Advice Needed: Trip to Baja (Mar 07)

[BajaTaco]

... So I'll start by asking advice from Scott and BajaTaco and the other experienced Baja adventurers on the board.

Hi, I just got here and it looks like everyone else has pretty much made my involvement in this thread much easier

Regarding the fishing - in March, on the Cortez side, I think you will have better chances of catching something offshore in a kayak than you will from the beach. The water is still pretty cold and as a result, there will likely be less fish around the shores. Also, where beach casting is concerned, natural bait seems to be much more effective than lures from what I have seen and experienced. Out on the water might be a different story though, I haven't tried. One of these days I plan to master one of the local techniques. It involves an aerosol can and a spark plug. And it works GOOD! (and no, it's not what you think - not toxic to the environment at all).

For your itinerary, I think you should tell us what your style is first. The itinerary should be based on your (and your families) style. Or if you are with a group, and they are looking to you to make the itinerary, then what the cumulative style of the group is.

[EDIT] Henry, I can gather some pretty good assumptions of your singular style, based on what I have seen and read about your rig and your travels. But with your family and other families, I guess maybe it would be best to elaborate

 

[underdog]

The potholes with ZIP Codes I am referring to are on the stretch from Km54 to Puertecitos on Hwy 5.
Allen R.

Man, do I know about THIS stretch. I was cruising along, up on the footpegs of my BMW R80GS, doing a fine job of weaving in and out of the potholes and nailed one that I just couldn't avoid, at 50 mph. Put a SERIOUS dent in my front rim. It was a miracle that I didn't flat.

That stretch from San Filipe south to Puertocitos is a nice one though with lots of good views of the Sea of Cortez.

As for food, my last trip down there we were on a quest for the best fish taco on the peninsula. There are taco stands everywhere and we had some really good tacos. We pretty much subsisted on 'em entirely. With a little beer to wash 'em down. The best fish taco we had was at one of those little family owned stands just north of La Paz called Mr. Taco. That'd definitely be too far to explore in a week though. My suggestion would be to stay in B.C Norte and take a little time to enjoy it. You could get all the way down to Cabo and back but you'd be driving several hundred miles a day. Too much wheel time and not enough taking in the scenery and culture.

 

[60seriesguy]

[EDIT] Henry, I can gather some pretty good assumptions of your singular style, based on what I have seen and read about your rig and your travels. But with your family and other families, I guess maybe it would be best to elaborate [/QUOTE]

We'll have to see how the composition of the group plays out in the months to come; inevitably, some people who are planning to go won't make it, but as it stands right now, it's a mix of single folks, married couples, and a few families that have smaller kids. The latter have requested that the entire trip not be a suicide run down to Cabo and back, which is reasonable (there will be time for other trips like that, he, he!). This is their gig, I'm just an honored guest of a group of people I've been wanting to travel with for years. Whatever they want to do, is fine with me, I'm just along for the ride and the comraderie and the scenery and the awesome experience of driving into Baja.

My ideal trip would probably be longer, have fewer rigs, more boats, and involve more serious fishing and exploring and more remote areas. Does that make sense?

I'll be driving my diesel BTJ62 Land Cruiser and towing my expedition trailer. I'm planning to travel as light as possible (within reason) but because it's my first trip and I have a 2,600 mile round trip just to get to the meeting point, I'll probably prepare for a more remote trip than this one will turn out.

My copilot will be my best friend, a fellow Cruiserhead, fellow immigrant (him from South Africa fifteen years ago, me from Venezuela twelve years ago) and old college roommate. We've traveled many miles together and there's nobody else I'd rather have on a trip than him. He travels even lighter than me and he'll be flying out from Baltimore, so it will fall to me to have the rig prepared and enough gear for him.

I don't really plan any modifications to the Cruiser before the Baja trip, just focus on reliability and making the interior more comfortable for a long trip. I've been having intermittent electrical issues and plan to pretty much re-wire every accessory on the truck, starting with redesigning the dual battery setup. Ditto for the trailer. I already set both my rigs for this kind of travel.

I'm debating a boat. Now that I hear I might not get a whole lot of fish from shore, I might look deeper into this. I thought maybe an inflatable 10' boat with a small outboard would be nice, it reminds me of fishing expeditions in Venezuela. But that might be more hassle than it's worth....and beyond my budget.

 

[Scott Brady]

My ideal trip would probably be longer, have fewer rigs, more boats, and involve more serious fishing and exploring and more remote areas. Does that make sense?

Henry,

You are another brother from a different mother :victory:

I don't really plan any modifications to the Cruiser before the Baja trip, just focus on reliability and making the interior more comfortable for a long trip. I've been having intermittent electrical issues and plan to pretty much re-wire every accessory on the truck, starting with redesigning the dual battery setup. Ditto for the trailer. I already set both my rigs for this kind of travel.

Good plan. If you have a fridge, a stock Toyota can run pretty much everything in Baja with ease. There are a few spots in the San Martir that will be fun with the trailer, but no big deal for your rig.

I'm debating a boat. Now that I hear I might not get a whole lot of fish from shore, I might look deeper into this. I thought maybe an inflatable 10' boat with a small outboard would be nice, it reminds me of fishing expeditions in Venezuela. But that might be more hassle than it's worth....and beyond my budget.

That time of year would be good with a boat, as the water is COLD. That depends on your route though, which might limit the beach time.

 

[60seriesguy]

Henry,

You are another brother from a different mother :victory:



Good plan. If you have a fridge, a stock Toyota can run pretty much everything in Baja with ease. There are a few spots in the San Martir that will be fun with the trailer, but no big deal for your rig.




That time of year would be good with a boat, as the water is COLD. That depends on your route though, which might limit the beach time.

I figured as much, I think I have a lot of lost brothers on this board!

I don't have a fridge yet, but that will be remedied soon! The trailer I'm pretty comfortable with, it's been on some hairy places. In fact, its maiden run after Phase II was on Martinez Canyon!

I did a cursory check on Ebay and Craiglist and found some pretty good deals on boats. I may buy one a few months before the trip, take it down, then sell it when I get back, I don't have much use for one in this area.

Thanks for all the tips, folks, keep them coming! I've been daydreaming about this for days, I realized it's been a LONG time since I've gone on this kind of expedition.

 

[BajaTaco]

...We pretty much subsisted on 'em entirely. With a little beer to wash 'em down. The best fish taco we had was at one of those little family owned stands just north of La Paz called Mr. Taco. .

Aww man, you're making me hungry... and I just ate dinner!

...My ideal trip would probably be longer, have fewer rigs, more boats, and involve more serious fishing and exploring and more remote areas. Does that make sense?

Yep, that makes sense. I think with varied styles and little ones along on the trip it is best to play it conservative as far as how deep into the backcountry you go, how many nights without a room, and how far south - unless you are with a rare group that likes to camp the majority of nights and cover lots of backcountry in the day. I think it would be difficult to really give the Pacific coast, Cortez coast, and mountains all fair time in 7 days if you are coming from the US border, without staying up north in the locales closer to the border. So I would suggest picking one of those (Pacific, Cortez, or Mtns) as your priority destination and then creating something from there.

 

[BajaTaco]

LOL - Scott was typing as I was.

Good plan. If you have a fridge, a stock Toyota can run pretty much everything in Baja with ease.

LOL! So without a fridge, you can't do it! It won't make it! LOL - I am gonna make that quote part of my signature.

 

[Scott Brady]

:hehe:

 

[dmc]

Henry,

As you mentioned we don't have firm commitments from anybody yet. Well aside from me and Darren. we're having our own little discussion in our forum. I'll see what I can do about getting you added.

I'm glad you started this thread because eventually i'd be over here seeking the wisdom and advice of the baja experienced.

My prediction is this; 5 trucks (including you and Ross:jumping: :clapsmile) A little more driving than our previous discussions. Ideally I'd like to take more time and cover more ground but I need to respect the wishes of the wives that allow their husbands to go on other adventures without them. My only criteria is we make it to the top of Mount Diablo. However I'd like to see as much as we can in our time there. I'm pushing for a border crossing early on friday morning instead of friday night or saturday morning to give us an extra day.

For everybody else. Feel free to barrage us with info. the more we can get the better.
dmc

 

[dmc]

I will form a detailed response when I get home from Oahu.

I have a nice loop that you would enjoy, and will show you most of the Ecosystems in the North.

Basically, a loop from Tecate down to Valle Trinidad, Mike's Sky, Meling Ranch, San Martir Range, then down to Gonzaga and back up through San Felipe and Mexicali.

I like that route Scott. Not because i know anything about it but because I recognize all those names from the Baja 1000. Our next trip to Baja will be as competitors (hopefully 08) so this trip will be a partial "pre-run just to check out the terrain before we build our rig" type of trip. Yeah we've been saying it for years now and still haven't done anything about it. I'm hoping a nice relaxed trip in the Cruisers will be just the impetus we need to start building the pre-runner.
dmc

 

[ChuckB]

Fish tacos... now we are talkin'!!!

 

[Hltoppr]

Yeah...a fridge is a must...if you're on 4 wheels...:ylsmoke:

-H-

 

[LexusAllTerrain]

If you have a chance stop by Laguna Percebu, they have a small Cantina, and you get lot;s of great conversation and advice of the roads:victory:

 

[cpg]

Here are some pictures about a hour south of Bahia de Los Angeles at Las Animas. We where there for a few days and the whole beach to are selves.

Fishing from the shore was very good with the inflatable kayak it was even better. Crocodiles, Kastmasters, feather jigs, Rappalas, They all seem to work well.

We where down for 2 weeks and the 2 favorite campsites where Las Animas and San Francisquito.

 

[Scott Brady]

Awesome pictures and sweet 80!

Great to have you on the forum