Bajataco's Baja trip report - Dec. 05
- Thread starter BajaTaco
- Start date
Ursidae69
Expedition Leader
BajaTaco said:Thanks guys! Cool pic chuck :ylsmoke:
Actually - that is a stingray carcass. They have nasty little teeth, don't they? They also have a serious, venemous "blade" on their tail, which I have had the unfortunate experience of getting nailed by ... TWICE. Definitely one of the most painful, if not THE most painful things I have ever experienced.
That looked like a hammerhead to me too, I know that spp comes into the Sea of Cortez. Look at the picture of this hammerhead. I've fed the stingrays at Sea World and they assured me they wouldn't bite and had flat teeth or I wouldn't have stuck my hand anywhere near their mouth! :eatchicke
BajaTaco
Swashbuckler
LOL! :xxrotflma Damn, I went back and looked at the pic and you guys are right. That is a hammerhead. I am just a ************** sometimes I don't know if you guys have ever seen stingrays drying on a line, but they look similar and that is what I had stuck in my head when I said "stingray carcass". Sorry about that
I don't know if you guys have ever seen stingrays drying on a line, but they look similar and that is what I had stuck in my head when I said "stingray carcass". Sorry about that 
kcowyo
ExPo Original
Nice work Captain! :clapsmile :clapsmile
Glad to see your family, truck, liver and senses all survived another trip down south. Vince looked like he was on his game and Pasquale, well he is the Dude, isn't he?
Great pics of some beautiful areas, cool people and trick rigs! :bowdown: :bowdown:
Glad to see your family, truck, liver and senses all survived another trip down south. Vince looked like he was on his game and Pasquale, well he is the Dude, isn't he?
Great pics of some beautiful areas, cool people and trick rigs! :bowdown: :bowdown:
S
Scenic WonderRunner
Guest
Thanks Chris for sharing!
GREAT PICS!
The more I see everyone's Baja pics......the more I want to go! In fact....I'm working right now on getting a new passport. My old one expired long ago...... it does have some very Kewl Europe, Australia, Tahiti, Fiji and a few other stamps on it though! Since they are going to require it in the future for the America's, I thought I would get ahead of the curve. I will catch up with you guys down there one of these days!
GREAT PICS!
The more I see everyone's Baja pics......the more I want to go! In fact....I'm working right now on getting a new passport. My old one expired long ago...... it does have some very Kewl Europe, Australia, Tahiti, Fiji and a few other stamps on it though! Since they are going to require it in the future for the America's, I thought I would get ahead of the curve. I will catch up with you guys down there one of these days!
Desertdude
Expedition Leader
Chris that is a fine write up! Thanks for all the kind words and sweet photos - you have a great eye for capturing what is truly there :sunny:
Our paths crossing in Baja was a milagro - Seeing you and Sharon driving towards us on Mex 1 while we were parked on a two track road waiting for the others. Pure Baja magic...
It was great hanging out with you two at the cove in Bahia De Los Angeles. I learned how not to make a white mans fire that night :campfire: , thanks for that :wavey:
Thanks you guys for appreciating the music - Baja song(s) coming soon
Baja always on my mind...
Our paths crossing in Baja was a milagro - Seeing you and Sharon driving towards us on Mex 1 while we were parked on a two track road waiting for the others. Pure Baja magic...
It was great hanging out with you two at the cove in Bahia De Los Angeles. I learned how not to make a white mans fire that night :campfire: , thanks for that :wavey:
Thanks you guys for appreciating the music - Baja song(s) coming soon
Baja always on my mind...
articulate
Expedition Leader
Three pages of posts in less than a day. This makes Chris, like, totally the most popular dude on this website.
!Viva Baja!
<---side note: with all of these threads about Mexico, you'd think we'd have a way to make upside down ! and ?
Mark
!Viva Baja!
<---side note: with all of these threads about Mexico, you'd think we'd have a way to make upside down ! and ?
Mark
jeffryscott
2006 Rally Course Champion: Expedition Trophy
niiiiiice. What a great report and fantastic photos.
This question has probably been asked and answered, but, what maps/guidebooks are you using, or were using, before learning your way around?
I've camped in San Felipe before and took some boats up north a bit to ancient clam beds that have died out since the Colorado has been dammed and quit flooding the Sea of Cortez, bring in all the sediment - shells stretching for miles. Untold numbers of shells. Amazing. (All the white/sand color in the picture as far as the eye can see are shells. Took 45-minutes walking in shoe-sucking silt almost knee deep to get to.)
Again, great report Chris.
Take care,
Jeff
This question has probably been asked and answered, but, what maps/guidebooks are you using, or were using, before learning your way around?
I've camped in San Felipe before and took some boats up north a bit to ancient clam beds that have died out since the Colorado has been dammed and quit flooding the Sea of Cortez, bring in all the sediment - shells stretching for miles. Untold numbers of shells. Amazing. (All the white/sand color in the picture as far as the eye can see are shells. Took 45-minutes walking in shoe-sucking silt almost knee deep to get to.)
Again, great report Chris.
Take care,
Jeff
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Ursidae69
Expedition Leader
Jeff, one of the trips I'd like to do in the future will be to put in with a kayak in the Colorado River south of Mexicali, then follow it out to the Sea of Cortez and down to San Felipe. :victory: When I do that trip, I'll be asking more details about these clam beds. Looks really interesting.
Regarding guidebooks, I have maybe a dozen Baja books and most are not useful to me. The main one that I like is the Baja Almanac, you'll need one of those. I have a couple diving/fishing books I use to find good snorkelling spots and to ID fish and I have a really good herpetology text for Baja take with me. There is a really good Baja plant book I like too. I also use the internet for a lot of my research, there are some great websites out there with tons of info like this one. There are a couple Baja related forums and I prefer this one. Hope that helps.
Regarding guidebooks, I have maybe a dozen Baja books and most are not useful to me. The main one that I like is the Baja Almanac, you'll need one of those. I have a couple diving/fishing books I use to find good snorkelling spots and to ID fish and I have a really good herpetology text for Baja take with me. There is a really good Baja plant book I like too. I also use the internet for a lot of my research, there are some great websites out there with tons of info like this one. There are a couple Baja related forums and I prefer this one. Hope that helps.
BajaTaco
Swashbuckler
Thanks everyone! All of you who have commented in this thread, but weren't with us, I really wish we could have met you down in Baja too. Brittan, we will just have to make a point of kidnapping you this year and taking you on a "forced" drive in 4WD with us, somewhere really cool.
Jeff, your story about the clam beds is intriquing. I think you went on an adventure that not too many people ever get to see.
To answer the question regarding maps/guidebooks, I will say that there are a wide variety of books on Baja these days, and you could probably spend a substantial amount on building a library. There is a lot of stuff that is likely very good that I haven't seen or read. There are a couple of books that we used to get us oriented with Baja that worked really well. One is the Baja Adventure Guide by Walt Peterson. Now this book has been around for a long time, and could probably use some fresh content, but I think it is a good book regardless. It has street level maps of the major towns, which is a really nice thing to have when you are trying to find stuff in town. There is a ton of great stuff in that book to go and see, and lots of good info to get you familiar with the peninsula. If you are into fishing, speardiving, beach camping, and/or seafood, another great book to have to learn about the fish populations and coastal land as well as off-shore descriptions is the Baja Catch by Gene Kira & Neil Kelly. Again, this book is probably getting a little on the outdated side, but I still think it is a great resource and I'm not aware of any alternatives that are as specific as this book. There was also a book that has long been out of print, and I only found it down in southern Baja. I believe the authors (a couple) live in Mulege. It is a 4x4 adventure guide - a small, but interesting book with some good off-roading trips. We were too cheap and didn't buy it, but managed to glean some info from it. I have no idea if you can still find any copies of it but it is worth checking out. There is a motorcycle GPS guide book by Lizard Lady, (Hltoppr, listen up!) that looks really cool, but I haven't seen/used it myself. If you have Fugawi GPS software for Baja moving maps on a laptop, there is a CD available with all of these routes on it. And lastly, if you like hot springs, there is Hot Springs of the Southwest which has some of the Baja springs in it. I wouldn't buy the book just for those springs though, so maybe check to see if the library has it if that is all you will be using it for.
MAPS. Really the only "must-have" maps come in a single-bound publication called the Baja Almanac. This has topographic maps (100 meter contour intervals) of the entire peninsula. I have the old version as well as the new. The old version is kind of cool because it split North and South (Norte y Sur) into two separate books. The new version is cool because it is color. However, there is a fair margin of error on the map data, so you have to keep that in mind. But this is really indispensable as a reference if you plan to go off the pavement and main roads.
One of the best things you can do prior to a trip is visit the various Baja forums to get current news and reports from people who are either living or traveling down there. It can be a lot of work to fish through all of the threads and posts, but often well worth it. Many good adventures can be found on the forums that aren't mentioned in the guide books.
All of you who have commented in this thread, but weren't with us, I really wish we could have met you down in Baja too. Brittan, we will just have to make a point of kidnapping you this year and taking you on a "forced" drive in 4WD with us, somewhere really cool. Jeff, your story about the clam beds is intriquing. I think you went on an adventure that not too many people ever get to see.
To answer the question regarding maps/guidebooks, I will say that there are a wide variety of books on Baja these days, and you could probably spend a substantial amount on building a library. There is a lot of stuff that is likely very good that I haven't seen or read. There are a couple of books that we used to get us oriented with Baja that worked really well. One is the Baja Adventure Guide by Walt Peterson. Now this book has been around for a long time, and could probably use some fresh content, but I think it is a good book regardless. It has street level maps of the major towns, which is a really nice thing to have when you are trying to find stuff in town. There is a ton of great stuff in that book to go and see, and lots of good info to get you familiar with the peninsula. If you are into fishing, speardiving, beach camping, and/or seafood, another great book to have to learn about the fish populations and coastal land as well as off-shore descriptions is the Baja Catch by Gene Kira & Neil Kelly. Again, this book is probably getting a little on the outdated side, but I still think it is a great resource and I'm not aware of any alternatives that are as specific as this book. There was also a book that has long been out of print, and I only found it down in southern Baja. I believe the authors (a couple) live in Mulege. It is a 4x4 adventure guide - a small, but interesting book with some good off-roading trips. We were too cheap and didn't buy it, but managed to glean some info from it. I have no idea if you can still find any copies of it but it is worth checking out. There is a motorcycle GPS guide book by Lizard Lady, (Hltoppr, listen up!) that looks really cool, but I haven't seen/used it myself. If you have Fugawi GPS software for Baja moving maps on a laptop, there is a CD available with all of these routes on it. And lastly, if you like hot springs, there is Hot Springs of the Southwest which has some of the Baja springs in it. I wouldn't buy the book just for those springs though, so maybe check to see if the library has it if that is all you will be using it for.
MAPS. Really the only "must-have" maps come in a single-bound publication called the Baja Almanac. This has topographic maps (100 meter contour intervals) of the entire peninsula. I have the old version as well as the new. The old version is kind of cool because it split North and South (Norte y Sur) into two separate books. The new version is cool because it is color. However, there is a fair margin of error on the map data, so you have to keep that in mind. But this is really indispensable as a reference if you plan to go off the pavement and main roads.
One of the best things you can do prior to a trip is visit the various Baja forums to get current news and reports from people who are either living or traveling down there. It can be a lot of work to fish through all of the threads and posts, but often well worth it. Many good adventures can be found on the forums that aren't mentioned in the guide books.
kcowyo
ExPo Original
BajaTaco said:Thanks guys
Liver?? Oh man... I guess I over-emphasize my appeciation for good beers and tequilas a little bit, but I consider them a fun part of a trip too (at camp, not on the trail). I try to keep the consumption moderate though. Hopefully my liver sees it that way too
Oh, hey! - No one's judging here. If I had a week to sit on a beach in paradise with the wife, in complete solitude, I would definitely be tipping a few as well.
No need to apologize for having a taste for the finer things in life. That's what makes the Monday - Friday grind worth it, right? :beer:
blupaddler
Conspirator
Chris,
Great pics! :clapsmile
It was great to run into you guys! So, it sounds like you guys made it to the market for the "fresh" tortillas. They were very yummy! We opened the bag up there, while we were waiting for Vince.
I also had no idea you enjoyed Guiness. An excellent choice!!!
:beer:
Great pics! :clapsmile
It was great to run into you guys! So, it sounds like you guys made it to the market for the "fresh" tortillas. They were very yummy! We opened the bag up there, while we were waiting for Vince.
I also had no idea you enjoyed Guiness. An excellent choice!!!
:beer: