Suggestions? Idaho to Death Valley to Baja (San Felipe, Gonzaga, Cocos, Guerrero Negro), etc.

[kmcintyre]

Ok, our trip planning is underway. We could use some suggestions for places to camp or stay along the way.

We'll head south late Jan. Stopping at DV then heading down towards Gonzaga then over to Guerrero Negro to see the whales).

We'll then head north; hit the wine region and eventually hit San Diego (my hometown) then North up CA.

I haven't been down to Baja in years so looking for things "not to miss" along the way.

We're thinking we may try to get to the racetrack in DV and ??? We don't want to get to far on the West side as we were there 2 years ago.

We'll probably stop 1/2 way down from DV towards the US/Mex border and looking for ideas. We looked at Borrego and that area to spend a night or 2. Pumpkin patch?????

Then hit San Felipe (any suggestions on better camping on the gulf????). I was last there 25-30 years ago.

Then Gonzaga. Suggestions?????

Over to Coco's and GN. Best camp spots on the Pacific?????

Then up to TJ; same ?????'s.

Lot's of ????? We don't have to be back at any particular time.

Thanks.

Kevin

 

[DavidGraves]

Hi Kevin

My favorite area of Baja starts just where you intend to turn north.

You will have entered Baja Sur state just as you approach Guerra Negro and from there southward are some pretty neat areas.....not sure of your interests but have you considered :

-The San Francisco Mtns. a short hop off Hwy 1 and a world away from what most of us encounter at home.......

-San Igacio....a historic oasis town with a lovely misson.

-Santa Rosalia....remarkable French heritage mining town.....lots of history.

-Muelge.....gateway to...see below

-The Bay of Concepcion......so beautiful it hurts your eyes.....many small beach areas to camp....warm water to splash or float or swim or boat...

Pardon me if you have already considered these areas but they are fairly close to where you are going to be anyway and they are all very close to the highway.

Just my thoughts

David Graves

 

[kmcintyre]

Hi Kevin

My favorite area of Baja starts just where you intend to turn north.

You will have entered Baja Sur state just as you approach Guerra Negro and from there southward are some pretty neat areas.....not sure of your interests but have you considered :

-The San Francisco Mtns. a short hop off Hwy 1 and a world away from what most of us encounter at home.......

-San Igacio....a historic oasis town with a lovely misson.

-Santa Rosalia....remarkable French heritage mining town.....lots of history.

-Muelge.....gateway to...see below

-The Bay of Concepcion......so beautiful it hurts your eyes.....many small beach areas to camp....warm water to splash or float or swim or boat...

Pardon me if you have already considered these areas but they are fairly close to where you are going to be anyway and they are all very close to the highway.

Just my thoughts

David Graves

David,

Thanks for the suggestions. We didn't plan on going down further but certainly could if I can find ULSD (ultra low Sulphur diesel) although we can carry extra and if we could top off in GN, we'd be pretty set for a while.

I'll have to check those out a bit more. I've been down further but that was so long ago and we were in search of surf back then. I can't drag my surfboard all that way from Idaho this time.

Kevin

 

[Ramblinman]

Hi Kevin

My favorite area of Baja starts just where you intend to turn north.

You will have entered Baja Sur state just as you approach Guerra Negro and from there southward are some pretty neat areas.....not sure of your interests but have you considered :

-The San Francisco Mtns. a short hop off Hwy 1 and a world away from what most of us encounter at home.......

-San Igacio....a historic oasis town with a lovely misson.

-Santa Rosalia....remarkable French heritage mining town.....lots of history.

-Muelge.....gateway to...see below

-The Bay of Concepcion......so beautiful it hurts your eyes.....many small beach areas to camp....warm water to splash or float or swim or boat...

Pardon me if you have already considered these areas but they are fairly close to where you are going to be anyway and they are all very close to the highway.

Just my thoughts

David Graves

X 2!

Santa Rosalia for Great Taco's and Ceviche.

We stayed at Pete's Camp in San Felipe last year with success for 15 a night.

Conception Bay was gorgeous but VERY busy so be prepared for neighbours.

We stayed at Gonzaga bay at a popular camp ground recommended to us by people in San Felipe which was nice and we had it all to our selves. I cannot remember the name but it was recommended by everybody - just ask a gringo in San Felipe - its that popular. I remember it being just past the Alphonsina sign (nice place for lunch but pricey) Blue sign and rocks lined the trail from the main road. The attendant and his 2 dogs were nice.

Guerra Negro Whale Watching past the salt flats (about 45 mins south of town) has a nice camp ground for 5 dollars a night.

Juncalito Beach was our favourite just south of Loreto

Not sure if you are going as far south as La Paz - Tecolote Beach was stunning with green water and great sand but very windy.

​Have not been but LA Bay is supposed to be a good spot which we will visit in Jan 2017.

Check out Song of the Road they do a great job listing camp sites http://songoftheroad.com/2014/01/baja-mexico-camp-site-list/


**** Shuffle your feet when you are in the water - Trust me on this *******

 

[camper rich]

X2 on Bajia Concepcion. You should be able to make it there and back from Guerro Negro on a tank of Diesel. Lots of warmer beach camping, although probably crowded. We have camped at Santaspac, out the road on the north end. Lately we camp at Playa Coyote.
You don't need to go any farther south--stay there for a while and enjoy! I think you will find northern Baja to be cool at that time of the year, especially on the Pacific.

 

[Advmoto18]

Camp just south of Posada Concepcion (~25km south of Mulege).

David is spot on, the scenery is so breath-taking it hurts your eyes. Hurts the soul to leave.

I've got a ton of notes in my Field Notes journals from recent trips the past few years. I'll dig them out and see if I have any thing regarding your questions.

Baja Almanac has been out of print for several years. I picked one up from this EBay seller two years ago for $75! Scary to see what he gets now. But, the Almanac is priceless IMO. Mine is now full of notes and comments. I wouldn't sell mine for $500.

 

[Advmoto18]

LA Bay is very nice. Kind of a sleeper town since it is ~20 minutes off and east of MEX 1.

LA Bay this past May. Had the place to ourselves.

 

[kmcintyre]

Camp just south of Posada Concepcion (~25km south of Mulege).

David is spot on, the scenery is so breath-taking it hurts your eyes. Hurts the soul to leave.

I've got a ton of notes in my Field Notes journals from recent trips the past few years. I'll dig them out and see if I have any thing regarding your questions.

Baja Almanac has been out of print for several years. I picked one up from this EBay seller two years ago for $75! Scary to see what he gets now. But, the Almanac is priceless IMO. Mine is now full of notes and comments. I wouldn't sell mine for $500.

I wonder if this is the same thing? https://www.bajabound.com/before/aboutmex/bajaalmanac.php

It's $40 plus shipping?

Kevin

 

[Ramblinman]

That's the one - pretty sure that's where I got mine.

 

[kmcintyre]

That's the one - pretty sure that's where I got mine.

Got one! Thanks.

 

[ntsqd]

At Bahia de Conception while out on the sand spit (waypoint name: "Heaven") look to the south up on the flank of the mtn. You may have to stare at it a while, but eventually you'll see a pattern. I will leave it to each to find out what it is.

 

[Advmoto18]

I wonder if this is the same thing? https://www.bajabound.com/before/aboutmex/bajaalmanac.php

It's $40 plus shipping?

Kevin

Sure looks like the same thing!

I would email them to make sure they have them in stock. It has been out of print since '09 I do beleive.

Bill

 

[park]

I've been down over the last two winters. Rather than give specifics, if you want to start at this post http://nowheretobetour.blogspot.com/2016_01_01_archive.html and work through the Baja posts you might come across some areas you think are worth visiting. All of Baja is good, some areas better than others. Have fun and hope some of the posts gives you some ideas.

 

[kmcintyre]

Lots of great ideas, thanks everyone.

Keep them coming. The usual planning is underway and we really only have to be one place on a particular day so we're flexible.

Thanks again!

Kevin

 

[gvb1940@gmail.com]

I wonder if this is the same thing? https://www.bajabound.com/before/aboutmex/bajaalmanac.php

It's $40 plus shipping?

Kevin

Yes! It is the same. I just ordered one yesterday.

 

[gvb1940@gmail.com]

I wonder if this is the same thing? https://www.bajabound.com/before/aboutmex/bajaalmanac.php

It's $40 plus shipping?

Kevin

Yes! It is the same. I just ordered one yesterday.

David,

Thanks for the suggestions. We didn't plan on going down further but certainly could if I can find ULSD (ultra low Sulphur diesel) although we can carry extra and if we could top off in GN, we'd be pretty set for a while.

I'll have to check those out a bit more. I've been down further but that was so long ago and we were in search of surf back then. I can't drag my surfboard all that way from Idaho this time.
t
Kevin

In a message dated 3/26/2016 10:46:12 A.M. Mountain Standard Time (M, gvb1940@gmail.com writes:
Ted: Enjoy reading your informative articles. Going to take my 2015 Ram to Baja in Jan 2017.
Have you heard any more info on ulsd diesel down there? Anything I need to do in particular to my truck before going?=
Hello gvb1940@gmail.com??

The most that will happen with your 2015 Dodge RAM is the engine light MIGHT come on for a while from time to time while using Mexican diesel fuel. There has been a 2015 Dodge RAM here in Los Barriles since October and the engine light has been on twice for short periods - that's it. This is consistent with the reports I have received from other 2015 Dodge RAM owners. The Dodge diesel pickup emissions systems are very tolerant of the higher sulfur levels in Mexican diesel fuel.

As for whether there is ULSD on the Baja, there is credible evidence that all of the diesel fuel at Pemex stations down to and including Jesus Maria is ULSD from the USA or Japan, for the following reasons:

1.
Pemex's own distribution charts indicate that all of the diesel fuel in the Northern Baja, down to and including Jesus Maria, is distributed out of the Pemex tank farm in Ensenada.

2.
Pemex supply chain information charts show all of the diesel in Ensenada tank farm coming from the USA via pipeline, and from Japan, from time to time, via ocean tanker.

3.
Numerous interviews, by a number of Spanish speaking pickup owners, with attendants at Pemex stations on the Baja have confirmed the data in the Pemex distribution maps, and the attendants at Jesus Maria have confirmed on 4 separate occasions, to 4 separate people, that their diesel comes from Ensenada. In contrast, the attendants at the last station in the Northern Baja, just north of the BCS border have confirmed that their diesel comes from La Paz. (Pemex distribution maps also show this to be the case).

4.
Last March I personally drew a sample of the diesel fuel at El Rosario and sent it to my contacts at GM Diesel Emissions Programming Division for testing. It was confirmed to be ULSD from the USA. This year, on my way north in early April, I will draw samples at Jesus Maria and San Quintin in order to provide additional evidence that the fuel is ULSD.

5.
I have test equipment with GM programming that enables me to monitor emissions and control regeneration cycles on Duramax powered trucks. My observations of emissions and engine behavior over 5 years on the Baja also confirm that all of the diesel fuel as far south as Jesus Maria is ULSD.

Hope that helps.

Regards
Ted (Ed)

 

[gvb1940@gmail.com]

Heading down Mex 5 to San Felipe and south around Jan 15 if anyone is interested in caravanning.
We have no itinerary, just cruising along with our dog. Probably be down there the better part of a month.

 

[kmcintyre]

Heading down Mex 5 to San Felipe and south around Jan 15 if anyone is interested in caravanning.
We have no itinerary, just cruising along with our dog. Probably be down there the better part of a month.

We'll probably be a few weeks behind you. If you can, post updates on where you stay, recommendations, etc.

Thanks!

 

[Ramblinman]

We should be crossing at Mexicali East around 5 Jan (First stop Petes Camp @ San Felipe) Probably get as far South without going to Cabo - and crossing north bound again Feb 1st - 98 Pewter Chev/Hawk Combo with 2 dogs. We will be the happy people on the beach drinking beer and enjoying life - it was -29C/-22F this morning where I live.

Come say Hi.

 

[kmcintyre]

We should be crossing at Mexicali East around 5 Jan (First stop Petes Camp @ San Felipe) Probably get as far South without going to Cabo - and crossing north bound again Feb 1st - 98 Pewter Chev/Hawk Combo with 2 dogs. We will be the happy people on the beach drinking beer and enjoying life - it was -29C/-22F this morning where I live.

Come say Hi.

Yep we were cold here too.... I think 6 over night but still went trout (river) fishing this morning in about 15 degree weather.... We'll be in the truck in my profile w/ black lab X.