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#1
10-28-2006, 03:55 PM
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Just got back from Sonora & Baja. Great trip!
Just got back from my 15 day trek through Sonora, Mx and back up through Baja.
Went in through San Luis and hit El Golfo de Santa Clara. Found our way down, camping, wheeling, exploring...to Guaymas and took the ferry to Santa Rosalia. Spent a day in Southern Bahia Conception then worked our way back up. Couple of trip notes: San Luis crossing was easy, nice trip to El Golfo. Beautiful driving for at least 30 miles south on the beach. We camped in the dunes down there. Wind was VERY bad that night and we decided to move on rather than get blasted again at BBQ time. If you want to keep south on rural roads, turn east at the yellow / rust colored pickup sunk half in the sand. Be careful around the Salt Flats. Stay on the North side of both flats and STAY ON THE ROAD. Road along the tracks is rough and sandy, keep tires aired down and if you question your springs, put heavier ones on. I wore part of my fender flares away as I had too much weight. You will come out in Puerto Penasco. Cool little town, but fairly gringo-ized. You will also see the new highway being built north of Penasco. Sad as this area will change dramatically in the next five years. Just my guess. Go see it before it is ruined. We then headed south to the northern village of El Desemboque. There are two of these towns on this coast (we were very confused at first). This 'northern' Desemboque is a very quaint little place with a nice little hotel and restaurant if you require that. Nice people and many folks playing on the beach. Headed south once again to find the Puerto Libertad and 'southern' Desemboque. Libertad was okay but a bit industrial so we kept going. After missing the turnoff the first time we finally found the little sign for southern El Desemboque. It is about a one hour drive to the tiny fishing village on a VERY bad washboard road. You will rattle bolts off of your rig if you go too fast. On the way out, we came accross a man and his wife and child. They had been stuck, unable to get up a hill due to lack of power, for 48 hours with no food almost no water, they said others had come by but noone would help them. I pulled out the strap and yanked them up the hill. Gave them some food and water and in exchange, he informed us that we should NOT take the road south of the town to Bahia Kino. He said that the Seri indians down in Punta Chueca are not very nice. There are drugs there and they will not hestitate to shoot out your tires and take your car and belongings. He was very concerned about this and he and his wife were Seri themselves. We stayed the night at Desemboque south and were not very comfortable as we were alone and the locals, the Seris, were not very friendly. It is very beautiful out there but we were up and headed back towards the main road at the crack of dawn. I am in no way puting these quiet people down, we just did not have a solid feeling out there by ourselves. Bahia Kino was very nice, good food, also a growing gringo population. There were a couple of folks there who backed up the story about the Seri tribe in Punta Chueca. They reportedly murdered a vegetable salesman a few months earlier. Like the U.S. there are just places to avoid, I guess. After one night and day in Kino, we made it to San Carlos. Absolutely beautiful place, and though there is a lot of American influence, there are some very wild and beautiful beaches to camp on. We got a dive charter there and went out to San Pedro island. It was a great dive. Also, a bunch of great off-shore coves to snorkel and dive. We had to wait a couple of days for the ferry in Guaymas to head over to Santa Rosalia. The ferry leaves at 8/9 pm and rides all night, gets to Santa Rosalia at 7am. Cost for two people and a car was $340 us. Ouch! Worth it though. Very comfortable ride but it is a small ferry so you should call ahead of time, a day or two, to put your name on the list as it only runs 4 days a week. Once in Santa Rosalia we headed south to Mulege and Bahia Conception. The road through Santa Rosalia and south is very doable but you need to stay alert. Some of the vados are washed out and you need to go slow. Water still in some. Mulege is pretty beat up, especially along the river. They are getting it back together somewhat, I just hope they do not get hit again. We camped at Santispac and it was georgeous weather. Kayacked around, snorkeled, got some sun, drank beer. That night, last Sunday, we had thunder and lightning, got up, packed up and it started to rain. We headed north and got hammered the whole way to the turn-off for Punta San Francisquito. At that point, it was still pouring rain and I made the decision to stay on the paved road as we had no backup. Dissapointed, we made it to Bahia L.A. right at dark, the road down there was VERY treacherous as there were many landslides and vados rushing with water. There was even a race truck that had gotten flooded out. Got a room at Costa Del Sol. $60 and we felt safe and sound for the night. Next day, there was more rain in the forcast, we headed to Ensenada, had one last great mexican dinner, drank some more beers, got up in the moring and made a beeline for Joshua Tree National Park for two days...that is another story. Though the rain cut our trip a couple of days short, we had a great and adventure filled time. I know it has been said many times before, but if you are down there, be careful on the roads, there are many spots damaged by the hurricanes and you need to pay attention, even more so than usual. The big trucks are a pain in the *****, especially on curves. Cheers and happy exploring!! Pics in chrono order...sorta...  Hope they don't bore.
Last edited by Skillet; 10-28-2006 at 07:51 PM. 
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#2
10-28-2006, 03:58 PM
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Nice pics! Can't wait to get out there in a few weeks!!! Interesting fish or Dolphin what is it?
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#3
10-28-2006, 04:26 PM
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Quote:
Here are some more pics...I will keep them coming until I get yelled at. Those pics were all on the beach, south of El Golfo. These are in El Desemboque (north & south), & Puerto Libertad. Last edited by Skillet; 10-28-2006 at 05:16 PM.
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#5
10-28-2006, 05:24 PM
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Beautiful pics!!
 Love the sunsets and the Cruiser on the beach. The 4x4Labs rear bumper and rooftop tent looks awesome. Any luck with the spearfishing? Man, a loaded Cruiser, a solitary beach, a Baja sunset......someday....... 
__________________
'97 Toyota T100 - some stuff and some stories....  '85 Toyota FJ6O - fractal cruising currently listening to - Lucinda Williams "Little Honey" recommended reading - Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell
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#6
10-28-2006, 05:42 PM
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Great osprey nest, and I love the spearhuntress shot. As Articulate quipped recently, Expo babes are hard core!
__________________
"It is advisable to look from the tidepool to the stars and then back to the tidepool again." John Steinbeck 1973 FJ40, 1974 Series III 88 in progress, 1970 Triumph Trophy, Thorn Nomad expedition bicycle. Overland Journal
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#7
10-28-2006, 05:48 PM
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Looks like a great trip.
Definitely something I'd like to consider in the future... 
__________________
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 1982 Land Cruiser FJ40 w/Horizon Adventure Trailer 1971 Steyr-Puch Pinzgauer 710K, "The Phoenix" K7EDB Hold fast to your dreams. For if your dreams die, then life is like a broken winged bird that cannot fly.
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#9
10-28-2006, 05:58 PM
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__________________
'97 Toyota T100 - some stuff and some stories.... '85 Toyota FJ6O - fractal cruising currently listening to - Lucinda Williams "Little Honey" recommended reading - Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell
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#10
10-28-2006, 06:02 PM
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Quote:
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