Baja 1500 Contined and Concluded

…So this is the point in the ride where you start to get to know your fellow riders… really well. In fact, I think before couples should be allowed to marry I think they should be required to travel together for at least 6 weeks. Nothing is a better trial by fire then travel. When travelling with someone, you have to agree on what to eat, how much to spend, when to sleep and wake. I’m beginning to learn who is cheap, who is a mooch, who tries to squirrel out of the bill or shorts the dinner tab, who I get along with and who to avoid. Actually most of us get along pretty well, bonded by the common goal of finishing the ride. That being said, my roommate (who is now a support driver as his bike died on day one) switched roommates (what snoring? :-) ) here in Loreto leaving me to pair up with the only other odd man out on the trip. This actually works out well as my new roomie lugged an espresso maker, grinder and two pounds of Starbucks beans from the U.S. In the morning he makes Lattes for the group and we call it Scott-bucks time!

Pictures are worth a thousand words



OK, so where was I? Ahh Day 5 Loreto to San Ignacio-233 miles. I duct taped over my blisters (pretty hardcore for an insurance guy huh? :-) and washed my riding gear in the shower. We started the day with the classic Baja silt beds. Silt is like talcum powder, it gets in everything, obscures your vision and is really hard to control the bike through. We got really lucky on this trip because with all the rains the silt beds are packed down and not dusty at all. Today is sun up to sun down riding, a long day of twisting roads, some mountain passes, lots of baja desertscape, but mostly wide open long flat stretches of dirt. Not my favorite type of riding terrain but you take the good with the not so good. Ernie got back up on his 2000 Suzuki (fossil edition) apparently he had a bad seal in his carb that wasn’t allowing gas into the engine. All in all we felt good today and we weren’t expecting to considering how beat up we were just a couple days ago. Not much in San Ignacio, a nice old church but IYSOYSTA (If You’ve Seen One You’ve Seen Them All) no cell service again pinche Verizon. Nice hotel here, La Pinta, big rooms but pricey at $89 it must be the only one in San Ignacio.



Day 6 San Ignacio to Bahia de Los Angeles 187 miles We started the day with lots of mechanicals. Mario was leaking gas, Steve stripped his counter shaft nut and sprocket and had to JB Weld–it to the bike (in technical terms the countershaft sprocket in the little thingy that turns the chain and drives the bike.) Mostly wide open rocky roads that guarantee someone is going to get a pinch flat, and Ernie did. Bahia de los Angeles is a sleepy little fishing village with a mian drag, couple of mini marts and a couple of licor stores. No cell service or internet. On the up side we had one of the best lobster dinners ever (most of us were in agreement) for $15. Most of us noticed that our bikes are getting pretty beat up by this time. Most all of us have rear sprockets that are wearing so bad the splines are thining and curved from the chain wear. If those things shear off my ride is over. Time to ride at 60% of max just to be sure I can finish, nobody wants to have to take the free ride of shame in the support truck.




Day 7 Bahia de Los Angeles to San Felipe 220 miles – much of the same terrain as yesterday and not too much action. At this point in the ride I am struck by how friendly the people are to us. They love off roaders down here. Largely due to the popularity of the Baja 1000 down here. Still it amazes me. We can be ripping through their pastures, meadows and roads, spooking their horses, livestock and goats and still people wave, honk and flash their lights at us. Little kids come out of their houses and schools to watch us ride by, signalling for wheelies, which Scott is always happy to oblige. Our bodies have adjusted to the rigors and demands of riding day after day and we are all pretty comfortable on the bikes by now. No cell service again… drats. Here's a picture of the sunrise in San Felipe...



Day 8 San Felipe to Tecate 230 Miles- This was one of the most brutal days ever. We started out from San Felipe riding through a 35 mph sand storm blowing sand sideways into our helmets. As we climbed the mountains into Valle de Trinidad the temp dropped to 37 degrees and it started raining lightly. Any rain on a motorcycle is brutal. Its like saying its hot but it’s a “dry heat.” Total BS. By the time we hit Ojos Negros we lost two more riders that couldn’t take the cold and rain. It really started coming down now and as we climbed the mountains into Tecate it only got worse. First pouring rain, mud everywhere, then snow and rain again as we dropped into Tecate. Most of us couldn’t feel our fingers or feet as the gloves got soaked from rain and puddles. Goggles useless by this point. From Santa Victoria to Tecate is about 30 miles of pavement. In rain with no goggles I had to shield the stinging drops from my face with one hand and ride with the other. Making matters worse is that our bikes are so beat up by this point we had maybe 3 tail lights and four headlights… between the seven of us. It was all I could do to follow the bouncing red ball that was the tail light in front of me. With no moon and pitch black freezing rain conditions, the only thing driving us on is the desire to finish and be one of the ones to actually ride across the border. It became like an endurance event…just … have.. to.. finish. By the time we reached the border our nerves were frazzled from harrowing ride in the pitch black of the moonless night and from being passed anxious motorists wanting to drive faster then 40mph. One of our riders described it this way: (you’re gonna love this Mom…)
…with the climax scene being the crazy idiot in the car which failed to complete the pass as it came up head-on against an oncoming semi around a blind turn in the pouring rain in the pitch black darkness of the 1-1/2 lane wide Highway 3, with the leading bikes forced over to the dubious right edge of the asphalt where the white concrete posts were whizzing by at bizarre angles, while the right-side semi tires dropped off the pavement to give exactly 2.5 inches of clearance for the car to pass at speed? Definitely a scene out of Road Warriors Escape From Baja III. I just wish I had a recording of the Chatterboxes right there... that was total mayhem & full-on panic mode.

Finally splitting lanes up to the border my bike over heated about 4 cars from the gate and Scott’s stopped running. In the end 7 of 12 of us finished the whole ride and 3 of 7 of us pushed our bikes across the border. High fives and beers on the other side… I wouldn’t have missed this one for the world… What a great adventure. I got back Saturday night and have been recovering ever since.

If it doesn’t sting a little its not an adventure… We are already planning the next one… Braaaap!