Baja to Lands End, 2005/06

[blupaddler]

o.k. my thoughts...

BAJA ADVENTURE 2005-06



THOUGHTS:

Well, Scott has summed up a majority of how we all felt. The sights, sounds, and smells are something I will never forget. As I have said before, this trip has forever changed me. I think of the areas that we stumbled upon, the nice people we met, the great taco stands. All of these memories are engrained in my memory.

Coming back to San Diego and driving on the freeway and saying to Cat, “where did all these people come from?” The freeways were huge! Now, when I feel myself getting caught up in the “rat race” here in SoCal, I think back to Baja, and “baja time.”


TRIP:

Loved.
1. Like Scott said, the Group Meals were KILLER! It was great not having to cook for yourself for almost half of the trip. Not only that, but everyone came up with meals that were just incredible.
2. The scenery. I had a preconceived notion before heading to Baja of what it would look like. I pictured Sonoran type deserts with lots of rocks and dry soils. But some of the areas we came upon…the vistas leading to San Evaristo, Naranja Road, the list goes on and on.
3. One of the benefits of this trip was the overview. Although we weren’t able to stay in places for l-o-n-g periods of time, I know have ideas of where to go next time.
4. This trip also gave us more confidence to travel in Baja for the future, see above. With the Baja Almanac, full tank of gas (70 gallons), and a friendly attitude, you can go anywhere.
5. Traveling with our dog, Bella, even though she insisted on having the windows down on the dirt roads so I could fill my 80 with dust.
6. Campfires, and the discussion and laughter that ensued at them.
7. Everyone of our traveling partners! Getting to know everyone much, much better, and walking away with new friends.
8. The entire trip! Not a vacation, but an adventure I will never forget!!!

Do Different.
1. Less food. As said before, we found good markets with food and produce. I came home with lots of extra food. Food equals space, space is premium.
2. Stop and talk more with the local farmers. Even though my Spanish was limited, I could have tried and conversed a little.
3. Cat would like to have stayed at more hotels. Hotel equals shower.
4. More pre-trip “training.” Then I would have been able to finish the Killer margarita.
5. Next time each person and/or vehicle will get their own bag of doggie treats for Bella.



VEHICLE

Worked:
1. Old Man Emu suspension. This suspension works great. I was sooooo loaded. But, flying down those washboard roads going 40-50 mph and feeling great!
2. Fridge. I can’t believe how long it took me to get one. Mostly $$ reasons. But, I should have gotten one sooner.
3. New to me Lightforce 240’s!!! Much to my delight, we had to drive on a dirt track at dusk/night. Got to turn them on. WOW! Great lights.
4. Auxillary Tank. Not many people know, but I have a 44 gallon auxillary tank in my 80. I finished installing it about two weeks before we left. It worked great for two days (more on this later).
5. New stove. I purchased a Primus multi-fuel stove before this trip. I wanted to get away from the big Coleman that I have. I ran the Primus on canister fuel the entire trip. The little thing worked great, boiled water quickly, and was easy to use.
6. XM radio. While I had some trouble receiving a signal South of Todos Santos, the remainder of the time, XM is great. Constant radio, and such a variety of channels.

Didn’t Work:
1. Auxillary tank. See #4 above. This tank requires an external fuel pump to transfer fuel into the main tank. However, while I was “enjoying” the dirt track from San Borja, I bottomed out on this vado. Broke the pump. I knew the mounting location would be kinda questionable, and it was.
2. Storage. Don’t get me wrong, my storage containers worked great, however, this is more of a future thing. Storage in the 80 is great. However, I recognize my need to build a drawer system. This will help solve a great deal of my “issues.” This is because my wife and I sleep in the back of the 80. So, every night we take everything out, and then put it back the next morning.





MISC.

I had the oldest vehicle on the trip. My 80 is a 1994. All of the Tacos were at least six years newer than mine. Even though I only have 155k miles. This is a lot for an expedition vehicle. I had a power steering return line crack, from age, that I had to replace. I didn’t have the exact hose, but a 3/8” hose worked, that was double clamped on both ends.




I would also like to say “GRACIAS” to all of my travel compadres. You were all so kind, caring, and generous. We were all one big family, each selflessly giving to each other, and helping out when needed.



Special thanks to Scott for putting this whole thing together.
Also, to everyone who loved Bella

 

[blupaddler]

As promised...pics of carnage

1. Poor Carter fuel pump that got hit by control arm
2. Cross-member on body that got hit by fuel pump. Doh!!!
3. Fixing power steering hose
4. The brain trust ; )

 

[Scott Brady]

Robb, your Primus stove does ROCK! I was very impressed.

I was also very impressed with the 80 as a whole. Loads of storage space, and a more comfortable place to spend time (bigger seats, wider, etc.). The Baja folks LOVE the 80. I am always amazed at the recognizability of the Land Cruiser.

 

[kcowyo]

Robb, those Lightforce lights are HUGE!!

Man, between the long range auxillary tank (also HUGE!) and the fridge, I bet we'll see a lot more trip reports from Robb & Cat. With plenty of fuel and no need for ice, the possible range for your future trips probably just doubled! Now I really want to trade....

I like reading what worked, what didn't work, how the vehicles handled the miles, what could have been left at home, etc. I think honest assesments such as these are very beneficial and really make for a "complete" trip report. I like reading suggestions for places to see and eat, but knowing what worked and what didn't is helpful info too.

Thanks everyone for sharing!! :beer:

 

[Desertdude]

As promised - random thoughts and observations on the Baja 05 expedition


Part one


The Trip

This was a life changing trip. One that leaves lasting memories of the people and sites of Baja along with the camaraderie of the people in the group. There is no better way to get to know people then to travel almost three weeks into a foreign country. This group was one of the best I have traveled with. All team players and always wearing a smile.
One of the best parts about a group trip is you get to have the combined wisdom of the group to guide you through the places you want to see. All though the traveling pace was brisk, it enabled the group to see a wide cross section of Baja - the many remote beaches as well as the vast vistas, mission towns and ranchos in the outback of Baja. The local people of Baja were always friendly and seemed to welcome our presence. With the help of Al and Scott we had our tourist visas in hand and were on our way.

Random thoughts

Baja Mexico is on it own time - things happen on Baja time - One of the great early lessons "slow down" - food is made the way they can make it. If you order something from a restaurant you are never quite sure how it will come out to your table ( part of the magic of Baja) - if you know how to ask for things you can get almost anything you need even in the most remote locations. If you are meat challenged ( read vegetarian) or watching your sodium intake ( mexicans like their salt) - you may find it hard to eat the local food. Most local food is prepared with chicken broth or lard, but if you can speak the language or use hand signals you can generally ask for substitutions when in a restaurant. We found some really fun food out, but the group dinner meals were the best. Something fun and special when you put out the energy to prepare a fine meal for you com-padres on the trail...
Gas was always available ( when the power was on) either in a Pemex station or on a truck on the side of the road. Water filter plants were located in most villages, this was a welcome surprise. Nothing like seeing reverse osmosis water filtering in a remote foreign country.
Bringing along give away items was a nice way to give something back to the local people. Clothes, candy, sodas, water, batteries- it all seemed to make a difference in the experience and bring a smile. My trail partner Desertgirl is always fascinated with map reading and town history. I always new where we were and what to expect, while listening to my gunner read all about the villages history and flora and fauna in the area.

 

[Desertdude]

Part two


Vehicle and Gear

Worked -

The 04 Tacoma never disappoints - the motor drive-train and interior can withstand the brutal washboard dirt tracks - and then fly down the highway like a car. I have a combined load weight of approx. 1200lbs in the bed alone - with the custom made eleven leaf Deaver Springs in the rear, along with the Donahoe coil-overs in front the Tacoma handled the roads with ease. Even fully loaded I still had suspension travel along the back roads.

The Maggiolina Airland roof top tent - This tent rocks! Easy up with a hand crank - no real set up other than the supplied ladder which clips to the rail on the lower part of the shell. All the bedding is stored inside ready to go.
I find the supplied mattress and pillows super comfortable just like sleeping at home. We even travel with a 12v heat blanket, which heats up in less than two mins. for those extra cold evenings.

Downey Aux. Fuel tank - While this tank system kit is expensive (and not fully comprehensive as a kit) it did prove to be a real nice luxury to have extra fuel at the touch of a button. Being quite loaded and with the roof top tent somewhat less aerodynamic - the Tacoma's milage has suffered a bit - so time between fill-ups seem quicker - especially in remote areas. Knowing we had spare fuel out of the sun under the truck was a real stress relief.

The water system a twenty one gallon poly tank , and a Sure-flo 2.8 gal a min 12v pump, really made the trip deluxe. Filling drinking water jugs - rinsing and washing - very easy. All the fittings pump and tank held up on the brutal two track roads of Baja

The drawer system - custom built from plywood and waterproofed with Hurculiner.
This system made all the difference in secure, dry, and dust free storage.

P.E.T shower/bathroom tent system and wag bags - essential on any group trip. Easy to set-up with one person, and total privacy.

Helton hot water system heat exchanger - the unit get hot ( real hot) and was there for us at the end of everyday if we needed it Most days we did not have to run the motor to have hot water at the end of the day ( shower head and pump were a different story read below)

Dual battery system - Two optima yellow top batteries and the Hell roaring battery isolator/combiner. Allowed us to use all the power we wanted during our camps saving the aux battery for starting if needed.

Extremeaire compressor - 12volt power house of air - easy to use and essential for expedition travel

Engel fridge/freezer - always on always working. We froze food for our group dinner. We set the Engel at 30 degrees and 5 days later the frozen food on the bottom was still partially frozen and our food on top stayed a nice 40-45 degrees - The Engel a must in expedition traveling.

Brunton 25 compact Solar power ( 25watts 1.5 amps) I bought this just before the Baja trip to test out the viability of using solar energy to charge batteries and keep power flowing during extended camping days. The Brunton folds out like a book and hooked into the 12v system with a double male cig adapter. In seconds it was inputing 16.85 volts of energy back into our system. I could even run the Bose computer speakers and the iPod straight off the Brunton 25. Something so cool about using the sun to power gear.

Jet-Boil - this is a unique water boiling stove that uses a fine tuned carburetor and insulated tall water container to boil water fast - it uses screw on multi-fuel canisters - saves gas and time.

MSR Dragon fly - this was a new stove for us on this trip - it performed great. Easy to set up, burned unleaded gas from the vehicle - and boiled water very fast - the stove can also simmer and uses very little fuel to get the job done - Also came with a fold up aluminum wind break.

MSR Superfly - this stove is our staple stove - miniature in design yet a powerful cooker - burns screw on or clamp on multi-fuel canisters. The stove folds up tiny and takes almost no space to store. We use this one for the quick heating and cooking stops.

XM radio - amazing it works all the way down to Cabo

iPod - essential travel tunes - and now with "Video" for late night tent watching...

Did not work -

There were only a few things that did not work. I am always testing new items, and some modifications unfortunately, happen right before leaving on a trip So the testing happens in real time...

A 12 volt outlet installed in side of the aluminum storage box fell apart - it was a West Marine brand and while not inexpensive - came apart after plugging in a 75 watts inverter- in all fairness to West marine the inverter appears to be slightly larger than most 12 volt outlets and I had to push real hard to get it to fit and make contact.

The Tent Rack support - I had designed a custom rack to mount the roof top tent above the Tacoma's bed. My original design had the .120 dom tube bent to match the Tacoma's cab lines. The person doing the fab work decided to use pre made elbows and weld the part to make a ninety degree angle. ( once again built last minute before a trip, so no time to correct this before hand) - after many many washboard miles the weld weakened and cracked. Separating the tube from the elbow - I strapped it together and made it back fine.
I will either start from scratch and make a new rack with proper bends - or weld in gusset braces and secure the elbows.

Safari Snorkel - I love the look and the concept of a Snorkel - but on mega dusty roads it just slams the dust into the air filter - making the check engine light come on within a day or so. I think a solution would be to include a centrifugal pre-filter on top of the snorkel ( somewhat ugly but effective)

Do different -

All though we can speak broken spanglish - learn the language. This will make all the situations you find your self in comfortable when you can understand and speak the language. We plan on getting deeper into learning Spanish which will make future expeditions into Latin countries much easier and safer.

The shower system ( 12v pump and shower head) that came with the Helton hot water system is not quite working right. This unit is replacement for the original one that came with. The pump does not seem to have enough power to push the water through the shower-head - We removed the shower-head and used the hose. I will be rethinking this pump system and may hook it to the sure-flo pump on the main water system.

I brought along a computer and other electronics - next time I will leave these at home - less stuff to worry about, store and secure.

On bringing a video camera - I shot at least 10 hours of video. I did get some nice footage, I think you can capture the same vibe with a high end digital still camera - and have less gear to store and secure.

Last and not least - communication on the two meter radio is essential on a group trip like this. (Thanks Scott for the lend of the hand held) With this unit you can hear traffic updates from the trail leader miles ahead. Give you comfort when you break away from the group to shop in the towns or take a photo break. I will get a license and install two meter mobiles in all my vehicles as well as have a handheld for certain situations.


Thanks again to everyone in the group ( including Chris and Sharon) for a stellar trip deep into Baja - :victory:

 

[brittan]

Great reads...thanks for sharing...This is a trip I hope to make soon.
Desertdude...let me know if you need help bending up a new piece for the taco...I have a bender and you are local.

 

[VikingVince]

My thoughts/opinions/relfections on the trip...

The only reason I got interested in offroading, vehicle dependent expeditions, and building an appropriate rig is because I view the entire endeavor as a "means to an end" as opposed to a "means onto itself." A "means to an end" is seeing parts of the world I haven't been to or simply getting away from traditional campgrounds and getting to beautiful remote places that require a modified 4wd vehicle. A "means onto itself" would be building a rig for rock climbing or dune blasting. (that's fine, I'm just not that interested). Having said this, then:

Overall Biggest Highlight: adventure travel over parts of the entire peninsula I hadn't seen before with a really great/fun group of people and finding some great locations/beaches/bays that I will consider going back to in the future. I really enjoyed this expedition.

Overall Biggest Disappointment: not finding or getting to a beautiful, remote part of a beach or bay that is, for the most part, only 4wd accessible (or not accessible by motorhomes)

WHAT I LIKED:
---Contrary to my usual travel style preference, I didn't mind the high mileage, keep-on-the-move nature of this trip because it enabled me to get a smattering of parts of the entire peninsula.
---as mentioned by others, the group meals were a GREAT success...everyone had one big meal to make and then got to kick back the rest of the time...and all the meals were delicious...Pasquale and Kristina, I especially loved seeing the culinary event/process of paella. I'm gonna get into that for real. (in the meantime, I've already bastardized it into a "Bohemian Paella"...more on that later)
---the desert landscapes, the HUGE cactus, the mountains, the sky, the ranches, the local people, the language...these impressions/sounds that stay with me....along with the images of lower standards of living...if one describes it that way...obviously most folk in the back country and Baja in general have alot less than most Americans
---I think it's cool that within an interdependent expedition group like ours, the differences in age and individual styles diminish and seem unimportant as we get to know each other and share a common interest and pursuit.

WHAT I LIKED LESS:
---a few too many missions...don't misunderstand me though...I LOVED seeing the churches/missions at San Ignacio and San Javier. They were old, beautiful...historically and architecturally interesting and significant...The others were less so (San Borja would have been okay if it had been open but no way to know that) and I could have passed on those. Instead of offroading to go to the missions, I would have offroaded to remote parts of bays and beaches.
---"different strokes for different folks," but I find washboarding TEDIOUS as HELL!!! LOL...plus it's hard on the truck. The drive thru the mountains to San Evaristo was absolutely gorgeous and any washboard parts of that trail were worth it hands down! There were other times though when I started to wonder...after the awe of the desert and cactus starts to wear off, I can pass on washboard roads unless it's taking me somewhere really special. (but then damn near getting killed on Mex 1 wasn't such a pleasant alternative either!)
---future expeditions should probably reassess the drinking and driving aspects of multiple beers at restaurant lunch stops!! (and I'm no teetotaller!)

OTHER REFLECTIONS:
---will definitely put effort into learning Spanish before going back.
---the only place anybody tried to rip me off was the expensive Tropicana Inn in San Jose del Cabo!!! I had to leave a 20 dollar (200 pesos) deposit on the TV remote and the clerk tried to only give me 100 pesos back in the morning, thinking the gringo wouldn't know the exchange rate. I challenged her and then she was only going to give me 150, telling me that was the exchange rate. I finally got it all back.
---when I return to kick back for an extended period, I will definitely take my inflatable canoe or get a kayak by then

TRUCK:
---make sure you're battery tiedowns are good and tight.(along with everything else) My starting battery slid over a few inches and pulled a battery cable to the isolator out of the connector. Fixed it back up okay (with Al's help)...tightened the tiedowns and didn't have another problem.
---will carry a spare air filter next time...my check engine light came on as well after lots of dust...knocked the dust out of the filter and the light stayed off...bought a filter in Todos Santos but check engine light came on again in Ensenada on the way home... but now it's gone off again.
---will tape up holes in truck bed to minimize dust getting in (thanks Al!)
---other than those minor things, everything held up fine...nothing is broken...at least not that I've noticed so far!...frig/freeze worked great

Adios amigos...Baja...la buena vida!!

 

[BajaTaco]

Wow, excellent posts! I really enjoyed reading all of this.

A side note to the Tacoma guys...

• Air filter: I haven't noticed the excess dust in the filter since the addition of snorkel, that Pasquale describes. But then again, that may be a detail that is difficult to quantify. One thing that I will do is remove the air filter at each fuel fill up (or maybe between fill ups too if I am using the aux. tank) and bang it out on the back of my boot. As you guys know, the drop-in filter is super easy to remove (takes about 3 seconds). You will get rid of a ton of dust this way. I have never had my check-engine light come on (even with the snorkel).
• Battery bracket FYI: The bolts that secure the front of your skidplate to the cross-member are the same size as the bolt at the front of the battery hold-down bracket. If it ever vibrates loose, and you lose it, just use one of your skid plate bolts to continue on. I'm not sure if this applies to the '05-'06 Tacomas though, but it would be worth checking into.

 

[Scott Brady]

Thanks Pasquale, Vince and Robb for the great posts.

It is cool to see the common threads between all of the posters.

As I mentioned on the trip, my personality is 80% explorer and 20% conqueror, which is often the reason for the heavy mileage and "getting" to Lands End or similar.

Now that we have a good flavor of the place and several locations we want to return to, it will be great to hone in on a specific area and really explore, getting remote and getting out of the trucks to explore on foot, etc.

So look for future trips to be fewer miles and more exploration.


XM: Pasqaule was super cool, and sent me his spare XM radio to use. Chris and I jammed all the way to Vegas for the Impact show and were very impressed. The comedy channels were great too. I favored the Squiz tempo, though we did have a stint on "the joint" rngartis

 

[blupaddler]

Scott, XM is great! Combined with an Ipod, they are all you'll ever need. I rarely listen to "regular" music anymore. With the variety of channels on XM and whatever I want on my Ipod, I have limitless possibilites at hand.

 

[Scott Brady]

Album, days four and five

Here are the images for days four and five, showing our travels from LA Bay to San rafael and on to Santa Gertrudis and then to Santa Rosalia.

Days four and five

 

[BajaTaco]

Great pics Scott & Stephanie (I assume she took some of those too?) :clapsmile

I love the pic of the priest's robe and the cougar hanging on the wall :exclaim:

I also really like this one...

 

[Scott Brady]

Thanks Chris,

Steph took the framing picture you referenced. Her eye for the details is fantastic.

 

[LexusAllTerrain]

:clapsmile Congratulations on the great pictures!:
They are just fabulous:ylsmoke: