The Ultimate Road Trip!
- Thread starter RMP&O
- Start date
cellularsteve2
Adventurer
Sounds like an awesome trip. Just subscribed.
RMP&O
Expedition Leader
the gallery is here so far.....
http://www.rmp-o.com/gallery/album45?page=1
feel free to browse them but please dont post any until I do my write up.
thanks!
Last edited:
RMP&O
Expedition Leader
Time to get this started!
Introduction:
I am self employed and own a small business. This business operates from April to November which gives me about five months off a year from work. For the past 6yrs I have been doing lots of traveling in the winter months, much of that overseas. I am not married and do not have any children. Just so you know how it is I can do a trip like this.
I don’t have a separate blog site to post this up right now. I do have a website and may eventually add this to it but for now I am just doing up a very detailed and long thread in a few forums which covers the trip I took. This write up is pretty detailed and I am doing that not only to tell my story but also to give as much info as I can to others who may want to do a trip like this. Here is a link to pictures and video from the trip, if you don’t want to read then just go to the links and browse the pics & video. You can view the pictures in a higher resolution by double clicking on the image in the gallery. If you want to read about my trip well then just keep on reading!
http://www.rmp-o.com/gallery/album45?page=1 & http://www.youtube.com/user/PortalPatrol
If you want to read about preparing for the trip and can follow the build on my truck here,
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34087
I have written this like you might keep a journal. With dates and brief details over the entire course of my trip. Some dates/days are long winded but that is because a ton of things happened in one day that were significant to the trip so I spend time detailing these particular days. I think this helps to give you an idea on what to expect on a trip like this. Don’t expect perfect grammar because I intentionally didn’t write it to be with perfect grammar.
A Few Facts:
Starting mileage: 102,750 approx
Finishing mileage: 117,450 approx
Total time from start to finish: 13 weeks
Border crossings ranged from $10-$200
Time to cross borders ranged from 1hr to 5hrs
Longest distance between fuel ups was 485 miles with a ¼ tank left!
Highest price for fuel: Belize, nearly $5/gallon
Lowest price for fuel: Panama, about $2.90 a gallon for 95 octane.
Prolog:
About August last year I started thinking about what kind of trip I wanted to take this off season. Knowing that money was down because of the economy I knew I would have to do a trip on a bit of a “budget”. I decided I wanted to explore Baja in my truck and that this would be a trip that should not cost me a ton of money. In the past I have done no expense spared vacations for over a month. I knew I couldn’t do that this year so planned to do something different that would cost me less money.
I started buying gear for the trip and for the truck build up, the truck was to serve as not only my transportation but also my home! I would live out of the truck for the whole trip.
A friend of mine, Jaime, works in Belize in the winter months and then works in Canada in the summer months. He works as a guide in adventure tourism. Jaime was traveling from Canada to Arizona in October last year and stopped off in Jackson, Wyoming for a few days. He and myself began discussing my trip as well as his plans that winter. He informed me he was going to have some time off work in February, maybe as much as 3 weeks or more. So we briefly discussed me going to Belize from Baja and then doing some things during his time off like run a river in Belize or perhaps even go to Guatemala to surf. It was about this time I knew my trip was going to be more than just Baja.
I continued with the truck build up for the trip and started posting on some forums to see if anybody wanted to join me for part or all of the trip. A post on Expo drew some interest and a few guys decided to join me for the Baja portion of the trip. Blaine was to ride with me since I have a spare seat in the Taco. I would pick him up in San Diego before we headed into Mexico. John & Jim had their own vehicles and decided to meet Blaine and myself in Baja.
Around late November I was getting pretty far along with the truck build up and just all around getting ready for the trip. Jaime and myself had stayed in contact and it was around this time he informed me he had been working on some plans. Jaime has been wanting to start his own adventure tourism business for some time now. He had gone and rounded up a few clients who committed to doing a trip with him in February/March in Panama. This was to be his first trip with his own business, World Wild Adventures. http://worldwildadventureexp.blogspot.com/ It was at this time he asked me if I wanted to pick him up in Belize, we drive to Panama together and then I join him on the trip he was guiding. Of course I agreed as long as I could swing it cash wise. Jaime has a friend, Mike, who started a company in Santa Catalina, Panama a few years ago. Mikes business, Fluid Adventures, mostly does kayaking trips out to Isla Coiba but also does surfing lessons, snorkel trips, wildlife viewing and so forth. Isla Coiba is an island off the coast of Santa Catalina, Panama that is a national park.
So a plan was basically formulated to travel to Baja and then cross Mexico and pick Jaime up in Belize. Then we would go to Panama and do his trip. Once his trip was done he had some more time off work and we talked about exploring the San Blas Islands in Panama or doing some other things.
The first and second weeks in December were spent preparing for the trip. The truck was finished up and other things done to get ready. I had planned all along to take my dog with me but now that I was planning to go to Panama I knew I needed to get some documents for that. So a bunch of last minute things were dealt with and I got ready to leave.
Introduction:
I am self employed and own a small business. This business operates from April to November which gives me about five months off a year from work. For the past 6yrs I have been doing lots of traveling in the winter months, much of that overseas. I am not married and do not have any children. Just so you know how it is I can do a trip like this.
I don’t have a separate blog site to post this up right now. I do have a website and may eventually add this to it but for now I am just doing up a very detailed and long thread in a few forums which covers the trip I took. This write up is pretty detailed and I am doing that not only to tell my story but also to give as much info as I can to others who may want to do a trip like this. Here is a link to pictures and video from the trip, if you don’t want to read then just go to the links and browse the pics & video. You can view the pictures in a higher resolution by double clicking on the image in the gallery. If you want to read about my trip well then just keep on reading!
http://www.rmp-o.com/gallery/album45?page=1 & http://www.youtube.com/user/PortalPatrol
If you want to read about preparing for the trip and can follow the build on my truck here,
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34087
I have written this like you might keep a journal. With dates and brief details over the entire course of my trip. Some dates/days are long winded but that is because a ton of things happened in one day that were significant to the trip so I spend time detailing these particular days. I think this helps to give you an idea on what to expect on a trip like this. Don’t expect perfect grammar because I intentionally didn’t write it to be with perfect grammar.
A Few Facts:
Starting mileage: 102,750 approx
Finishing mileage: 117,450 approx
Total time from start to finish: 13 weeks
Border crossings ranged from $10-$200
Time to cross borders ranged from 1hr to 5hrs
Longest distance between fuel ups was 485 miles with a ¼ tank left!
Highest price for fuel: Belize, nearly $5/gallon
Lowest price for fuel: Panama, about $2.90 a gallon for 95 octane.
Prolog:
About August last year I started thinking about what kind of trip I wanted to take this off season. Knowing that money was down because of the economy I knew I would have to do a trip on a bit of a “budget”. I decided I wanted to explore Baja in my truck and that this would be a trip that should not cost me a ton of money. In the past I have done no expense spared vacations for over a month. I knew I couldn’t do that this year so planned to do something different that would cost me less money.
I started buying gear for the trip and for the truck build up, the truck was to serve as not only my transportation but also my home! I would live out of the truck for the whole trip.
A friend of mine, Jaime, works in Belize in the winter months and then works in Canada in the summer months. He works as a guide in adventure tourism. Jaime was traveling from Canada to Arizona in October last year and stopped off in Jackson, Wyoming for a few days. He and myself began discussing my trip as well as his plans that winter. He informed me he was going to have some time off work in February, maybe as much as 3 weeks or more. So we briefly discussed me going to Belize from Baja and then doing some things during his time off like run a river in Belize or perhaps even go to Guatemala to surf. It was about this time I knew my trip was going to be more than just Baja.
I continued with the truck build up for the trip and started posting on some forums to see if anybody wanted to join me for part or all of the trip. A post on Expo drew some interest and a few guys decided to join me for the Baja portion of the trip. Blaine was to ride with me since I have a spare seat in the Taco. I would pick him up in San Diego before we headed into Mexico. John & Jim had their own vehicles and decided to meet Blaine and myself in Baja.
Around late November I was getting pretty far along with the truck build up and just all around getting ready for the trip. Jaime and myself had stayed in contact and it was around this time he informed me he had been working on some plans. Jaime has been wanting to start his own adventure tourism business for some time now. He had gone and rounded up a few clients who committed to doing a trip with him in February/March in Panama. This was to be his first trip with his own business, World Wild Adventures. http://worldwildadventureexp.blogspot.com/ It was at this time he asked me if I wanted to pick him up in Belize, we drive to Panama together and then I join him on the trip he was guiding. Of course I agreed as long as I could swing it cash wise. Jaime has a friend, Mike, who started a company in Santa Catalina, Panama a few years ago. Mikes business, Fluid Adventures, mostly does kayaking trips out to Isla Coiba but also does surfing lessons, snorkel trips, wildlife viewing and so forth. Isla Coiba is an island off the coast of Santa Catalina, Panama that is a national park.
So a plan was basically formulated to travel to Baja and then cross Mexico and pick Jaime up in Belize. Then we would go to Panama and do his trip. Once his trip was done he had some more time off work and we talked about exploring the San Blas Islands in Panama or doing some other things.
The first and second weeks in December were spent preparing for the trip. The truck was finished up and other things done to get ready. I had planned all along to take my dog with me but now that I was planning to go to Panama I knew I needed to get some documents for that. So a bunch of last minute things were dealt with and I got ready to leave.
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RMP&O
Expedition Leader
The Road Trip!
A few notes:
When I left Wyoming I knew I was headed to Baja and as far as Belize. I didn’t know if I would make it to Panama or not, it seemed so far away and I was on a budget. My plan was to be self sustainable. I wanted to camp on the entire trip, realistically that wasn’t very possible. I wanted to cook my own meals or eat for cheap, I think I succeeded at that. There was maybe only a few meals over the $25 price tag on this trip, most were $10 or less. I didn’t want to have a set itinerary, I wanted to find my path and route as I went. Where I would stay and sleep was to be determined day to day. I wanted to learn to surf on this trip, do some fishing and get my kayak in the water. I wanted to improve my Spanish and explore Mexico and Central America. I was going without a GPS, only some maps and a bunch of books. There was no set itinerary or plan for my trip other than to go to Baja and then get to Belize by the first week in February. I wanted an adventure, I knew if I just went that is exactly what I would get!
Route traveled on the road trip!
pink = route down
blue = route up
December 17th: I did my last load of laundry and packed up my gear and bags for the trip.
December 18th: I got up at 6am and packed up the truck. I then drove from Jackson through Idaho and to Eugene, Oregon. A distance of about 900miles. I have family and friends in Oregon (grew up in Eugene) and so was going to spend some time with them.
December 19th-24th: Hang out in Eugene with friends and family, went to High Street Café several times for good beers and did some last minute things to get ready for the road trip.
December 24th-26th: Drive from Oregon to Oakland, California and spend Christmas with family.
December 26th: Drive from Oakland to LA and spend a day visiting with my sister.
December 27th:drive from LA to San Diego and go to Blaine’s house. Do some last minute things and repack the truck. Filled my water tank up for the first time.
December 28th: Spent the morning doing a few last minute things. I went to the Panama consulate and had them stamp my dog documents. I also went to a Mexico tourism office and got my Mexico fishing license. About noon we were ready to go and headed out from San Diego. We had decided on crossing the border at Mexicali instead of Tijuana since we wanted a somewhat mellow crossing and also because we were headed for San Felipe. We got to Mexicali at about 4pm but crossed the border at the wrong place, we went through the 24hr crossing. I was not able to get the vehicle permit at this crossing so we had to find our way across Mexicali to the second crossing where I could get the permit. We were a bit lost when a local pulls up to us at a stop light and asks if we need some help. We tell him we need to go to the 2nd Mexicali crossing to get a permit for my truck. He says follow me! So we take a chance and follow him. He leads us straight to the right crossing but also right up to the office I needed for the permit. He was a super nice guy and I offered him a tip but he turned it down and just said “welcome to Mexico, I hope you have a great trip!”. We headed out from the border about 630pm and planned to just get to San Felipe that night. At about 930pm we pulled into San Felipe, we didn’t even go into town we just drove right into Petes to camp. We got our first Mexican meal, put down a few beers and then went on out to the palapas on the beach and made camp. I think Petes ran us about $10/night per person
December 29th: I had changed my cell phone plan before we left the USA so that I had an international calling plan. Yet, I didn’t have any cell reception since about 20 miles south of the border. I realized this was a problem since I had not made arrangements with John & Jim as far as when and where to meet them. After a few hours we got this taken care of and were able to talk to John who was still in the USA. We made arrangements to meet them at Playa Costilla down the coast near Puertecitos the next day in the afternoon. We got some fish tacos in San Felipe, tried to find some fishing tackle, went to the bank and paid for our tourist cards and then went grocery shopping. At about 630pm we headed out of San Felipe and drove down to Puertecitos. The road from Puertecitos is not bad but it has some really large dips in it. I hit a few of these going to fast because it was dark. Funny I had planned on not doing any driving at night on the trip if I could avoid it but here I was my second night in Mexico and I was driving at night! It took us awhile to find Playa Costilla because it was dark and it is not well marked. We finally find it though and are greeted by some gringos who spend winters down there. They tell us where we can camp and tell us where we can find some wood down the road. We make camp, dump gear and then go round up a bunch of firewood. We spend the rest of the night around a large fire drinking beers and BS’ing. We went to bed late.
December 30th: We wake up and I do a vehicle inspection. I find my RHS air bag mount has folded over, definitely a result of hitting the dips with to much speed! I am unable to run without the airbags since my truck is so heavy from all the gear. Without the air bags I am nearly sitting on the bump stops and it bottoms out all the time. So we ask the local gringos where we might be able to get this fixed. They tell us to go talk to more gringos back near Puertecitos and less than an hour later we are at a boat repair yard. The owner speaks good English and has everything needed to repair the air bag mounts. I have him cut both mounts off the frame and buff them up to nearly ½” thick plate. He then welds them back on the frame. It took 3hrs and cost me about $60. We head to Puertecitos to check out the hot springs but opt out when a local tries to get money form us to use them. We head back to Costilla and meet up with John & Jim. The rest of the night is spent drinking beers around a fire and getting to know each other. It was nearly a full moon and a great sunset. Playa Costilla runs us about $10/night per vehicle to camp.
A few notes:
When I left Wyoming I knew I was headed to Baja and as far as Belize. I didn’t know if I would make it to Panama or not, it seemed so far away and I was on a budget. My plan was to be self sustainable. I wanted to camp on the entire trip, realistically that wasn’t very possible. I wanted to cook my own meals or eat for cheap, I think I succeeded at that. There was maybe only a few meals over the $25 price tag on this trip, most were $10 or less. I didn’t want to have a set itinerary, I wanted to find my path and route as I went. Where I would stay and sleep was to be determined day to day. I wanted to learn to surf on this trip, do some fishing and get my kayak in the water. I wanted to improve my Spanish and explore Mexico and Central America. I was going without a GPS, only some maps and a bunch of books. There was no set itinerary or plan for my trip other than to go to Baja and then get to Belize by the first week in February. I wanted an adventure, I knew if I just went that is exactly what I would get!
Route traveled on the road trip!
pink = route down
blue = route up
December 17th: I did my last load of laundry and packed up my gear and bags for the trip.
December 18th: I got up at 6am and packed up the truck. I then drove from Jackson through Idaho and to Eugene, Oregon. A distance of about 900miles. I have family and friends in Oregon (grew up in Eugene) and so was going to spend some time with them.
December 19th-24th: Hang out in Eugene with friends and family, went to High Street Café several times for good beers and did some last minute things to get ready for the road trip.
December 24th-26th: Drive from Oregon to Oakland, California and spend Christmas with family.
December 26th: Drive from Oakland to LA and spend a day visiting with my sister.
December 27th:drive from LA to San Diego and go to Blaine’s house. Do some last minute things and repack the truck. Filled my water tank up for the first time.
December 28th: Spent the morning doing a few last minute things. I went to the Panama consulate and had them stamp my dog documents. I also went to a Mexico tourism office and got my Mexico fishing license. About noon we were ready to go and headed out from San Diego. We had decided on crossing the border at Mexicali instead of Tijuana since we wanted a somewhat mellow crossing and also because we were headed for San Felipe. We got to Mexicali at about 4pm but crossed the border at the wrong place, we went through the 24hr crossing. I was not able to get the vehicle permit at this crossing so we had to find our way across Mexicali to the second crossing where I could get the permit. We were a bit lost when a local pulls up to us at a stop light and asks if we need some help. We tell him we need to go to the 2nd Mexicali crossing to get a permit for my truck. He says follow me! So we take a chance and follow him. He leads us straight to the right crossing but also right up to the office I needed for the permit. He was a super nice guy and I offered him a tip but he turned it down and just said “welcome to Mexico, I hope you have a great trip!”. We headed out from the border about 630pm and planned to just get to San Felipe that night. At about 930pm we pulled into San Felipe, we didn’t even go into town we just drove right into Petes to camp. We got our first Mexican meal, put down a few beers and then went on out to the palapas on the beach and made camp. I think Petes ran us about $10/night per person
December 29th: I had changed my cell phone plan before we left the USA so that I had an international calling plan. Yet, I didn’t have any cell reception since about 20 miles south of the border. I realized this was a problem since I had not made arrangements with John & Jim as far as when and where to meet them. After a few hours we got this taken care of and were able to talk to John who was still in the USA. We made arrangements to meet them at Playa Costilla down the coast near Puertecitos the next day in the afternoon. We got some fish tacos in San Felipe, tried to find some fishing tackle, went to the bank and paid for our tourist cards and then went grocery shopping. At about 630pm we headed out of San Felipe and drove down to Puertecitos. The road from Puertecitos is not bad but it has some really large dips in it. I hit a few of these going to fast because it was dark. Funny I had planned on not doing any driving at night on the trip if I could avoid it but here I was my second night in Mexico and I was driving at night! It took us awhile to find Playa Costilla because it was dark and it is not well marked. We finally find it though and are greeted by some gringos who spend winters down there. They tell us where we can camp and tell us where we can find some wood down the road. We make camp, dump gear and then go round up a bunch of firewood. We spend the rest of the night around a large fire drinking beers and BS’ing. We went to bed late.
December 30th: We wake up and I do a vehicle inspection. I find my RHS air bag mount has folded over, definitely a result of hitting the dips with to much speed! I am unable to run without the airbags since my truck is so heavy from all the gear. Without the air bags I am nearly sitting on the bump stops and it bottoms out all the time. So we ask the local gringos where we might be able to get this fixed. They tell us to go talk to more gringos back near Puertecitos and less than an hour later we are at a boat repair yard. The owner speaks good English and has everything needed to repair the air bag mounts. I have him cut both mounts off the frame and buff them up to nearly ½” thick plate. He then welds them back on the frame. It took 3hrs and cost me about $60. We head to Puertecitos to check out the hot springs but opt out when a local tries to get money form us to use them. We head back to Costilla and meet up with John & Jim. The rest of the night is spent drinking beers around a fire and getting to know each other. It was nearly a full moon and a great sunset. Playa Costilla runs us about $10/night per vehicle to camp.
RMP&O
Expedition Leader
December 31st: We get up and have breakfast burritos on the beach. We then head out, south down the coast. We planned to take the rough east coast road all the way down past Coco’s to the Mex1. For New Years Eve we were just going to find some remote camping and party it up. The first 15 miles of the road south of Puertecitos is paved and then turns to dirt, they are working on paving it all I believe. After 15miles or so it then gets worse and worse, it wouldn’t normally be a problem for my truck but I had a huge load in it. We aired down our tires shortly after hitting the dirt. About mid-day I blow out an airbag. The top cap plate on the air bag is made from plastic and mine has broken forming sharp edges. This has put holes in the airbag when the suspension flexes. It occurs to me that I might be able to patch it using tire plugs from my tire repair kit. So I plug the holes and it appears to be holding up. We continue on and get to Rancho Grande about 4pm. We stop into the store and decide to camp here down on the beach for New Years. We head down to the beach and decide to camp out on the beach for free instead of at the palapas which cost’ money. We set up camp and start drinking beer. It is cold and windy and there is no fire wood around. We make dinner and drink more beers. About 830pm we decide to go back to the store because they are having a party. We all jump in Jim’s truck and head on over to the store leaving 2 dogs and two vehicles on the beach. We get to the store and are greeted by locals and a few local gringos who live in the area. We get a nice big free meal and drink lots of beers. Jim gets his dance on with some of the local girls! We head back to camp around 1230am and when we get to the beach we realize we may have a problem! The tide has come up, it is a full moon and the trucks may be swamped by the tide! We hurry down to the trucks and realize we got lucky, the tide is about 30 minutes and 20 feet from burying them in salt water. We move the trucks to higher ground and call it a night. Free camping on the beach, clean up after yourself and watch the tides!
January 1st: We drive from Rancho Grande to Coco’s Corner. Shortly before Coco’s we come across a couple who has had the generator fall out of there motor home, rough roads and all. A guy in a buggy is already helping them but we stop, grab a snack and BS a bit. We stop for a bit at Coco’s to drink a beer, sign the log book and BS. Coco tells us that later in the day we will go through an agriculture check point and have to give up our fruit. So we turn most of it over to Coco so it doesn’t go to waste. We hit the Mex1 at Chapala and air up our tires. We drive to Guerrero Negro and get some street tacos, excellent by the way. It is now dark and time to find camp. We get lost for an hour or so trying to find camping out on the peninsula but finally find it at Campo de Ballenas. There is tons of sand flies here and salt water up on the road from the super high tides the last few nights. There is no firewood around and we are all tired so all go to bed early. Campo de Ballenas costs us $5/night per vehicle.
January 1st: We drive from Rancho Grande to Coco’s Corner. Shortly before Coco’s we come across a couple who has had the generator fall out of there motor home, rough roads and all. A guy in a buggy is already helping them but we stop, grab a snack and BS a bit. We stop for a bit at Coco’s to drink a beer, sign the log book and BS. Coco tells us that later in the day we will go through an agriculture check point and have to give up our fruit. So we turn most of it over to Coco so it doesn’t go to waste. We hit the Mex1 at Chapala and air up our tires. We drive to Guerrero Negro and get some street tacos, excellent by the way. It is now dark and time to find camp. We get lost for an hour or so trying to find camping out on the peninsula but finally find it at Campo de Ballenas. There is tons of sand flies here and salt water up on the road from the super high tides the last few nights. There is no firewood around and we are all tired so all go to bed early. Campo de Ballenas costs us $5/night per vehicle.
RMP&O
Expedition Leader
January 2nd: Guerrero Negro to Mulege. Early in the day when we stop for gas in Vizcaino and John does a vehicle check he discovers a leak in his oil pan. Turns out a rock hit must have cracked a weld in his oil pan. So we get it fixed at a shop in about 2-3hrs., they remove the pan and weld it again While he got it fixed I washed the salt water off my truck. I also made an error at the gas station and the pump attendant got $10-15 out of me from overpaying! That is the first and only time I did that! We get to Mulege at sunset and drive down along the river to view the hurricane damage. Some locals tell us where to get dinner and it turns out to be great! We head for Playa Santispac and get there about 830pm. It is still nearly a full moon and super beautiful here on the beach. I buy a bunch of firewood and build a fire then unload my kayak. I go for a late night paddle about 11pm which is excellent. I decide to stay here a few days.
January 3rd- 4th: Get up in morning and tell the group I want to stay here a few days. They want to push on so we split up. Blaine rides with John and they head south early. I spent the next few days kayaking , fishing, exploring and sitting on the beach. Clean bathrooms, a store and firewood available here. Playa Santispac runs $8/night per vehicle.
January 3rd- 4th: Get up in morning and tell the group I want to stay here a few days. They want to push on so we split up. Blaine rides with John and they head south early. I spent the next few days kayaking , fishing, exploring and sitting on the beach. Clean bathrooms, a store and firewood available here. Playa Santispac runs $8/night per vehicle.
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RMP&O
Expedition Leader
January 4th: Get up early and notice a dolphin pod about 75 meters from shore. Jump in the kayak and paddle out for a nice morning with the dolphins, sorry pics didn‘t turn out. Then pack up and head to Loreto. Beautiful drive down the coast. Get some groceries and beer in town and then decide where to camp for the night. Decide on Juncalito Beach a bit south of Loreto. The beach is free camping but a bit littered with toilet paper and you know what! Although most of it is up in the dunes behind the actual beach. There is no bathroom here, not even a pit toilet. It is to bad because it needs it. I go to the far end of the beach and clean it up with my shovel! Have the whole place to myself and there is a huge pile of fire wood sitting here! It is now much warmer than in Northern Baja. Meet Richard and Tina at sunset on the beach. Richard has a sweet FJ55 and they live near by in a small community of mostly gringos. Camping is free on the beach, leave it cleaner than you find it!
January 5th-8th: Camp at Juncalito Beach. Head back to Loreto on the 5th and hit up internet café. Order up new air bags and have them sent to a Toyota dealership in Cabo San Lucas. I think I am all set with new air bags in a week to ten days. End up having dinner with Richard & Tina at their place on the 5th. Spent 6th-8th kayaking, fishing, hiking and spear fishing around this area. I cut my heel on my foot bad spear fishing on the 7th. Knew I should have worn my boots. Ended up with a deep wound with broken pieces of shell in it. I dug it out with a knife and the high pressure water system in my truck, glad my doc had given me painkillers! Caught some fish, mostly trigger fish trolling around Isla Mestiza and made fish tacos!
January 5th-8th: Camp at Juncalito Beach. Head back to Loreto on the 5th and hit up internet café. Order up new air bags and have them sent to a Toyota dealership in Cabo San Lucas. I think I am all set with new air bags in a week to ten days. End up having dinner with Richard & Tina at their place on the 5th. Spent 6th-8th kayaking, fishing, hiking and spear fishing around this area. I cut my heel on my foot bad spear fishing on the 7th. Knew I should have worn my boots. Ended up with a deep wound with broken pieces of shell in it. I dug it out with a knife and the high pressure water system in my truck, glad my doc had given me painkillers! Caught some fish, mostly trigger fish trolling around Isla Mestiza and made fish tacos!
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RMP&O
Expedition Leader
January 8th: Drive to just north of La Paz and drive up nearly as far as San Evaristo but don't find any good camping. So drive back towards La Paz and camp at Los Tules. It is a rocky beach just up the coast from La Paz on the west side of the bay. I had the whole place to myself and gathered up enough wood for a bonfire. Unfortunately though I took a burning ember to the eye socket that nearly blinded me. Wood popped in the fire and I got that 1 in a million coal to the eye! About 10pm some guys come down to the beach, it is obvious they are not camping. They screw around and then drive around my camp casing me out. I have spear gun in hand, dog at the ready and bear spray in the back pocket! Luckily they decide to leave me alone and I end up sleeping in the truck armed and with the back closed up. I may have been paranoid but better safe then sorry. The camping is free here with a fairly clean area, no bathrooms, careful about security in this area if boondocking.
Jan 9th-13th: Drove on the 9th from La Paz to Todo Santos. Ran out of water in water tank for the first time on morning of the 9th. Before leaving the Los Tules area I go for a 4wd up a really nice canyon along the coast. Blew air bag flexing up suspension on LHS. Good at fixing them now I have it done in 45mins! Both air bags now have tire plugs in them! I get to Todo Santos and on way out of town stop for some street tortas and then to fill up water tank. Meet Cale as I am filling up water tank. He is hitch hiking and asks for a ride. Young guy but not a threat to me so sure I give him a ride, he is looking for camping anyways down the coast a little bit. We roll in together at Cerritos around 6pm. Make camp right on beach and meet the locals at Costa Azul Surf Shop. We spent the rest of the time here camped on the beach, learning to surf, drinking beer and just hanging out. It turns out Cale just graduated recently from the UofO which is where I grew up. It also turns out he is hitch hiking by himself to South America on $2,000! I thought that was super cool….he and I got along pretty well!
Jan 9th-13th: Drove on the 9th from La Paz to Todo Santos. Ran out of water in water tank for the first time on morning of the 9th. Before leaving the Los Tules area I go for a 4wd up a really nice canyon along the coast. Blew air bag flexing up suspension on LHS. Good at fixing them now I have it done in 45mins! Both air bags now have tire plugs in them! I get to Todo Santos and on way out of town stop for some street tortas and then to fill up water tank. Meet Cale as I am filling up water tank. He is hitch hiking and asks for a ride. Young guy but not a threat to me so sure I give him a ride, he is looking for camping anyways down the coast a little bit. We roll in together at Cerritos around 6pm. Make camp right on beach and meet the locals at Costa Azul Surf Shop. We spent the rest of the time here camped on the beach, learning to surf, drinking beer and just hanging out. It turns out Cale just graduated recently from the UofO which is where I grew up. It also turns out he is hitch hiking by himself to South America on $2,000! I thought that was super cool….he and I got along pretty well!
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Canadian Moose
Adventurer
Awesome trip report so far, keep it up:elkgrin: I would love to do something like this someday!
Poorboyota26
Adventurer
WELL WORTH THE WAIT!!!
Good job man, really glad to see it come together! It's great to hear stories of successful trips and imagine being right there along with ya.
Good job man, really glad to see it come together! It's great to hear stories of successful trips and imagine being right there along with ya.