Cinco de Mayo report

[Tree 0]

Day 1- Great start to the trip everyone is on time. It's the usual compadres trail riders crew- Myself, Javi, Tim, Mike, Mark and Scott driving the jeep. Two new additions were Steve (Scott's co-pilot in the Jeep) and Brandon (Baja2015). We head across the boarder and the boarder guards wave the whole group through, no problem. We make it to our first gas stop in ojos pretty quickly. Again at the military check points the guys just wave us through. We head down a stardard baja race course road through tres hermanos. A little way into the route we pass an ambulance and police car heading down the road. a little while later we come across the reason. A bike rider had a head on collision with a small truck. The guy is laying in the road with his friends around him. He is concious and seems to be in good spirits when we tell him help is on the way. Looked to be a few broken bones but not life threatening. As they have everthing under control we continue on to our destination. Everyone had an added awareness of the possibility of other vehicles on the road. We end up at our lunch destination by 1pm the only minor incident was javi losing air in his back tire. The jeep has a compressor so he just pumped it up and it held the rest of the day. After lunch Javi went to Ensenada to see his parents for the night and we countinued on. After getting gas in Santo Thomas we head down the road to la bucana, as I know a trail the rest of the guys haven't been on that will take us to Erenderia. On this road Tim down shifts his bike and his transmission locks up coming to a stop. His bike is done for the trip. We brought the bike carrier that I had made in San Felipe when my bike broke. The only thing is, you need to use an old tire on top of it to keep the bike positioned but this is baja there are old tires eveywhere. So, the guys look over the edge of the road and there are three tires laying there. After the bike is loaded, the jeep heads back out to take the highway to Erenderia and us on the bikes continue on to the dirt route. It was a very senic trip along the coast and through some farms. We all meet back at Coyote Cals for the night and had a great dinner of fish tacos, Thai styled curry fish, and steak with all the trimmings. along with a banana split for dessert.

To be continued......Pics to come..

[Tree 0]

Day-2 We decide to leave Tim's bike locked in the cage at coyote cals and hit the trails as one big group again. Plan was to ride along the coastline and some old race course tracks to San Quitin. We were supposed to meet up with Javi at pirates cove in Camalu after his night in Ensanda. But, not 3 miles into the ride the Jeep had broken a bracket that holds the rear sway bar so it is not going to be able to continue at it's current condition. We locate a big farm complex that had a welder so they stayed and got it welded. The rest of us on bikes headed on our way with the idea we would meet the jeep at Pirates cove or San Quitin if it takes longer (they would take the highway). It was the standard ride stopping at various points to enjoy the scenery and for the group to catch their breath. Because of the jeep breakdown we were running behind so Javi back tracked from Pirates cove and met us at Cuatros Casas. Then we made it to the ship wreck and lunch at Pirates cove. The jeep crew did not make it before we finished lunch so we figured we'd meet them at the Hotel in San Quitin (Jardines). We arrived at the hotel pretty quickly as it was highway from Camalu to San Quitin. After checking in it was just around 2:30pm so we decide to check out the Old Mill restaurant for a couple cervezas then head out to explore the San Quitin volcanos. Pretty good exploration trip but there is still more to see for next time. There was one scary moment when Mike tried to cut a corner and didn't realise there was a fence with one single strand of wire at neck hieght. After Mark screamed at him he seen it and slide under it so it was nothing more then a wake up call but it could have gone bad. When we returned, the hotel cleark said the Jeep was there and they went looking for us. We knew where they went looking as after showers we headed next door the the restaurant/bar to find them.

To be continued

[javi 0]

Im back to foroms,,,soon I will post pics, from baja....

[javi 0]

thanks Randy for you help!

[Tree 0]

Day 3- We all get breakfast in San Quitin then the plan is for the Jeep to go to Coyote Cals and pick up Tim's bike and meet the rest of the group at Mikes Sky Ranch. After breakfast an inspection of the jeep reveals another crack in the bracket that was repaired. We find a muffler shop in San Quitin that can repair the jeep but Scott says after it is fixed that they are going to pick up Tim's bike and head back to the states to play it safe. So the guys on bikes grab what they need. With the extra weight and an issue with Javi's bike Mike, Mark, and Javi decide to take the easy rout to Mikes but myself and Brandon opt for a dirt route, a shorter version of the original route I had planned, (looking back I wish we would have take the longer version). Me and Brandon depart from the other three just before Camalu. First we come to a barrier with a guard that says we can't pass without permission so we back track a little to find another option. We find a trail that was ussed to put up some power lines so we take it. It cuts across farm land with a herd of goats. When we get to the end there is a fence but it only has the top strand of wire so it is easily passed under. At that point it connects with the road I believe the guard wouldn't let us enter but never the less, we head out on it until it connects with the observatory road. We head up that road to the next turn off navagating through a herd of cattle that some cowboys on horses told us to go ahead. It was fun but all the time i was wishing Javi was there with his go pro to document it. After the turn off through El Coyote ranch we hit the back side trail to Mikes. With all the horror stories I've heard about the condition of the trail I was a little worried but there wasn't too many difficult sections. The last 2 miles were the toughest with alot of rocks but it wasn't too bad. Me and Brandon got to Mike's by 1:45pm. As soon as we got there I ordered 4 cervezas and we both jumped in the pool. We were the only ones there. I expected the other guys to get there within the hour as they had a longer route and me and Brandon set a pretty good pace. After a couple hours the other guys still hadn't shown so I was starting to wonder if they had bike issues. Then about 4:30pm they pull into the ranch. It turns out Javi had lost his master clip on the highway and didn't have a spare. While the guys were trying to figure out how to wire the chain back together a racing rig shows up. Out steps Andy Grider form baja racing and Dust to Glory fame. Javi recognizes him right away having seen the movie 27 times. Andy opens up the race trailer and gets to work on Javi's bike. It is fixed in no time and after a few pictures and exchanging handshakes and gratitude they head out to meet us with out any other issues. After some cevezas and a shot of Mike's special house Tequilla we have dinner and who shows up but the guys in the Jeep. It turns out they had the bracket welded and gusseted so they felt good about continuing the trip. A great time was had that night in Mike's bar. He even had the Mayweather v Cotto fight.

To Be continued.....

[Tree 0]

Day 4- We had a great breakfast at Mike's then hit the road. Me and Brandon decided to take some dirt trails back to Compadre while the rest of the group are taking the highway. We fill up on gas in Valle Trinidad then depart from the rest of the group at the road that goes to Jamul. I had never been through this route but always wanted to try it. It was very fun. Alot of race course through open desert then towards the end you get into the pine forest. It was a great route that I plan to do on the next trip that way. We fly down compadre thinking we may catch the other group but don't find them until we reach the boarder. At that point since Tim is going to have to wait in the boader line (he trucked us to the boarder) in the jeep me and Javi decide we will just ride the bikes all the way home with a lunch stop at Barret Junction. I forgot that The last fill-up was at Valle T and I ran out of gas right as Avacodo st passes over Mt Helix. Lucily there was a 7/11 right there to fill it up. At least I know how long I can go on a tank of gas. LOL overall a great time was had by all. Now time to start planning the next trip.

Pictures coming....

[Tree 0]

"> Tres Hermanos "> Lunch stop. "> ship wreck "> fixing the Jeep in San Quitin "> Andy Grider fixing Javi's Bike "> Enjoying Mikes Sky Ranch "> Baja Bike rack "> Watching the fights at Mikes

[danrider 5]

I wish I could of gone, looks like you guys had a blast, but I had to tend to my mom. How is the new bike? I checked into getting a new tank for my KTM and they told me it is going to be a couple of months before they will have them in the States. Did you get yours?

[Tree 0]

I wish I could of gone, looks like you guys had a blast, but I had to tend to my mom. How is the new bike? I checked into getting a new tank for my KTM and they told me it is going to be a couple of months before they will have them in the States. Did you get yours?

Yeah I got my tank. Robert at Veys told me the same thing that the next batch of tanks won't be in for a couple of months.The only thing is when you get your tank don't use the bolts that come in the kit to attach the fuel pump. They are too short and will come out. We found that out on the trail just past tres hermanos. I noticed gas leaking so we had to scramble through our packs to find longer bolts.

[Tree 0]

Here's a link to the pics from Javi

I'm waiting on Brandons pics.

[Baja2015 0]

Thought I would share some more pics with you guys. Thanks to all the CTR guys what a blast!!

[ruggle 0]

Nice write up Tree. Good to hear you're back on the board Javi. Sounds like a typical baja adventure. Great times. Hopefully, I can make the next one.

[kkug 147]

Great Report -I enjoyed it. Just like riding it.

[Speedracer1600 0]

Me and my family have been around baja for years and I know most of the trails you guys rode! Can wait to join in on the fun with you guys! Awesome trip!