Baja with a Turbo Diesel 60 Series

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nice pics! I LOVE that mission in San Ignacio, and Mulege is my other favorite town in Baja...

some answers to some of the above ?s- fishing licenses are required, but I've never been asked before- so you decide...
I always use lures, but I'm not much of a catcher as the saying goes...
Llanteras are nearly everywhere, but bring some plugs and patches and a compressor/air.
I try not to go past 150-200 miles without filling up and/or having at least 10 gallons, sometimes even the Pemex stations run out- often times, local will have a 55 gallon drum that you can buy some of, the extra money is worth it, and you can remember to give stickers to his/her kids (old t-shirts are nice too)

night driving is suicide.

sorry about the hijack, looks like you had a great time!
 
Wow!!!!

What a great trip, very inspiring to say the least.

sa
 
JuttyShabango said:
Jan,

I've been waiting for this thread :grinpimp:

Spectacular pics...very motivating to say the least.

Did you guys have to get fishing license to do that? What about bait? artificial or were you buying live bait or catching it?

How were the fuel stops? What kinda range is needed? You guys seemed to wonder a bit which is what I'm plannin'.

What caused all the flats? Sharp stones, volcanic glass? Road hazards? 2 tires makes sense....

How was sleeping on the ground? Did your brother have any issue with scorpions in the tent etc?

Did you guys do any night driving?

Sorry man for all the Qs... Your pics gave me some ideas..:cool:
Click to expand...

Hi,
you'll love it, promise :D

I actually do not think you need a fishing licence, if you fish from the shore, and that's what we do. I use lures, and metal spoons work best. By far the best ones are the Luhr Jensen Crocodiles. I use them from 1/3 to 3/4 ounces, and like the silver with some fluorescence best. with them you get all kinds of fish, from barracuda to bass and halibut. fast retrieve on the surface gives the fast hunters, like barracuda and mackerel, slow on the ground bass and all other stuff. I use light spinning rods, and reels with 6 pound or 10 pound line. barracudas often cut the line, so a steel leader helps.

fuel stops are pretty frequent on the paved road. the furthest distance is from el rosario to guerrero negro. that is about 250 miles. if you drive backroads you need to calculate. there is fuel in bahia los angeles, but then only again san ignacio, if you take the backroads.
with the diesel this is not a problem, since I have a range of 450 miles on a tank, but i still carry 5 gallons. the baja almanac has the fuel stations in it, and is reliable.

flats are caused by stones, mostly. but there are bottles lying around. we don't fix them ourselves, since fix-a flat places are frequent (llanteras), and charge 100 pesos to fix a flat. problem is if you don't notice right away, the tires are often shot.

the tent my brother used is very good, and has a fully closing mosquito net, so no problems. I have a heavy tarp for underneath. but not once did we find a scorpion under the tarp or in the shoes in the morning.

no night driving. you see nothing, and animals like the warm road. I think it is just too dangerous, and not enjoyable.

ask away :)

cheers,
jan
 
I could look at those pics all day long.
 
Jan-78FJ40 said:
Hi,
you'll love it, promise :D

I actually do not think you need a fishing licence, if you fish from the shore, and that's what we do. I use lures, and metal spoons work best. By far the best ones are the Luhr Jensen Crocodiles. I use them from 1/3 to 3/4 ounces, and like the silver with some fluorescence best. with them you get all kinds of fish, from barracuda to bass and halibut. fast retrieve on the surface gives the fast hunters, like barracuda and mackerel, slow on the ground bass and all other stuff. I use light spinning rods, and reels with 6 pound or 10 pound line. barracudas often cut the line, so a steel leader helps.

fuel stops are pretty frequent on the paved road. the furthest distance is from el rosario to guerrero negro. that is about 250 miles. if you drive backroads you need to calculate. there is fuel in bahia los angeles, but then only again san ignacio, if you take the backroads.
with the diesel this is not a problem, since I have a range of 450 miles on a tank, but i still carry 5 gallons. the baja almanac has the fuel stations in it, and is reliable.

flats are caused by stones, mostly. but there are bottles lying around. we don't fix them ourselves, since fix-a flat places are frequent (llanteras), and charge 100 pesos to fix a flat. problem is if you don't notice right away, the tires are often shot.

the tent my brother used is very good, and has a fully closing mosquito net, so no problems. I have a heavy tarp for underneath. but not once did we find a scorpion under the tarp or in the shoes in the morning.

no night driving. you see nothing, and animals like the warm road. I think it is just too dangerous, and not enjoyable.

ask away :)

cheers,
jan
Click to expand...


Cool...I love to fish so taking artificial bait is preferable for me...I see what you are sayinge on the tires. Those are some nice meats you have too...hmmm....going to buy a set of wheels just for this trip and will do some diggin' for something tuff.

Fuel range is a concern for me. My 85 has a 12 gallon tank so carrying another 15 might make sense.

How did you guys handle your water?

Also, cash...debit cards? CC cards? Or a mix of everything. It would be cool if debit/credit could be used to fuel up.

Well, I should have no worries sleeping on the ground then..very cool.
 
JuttyShabango said:
Cool...I love to fish so taking artificial bait is preferable for me...I see what you are sayinge on the tires. Those are some nice meats you have too...hmmm....going to buy a set of wheels just for this trip and will do some diggin' for something tuff.

Fuel range is a concern for me. My 85 has a 12 gallon tank so carrying another 15 might make sense.

How did you guys handle your water?

Also, cash...debit cards? CC cards? Or a mix of everything. It would be cool if debit/credit could be used to fuel up.

Well, I should have no worries sleeping on the ground then..very cool.
Click to expand...


I forgot to say that I air down for long gravel trips. 22psi was pretty good, and one is quickly up at 45 for the paved road again with a small compressor. I have BFG ATs on-they are not the toughest, but a good compromise for raod/off road use.

For water i carry a 5 gallon can from SOR, and use it to fill up bottles to drink from. Water goes fast, but 1 gallon jars can be bought almost any places, and used to refill the can.

Debit cards will not work at the gas station. the only gas company is Pemex, and they take cash only. pesos work of course, but dollars as well.
I usually carry some dollars when I go down there, and otherwise pesos. For this trip I carried 300$ and 5000 pesos (~450$), which was enough for everything, and we ate well.
Don't get the pesos in the US, get them in mexico. The US debit cards work at the ATMs down there. There is a good atm at the second toll station on the fast road from Tijuana to Ensenada, multiple ones in Ensenada, some in St Quentin, one in san ignacio, one in santa rosalia, many in Loreto, and of course tons in la paz and cabo.

cheers,
jan
 
Ducks said:
Any idea where to get the Baja Almanac? Last I heard it was out of print. Those are some great pictures.

Do you see a lot of wildlife while you are down there? Obviously a coyote and some scorpions. The whales are amazing.

:beer: Chad
Click to expand...

don't know-I got it from the Baja Travel Club in San Diego.

there is more wildlife than one would expect. There is deer, some antelops, lots of rabbits, lots of crawlys, butterflies, insects, foxes...

Oh, NO GUNS. people and cars are searched by the military checkpoints. and guns means jail, which is probably not fun there.

j
 
Jan-78FJ40 said:
don't know-I got it from the Baja Travel Club in San Diego.

there is more wildlife than one would expect. There is deer, some antelops, lots of rabbits, lots of crawlys, butterflies, insects, foxes...

Oh, NO GUNS. people and cars are searched by the military checkpoints. and guns means jail, which is probably not fun there.

j
Click to expand...

I just called the Discover Baja Travel Club in San Diego. They didn't have it any more. I guess it has been out of print for about a year or two. There is supposed to be a new 2006 3rd edition with GPS points but it hasn't come out yet.

Yeah, I had no interest in bringing guns, just wanted to see wildlife.

:beer: Chad
 
Jan-78FJ40 said:
I forgot to say that I air down for long gravel trips. 22psi was pretty good, and one is quickly up at 45 for the paved road again with a small compressor. I have BFG ATs on-they are not the toughest, but a good compromise for raod/off road use.

For water i carry a 5 gallon can from SOR, and use it to fill up bottles to drink from. Water goes fast, but 1 gallon jars can be bought almost any places, and used to refill the can.

Debit cards will not work at the gas station. the only gas company is Pemex, and they take cash only. pesos work of course, but dollars as well.
I usually carry some dollars when I go down there, and otherwise pesos. For this trip I carried 300$ and 5000 pesos (~450$), which was enough for everything, and we ate well.
Don't get the pesos in the US, get them in mexico. The US debit cards work at the ATMs down there. There is a good atm at the second toll station on the fast road from Tijuana to Ensenada, multiple ones in Ensenada, some in St Quentin, one in san ignacio, one in santa rosalia, many in Loreto, and of course tons in la paz and cabo.

cheers,
jan
Click to expand...

Very good to know Jan. Thank you! I'm going all the way down to Cabo and think I'll build a safe box in my truck for all the lockable items.

Cabo and La Paz are the 2 biggest places I plan to visit..the rest of the places are small. Also gonna stay off the Cortez side to duck the humidity as much as possible...except for La Paz.

Might have to hit San Diego on the way back..;)
 
JuttyShabango said:
Very good to know Jan. Thank you! I'm going all the way down to Cabo and think I'll build a safe box in my truck for all the lockable items.

Cabo and La Paz are the 2 biggest places I plan to visit..the rest of the places are small. Also gonna stay off the Cortez side to duck the humidity as much as possible...except for La Paz.
Click to expand...


you should look at some places on the cortez side too-the two sides are so different.

JuttyShabango said:
Might have to hit San Diego on the way back..;)
Click to expand...

excellent :D
 
Baja in August

About 4 years ago, the wife and I did Baja in early August. In our experience, the Cortez side is pretty hot, but Mulege, Loreto, and La Paz were definately worth it. We tried to go further north but the sea got too hot to provide any relief. We also thought our time in Cabos was a waste of time - nothing but time-shares and all-inclusives, ie. a cultural wasteland. I'd do it again, but without any delusions about being able to camp since it was impossible with overnight temps around 30Celsius.
 
shinny said:
About 4 years ago, the wife and I did Baja in early August. In our experience, the Cortez side is pretty hot, but Mulege, Loreto, and La Paz were definately worth it. We tried to go further north but the sea got too hot to provide any relief. We also thought our time in Cabos was a waste of time - nothing but time-shares and all-inclusives, ie. a cultural wasteland. I'd do it again, but without any delusions about being able to camp since it was impossible with overnight temps around 30Celsius.
Click to expand...

I am not so negative. I have been down there for a number of times in high summer, and yes it's hot, but not too terrible. I always found the sea quite refreshing, and cooling from the inside works well too :D

sit the 3 noon hours in the shade, and you'll be fine.

The nights are warm, but it usually cools off a little bit...

j
 
Jan-78FJ40 said:
I am not so negative. I have been down there for a number of times in high summer, and yes it's hot, but not too terrible. I always found the sea quite refreshing, and cooling from the inside works well too :D

sit the 3 noon hours in the shade, and you'll be fine.

The nights are warm, but it usually cools off a little bit...

j
Click to expand...

Probably just depends on what you are used to. I can now handle 110 degrees since I have moved to the Sacramento Valley but it took a couple years.
 
Jan-78FJ40 said:
you should look at some places on the cortez side too-the two sides are so different.



excellent :D
Click to expand...


Just spent some time mapping...and crossing at Yuma area...down the Cortez side till Bahia Los Angeles area then cross over to Bahia-Asuncion where I plan to stay 5 days. Then back to LaPaz...I think I'll skip Cabo this trip and only go as far south as La Paz.

Then back thru Enseneda/Tiju-Hell then into San Diego.

We'll compare notes over some cold ones..:beer: Then back to Phoenix for a couple days then home.

I'm not worried about the heat at all...just be smart about it I guess.
 
JuttyShabango said:
Just spent some time mapping...and crossing at Yuma area...down the Cortez side till Bahia Los Angeles area then cross over to Bahia-Asuncion where I plan to stay 5 days. Then back to LaPaz...I think I'll skip Cabo this trip and only go as far south as La Paz.

Then back thru Enseneda/Tiju-Hell then into San Diego.

We'll compare notes over some cold ones..:beer: Then back to Phoenix for a couple days then home.

I'm not worried about the heat at all...just be smart about it I guess.
Click to expand...

That sounds great!

Jan
 
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