Final chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed my report and hopefully it will inspire others to seek out the best of Baja.
Continuing north I started to take a remote side road that goes through Calamajue Wash. I had heard Hwy 5 was a muddy mess through Coco's Corners from the recent storm and thought this road would bypass most of the mud. I had driven this road just last year and remembered it as mostly sand, gravel and rock, but had forgotten about the many silt beds. They were now sticky mud, so I promptly turned around and headed for Coco's. Two days had passed since the storm and the road wasn't that bad now. Just north of CC I found a neat cul de sac in the big boulders that made wonderfully seclude camp site. The faint two track that led me in weaved through the boulders and was just wide enough to allow me entrance. A full sized pickup would not have been able to squeeze through.
Soon I'm back on the new pavement and making good time on this excellent stretch of road. I did a quick stop at the campground where I had met Bud in December. He and Pit-run were still there and had made a sweet deal with the owners. In return for him watching over things, the campground and the fishing fleet, he got a free site and plenty of free food. I would have been bored to death staying in one place for 3+ months, but he was happy. The road between Puertocitos and San Felipe is in dangerous condition with thousands of deep potholes and dozens of deep vados. These are dips in the road that if hit too fast could easily destroy a truck. Most are marked but you can't see how deep they are until your right on the edge. The bigger ones usually have some variation of "oh s••t dip" spray painted on the pavement. Some times abbreviated just "0 ship". The deep gouges in the pavement tell the story of those that were day dreaming.
I usually stop at Pete's Camp in San Felipe for my last night in Baja to celebrate with a steak and margaritas. I had gotten to camp early and had a few hours to kill. I walked out to take a look at a pickup that had gotten stuck over a year ago and had long since succumbed to the tides. Soon I hear a buzzing sound and this motorized glider lands right next to my camp. I discover he's giving short rides for a few dollars so I sign up. Usually I avoid flying but this was so cool, also a few beers bolstered my courage. It was quite exciting. A couple of minutes before touchdown he kills the engine and we glide down to the beach in utter silence.
Just before entering customs I stopped to exchange 2600 pesos for dollars. The street side parking spot was cramped but looked OK to me. Just after getting my money a policia (cop) pulls in behind me with lights flashing. I sat there to see what happens next. He did not get out of his cruiser so I decided he was not after me and drove away. I crossed back into the USA on Feb 22 at Mexicali East and it was a very brief inspection, the fastest I have ever experienced. I was worried that Trump's tightened border security might cause issues, but no problemo.
Finally back home in snowy Colorado on Feb 26. It was a bit hard to get used to temps around freezing after enjoying 75-85 for two months.
Some trip stats:
Round trip miles 4157
Dirt road miles 232*
Days round trip 66
Dollars spent $1450
* Dirt miles low because Mexico is rapidly paving their roads, I spent many days sitting in one spot and I don't like to get too far off the beaten path when running solo.
