1st Travel Blog Update (long delayed sorry)

1st Travel Blog Update

Hello friends. Sorry for not announcing the page as I said I would. Between dogging hurricanes, busting my shock in the middle of the desert, getting sick, and jetsetting back to l.a. for a crucial part, can you forgive me? Here’s a quick update written on the fly and spared lots of detail. I promise to put more time into this now that I seem to have found my rhythm on this adventure.

Day 1, Sunday, October 5

So in typical Sosanista fashion I left Los Angeles late last Sunday and on my arrival into Baja California Norte I broke rule #5 and I drove in the dark from Mexicali to San Filipe which is the first town on the gulf side. Checked into a hotel, didn’t get to camp because I didn’t even arrive until 10 p.m.

Day 2, Monday, October 6

I woke up sort of early, grabbed a quick breakfast and headed toward Puertocitos. On this eastern route of Baja, Puertocitos is the town where the pavement ends and one must go a substantial distance on a rocky and sandy road. Puertocitos is a very small pueblo that hosts a pemex gas station and by far one of the most amazing hot springs I’ve ever visited where there is a beach covered in lava rock. Boiling hot water gushes from these rocks into pools that are way too hot to bathe in. However, if the tide is right the sea water mixes with the spring water and there you have the perfect place to soak.

I had the entire beach to myself, not a single tourist in sight and all the expat houses lining the beach seemed to be empty. The only person I saw was the guy waiting at the corner waiting to charge me $15 U.S. to enter. I spent about an hour here before putting the bike to the test on the long wild dirt road.

As I drove out of Puertocitos there was a lot of construction happening to the road. It appears that they have plans to pave the road. I wonder what will happen to this beautiful treasure of coast once they complete the new road? Who knows how far they’ll pave it to?

Not very many travelers out on the road. Some 4×4s I don’t think I saw a single other motorcycle. It’s Monday. I road through some harsh terrain for about two hours barely stopping just to pee and I stopped once to eat some sardines. It’s a pretty damn good day to ride, despite the heat, about 98 degrees. This kind of terrain is taxing on your back and arm muscles, trying to keep the bike clear of giant boulders, washes, and other obstacles. Velocity is your friend, it smoothes out the road and makes the bike easier to control. I learned this on my last baja adventure where I all but destroyed an old honda. The GSA ADV eats this road like a dream but the suspension isn’t too my liking. Bottoming out quite a bit . . . Carrying a full load.

About 30 minutes north of Bahig Gogonzoga (sp?) I park the bike on a cement wash to rest and inspect the bike. So proud of her performance I decide to give her a name, “mi ruca.” Took this photo of me there which will be the last happy photo you see of me in Baja.

Minutes after leaving the location where I bless my bike with a name I hear a terrible noise as the back end is rattling around like crazy. Every little bump is taxing the suspension, WTF?!! I stop, to inspect. Oil is gushing from the rear shock. Fuck! It’s first and second gear for the rest of the day. So much for taking side road excursions to hidden playas, going to see cave paintings and whales, I need to get to pavement. Having to stand most of the way.

Finally make it to the famous adventure biker hang out, Coco’s corner. I wanted to take is portrait for a long time and thought it would be the highlight of this leg. Coco wasn’t there!! Maybe he went into town for supplies, it is a Monday. Anyway I hopped the gate and took pictures of his compound and two cats. They seemed happy and content so that means Coco is still alive .

I keep pushing toward the pavement. Finally get to the 5 about one hour before Sunset. I keep driving into the night to get a hotel in Guerrero Negro. Once on the pavement the bike is very rideable but still must be careful. Easily looses traction around corners. There is a BMW shop in Cabo. That’s my final destination this leg of the trip. Check into Hotel, eat some fish tacos at a local stand in front of a family’s house. There two kids about 8 and 10, boy and girl get into a huge brawl. Dad hands out some severe spankings right in front of me.

Day 3, Tuesday, October 7

I put in a request to Carmen in L.A. to call Cabo BMW and to have them get the shock. I push on . . . Stop in Santa Margarita which if I remember correctly has the best fish tacos I’ve ever had (was here in 00). The place was still there and indeed they still have the best fish tacos I’ve ever had! I keep pushing. I ride the entire day and when I got a look of this beach I have to stop despite the fact that it has a long downhill dirt driveway and I have a blown rear shock.

Was worth it, the water was amazing and it’s again 100 degrees. No cell reception for hours so I don’t know the status of the shock. Get to Loreto, a sizeable town on the gulf side and the last stop before the highway snakes across Baja to the pacific side again. Get the report from Carmen that BMW Cabo doesn’t have the shock in stock nor can they get it from DF or US. However, they said they’d be willing to sell me one off one of the GSs in the show room when I get there. Great! I decide to spend the night here in Loreto, the first capital of the Californias where “the first permanent Spanish settlement in the Californias” was located. It’s also where I got sick for the first time on this trip and ended up puking my guts out all night and where I also wrote a long diatribe about my puke and being in a place where the extermination of the natives was launched. If I find the time to edit it I’ll put it up but for now I’ll spare you. I couldn’t stand this place, it’s a nightmare of expats and timeshares and construction but it was all amplified by these tacos I had for dinner that were tearing my insides apart.

Day 4, Wednesday, October 8

Woke up feeling terrible. It’s like 102 degrees outside. I get coffee and hit the road by about 10 or 11. Got to get to cabo. Maybe I can make La Paz by sunset. Get to La Paz by 4 or 5. I check into a hostel I stayed at in 01. Nothing seems to have changed here. I’ve always liked La Paz.

Day 5, Thursday, October 9

Grab coffee and some fruit and yogurt and I hit the road. Get to cabo by noon. First thing you see when you get to Cabo is the BMW Motorcycle shop. I get there and meet Adolfo. He’s expecting me. He has me show him a picture of the shock on a diagram. Not a good sign. He takes me to their adjacent Yamaha shop where their microfiche is located and and they see about ordering the part. I thought we already investigated this? Not a good sign. I remind him about getting one off of the other bikes. He leaves to check with his manger. Not a good sign. He explains to me that the other bikes are spoken for and are awaiting “credit authorization.” Not a good sign. I ask him about getting an aftermarket shock from somewhere else he pulls out a yellow pages and starts looking for places that sell motorcycle parts as if he knows nothing about the local motorcycle scene. Def not a good sign. I’m fucked. I call Carmen in L.A. and she gets on the case trying to track one down in US. She calls me back and tells me that BMW has none in their inventory and she called several dealers and nobody has one. We find out from the San Diego shop that the Sacramento distributor has one but its not exactly the same but it will work and we arrange for them to get it overnight and have it UPS to me but it won’t get to me until “Tuesday at the earliest.” While doing the investigation Carmen is told by Peter at Ventura BMW to absolutely don’t trust UPS in mexico that I’m totally gambling and that I should have someone bring me the shock. Much contemplation to do. While I’m sitting in the shop a gringo comes in looking around. He casually asks Adolfo for info on the coming Hurricane. Hurricane? “Ya I’m getting out of here there’s a category 5 hurricane coming.” I drive into Cabo centro and check into a cheap hotel. The news says the hurricane will hit North of here and is being downgraded. I walk to the beach and it’s all MTV beach party status. I gotta get out of here. After investigating flights we realize that for a few bucks more flying to l.a. to get the part is just a few bucks more than gambling with UPS. We book the flight to leave Cabo via DF the next afternoon and have my return flight the very next morning. The flight from Cabo to l.a. 7 plus hours. Coming back only two thank goodenss.

Day 6, Friday, October 10

The friendly hotel owner lets me park my bike in his garage and to store my luggage. I take a bus to San Jose de Los Cabos to get to the airport. On the way to the airport I hear from carmen that she drove all the way to San Diego only to discover that they didn’t have the shock nor the decency to call her to tell her as such. Somebody dropped the ball. In desperation Carmen called Peter at Ventura BMW and he came through with a used shock that will do the job, gratis. She drives to the valley to get the shock at his house. Peter is our hero and will get much props on this site when I get the time. I arrive in l.a. around 11 p.m. exhausted.

Day 7, Saturday, October 11

Get up early. Hit evil corporate coffee chain in the hood and go to the airport shock in hand. Get to Los Cabos and taxi it to hotel. Change shock myself in less then one hour.

Eat dinner. Crazy windy. Very little rain. I wonder what’s up with the hurricane?

Day 8, Sunday, October 12

Get up fairly early load the bike and head for the ferry at la paz. When I get there I find there is a boat leaving at 3:30 p.m. Get my vehicle importation no problem at the banjercito office and wait. They load some 80 plus semis onto the boat and let me on last which will put me at the front of the line to get off first. Its an 8 hour ride to Topolobampo on the mainland, circa de Los Mochis.

When I get off the ferry and drive to Los Mochis the streets are clean but I notice there are fallen trees everwhere. Mangled up signs hanging over buildings. Will get pictures in the morning when light is out. I guess I just missed the hurricane again. Get to Los Mochis around 9 or 10 p.m. and check into a hotel. Finally in the fatherland. I’m glad I made it!!!

~ by sosanista on October 13, 2008.