Deby and Donn do Baja!

[snooker]

Originally Posted by muddyrabbit

Donny, I have found those lower frame bolts, as well as the upper ones under the seat loose on my X Country. Wouldn't hurt to check the bolts for her pannier racks either.

Sounds like a job for safety wire! How easy would that be?

Donn, great trip, watching you closely with great envy.

[boyfester]

You're a lucky man! My wife has shown no interest in learning to ride.

[donnh]

Ok, found a place called Los Barriles with a nice hotel and miles of white beach. We may hole up here a bit while I get caught up on the ride report and darken my skin a couple of shades. Took off the panniers and went with Mark for a nice day ride on some tricky roads . Pictures soon. ..... stay tuned.

[Ol Man]

Originally Posted by donnh

Ok, found a place called Los Barriles with a nice hotel and miles of white beach. We may hole up here a bit while I get caught up on the ride report and darken my skin a couple of shades. Took off the panniers and went with Mark for a nice day ride on some tricky roads . Pictures soon. ..... stay tuned.

We spent a week there with some friends two years ago. A nice place. We rented a house one block off the beach and there was a nice hotel next door.....this was just south of town, so don't know if that is where you are. Enjoy.

[donnh]

Originally Posted by Ol Man

We spent a week there with some friends two years ago. A nice place. We rented a house one block off the beach and there was a nice hotel next door.....this was just south of town, so don't know if that is where you are. Enjoy.

When you come down the main road into town we turned left at the T and it is the 1st Hotel on the right. Martin Verdugo's Beach Resort. I can't quite get motivated to leave. When we do the next stop will be Todos Santos..

[snooker]

Originally Posted by donnh

Ok, found a place called Los Barriles with a nice hotel and miles of white beach. We may hole up here a bit while I get caught up on the ride report and darken my skin a couple of shades. Took off the panniers and went with Mark for a nice day ride on some tricky roads . Pictures soon. ..... stay tuned.

If I remember correctly from my windsurfing days in the 1980's, that is THE spot in Baja for windsurfing. Nowadays kitesailing. You probably already know this as I hope you are having wind and seeing it for yourself! OK now I googled it and there is a big event there Jan 12-16 called Lord Of The Wind Showdown, with a $20,000 cash purse, the biggest in North America, according to LordOfTheWindBaja.com (you may already know this as well!) So either stay another week or hit it on your way back? enjoy.

[DRONE]

Originally Posted by donnh

After dinner Deby and I took another walk along the waterfront when we came across this:


Another killer monster truck RV! What the? This was even bigger than the last one. It had European plates but nobody was around to talk to. Is this some type of new fad?

Those are called expedition trucks, and it's not a fad. Good place to start for those interested is the Expedition Portal for Overland Travel Enthusiasts (41,000 members and 65,000 threads.) Those guys have a little more money than us guys.

[DRONE]

About the subframe mounting bolt, quite a few users have posted up about that. Haven't heard of anybody actually crashing because of it though (might be a matter of time). Some loctite and you should be good to go.

[donnh]

Loreto to LaPaz
First a few more pictures from Loreto

Sunrise out our room


Front door parking



Looking at the map we realized that if we went directly to Gringo Doug’s we would probably be getting there as the sun was setting so we decided to stop in LaPaz and look for Doug the next day.

The stretch from Loreto to LaPaz was mostly flat and boring. With the holidays behind us there was more traffic on highway 1, the main north south route through Baja. We spent the day passing and being passed on the narrow two lane road. We settled into a pace of about 60 to 65mph which was faster than most of the trucks and slower of most of the cars that seemed to be running about 80mph.

About half way to LaPaz we stopped at a roadside stand for a break, some lunch and cool drinks. We were the only customers and before we were off the bikes we were surrounded by a half dozen little kids admiring our machines. I pulled out my collection of stickers to hand out and we immediately had new best friends. There was a menu of sorts painted on the wall but we found out it was burritos or nothing which was really no problem. After a while getting to know the kids the father came out and one by one the kids were taking turns sitting on the motorcycle, mostly mine since it had a center stand and stood up straight. One of the older kids produced an iPhone from somewhere and everyone was soon posing for pictures. As we were starting to get ready to leave the family was gathering around what looked like a big wok over an open fire. They waved us over and showed us the meal they were preparing. Through sign language we figured out it was goat. Even though we just ate they insisted on giving us some of their fresh goat wrapped in tortillas. I was told via sign language of a bulging bicep that it would make me strong. I sat on a plastic chair next to grandma and had a second great lunch. After about an hour we left with lots of hand waving and resumed our battle passing some of the same trucks we passed earlier.





My favorite




We got to LaPaz at a reasonable hour and made our way to the main part of town along the Malaccan. LaPaz is a pretty big city so it took a while to ride though the heat with many Alto’s to the hotel. We didn’t have a clue where to stay so we parked in front of what looked like a main hotel on the main strip. Deby guarded the bikes while Mark and I went to a few hotels to ask about rates, internet and parking. Deby and I stayed at the hotel we parked in front of for $70 and Mark found a really nice place a block away for $50. We should have probably stayed there, the rooms were on three levels and had two bedrooms. They let Mark park in the lobby.

We spent time walking along the waterfront in the warm evening breeze. There were tourists around but it wasn’t very crowded. We noticed some Americans but probably just as many Mexican tourists. After a nice dinner at a small restaurant off the main street with a quaint courtyard garden we called it a night.

Day 8 LaPaz to Gringo Doug’s

Deby and I had breakfast at the almost empty hotel restaurant overlooking the water, packed up, met Mark and were on the road by 9:30. On the way out Mark spotted a motorcycle shop where we stopped because Mark had a stripped bolt on his front brake reservoir and the window showed that he was low on fluid. The shop mechanic came out and explained in pretty good English that Mark needed some Mexican Technology to loosen the stripped Phillips head screw. He started looking around the road for something when I joked, “a rock?” Yes, that is exactly what he was looking for….. not finding one he went to his shop and returned with a hammer.

"Mexican Technology"


We never did get it loose but in the process realized that the reservoir was not really low but had shifted from the level position. Banging on it straightened it out and suddenly the indicator was full. Good enough so off we went.
It took us a while go get out of town after a couple of wrong turns and stops for GPS checking but eventually we were back on highway 1 heading south. It wasn’t long before we came to the turnoff to Santiago and then onto a dirt road to Doug’s place in Agua Callente. I found out later that Doug’s place is almost exactly on the Tropic of Cancer. The Latitude that describes the most northerly point of the sun on the summer solstice. Or to put it another way, if you were at Gringo Doug’s on June 21st at noon, the sun would be directly above you.

The directions to Doug’s were to ride into town and ask for the Gringo since he is the only one in town and everybody knows him. We asked the first person we saw but despite all the hand waving we still couldn’t figure where Doug lived so the local jumped into his truck and signaled for us to follow him to Doug’s.

I know of Doug from my involvement in the Northwest Norton Owners motorcycle club and the International Norton Owners Association. Doug spent a large part of his life rebuilding Norton’s at Colorado Norton Works were he was one of the owners. Through some series of events that I’m not exactly sure of, or is probably not any of my business, Doug ended up in this small village where he set up a little motorcycle shop where he continues to rebuild Norton motorcycles for clients in the states. It was just after lunch when we parked in front of his property and met Doug. I spent the next couple of hours admiring his shop and the beautiful Norton he was finishing up for a customer. The handiwork was incredible with nicely polished aluminum and power coated frame. Since I had recently totally restored my Norton I could recognize that his workmanship was at a true professional level. I took advantage of his knowledge to ask about some nagging problems I’ve had with mine. He laughed and said I’m experiencing what every rebuilder does his first time and gave me some good tips.

Norton rebuild in the works




Doug


Doug's shop - just outside his bedroom


Outdoor bar/kitchen


Outdoor shop for his own bike


Main house and shop



After Cokes and snacks at his outside bar/kitchen we said goodbye to our new Amigo. Doug recommended we ride the short distance to Los Barrales and look for a place to stay, that’s how we came across Martin Verdugo’s Beach Resort. We were greeted by Ronnie who we learned is the son of the owner. Ronnie was admiring the bikes and was proud to point out that he owned a KTM and rode it every chance he could in the surrounding mountains. He gave us a key to a first floor room where we could park the bikes right outside the door. The room was a couple dozen steps from the beach and cabana bar next to a pool. This ended up being home for three nights, ahhh.



Stay tuned.

[Haywood]

Thanks for the great report and fotos!

I did four rides/trips down there last year. My new year resolution: ride more in Baja!

[Baja Ho]

The old Norton's are definitely cool. Do you know if Doug rides off road motorcycles ?

[motowest]

Enjoying your report so far.

Like others, I hope to get to Baja someday (it just hasn't happened yet).

[DRONE]

I'm also enjoying your report but unlike others hope to never go there. Hot, dry, sunny, sandy--yuk!

[donnh]

The second day at Los Barrales Mark and I decided to take a day ride up the coast past Punta Pescadeo and loop around to San Antonio, about a 75 mile loop. Mark was anxious to try the KLR without 100 lbs of gear on some mountain trails. I took off my panniers but didn’t really notice a difference other than having less width to worry about. The first 10 or 15 miles were on a “paved” road that weaved up the hills along the shore, we spent time dodging big potholes and navigating long stretches of road where sand had blown across and was about 6” deep. Deby is a really good rider but without me worrying about her in the sand Mark and I found that 50mph seemed about the right speed to keep on top of the soft stuff. On the paved twisty sections we slowed and practiced swerving around potholes and being careful of potential oncoming traffic. Just past Punta Pescadero the pavement ends where the mountains meet the Sea of Cortez. We turned left to follow the road as it hung about half way up the mountain from the water. We spent the next 30 miles negotiating rocky inclines, narrow paths with drop offs 100’ to the water and sharp hair pin turns to steep rocky descents. The F800 kept up with the KLR650 but I was noticing the weight during 1st gear clutch slipping over rocky inclines and on some of the descents. My temperature gauge said 80 when we stopped for a well-deserved water break at a precipice along the way and took a couple of pictures.

Road north of Los barrales






Lunch stop on the way back


We continued down a steep hill when I noticed my brakes were not slowing down the heavy bike, yikes, I forgot to turn off the ABS. That made for some excitement but I managed by just going faster and ignoring the cliff that was 18” from my front tire. I probably had a few too many PSIs in the front tire as a trade off against flats which resulted in the tire bouncing randomly off the baby head size rocks. Once again the steering stabilizer helped keep things under control and we made it down off the mountain side. When we reached sea level we were back in sand and the temperature was climbing towards 90 degrees under the direct sun. Winding along a dried up river bed we came across a gringo riding a bicycle! Ok, we had to stop and talk to this guy. It looked like he was in his 20’s, was wearing only shorts, no shirt and showing a serious farmers tan on his arms. The short story is that he left Alaska in July and this is as far as he got. I’m not sure where the he was going since he was almost to the bottom of Baja and then what? He most certainly did not take the easy route since he could have took a paved road to Los Barrilos and he was at least 20 miles from the nearest anything with mountains in front of him and behind him. How was he riding a bike in this deep sand anyhow? We checked to make sure he had enough water and said goodbye, we never did see him in Los Barrilos.

The next day Mark wanted to head south on a graded gravel road to Cabo Pulmo and then to Cabo San Lucas. I was really enjoying the hotel in Los Barrilos and decided that I wanted a full day off the bike and on the beach so I talked Deby into staying one more night. When Mark left we made tentative plans to meet further south but that never worked out. Deby and I spent a day doing nothing but sitting around and reading books, ahhhh.

Every morning the hotel guests lined up here to watch the sunrise and drink coffee


Here is what it looked like


We ate a number of meals at Smokey's "Gooder than Great"


We decided not to eat at this place, not sure about the cemetery part


Our hotel had some nice art securely attached to the wall




For a bunch of reasons we decided to skip Cabo Pulmo and Cabo San Lucas and take a more northerly route to Todos Santos on the west side of the peninsula. We left at our usual leisurely time of about 9:30 to ride west on a great road through the mountains. We stopped for breakfast at a little café in El Triunfo and rode around town looking at an abandoned silver mine and old church.

Breakfast spot






We were in Todos Santos before noon and scoped out a place to stay ending up at a nice place with haciendas at the edge of town. The room wasn’t ready so we parked the bikes and walked into the main part of town. Todos Santos is an art community that we found out caters to people from Cabo San Lucas who make the couple hour drive as a day trip. There were probably 20 galleries selling all kinds of local art. Strange thing is that most of the galleries seemed to be run by people from either Washington or Oregon, I felt strangely at home. At some of the galleries I waited outside and watched a regular stream of people riding through town on dirt bikes. I saw a lot of 250s and bigger Honda XRs. License plates are not required, evidently, on dirt bikes. Most of the riders had motocross attire with a large camelback/backpack and that was all. I wonder if they rode the almost 1000 miles from the border like that? We did stop to chat with two guys on big XRs, I noticed that besides backpacks they had plastic bags bungied on the back of their bikes. They were two guys from France who bought the bikes in LA and rode them down. They said they wanted to film a French version of the movie From Dust to Glory. I’m not sure exactly what that meant but we wished them well and left.

Our hacienda




By 8:00 the town of Todos Santos was nearly deserted after the Cabo touristas departed. In the middle of town is a place called Hotel California which some people claim is the hotel made famous by the song. Others seem to dispute that fact but whatever, it’s there and they were capitalizing on the name by selling all kinds of shirts, hats other souvenirs. There was some activity at the hotel as we walked by, evidently one of the founding members of the band REM lives nearby and he was putting on a show at the hotel that night. We walked in and saw the small stage and room for maybe 35 in the audience and thought about staying except they weren’t going to start until 9:00 pm. Hmmmm, REM or go back to our hacienda and make some progress in our books. The books won out.

Todos Santos to Loreto
We decided to blast back to a place we stopped on the way down, Loreto, named after the city in Italy. It’s not that Loreto was anything super fantastic but rather there is a monastery nearby that is 30 miles up a mountain gravel road that we wanted to see. We rode 240 miles with an average moving speed of 52mph. Most of it was straight roads through long stretches of cactus desert except for the last 50 miles when we hit some great twisty roads through the mountains before dropping down once again to the Sea of Cortez. We decided to skip the last place we stayed in Loreto and instead ended up at Hotel Oasis on the south end of the Malaccan, another pretty big hotel complex in town where it seems like maybe 10 people are staying, sad.

Stop just south of Loreto


Moon over the bay at Loreto


Stay tuned

[donnh]

Originally Posted by DRONE

I'm also enjoying your report but unlike others hope to never go there. Hot, dry, sunny, sandy--yuk!

Ah yes, a true northwesterner. It is rough, I had to locate the vents in my jacket and pants I never knew I had and am constantly trying to figure out what to do about that bright thing causing glare on my face shield. I even had to move off the hammock to some shade to type this because I couldn't see the screen in all the brightness .

But.... someone has to ride down here to help support their economy so I'll keep roughing it.