gusts throughout the night. Did not get a great nights sleep, but the super pacific stayed intact. This helped.


5/17 Bay of Los Angeles (and my Bday)
The next morning


I was feeling very energeting that morning- unsure why. I decided to explore. Went around town, checked out the small convenience stores and spoke to a couple locals about fishing.
It was too windy for a boat, so I was told Punta Gringa is the next best option using my own fishing pole.

Grabbed a bottle of tequila for the evening, saw this little building and headed towards Punta Gringa.


The images dont do this place justice, very nice place, especially if looking to camp with no one around.

Didn't have much success fishing and decided to head back to Camp Archelon where the others were. We grabbed tacos here which I believe was one of two open food places. They were amazing and the lady working there spoke decent English! They were about 25 pesos each, just over a buck.

We then headed back to camp and hung out with the crew. This is where things get interesting...
I convince @Toynado to go check out Punta Gringa and do some fishing. We head over there, fish to no avail and head back to the vehicles. I open the rear passenger door to grab a beer for a friend and close the door. I immediately look down realizing I left the keys inside. I try to open the door and- locked. This has never happened to my truck before. It does not automatically lock if I open all doors. I panic and realize I'm not getting in. I usually keep a key that is accessible outside the cab on trips, but for reasons, did not do it this trip.
Anyways, no way I was going to leave my truck out there so decided to camp on the spot. Not the best way to spend my bday, but luckily @Toynado stuck around with me and cooked me a 5 star dinner. Chicken fried steak, and yes, a cake!
We even got a candle on there, haha.


At least this spot provided some wind coverage for the night.

5/18 Bahia de Los Angeles and San Rafael Bay
Had some of the group (aka spanish speakers) ask around town whether someone could break into my truck. The mechanic referred us to the "locksmith" who was out fisihng until 4PM. Do I just break the window? That is the decision. Was gambling on whether this locksmith could open my truck worth wasting a day for everyone?
We decide to try unlocking the truck before reassessing the decision.

After trying multiple methods, we were finally able to reach the unlock button. Pressing the unlock wouldnt activate the locks, but the lock yes. What a heart break... Damn it Toyota! I decided the damage to the doors/paint wasn't worth it anymore and we should just wait on the lock smith since it was almost 1PM. We got more tacos and at 4PM met the locksmith at his house. He still had fishing boots on and hopped right in his car, following us to my truck. When we got there, he tried similar methods. After some time, I was losing hope. He assured that there never was a vehicle he didnt get into ... "Paciencia". He curled a coat hanger into a hook and kept filing it. Somehow, he was able to pull up on the door knob and the door was open!!
I hadn't been this happy in a long time. I gave the guy $40 USD and he was stoked. This was around 6PM so the group decided we would put in a couple of hours driving before dark. We took the dirt road from Bahia to San Rafael.

A reminder: This was our first time out here, we had no idea how the roads were, how long it would take etc. This is a shot at the beginning of the road. Unfortunately, we had to put in some miles at night, being careful of livestock and the terrain as it got a little worse. We got into San Rafael a tiny fishing village. The fishermen told us we could camp at the beach past the boats.
@nudavinci64 and I had to address some technical issues with the camper and then sipped (chugged?) on some well deserved Tequila. I find getting into camp at night can be an odd feeling. You really cant see where you are and part of that can be a little stressful, especially when you are miles away from any "village/town". I wish I could have taken pictures of the night sky, an incredible amount of stars and clarity.


5/19 San Rafael to Mulege (Bahia Conception) for me and San Francisquito for the rest of the group

Sunrise

View of the beach we camped at

The small village/housing for the fishermen at San Rafael
We gathered together and it was decided that the group would go to San Francisquito and I would head off to Mulege. I had plans to meet someone in Cabo and had a lot more PTO.
They made the left turn to San Francisquito and I went right. They ended up having a great time and catching a nice white seabass for dinner.
From here on I was alone.

I was sweating a little here. I think I had about half a tank and a 5gallon Jerry. Maybe it was the fact that I was alone in what seemed like complete desert. I hadn't seen anyone around, the sand was SOFT and my compressor had died. Some of the stress was from my Scangauge telling me I was getting 8-9mpg!!! I didn't wait to airdown more since my compressor just died. I usually get 15-16 highway and I didn't realize this could be an issue lol. (From red circle to red circle was the drive).

I kept going and ran into this cool little ranch.

I then ran into two Americans drinking beers in their truck, going to Bahia de Los Angeles. We chatted a bit, I cracked a beer, they gave me a baja sticker they made reassured me I'd make it to Vizcaino.
The usual cow hanging right by the road. Always was a refresher to stay alert.

Back on what i'd consider a "paved road" A nicely groomed dirt road haha.
I felt better here as my MPG's and speed went up.

In Vizcaino I filled up on gas and had the lady fill my tires from 25ish to 37. It took a while and she did a great job although I checked later and they were 45 or so.. lol.
Vizcaino was nothing special, but it was the first big town and store I had been in since CA and San Felipe. The parking lot kids ran up to me asking to wash my windows, I said no, they have just been washed, wash the rear one only. As I'm having a mini shopping spree inside, I see them washing the whole truck... No joke. Oh well. Gave em a decent tip and headed out to Mulege.
At this point I really had no plans... Just get to Cabo on 5/23. I had an idea of where I should be each day to make it comfortably but wasnt really set on them. I wanted to see how I felt driving to my points of interest, and at the time figure out camp from some pins I had saved and iOverlander. I drove quite some stretches throughout the trip, but made sure to stop often and explore whatever I saw that was intriguing.
Mulege!!!!!


I headed towards a couple pins in Bahia de Concepion but was stopped short upon seeing this. The first peek of Bahia de Conception driving south on Hw1... I was tired and the view just looked amazing. The image doesn't show, but it was just tropical blue... I hadn't seen that from the Baja waters yet.



I drove in and just paid the guy 200 pesos... A pay to play spot, Playa Santispac. I usually dont like staying at these sites due to noise but I had heard of Playa Santispac and wow!! I parked, grabbed a beer and enjoyed the best I could with mariacha music playing next to me haha.

Trash cans!! My favorite part of paying for camp.

Sunset.. the temps were amazing, with a slight breeze.


I met a family from Arizona and had a few beers with them.

5/20 Playa Santispac
Sunrise


I was enjoying each location, but also didnt have the need to stay for more than a day. I was most attracted by seeing more. This was motivated by my curiosity, but also by the fact that daily temps were brutally hot, and with no awning, driving with AC on was amazing, haha. A lot of my days I would drive with AC on and plan to arrive at my location of interest a couple hours before sunset, for this reason. The group I had met camping next to me was so convincing though. They offered I try their electric surfboard, and then go on a snorkeling/scuba trip with them on their boat. I mean I couldn't say no! Why the hell not, I'll stay one more day here with amazing company.

The electric surfboard was soooo sick.


The main mission with the boat was to find a couples lost iphone. A couple that now live here work for the "Sea Shepherd". We headed off to a GPS coordinate where the phone was supposedly dropped.


The water was beautiful. They ended up finding the phone.
I then snorkled a couple reefs while they scuba dove. Also tried these really cool water wings that dive down as you get pulled by the boat. Fun stuff.



We got back to the beach and the mariachi music was in full force.
I couldn't do one more night of this. I got access to some wifi at the camp restaurant in hopes of messaging family and friends but got a surprise message. The group I left behind was actually headed Mulege! They decided to keep going south, and condense the drive back up north.
I couldn't figure out where, so I left Santispac and explored the rest of Bahia de Conception. After a while I found a great camp spot with a direct view of Hwy1 so... Naturally I bust out the chips salsa and beer. Shortly after what do you know, I see them rolling on HW1 honking away.

Neat little cove before I met the group.


Ran out of attachments for this post. Check the replies. Might transfer images to a server and direct link in here so this stays as one full thread.

 

A map and a gas can…




I’m hooked.

 

Working on transferring images from phone to computer....
I'm not cut out for being a blogger. Almost giving up. lol

 

just upload them from your phone no need to use computer...

 

X2

 

When I did that it gave me the apple format... lol.
Slowly getting there. Its just a long trip will take time to document each day.

 

well, at least you’ve figured out quoting…

 

How to transfer iPhone and iPad photos using the Windows 10 Photos app

1. Plug your iPhone or iPad into your PC using a suitable USB cable.
2. Launch the Photos app from the Start menu, desktop, or taskbar.
3. Click Import. ...
4. Click any photos you'd like to not import; all new photoswill be selected for import by default.

 

Thanks. I'm on my work laptop since I dropped my personal laptop. I think its cock-blocking me when I plug in my personal phone.
No worries. This will happen sometime I wont give up.

 

email them to your work address…

 

SubD, one of my goals is to explore Baja before I die!!!

 

Here you go...

$28 iPhone for Dummies: Updated for iPhone 12 Models and iOS 14

https://www.amazon.com/iPhone-Dummi...rds=iphones+for+dummies&qid=1622783132&sr=8-4

 

I should have just selected the ones I needed for the thread. Working through like 700 photos lol

 

Hey! I'm from Ensenada and have spent tons of time there.

There's a taco stand in a small city before Ensenada called Taqueria El Flamazo. Here's the address:

Av. J. 351, El Sauzal, 22760 El Sauzal, B.C., Mexico.

Highly recommend stopping here for Adobada Tacos. (Marinated pork) Ask them for some pineapple!

 

dooooo it. it was a blast and we only scratched the surface.

 

Good start frenchee!
I am always excited to see others discover Baja... the 'real Baja' (vs. Cabo or cities).

To share photos here (and on Baja Nomad forums), I use Postimages.org (free service) and change the upload size from the standard "Do not resize" to 800 pixels... which is the max on Nomad and fits perfect here, too. I had used Photobucket for years, but they are having serious issues the past couple of years, stopped resizing images, and began charging for hosting photos on forums.

For others reading your trip report, there are six gas stations around San Felipe (two are just north of town on the right and one is on the road going south as you are leaving, on the right). Do not leave the area without topping off!

For your next trip, feel free to add me to your inReach contacts, as I am happy to give any travel assistance during your trip. I used an inReach Explorer when I was researching for the Baja Bound Road Guide (2016-2018) and several friends and my wife could see where I was and text with me. It was huge for me traveling solo for weeks at a time.

I am anxiously looking forward to the rest of your report!
David

 

Whats up brother!
On my way back up I "skipped" ensenada. I was going to camp near La Bufadora but my app had a couple reports of shooting van-lifers north and south of it (by a good distance) and it kinda put me off.
I stayed in guadalupe valley instead, which made it much closer crossing tecate the next day. I'd love to go back. Maybe if you ever head down let me know!

 

Some beautiful country through the Valley of Guadalupe.

I'll definitely let you know. I plan to hit one of the Score Races in 2022 and I'm sure I'll make a thread about it.

 

Thanks Dave! Love to see your message here.
I'll message you and get your in reach contact. When I was down there, it was nice keeping in touch with the in reach but I asked myself "who in my contacts could actually help me with Baja assistance? no one".
I believe the station was the one on the right!

 

Sure, PM me for my email before your next trip to add me to your inReach contacts and I can help with my contacts in Baja or just advise you what to look for as you travel.
Do get the new Baja California Atlas from Benchmark, too!