Crawdaddy 96 Posted April 7, 2019 Teaser.....Saturday morning breakfast at Gonzaga..... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bagstr 287 Posted April 7, 2019 " Sorry, There is a Problem ". You are a Teaser Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted April 7, 2019 1 hour ago, Bagstr said: " Sorry, There is a Problem ". You are a Teaser Hopefully it uploaded this time.....we’re still in Mexico.... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Riggerdan 147 Posted April 8, 2019 Crawdaddy and his new machine.... Another authentic Baja experience with lots of good vibes, more pics to come. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted April 8, 2019 I'll upload the teaser video to UTube and drop that in later........in the mean time, fyi, there are some BIG cardon cacti off-road between Catavina and San Quintin 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
97xr400r 122 Posted April 8, 2019 Have a great time guys! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted April 8, 2019 Day 1, Friday 4/5 The day started out a bit rough for me…….the 950SE is REALLY tall (for me)……fell over in the driveway just trying to get on the damn bike…….I headed off from Ramona in the cold mist then, about ~10 miles shy of Tecate, a second revelation…….the gas gauge doesn’t work on this bike ……..cough, spit, toast………luckily, Rigger showed up on the scene, retrieved some gas in Tecate, rode back, and we were back in business…….then we rode to the small mini mart/gas station just shy of the border crossing in Tecate and filled the bikes to the brims………boom, CDaddy and bike are on the ground again in the parking lot……..like I said, rough start to the day……Rigger noticed I wasn’t leaving the bike in gear/putting the kick stand down before *trying* to climb aboard……”Daddy, these big bikes are tall/heavy/hard to balance…….leave it in gear, put the kick stand down, and THEN climb on board with the bike in gear so it can’t roll back on you”. Epiphany moment……..last (non-moving) tip over of the trip…….(canceled pending Rekluse order when I returned home…..I need this bike locked in gear just so I can get on it!) All gassed up…….let’s do this! We headed through the checkpoint, stopped at the bank for some pesos, then set course for the Compadre Trail to Valle de Trinidad. Once we reached Valle T we gassed up and downed the first tacos of the day……little did we know that would be our only significant meal of the day…. Rigger had never traversed the dry lake bed that cuts over to San Felipe so……..let’s do this! The northern section can be really sandy/whooped out in places…….NOT the place to take big adventure pigs IMHO……..but I knew there was a hard pack road further east along Hwy 3……once we reached that road we jumped in…….and the road was in fine shape…….no BFD……..the sand got a bit deeper as we went south but we stayed east and north avoiding the main area of the lake bed/staying in firmer sand to the greatest extent possible…… Now we were getting a bit toasty between warmer temps and working a bit in the sand…….and it was time to take off a layer or two……. The joint was jumping when we reached San Felipe at ~5ishpm………we both forgot the San Felipe 250 was this weekend…….we were headed to Baja to get away from people not hang out with the masses……..let’s just gun it down to Gonzaga on the highway…….this is where the big ADV bike really shines…….you can cruise comfortably all day at ~70+ with plenty of passing power in reserve for those surges to 85+ to pass…….. I hadn’t been down below San Felipe in a couple of years……..the flash flood damage to the highway between San Felipe and Gonzaga was really devastating to see……..luckily there are hard pack bypasses around the many washouts……..that road won’t be back in good shape anytime soon………no BFD on the Adventure bikes…….equally comfortable on highway or hard pack bypasses By the time we reached Alfonsina’s the sun was just setting…….and no room at the inn……well, let’s have a cold brew and contemplate our next move……my back-up plan was a small/primitive hotel near the airstrip at Punta Bufeo which is just ~10(?) miles north of Gonzaga……the rooms are just a no frills (cold)cinderblock box but there’s a bed/shower/toilet……..I’ve stayed there before…….. The receptionist at Alfonsina’s suggested we go talk to the store across the street from the Pemex station out at the highway and inquire if they had any rooms available…….why not…….turns out they had a couple of trailers available…….one light worked, toilet flushed, and there was a bed to crash on…….rough but sure, let’s do it……..not a lot of options......Pemex station was closed......and now it was ~8:30pm……so we broke out the trail snacks with a few Pacifico’s from the store…….reminisced about the day..........and crashed for the night in our respective trailers…… 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Oracle 195 Posted April 8, 2019 Nice. Keep it coming. I've got to live vicariously through you two for now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
simicrintz 177 Posted April 8, 2019 I rented a Harley in Mesa, AZ once; Electra Glide Ultra with a nice big cushy seat for Mama, and damn near dropped it in the parking lot. Told myself I would break my leg before dropping it; I know what you mean about heavy bikes! You learn quickly that these things are not the same one legged affairs that our DS bikes are! Great write up so far; looking forward to more!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted April 8, 2019 Day two, Saturday 4/6 Stepping out of the trailers at sunrise we both took in the view of the Bay…..the wind had howled overnight so we were thankful we didn’t go with option 3 which was sleeping by the bikes on the beach……. We headed over to the store, grabbed a few Pacifico’s and a couple of dry/boring/muffins and headed down to the beach……..we pulled up to a deserted palapa, cranked the reggae…….and enjoyed the moment……..we could’ve stayed there for hours…….but we had a loose plan and we needed to keep rolling…….. We headed over to see Coco……..luckily he was there……..we visited with him for a while with a couple of cerveza's………shared some stories about previous visits to see him……..then headed for Catavina/lunch…… After more taco’s in Catavina we headed down the road to a trail I’ve taken before that travels high into the hills before dropping down into the farmland outside of El Rosario…….really scenic/lots of cactus in bloom…… The road is really easy at first……..then it becomes more and more rutted two track…….I found out the hard way that the big bike isn’t quite as easy to ride over that center hump on two tracks as my smaller bikes…..the rear wheel didn’t come with me a few times but I managed to recover and/or come away unscathed……..the last time I went down pretty hard on the right side…..and also discovered that I had a ~1” metal plug in my vest for some reason…….that I landed on pretty hard and unfortunately it was just outside of my chest protector…….so the right ribs took a solid shot……..once we got the bike upright we also noticed my brake pedal was pointed to the sky/safety stop sheared off……..Ok, take the helmets off…….we’re going to be here for a while……. After some wrangling the brake was high but usable…….very lucky that the brake pedal didn’t crack the clutch case…….all good………well, except the ribs…….time to stand a LOT more since every bump was met with a twinge ( note to self - buy ADV pegs.....stock pegs are too damn short.....need that extra platform for comfort/stability/steering these big heavy bikes)…..and, unfortunately, we were now at the most challenging section of the trail…….downhill/rutted two track to the valley floor……..normally no big deal but I just had my bell rung, my ribs were sore, and the 950 SE is heavy……not to mention Rigger riding that even bigger/heavier 1090……..we took it slow/easy and no more mishaps……beautiful scenery all the way to the highway………quick gas in El Rosario next to Mama Espinosa’s and we were on our way to San Quintin ~60 KM north……. We stopped in and said hello to Rigger’s friend Fidel at his casa…….he’s building up a nice meeting hall/restaurant next to his campground………then we pushed north to Cielito Lindo Hotel (just past Santa Maria)……..I hadn’t stayed there before and it’s one of Rigger’s “go to” stops in San Quintin…….nice staff/food/facility…….we rode the bikes into the courtyard, stepped off, and into the bar we went……..we emerged at closing still fully geared up and headed to our rooms (nice rooms)…….I’d almost forgotten about my ribs until I woke up about 3am…….OUCH…… Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted April 8, 2019 Day 3, Sunday 4/7 We took our time and had a nice breakfast at the hotel…..played with camp dogs…….more reggae Sunday was a road day…….we hammered up Hwy1 to Ensenada then swung a right on 3 and headed into the Valle de Guatalupe......beautiful area...…..we decided to class things up a bit and stopped at Hacienda Guatalupe…….nice winery/eatery in the Valle de Guatalupe……..fresh cheese plate, cerviche, and shredded lamb for tacos…….muy bueno…….. Then we were off to Tecate……cut in the front of the line and across the border in ~15 minutes…..nice….. I rolled in the driveway about ~6pm……..the bike/the trip/mi amigo……all muy bueno and exactly the adventure I was looking for……..that said, I came up a tad short of the ~800 mile loop # I was looking for…….time to start planning the next trip south to claim the 5.2 miles we left in Baja 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted April 8, 2019 Takeaways....... Nothing beats road tripping with one of your best buddies that you really don't see that often Rigger is the dog whisperer of Baja A Pacifico tastes really good after ~300 miles..... Big Bikes have their own niche......I wouldn't have enjoyed those speeds/those road miles nearly as much on a small bike The 950SE is pretty damn good off-road.......George set the suspension spot on.........the rider was the only thing holding it back at times..... The 950SE is pretty damn good on-road........but I probably should've worn an ADV helmet since the fairing is low........the bugs to the face hurt above ~70mph The Goldentyre 723s are holding up well after the first 1K miles.......good traction off road and fine on road.......I ran at 27PSI front and rear for the duration..... No Rekluse for me......I can barely climb on board the bike now and need it locked in gear with kickstand down to (barely) succeed.....it's not a pretty sight when the old/short/fat man goes to mount/dismount that beast...... Seat Concepts seat was super comfortable........butt is fine after ~800 miles in the saddle........but I may trim it down a tad (both seat and butt)...... ADV footpegs are now on my buy list I love Baja 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted April 8, 2019 17 hours ago, Dress4Less said: Nicely done! Same stretch between El Rosario and Catavina that we rode with Russ ~5(?) years ago.......but in opposite direction and mostly mud free....... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dress4Less 162 Posted April 8, 2019 9 minutes ago, Crawdaddy said: ...and mostly mud free....... Ahhhhh yesssss....the mud...the mutha of all muds...never was able to get that stain out of my grey KLIM riding pants...pics from February 2014... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted April 8, 2019 On 4/7/2019 at 1:16 PM, Bagstr said: " Sorry, There is a Problem ". You are a Teaser All fixed: https://youtu.be/UasOXNP7jjM 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Riggerdan 147 Posted April 9, 2019 Wow just recovering from a culture shock Monday Its getting harder to switch frequencies on the fly, one minute your hanging with your bud drinking Pacifico's and communicating with Baja dogs, the next min your dealing with the harsh realities of the JOB Kinda like the responsibility of providing pictures and letting others describe the experience I will say, it was an awesome well needed Baja get away, the dry lake bed was definitely a turning point, the sand got a little gnarly at the end but well worth the effort SF was a full of 250 energy and definitely not what we were looking for on this trip, walked into Alfonsinas right at dinner time, it was bit earth shattering to find they had no rooms available as amazing plates of food get carried by ok been down this road before - 2 cold beers to go and we'll role with plan B, all in all the lemonade we made was pretty darn good Few pics from along the way D1 Took a little digger in the sand here, good spot to drink some water and regroup 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Riggerdan 147 Posted April 9, 2019 Day 2 One of the more well rounded days - pretty much captured it all Quality Baja breakfast with some Bob Marley and warm sun - it would have been real easy to kick it all day and soak in the solitude - but Baja was calling Classic Gonzaga Bay - a SUP or some kiteboarding would have been a nice addition Really really good to see Coco, his place seemed pretty clean with a few lingering toilet bowls and empty Pacifico cans swinging in the breeze And then we were off....in search of BIG cacti and deep rocky double track And we found some... The picture doesn't capture the scale of this massive cactaceae A view from the cockpit A beautiful machine in its natural environment Can you find the C-Daddy - This was the last segment of the cacti wrinkle, very rocky slippery downhill - glad your back brake was working and it wasn't raining... He's down there somewhere..... This was a pretty awesome spot - spent a few minutes here reflecting on life - as C-daddy descended to level ground From there we rolled into San Quintin just in time for sunset and quick hello to an old amigo and his new puppy Few "well needed" cold ones and chatted it up at Cielito Lindo, my personal fav Usually roll the bikes right into the room but the BIG boys needed to spend the night outside Had enough beverages for the rib pain to subside and get a good nights sleep It might have been the margarita chaser that had me on the ground for minutes gaining the trust of this Baja animal Woke up a little dehydrated and this strange pulsating feeling in my temples...? Took a few minutes to come around but eventually got rolling waved through all the check points and enjoyed a nice cruise up the 1 in the greenest of green Baja hills I know Baja is not for everyone, though it's true desolate beauty and elevated awareness of adventure is what keeps me coming back for more. Great ride Crawdaddy mi buen amigo - looping forward to mucho mucho mas 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SoCalMule 106 Posted April 9, 2019 Absolutely Wonderful! Awesome! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted April 9, 2019 13 hours ago, Riggerdan said: Wow just recovering from a culture shock Monday Exactly Mi Amigo.......always hard to readjust when coming off Baja time...... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Oracle 195 Posted April 9, 2019 Rigger, outstanding photos once again. I love the first dog selfie. I'm not sure how you get those colors (the sky) out of a phone camera? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Riggerdan 147 Posted April 10, 2019 Thanks LB The weather was little more accommodating this trip, that blue sky was a real treat....and the dogs are always a blast. Wanted to stick that little white puppy in my tank bag 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted April 15, 2019 On 4/8/2019 at 11:30 AM, Crawdaddy said: Takeaways....... ADV footpegs are now on my buy list I love Baja Done, Warp 9 ADV pegs 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hobiee 28 Posted April 16, 2019 You are getting old my friend !!!! I never thought I'd see the day. Miss this man............................. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bp619 102 Posted April 16, 2019 Good choice on pegs, i had to do similar on my 950se put pivot pegs on stock wasnt cutting it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites