Baja November '23

Wife and I took the 2010 down to Baja for a couple weeks of surfing and camping, then east across the US. Thought I'd post some pics.

Swimming with some curious sea lions in the Sea of Cortez. Also great fly fishing around here but still looking for pics of that in my phone.

One of many campsites. Here we were tucked in some dunes on a windy day to dry things out from a rain the day prior.


Rented a boat to try and snap a pic of some whales. This was tough - they swim very fast so you gotta spot them surfacing to breathe and try to gauge their speed and direction, follow them, then dive in and SWIM the next time they surface. Spent an hour just to get this one pic.


Crossing into the Southern half of Baja.


Great spot IVO Punta Abreojos. Very shallow reef break, sliced myself up good here.


Eel did not like our presence.



Pretty stoked if you couldn't tell.




Below is on the east side on our drive back up. We went as far south as Punta Conejo (big surf there, no pics, plenty of reef-filled gouges to my feet though) and then took the east coast back up.


Two fishermen in that shack were the only people we camped near in 2 weeks. We offered them some charcoal and propane in return for us sleeping near their secret spot. Beautiful moon over that rock at night.


Spent a night outside a fishing town in Punta Baja but the road to get there was muddy and it was raining. Getting back was a nightmare, I thought we'd get stuck every 10 seconds, but somehow got off the point and back to a gas station.


Lots of long stretching roads like this. The cactus were huge.


Somewhere in the Sea of Cortez.




Most nights looked like this.


Back in the US, somewhere in New Mexico.



I'll post more pics as I find them. What a trip.

 

looks like you guys are enjoying your taco and truly living by toyota's motto, congrats. Also, looks like you never skip leg day! lol keep it up.

 

Thanks! Leg day er day

 

Some more pics.



Lots of spots were rocky so I'd keep booties on, paddle out, then tuck them in my waistband.





Km marker not super helpful.




We'd heard mixed reviews about Santa Rosalia but glad we took the right turn here.





Not gonna lie, the police trucks were cool but intimidating.



Burned my eyeballs for a good shot.






Stopped by a hike on the east side at the Puerto Escondido marina. Great views up top, some of those boats were BIG.




Bout to smack the lip (actually I think I just fell instead). Found a sweet used single fin funboard in California the day before we crossed the border. Testing it out below.






Kept the logs up top and shorties in the GFC.








Grand canyon was a hoot. Neither of us had been there before. It was cold.





This was our first stop in Baja at a place called Shipwrecks (there's literally a shipwreck right off the beach that you can surf around it's dope). We had done plenty of camping out of the truck but never with so much gear. We were a little paranoid and over-packed, so it took a couple nights to figure out how to efficiently store everything.



Somewhere further south waiting for a set.



There's the wreck. Picture doesn't do it justice. Also putting the first coat of wax on that sweet single fun. She was a blast to ride.




Dog from a nearby fishing village joined us at a light house overlook one night. He was great - he'd chase off all the seagulls and we shared our food in return.



He was very curious.

 

Found some more pics!

Getting a closer look at the sea lions.






Swimming through some bait balls.




They were playful.


Wife got some great wildlife shots underwater.









Last pic at the grand canyon. It was weird having surfboards there, got some looks.



Stopped at Mammoth Caves closer to the east coast.


After a morning hike.


Camp spot in the dunes, foggy morning.


Looking for the whales.


In-laws flew down to Loreto for some fishing.


Some more fishing here too.

 

Killer shots.

 

Thanks! Pics don't do it justice, it was our first time in Mexico what a beautiful country.

 

My word, what great photos! Thank you for sharing... a 'Viva Baja' trip, for sure!
Lucky the sea lions didn't bite... When I was close to one (near La Paz) it made sure to show me his teeth!
My 4.0 V6 4x4 2010 Taco has seen many miles on the peninsula, but none since 2018 when I took my final research trip for the Baja Bound Road Guide. Since then, I have traveled with others in their vehicle.
Thanks again and I am glad I saw this today... missed it the first time it was posted.

 

Looks like a great trip.

I'll be working a fuel stop at this years's Baja 1000 and helping out with the chase duties the week before, a couple weeks total. I hope to see some of this while I'm there.

 

That's awesome, I hope to get more time down there in the future. Sounds like you're a baja vet.

 

Badass, good luck hope it's awesome

 

First trip was in 1965, by Jeep Wagoneer. I was almost 8.
My first time driving into Baja was in 1974. I was 16.
Basically, yes... Baja California has been my addiction for most of my 66 years!
This is my fourth book about something-Baja:


See much more at www.vivabaja.com

 

Ah man I wish I’d seen your website before the trip, would’ve been helpful! I’ll use it as a resource for next time, thanks for sharing.

 

DK knows his Baja

 

THANK YOU!

A lifetime of travel, camping, off-roading (co-driver in the '79 Baja 1000 + pit captain for several races from '78 to '82), has been 100% awesome.
Now, I am attempting to give back and inspire others!

Read my Baja Travel Adventure articles (travel, people, history): https://www.bajabound.com/bajaadventures/bajatravel/

Four times a guest on the Slow Baja podcasts: https://vivabaja.com/slow-baja/

Four minutes on TV's America Unearthed guiding Scott Wolter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7qPoqHSPXE

One minute on the feature film, The Devil's Road: Giving history details of Mission Santa María for a TV show about Toyotas and a Jeep driving the toughest road in Baja throughout the 21-minite show: HERE

 

Great pics and trip report, Baja is high on my list of places to explore. What were you fishing for, roosters?

 

Thanks for sharing, Baja is one of my favorite places on earth (the non-populated parts); I've been going there my entire life.

And you REALLY had to work to get there, driving across the country (we have it easy in CA).

Unrelated, I'm exited that I was able to visit the Mexican state of Chihuahua a few weeks ago, a first for me.