Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB - No-Moto-Boundaries

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seantully

17 Sep 2013 05:04

No-Moto-Boundaries

*I have a previous ride report called Tanning A Ginger Tip-to-Tip which (rather extensively) details all of the prep work, background story, and building of my bike. That report also tells the story of my first motorcycle trip, a 1 month ride through BC, the Yukon, and Alaska to test everything out. Initially I was going to just pick-up the ride report where I left off and continue on posting in that thread, as I had planned them to be a single adventure. However, since beginning that thread over 1.5 years ago my views about riding, and the plan for the current adventure, have changed enough to warrant a new thread. Rather than changing the old to fit the new, I want to preserve the original and start a new thread here for the current adventure. Enjoy.

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Overview

A wise man once told me:

”there is no point in spending your life doing things you don’t want to do and that don’t give you joy. You can make all the money in the world but you need to learn how to have fun. You MUST learn how to play. Since I was diagnosed with cancer 2-years ago I haven’t had a single bad day. I simply don’t have time for bad days, so I make every day a good day. Life is short and if you can get started with that mentality young, you’ll do just fine.”

seantully

17 Sep 2013 05:05

1. Rolling

I’m really interested in heading South and seeing Latin America, so my bike is pointed in that direction now. My only restriction is my wallet which will eventually run dry. Other than that I’m in no rush and have not made nor excluded any future plans. I’m just going day by day and playing everything by ear. In my previous ride report (Tanning A Ginger Tip-to-Tip) I spent a lot of effort planning schedules and working out logistics, I learned that for me this saps the fun right out and now I instead I am just going to roll with it. In essence, everything is an option. Lets get started.

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I had my last day of work on Friday September 30th, got dubiously inebriated Friday night with friends at our place to celebrate, recovered on Saturday, and then loaded up the bike and headed out on Sunday for the west coast of Washington. It was labor day weekend so a couple friends came along to camp out on the coast Sunday night and continue the festivities.

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We got the coast in good time and spent the afternoon lounging on the beach, getting bashed around swimming out in the ocean, and kicking back some cold ones as the sun set. The night carried on and we had a good time. Glad you guys could come kick it, couldn’t have had a better send-off without you.

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I even got to ride on the beach which is always a favorite for me.

The next morning my friends headed back to Seattle and I headed south down the coast, destination Newport. If you followed my previous ride report (Tannin A Ginger Tip-to-Tip) you’ll remember Sophie. She was now living in more habitable climates doing her graduate work in Newport OR.

En route at a stoplight a big orange truck pulled up, Scraper Joe was his name. “Ay you goin down all the way tuh Tillamook?”. “Fallah me, you’ll love it on a bike”. I followed him to a couple off track roads before he pulled over, gave me the lead and said “get goin!”. Sure enough, it was a great road for a bike. So good I took no pictures, too busy riding. Here’s the route on the GPS though.

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Thanks Scraper Joe.

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Got to Sophies in the afternoon.

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I had developed a rattle that I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. While riding I had earplugs in and couldn’t locate the sound. Found it though, spark arrestor had rattled loose. I’ll give it a fix tomorrow with new bolts and some loctite.

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Soph showed me around her new digs, I’ve gone through Newport before but always just blowing by. As with most places, if you go slow enough there’s always more to see.

Scoped out the beach.

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Further down the beach the wind had swept the sand into foreign looking rolling hills. Felt like I was a martian chasing the mars rover.

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The next day we went for a hike. We found this stone lookout at the top.
(I lie, we drove straight to the top. Ain't nobody got time for that).

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I tried to teach Soph how to ‘dougie’.

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Soph thought I looked dumb and pushed me off the edge.

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Was a pretty swell look-out though. The crew that built it did so in the middle of the winter?! For those that don’t know, this is summertime here on the Oregon coast. Come winter, this place would not be a pleasant location to be building on.

We looked around some more and then headed into town for some grub.

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“Oh haaay”

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Diver was trying to escape being dinner.

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There was a haul-out for juvenile male sea lions here too. These are the guys that can’t get any action yet. Probably because they stink pretty bad. They couldn’t have cared less though, this guy was ballin.

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The next day it was time to head out, I’m sure I’ll be running into Soph again though, she always seems to move to cool places so we’ll see where she ends up next.

A few months ago I rode my bike down the coast in the winter time to get to some sun in Cali. I don’t like to go the same way twice so I was keen to head towards eastern Cali instead this time. Maybe hit up Yosemite and do some climbing on the way.

I ran into Doug (?) navigating his V-Ship Enterprise. He had a plethora of gadgets all mounted neatly up like a fighter pilot cockpit. Sweet rig Doug.

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After Doug left I spoke to the guy at the gas station about places to sleep the night while incognito. I’m trying to stealth camp as much as possible. It physically hurts my brain to hand over $20 for a tent space that offers me nothing more than what any roadside pullout does. I prefer a rural dirt road to sleep near or an empty pasture any day to a KOA or other pay campsite. The guy at the gas station told me about a nice free camp space just a bit down the road so I headed there.

Crossed a set of tracks just in time for a good shot as a train came blowing by. There wasn’t any gate here, I think the conductor got worried as I hurriedly stopped the bike right as I crossed the tracks and jumped off the bike. He blasting his horn quite a bit.

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Campsite acquired.

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This shit was $3.29 for 2 at the gas station. ‘Merica!

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A good book, early campsite find, and a leisure beer. Nice evening.

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The next day I packed up and got back on the road headed towards Yosemite, I wasn’t quite in California yet though so I probably had another days ride until I would get there. The weather was getting hotter though, and the landscape was showing the temps effects.

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By the end of the day I made it into California and just near the tip of Lake Tahoe. I came in via the Mountain Rose hwy which winds up the pass just NE of Lake Tahoe coming from the Nevada side. It’s a nice little highway but the sun was setting so I pulled off near the summit where it would be nice and cool. Cooked some dinner on the camp stove and then called it a night.

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Now that I’m in Cali, Yosemite should be obtainable for tomorrow. I could see a fair amount of what appeared to be smog in the air though. This made everything look foggy and I couldn’t figure out why. I totally forgot about the big fire that has been raging in the Yosemite valley. I remember from the news before I left that it was pretty bad, something like the worst fire in 10 years?? Hopefully the areas are still open… No interwebs though so we’ll just have to wait and see.

seantully

17 Sep 2013 22:08

2. Slapping Rock, Getting Hot

I headed out onto the road again in the AM. No rushing here though, I don’t know what time it is. I guess it doesn’t matter, I have no place to be. Time of day is something that doesn’t really matter anymore. When the sun comes through my tent I wake up. When I start to feel hungry, I look for food. When I’m tired, I sleep. What day is it now? Sunday, yes it’s Sunday. No, no it can’t be... it’s definitely Wednesday. I like this. Make a right turn here, head South towards Lake Tahoe.

My stomach started asking for a heavy serving of porridge. I’m simple when it comes to breakfasts on the road. Oatmeal mixed with some dried fruit. Preferably several large helpings. A glooping gut-bomb of fuel. Add brown sugar if available. I like to cook it on the back of my bike. Scenic view optional but preferred. Lake Tahoe will do this morning.

Here she is.

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I’ve never been to Lake Tahoe but I can see why it’s a destination. At a stop light I pulled up to a guy on a f650 gs. We both commented on how shitty of a place this is to ride. Really too bad we were out on bikes right now. He was a local firefighter. Said the firehouse was out of bananas, they bent his arm to ride around the lake to go get some more. Rough life.

I rode around the West (california) side of the lake and exited out south at the bottom. Continuing on 88/89 South. GPS says this place is called “Hell Hole”??

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Looks pretty good to me. Maybe they are trying to deter people, keep the place a secret.

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89 south then turns into a canyon heading east where it’ll bump into 395 south. This road. Is fantastic. The picture doesn’t do it justice, but picture 3rd and 4th gear sweeping turns. Long smooth lines, canyon carving. Climbing in elevation, working the motor well. the wrist generating motor noises crescendoing off the walls of the canyon. 30 minutes of sweetness.

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If you are in the Lake Tahoe area heading south find it. You’ll dig it.

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Bumping into 395 I’m now heading south. In a couple hours I should hit 120 west to take me into Yosemite. I've been seeing a fair amount of smoke the last couple days. A haze blanketing the region and blurring the views in the distance. As I get closer to the 120 I see big signs saying 120 west to Yosemite is closed due to the fires. Balls. Well I know there are other great spots further down the way…..mmmmm….Bishop, CA! Yep, Bishop it is. Plug it into the GPS, calculate route. Great, I’ll be there by the afternoon.

Most climbers know how to dirtbag it. It is a given that anywhere there is serious climbing, there will be climbers living in a free squatter camp of sorts off near the routes. I'm traveling on the cheap so this is what I’m looking for. I notice ambient temperature is heating up as I burn further down 395 towards Bishop. When I arrive it’s sweltering. The bike’s running temp is a full 20 degrees hotter than usual. Still within a normal range though. I pull into a coffee shop, “you guys got wifi?”, cool. 5 minutes later I have pegged two locations where there are likely to be climbers hanging out for free off near the climbing areas. Bonus, they are down dirt roads. Mmmmm I like the dirt.

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Still looking...

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Pretty area. Getting closer….

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Shit, went too far. Are those hoof prints in the dirt?? Damnit, definitely been following cattle tracks for a while now...

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Turned back and found it. That’s more like it.

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I found the this beacon of 'free living' and decided to set up shop next to it.

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I met another climber burrowed away in the back of his van sleeping off the afternoon heat. Meet Beatty.

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Beatty’s from New York. He’s been traveling across the country climbing and visiting friends for the last 5 weeks. This place was empty during the day. He said it’s way too hot to climb with the sun up. Instead people climb in the early morning or in the evening after the sun goes down. As a ginger I am not built for the sun, waiting to hit the rock with better temps was fine with me. I’ll rearrange some of my kit on my bike that I wanted to move in the meantime. As you all may know though, one little job turns into another, and another, and another.

Next thing I know I’ve got my bike stripped and am cutting out the top of my airbox to reroute a carb breather tube (like a snorkel for high water crossings) and assessing a leaky fork seal. Leaky fork seal will have to wait though for a full replacement later.

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As the sun went down behind the ridgeline to the West the temperature began to drop. Other climbers started showing up and things got into full swing. The rock radiated heat well after sunset like a warm furnace. Temperatures were perfect.The routes and rock in this area, called The Buttermilks, are great.

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The next couple days were spent riding and climbing. I recommend this area to anyone that wants to do some great off roading. The lines are smooth, fast, and flowy. Plenty of berms and great views. Think 2nd, 3rd, 4th wide open. It may look dusty, but that is all fairly large granules of granite slough, so you get to fun & feel of cutting the back end loose without all the dust that you usually get with the really loose stuff. ****ing great.

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During the heat of the day Beatty and I got out of the sun in the shade of some of the big trees.

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Beatty used to be a tree climber for work at one point. A very old and large tree was begging to be climbed. Beatty said it was probably ~2k years old. I’ll be lucky if I experience 100 years of life on this earth (hopefully most of those healthy). This tree had seen many people and cultures come and go from this barren desert valley. People have come, places have changed, but the tree remains, ever vigilant.

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Just touching this tree was an experience (2k years!) let alone being up in the top of it. Don’t worry, no trees were harmed.

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Once at the top, we had a great view of the valley and surrounding area.

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After a couple days Beatty recommended I go hit up Joshua Tree National Park on my way south. This sounded like a good idea to me. Hidden Valley Campground is my next destination.

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Before heading out I took the liberty to clean myself and the few clothes that I have. There's something so satisfying about riding into the desert valley and walking around buck naked in a creek with nobody around, clothes left drying in the midday sun on the bank. Scrubbing away days of grime and dirt with cool glacial water. Sitting in the stream, listening to the water and wind rustle through the desert valley. I don’t know why I enjoy living like this as much as I do. But I do.

This little guy hung out for a bit too.

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The next day it was time to hit the road. Bike pointed South towards Joshua Tree.

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I made it into the park just as the sun was setting. The ‘trees’ in Joshua Tree are actually not trees at all, but a type of shrub that grows rather tall and slender, like a tree.

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The landscape here is immense. Both in expanse as well as the prowess of it’s infinite rock formations. Big boulders full of ledges and outcroppings stretched throughout the valley in large crumbled masses. Worn away into odd shapes and flowing forms. Like giant sugar cubes worn away by water over the years. All I could think of was the lion king. Shit was pretty epic.

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After the sun went down I set up my mobile home and went wandering with my headlamp around camp. I like to get to the highest point of wherever I am to get a feel for the area. I found the base of the highest rock face I could find but wasn’t sure if I could climb to the top. I put my climbing shoes on as my headlamp began to flash low-battery. The climb looked doable solo but without a light, that would be pretty stupid. The next morning I climbed to the top and got to see the view.

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Not very good at self timers…

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The view was way better during the day.

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I enjoy free-solo things on occasion (climbing without ropes) as long as the route is well within my ability. I just have my shoes and chalk bag with me and can’t pack a bunch of gear on my bike since I don’t want to take up a ton of space.

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Found some chains on the way down so it’s definitely got routes going up it.

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I spent the next couple days hanging out with people that had come into town for “Bhakti Fest”. Supposedly it’s a huge yoga festival? I don’t really partake in the yogas but apparently there were thousands of people all doing yoga together in a mass undulating chanting group. Murray, a friend I met in camp said the ratio of females to males was 10/1. Yoga anyone?

Murray and I went tromping around in the desert exploring. Pretty wild place. Here’s a coyote.

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I told the mother-unit that I would come see her before I die in mexico next week so I’m flying out of San Diego to the east coast to see her for a few days. My flight is in 2 days so the next stop is another ADVriders couch in San Diego where I will also store my bike for 7 days. After that, pointed towards Baja. The land of dirt and beaches.

Catch you in a couple.

seantully

18 Sep 2013 17:32

3. To The Shire

To the shire Frodo! I had been meaning to go see the parental unit that lives on the opposite coast before I left but didn’t get to it in time. Flights are super cheap when flying out of San Diego so I said I would go then. While on the flight I played musical chairs with a family so they and their fresh-out-of-the-cooker twin babies could sit together. Nice stewardess 'thought that was just so sweet' and decided to get me liquored up in appreciation. Why thank you very much kind flying-bartender. The flight went quickly after that.

Welcome to the shire. Lots of people packing heat, lots of corn, and lots of rolling hills. No motorcycle helmet laws here either?? “Live Free or Die” till the end I guess.

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Mmmmm Atlantic ocean.

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Isnnn’t that sweeeeeeet.

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Caution, gear rant ahead → My zipper on my riding jacket decided to take a shit and stop working several weeks ago. All of the velcro also gave up and left their work posts. Now, #BMW, if you are going to build a purpose-built jacket for the top of the market price-tier, please, pretty please, with sugar on top, put some ****ing quality pieces into it. The design and layout of the jacket is tits, well thought out, and the designers have obviously gone through a thorough iterative process. Even put in some pretty creative purposeful features. But if you cut corners on the build quality of the materials, you’re gonna have a bad time. I know I beat the piss out of my gear, but your ads make me feel like I’m supposed to be able to. Now that things are breaking, I just feel like a sucker for some well done adventure marketing. Damn you Ewen McGregor!

I’m not angry at you BMW, I’m just disappointed. #KLIM, you’ll have my business next.

With that said, there is a solution to every problem! Some may say don’t try to fix it, send it to BMW they’ll fix it for you for free and it’ll be done professionally. As 'professionally' as it was built in the first place? I say thank you, but nay nay.

I don’t give a shit about how my gear looks or that I paid a pretty penny for it, if it doesn’t function it is useless to me. So I tore the jacket apart and set out to customize it to fit my (apparently) absurdly demanding needs. I went to a outdoor fabric/equipment store and purchased a REAL zipper. One that could probably zip shut the continental divide. Also picked up some quality velcro. Now, my Sussie-homemaker skills are decent in the kitchen, but I’m about as delicate with a needle and thread as a rhino trying to do palates .

Luckily though I have a mother and fixing things for her son makes her feel warm and fuzzy inside.

She did a marvelous job. Her concentration was impeccable.

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The zipper zips firm and tight and the new velcro stuck like cement. Perfect.

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I hadn’t washed the jacket in at least 6 months (I ride every day, aint nobody got time for that) so it was dirty, and ripe. I refused to wash it though. It’ll just be dirty again tomorrow! She found sand inside the pockets.

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She was not amused.

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Hopefully she doesn’t ask how many pairs of underwear I brought for the trip….

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Flight back to San Diego tomorrow, then time for some huevos sucios south of the border.

RobD	19 Sep 2013 14:57

Great photos and report - keep it up:clap::clap:

seantully

21 Sep 2013 18:29

5. Fix-It, Ride-It, Break-It, Repeat

Finallllyyyy back at my bike. Why hello pretty lady, que es tu nombre?? So good hearing her purr again, I definitely mean that in a creepy way. Love this bike.

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Every lady needs some TLC after being gone for a bit so we got to it. It was time for some new shoes so we got those taken care of. Keith, another ADVrider inmate is who I have been crashing with in San Diego (Thanks Keith!). Keith said that if you are going to be riding offroad in Baja, sliming the tires beforehand can go a long way towards avoiding flats, so we did that as well. Pesky cactuseses.

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This was a good chance to address my leaky fork seal and change my oil. In regard to the weepy fork seals, I have another gear rant. My Happy Trail fork brace will not be continuing on the ride with me. I’m sorry but I’m going to have to let you go. “But why, what have I done?”. Nothing, that’s the problem. I’m sorry fork brace, but you have a negative net effect on this team.

After having several instances of weepy fork seals over the last few thousand miles I have come to the conclusion that my abnormally high rate of leaky seals has been largely instigated by the design of the fork brace. When you bolt it to each of the forks, there are two C-shaped pieces that you bolt together around each fork. Unfortunately when you put these around the forks the C’s don’t meet flushley. This leaves a ¼ inch gap (⅛ if you split the difference front and back) where the pieces come together. The brace is designed to clamp on at the point where the fork boot usually clamps on to the bottom of the fork to keep grit/dust/mud etc out. They thus designed another lip on top of the brace for the boot to attach to. BUT, because the brace doesn’t completely ‘shut’ around the fork, you have a slim slit front and aft where dust can get in and this cannot be prevented due to where the fork boot now connects on top of the brace. This may not be an issue for everyone but it appears to have been the root of the systemic issue. To be fair to Happy Trails, I get that if the pieces touched they wouldn’t be able to tighten as tight, and maybe they have to account for factory variations in fork dimensions (mind you the KLR is not a precision engineered machine). In any case though, for me it's just not going to work and thus must go. Alright, I’m done complaining.

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Keith said he was going to go riding this weekend in the mountains outside of Baja. Get in the dirt? Count me in! After we finished up we headed out east on I8 towards an area called Fred’s Canyon. Keith has a sweet rig that he can throw all his camp gear and bike in so he took that up there. It’s a bit slower than a bike on the loose stuff so I went ahead to do some riding and then meet-up later at the camp.

Fun place, less flowey, bit more technical and up on the footpegs than Bishop CA. Better temp too since you are up around 4k - 5k feet in elevation.

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Unfortunately the ‘up on the pegs’ part was a little too much and my left boot came off the peg. I fumbled the bike, managed to keep it upright though, but there was no longer any place for me to put my left foot. Foot peg wasn’t there anymore.

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Woops.

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Found the bolt. It was stripped out.

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After further inspection of the way my centerstand works, I believe this to be the cause of the eventual bolt failure. This bike isn’t designed for a centerstand, it’s aftermarket, and quite heavy. If you use it often with a fully loaded bike it puts a lot of pressure on the footpeg mounts (where it attaches). That coupled with a lot of offroad battering, which causes the heavy centerstand to overcome it’s springs and bounce up and down as you whoop around, eventually wears the footpeg bolts out (which are quite incompetent in the way they attach the pegs to the frame in the first place). Don’t worry though, this is not a rant nore a fault of the centerstand. I just shouldn’t have purchased it in the first place given how I ride my bike. If you are mostly on street I would still recommend it highly, just use it sparingly and try to unload the bike before pulling it up on the centerstand. For me though, the centerstand will be coming off as well as the fork brace now.

I rode the bike back to a highpoint where I could look across the canyon and see Keiths rig rocking back and forth as it crawled over the rocky terrain towards the camp spot.

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I pointed the bike towards the rig and rode her back. Sweet basecamp Keith.

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Since my bike was out of comission for serious riding for the moment, Keith bent my arm to take his KTM 530 for a spin. Sure thing, I’ll warm it up for you Boss.

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Damn that bike is saweet! When I stop vagabonding I need a trail bike like that in the garage. Got back and Keith had camp set-up deluxe.

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He geared up for a sunset ride.

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I stayed back and took in the scenery. Pretty rough out here.

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After sunset we spun the chairs around and watched the moonrise from the opposite direction.

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Next morning I woke up, mind and eyes pointed towards Mexico. You can see it right there in the distance.

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I’ll be en Ensenada in the afternoon. I’ll fix the peg there. This will do until then, that’s why we have hwy pegs anyways right?

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Mapped out a dirt road towards the border and took it.

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Picked up a new knife, definitely sharp, cut my tongue on it licking it clean.

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I crossed at Tecate and took Hwy 3 to Ensenada, called the Ruta Del Vino. Welcome to Ensenada.

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I’m crashing with Damaso, another ADVrider who lives in Ensenada, gracias mi amigo.

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Viva Mexico!

seantully

23 Sep 2013 02:33

6. Ensa-"todas"

Today was a first for the Killer, she got to go to a mechanic. I’ve never handed her over to anyone before, but these guys definitely know what they were doing. The further away you live from a big city the more resourceful you must become when problems arise. This is the case everywhere I’ve gone and it shows in the locals abilities to problem solve any issue.

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You can always tell you are in baja because of all the offroad rigs running around. Obviously many end up in the shops as well.

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They scoped it out for a second and Damaso helped with the translation specifics. They then drilled and retapped both the peg and the mounting bracket and had her fixed up lickety-split. They even put in some much sturdier bolts. Gracias to the guys over at Tama Motorsports and muchos gracias Damaso for the great shop recommendation.

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There are lots of great reasons to travel via motorcycle, the freedom, the versatility, the fun factor, etc. Another is how easy it is to explore. It’s so simple to just cruise around, head on a swivel, and explore an area. I turned the GPS off, and took the rest of the day try to get a feel for Ensenada.

First stop, some much needed tacos. The lady running the street cart pegged me for a guy that didn’t know much spanish yet. Is it the ginger beard?? She was correct. She asked “Un taco pescado?”. “No, cinco, por favor.” She looked at me suspiciously, questioning my understanding of 'cinco'. I nodded and held up 5 fingers. Don’t worry this white boy can eat.

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I meandered through neighborhoods which changed from housing, to work communities, to social gathering locations like parks packed with families playing with their kids. The ebb and flow of the cities different zones slowly being downloaded as I ride through.

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Not sure if this sculpture is made of whale bones or not, but I think it’s formed into something that is most definitely not a whale.

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Offroad racing is HUGE here, for obvious reasons, think Baja 500 & 1000 among the more famous races. Around every corner you hear the loud brraaappppp of dirtbikes cycling through the gears and there is no shortage of heavily modded trophy trucks, buggies, and ATVs.

This is where the Baja 500 and 1000 start. It’s a big flag repping the well deserved pride of this special place and country. Girl from a cruise ship took my picture and said the flag was the size of a football field. She was drunk.

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After the Baja races start they wined through town as they head for the mountains and then the open desert. One of the spots where they can start to open up their motors is this water viaduct that cuts through the center of town. The whole corridor is packed with people wanting to see the vehicles. The noise must be absolutely thundering from the motors, pinned wide open, tearing down the viaduct towards the end of town. I rode my bike down into it for a photo. It's just a water way, but an eery feeling lingers, as if you were stepping into a Colosseum and you can 'feel' the excitement of what happens there. It makes sense though. This is an entrance way to a coliseum of sorts. One for vehicular gladiators, on their way to battle mother nature and the clock. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing up imagining the event in full-tilt, the roar of the motors echoing off the banks.

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If you’re hartbeat is low while reading this RR, watch this video and take a visual injection of epicness straight to the dome.

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After criss-crossing the city several times I pushed further out from the city/village/town(?) to explore other areas.

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And then still further, out onto a peninsula that wraps out into the pacific south of Ensenada. You can see Ensenada in the distance.

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Fair amount of people out getting around on horses.

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The next day Damaso invited me along to the Cochilocos Sunday breakfast ride. Riding and eating, two of my favorite things.

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We took a winding mountain road outside of town that twisted and banked higher and higher until it leveled out and turned to a dirt road. At the end of the road was our breakfast destination.

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Group shot, I’m super good at photography.

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Roberto and Damaso both have KLRs, here is Roberto’s good looking Gen2.

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Great riding with and meeting all of you Cochilocos, thanks for showing me the best road in Ensenada.

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After the ride back into town everyone peeled off to head in our separate directions. I pulled in the clutch to come to a stop light when it went, POP. No more clutch, cable snapped. I felt it going when we started the ride that morning. The ominous scraping vibrations transmitting through your fingertips on the lever as the cable strands individually give up on, one by one. Roberto and his wife Coco where still behind me so they noticed and stopped as well.

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I have a spare already routed and ziptied next to the original though so we just had to hook up the ends. Thanks for your help with the cable Roberto, ciao amigo.

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Tomorrow I’m going to cross the peninsula and head towards the east coast of Baja and San Felipe. Should be able to find more dirt there. It’s never far away in Baja.

RTWbyBIKE.com

23 Sep 2013 21:21

Great report! Keep on riding!

Mac-1769

25 Sep 2013 15:35

enjoying

Enjoying your r/r. Keep it safe and if you get to Kyrgyzstan look me up.

:thumbup1::D:scooter:
Mac

seantully

26 Sep 2013 17:09

7. Finding Cortez

It’s time to leave Ensenada. It’s been real. It’s been fun. It’s been real fun. For any other riders going through Ensenada and wanting a cheap ($18/night) non-camping place to stay, the Ensenada Backpackers Hostel has safe gated parking on the side of it’s building. You could fit 2 maaaybe 3 bikes in there. If they aren’t busy they have a whole back patio that could fit more bikes too. Bonus, it’s a hostel too so somebody is always at the front desk 24/7.

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San Felipe on the Sea of Cortez is where I want to go. Depending on when I make it there I may keep heading South as I heard that there are lots of small nice places to camp on the beaches a bit further down past San Felipe.

First though, more tacos.

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I didn’t realize how mountainous Baja was. This is coming out of Ensenada on Mexico 3, looking east towards the Sea of Cortez.

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Awwww yeah, canyon carving….. good way to start the day.

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Catholicism is big here, lots of little ‘shrines?’ on the side of the highways. Sometimes they paint stuff on the rocks.

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This is saint ‘gator. Patron saint of killin’ shit.

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Am I in Ohio?

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Los Federales are cracking down on the drug running in Baja so there are checkpoints every few miles at strategic spots. One can be seen down at the bottom of this valley. After they went through my stuff and made sure I was only carrying stinky clothes and not kilos of cocaine the soldier questioning me asked to sit on my bike. Sure why not? The captain quickly stepped up swatting him away from the bike and jumped on himself. These guys seem fun. I reached over the captain turning the bike on and gestured him to take it for a spin. Through my broken spanish I confirmed that 1st gear was down, then 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th were up. He stalled it at first but it’s pretty heavy. The other soldiers laughed as he swore at them and took off again, this time blasting through the gears down the straight road into the valley. His soldiers laughed again, but this time it was at me, saying that he and the bike were now gone, en route to Tijuana. He did come back though, faith in humanity prevails. I asked if I could hold his machine gun, he did not return the favor.

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Pushing on towards the coast, is that the beach??

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Nope, some sort of mirage. Still desert.

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More checkpoints. I got waved right through this one though, maybe mi amigo radioed ahead saying the ginger is all clear.

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Hello San Felipe. Where can I find Mr. Cortez?

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Oh, he’ll be getting tacos by the beach you say? Perfect.

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Mr. Cortez never showed up, but I had some damn fine tacos anyways. I still have some sunlight so I’m going to go find a small beach place to camp.

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AND THEN A ****ING NUCLEAR EXPLOSION!!!

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Never mind, just the sun setting behind a bush.

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I found a nice place to camp, if you can call it that….I guess I was in a tent, but it was pretty bougie for camping. The place is about 50 kilometers south of San Felipe, called Puertecitos. The next morning I woke up on the beach and watched the sun come up, first pushing out the deep dark blues of the night sky...

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then shifting to a swatch of rich oranges and yellows.

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This camping shit is real tough. Had the beach to myself to get some exercise in too.

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Then made some break-y. Huevos sucio.

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And listened to some 'practice spanish' tapes. It's the say and repeat type stuff. “No hablo espaniol a hora!” Nothing planned for today. The ol’ bizzeard is getting scraggly, maybe I’ll take care of that.

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I packed clippers and also wired in a 12v to 100w converter on the bike. Pretty handy piece, picked it up at Home Depot in Joshua Tree CA. Plugged my clippers right into it and went to town. It’s supposed to be able to charge a laptop too but we’ll see, it even has a light that glows different colors so you can see if you are draining too much of your battery. Oh technology.

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I’m informed that there are ‘aguas termales’ (hot springs) nearby on the beach so I set out to find them.

This looks promising.

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Yep, found them.

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Holy shit-balls they are waaaaayyyy to hot! I put my hand quickly in one and it almost felt boiling. It was low-tide, pretty sure you have to wait until the tide comes in and cools them down a bit. The ocean water itself was in the mid to high 70’s easily, apparently that’s pretty average for the Sea of Cortez.

I met some other people vacationing in the area too. They confirmed I had to wait until higher tides. They offered me some cold beer instead. It tasted like nectar of the gods.

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Where to next? Looking on the map it seems like Coco’s Corner is a reasonable distance away. I hear from everyone else that rides Baja that his place out in the middle of the desert is a mus. Maybe I’ll check out what this guy “Coco” is up to.

seantully

27 Sep 2013 21:11

8. Kicking It With Coco

Coco’s Corner is a must location as you near the ‘border’ of Baja North and Baja South. It’s a historical marker, and museum of sorts, for both adventurers and racers alike. It’s off the east coast of Baja a ways in-land and can be found along the route for the Baja 500 & 1000.

I’ve seen the pictures, heard the stories, it’s time to meet the man himself. Hopefully he’s there, as there’s no guarantee that he ever will be.

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Heading south on Mex. 3 down the coast from Puertecitos the landscape gets more and more baren.

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Not much growing out here. No need to worry about rain...what’s rain?

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Mmmmm Sea of Cortez, still haven’t met the guy though. Cool sea, man.

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This roads really good, but where’s the dirt I heard about? My bones need a good rattling.

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There she rolls.

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Passed this guy on the way to the last stop before the road to Coco’s. Is it a camper, is it a van, is it a offroad rig? Sweet vamper rig.

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He caught up at the last gas station.

Cool rig man.
Thanks Man.

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Juan is from Nevada and cruising around Baja with his dog, Duke. He says all of it is for Duke’s comfort.

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Meet Duke. Duke, is chill.

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I’m Hungry. What can I eat? MORE TACOS!

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Awwhhhhh yeahhhhhhhhh

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Fart fueled up and on the road. Vamos a Coco’s.

The road out was decent, not super technical but a blend of hardpan choss and stretches of sand and silt. The scenery was stark, harsh, and cutting. Don’t want to break down.

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Sometimes you get two roads side-by-side to pick from. Like a ‘choose your own adventure’ ride. Ride the hardpan choss stuff for a while to get good a shooken up. Then switch to the soft sandy silty stuff for a butter-smooth ride, but much less traction though. Keeps things interesting.

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Road climbed and fell at times, dropping into small valleys where water would come crashing through taking out the road. It’s the desert, the floor doesn’t absorb anything anymore, so when it rains, it alllll turns into rivers. Speaking of water, didn’t I have two water jugs on the back of my bike? Damnit, one must have rattled loose on the road somewhere. Of course it had to be the only one with water in it. Coco’s got water probably right? Just don’t break down.

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There’s a lot of stuff reflecting sunlight up ahead. Is it a mirror? Are those beer cans strung along fences? Ahhh this must be Coco’s Corner. As I get closer a small blue ATV comes out to the road to see who’s coming and welcome whoever it is in. Hola! Su nombre es Coco, correcto? Shit, who am I kidding, Jobius guy without any legs on a quad in the middle of a desert, it’s got to be him.

Welcome to Coco’s Corner.

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This place is like a Mad Max oasis in the desert. Cars, trailers, race scraps and memorabilia everywhere.

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And lots of panties.

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We chit-chat for a bit and I ask if it’s cool for me to camp here for the night. He says of course, you buy something to drink and you can stay in one of my trailers. Take your pick!
Well shit, I’ll buy some beer then. Several please :-)

Oh, and I’ll take this one, por favor.

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This is a funky place. I like funky.

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It was just him and I there so I got to kick it with him all night. We had some beers, shot his gun off into the desert, and chatted in broken span’glish about the crazy people and things that have gone on here over the last 23 years he’s been living here.

He’s a character for sure, and at 73 (?) it’s pretty amazing that he subsists out here all by himself still. His history out here is a tale of great fun, excitement, and good people. Sadly though it’s also a story of great hardship, not in just the lifestyle (which he seems very happy living) but in the price you pay when people want to take advantage of you. Over the years he’s lost both his legs to health complications, forcing him away from racing, and into the city for periods of time leaving his home vulnerable to vandals and thieves. People stealing everything from his tools, equipment, and vehicles to his caches of much needed water and food. He even had his beer art sculptures dismantled for the money that could be had from recycling the cans. Thousands of cans and many hours lost. He has rebuilt it twice, and twice it has been dismantled while he has been away for health reasons. He said that he doesn’t have the energy to build it again.

We brought the chairs out to an open area to watch the sun dip behind the mountains. He said on ridgeline you can see the facial profiles of family members and friends that have already passed away. I asked him how long he thinks he’ll be able to stay out here. His tone shifts to positive gear and he chuckles. He looks at me and asks “How long do you think you’ll be alive? Nobody knows these answers. Neither do I. Every day I wake up and realize that I’m still alive, I am thankful to be here. I say, thank you for this day I have been given.”

After the sun went down it was time to go to sleep. I told him to think about anything that would be helpful to have another hand for around the place. In the morning we can get some of it done. I didn’t want to be insulting, he sure is ****ing capable, but an extra set of hands makes light work.

I slept like a rock in his trailer.
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Plenty of space for me and my stuff too.

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Plenty of interesting characters have slept the night in this trailer. Some of left their marks, providing interesting stuff to read.

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Pretty primo view for sunrise from my bed too.

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Even got to sleep next to my lady.

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In the morning we fixed one of his quads tires, got the front wheel off his big rig, and relocated some solar lights that needed to be adjusted.

Before I left I swapped out my old plate for my new one that I had been carrying since I left Seattle. I nailed the old one to his wall and signed the book, making my mark along with all of the other travelers and racers to have done so before me. He’s now on his 7th book.

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Thanks for letting me chill for a bit Coco, it was a pleasure.

Unfortunately when I was leaving my camera started to take a shit on me and appeared to be breaking. I have no photos for the rest of the day to Mulege. I first met up with Mex. 1 and took it South, then southwest to Guerero Nego, then back east crossing through San Ignacio and Santa Rosalia before getting to the coast and into Mulege. I will also say that if one is in Baja and getting tired of the dry desert, DEFINITELY stop in San Ignacio. It’s small, chill, and a literal oasis in the desert with big palm(?) trees lining the main street if you turn into town. Then, the road to the coast? Well that is just swell and very pretty. So far it is my favorite road in Baja in terms of aesthetic beauty.

The beauty must have fixed the camera (for now?) because it’s now working again. Welcome to Mulege Mr. Ginger. Sweet.

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seantully

30 Sep 2013 04:35

9. Mulege

Welcome to Mulege, a little oasis on the Sea of Cortez. Someone in town told me the population was around 3000 on average, and 4000 when the gringos come for the winter. I don't buy those numbers, 3000 seems like this little town would be bursting at the seems. I'm a tourist though so what do I know.

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What it doesn't have in numbers though it definitely has in feels. It's small, it takes 3 minutes to drive every street and end up back where you started. In such a small town where everyone knows everyone, not being a local I definitely feel out of place as I putts through town. I like it here.

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It is a popular place for snowbirds. The kind that travel south for better weather during the winter months. Not the bird kind though, the human kind, and I have come early before the rest of the flock.

There are small shops and old buildings.

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Public Squares to loiter in and pull your shirt over your belly.

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And plenty of good places to eat. I recommend both Danny's (for the TACOS!) and Gato Guerdo for the Pizza.

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Gato Gordo just opened, is locally/family owned, and make damn good original as well as mexican fusion pizzas. Soon they’ll be offering sandwiches and subs, I’m told, as well. The owner (Laura) and her daughters are rad and speak waaaayyy better english than I do spanish. Cool hang-out spot to shoot the shit, drink some beers, and people watching.

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I've got a feel for the town now, as I like to do, so I headed outside of it to see what there is to see. There is a beach out a road on the edge of town so I went there. A big hurricane came through and covered most of mulege in mud, destroying lots of property. This road was being rebuilt, couldn't tell the town had been so affected though from being there.

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The gringos build their homes on the other side of the inlet outside of town. Unfortunately this also seems to be the place that floods first when storms come in.

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Shieeettt, that's pretty good livin.

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Found an early-bird like myself flying a kite.

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And a guy from Portugal. ‘Bout that time to eat and drink a bit, so we did that.

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The guy from Portugal is named Juan, he's been traveling for 8 months mostly hitchiking. He was doing genetics research and decided some time off to think about what he wanted to do next was good. Sounds familiar.

Beach camping was free so Juan and I did that.

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Juan tried to teach me spanish.

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And I tried to learn how to use my camera in low-light a bit better.

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Here I come Victoria’s Secret, so majestic.

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Sunrise’s are pretty good here.

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The locals say the best beaches in the area are south of town, the best being about 10 miles out called Playa Coyote.

The road south is nice, twisty, and good elevation gain/loss. Definitely fun on the bike. Is that a beach in the distance?

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Jigga ****in whaaaaaattttt

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Mmmmmm greenery.

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10 miles out, this must be it. Pull down a dirt road and find a beach at the end with little palapas. Yeeeeeep, this'll do just fine for the night.

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Juan was traveling with two other people, Patricia (from Mexicali Mexico), and Damian (from France). They were going to go on a tour of some famous cave paintings outside of Mulege tomorrow so I'm gonna tag along for that. The location of the cave is protected, as with most things though, if you pay someone they can show you. They said it's an hour or so out into the desert down dirt roads. Perfect, I'll take my bike :-).

seantully

2 Oct 2013 04:53

10. Coyote Livin'

Meet Gary. He's my neighbor at Playa Coyote. He says nobody knows his real name around here, everyone just calls him Cuervo. I guess Cuervo is a snowbird, as he spends half the year in Madras Oregon and then the other half here on Playa Coyote, and has been doing so for the last 20 years. He's always working, even when he's down here, so I don't categorize him the same as a true 'snowbird'. He's a rad dude, but more on that later. We are both late to meet people in town, him for work, me for a cave painting tour.

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Shiiiitttttt this road is good. If I had to ride it every day into town for work that WOULD NOT be a problem. But I don't work right now, and it's too early for anyone else to be on the road. Perfect, crank the happy-hand!

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I met Patricia, Damian, and Juan (other travelers) in Mulege which is 10 miles north of where I'm staying at Playa Coyote. They got a deal to be taken to some cave paintings and I'm tagging along. They were in a 4x4 van lead by the guide and I followed behind on my bike. Why not ride with them they asked? Because it's going to be a shitty, bumpy, dusty dirt road out into the desert....that's exactly what I want to be on my bike for! After an hour or so down dirt roads into the desert northeast of town we arrived at the Trinidad Ranch. Really pretty place.

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The cave is somewhere on the ranch, they try to keep it's location secret to protect the paintings. Mind you these are not your average finger paintings, these are designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (think pyramids, Eiffel tower, and Jay Leno's chin).

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The area is rich with artifacts that show how the indigenous people lived here. Before we began, the guide spoke very sternly in spanish to the 4 of us. Patricia translated the gist, she said to think of the place as a whore house, you can look but don't touch, and definitely don't take anything home with you.

We passed some stones that were used for grinding wheat and corn. These stones were not locations of a homestead but rather were to be left in specific locations throughout the valley so that as the people traveled through the valley, they would remember where each of these locations were and would know they could prepare food there.

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The terrain is harsh, as with everywhere in Baja.

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Vultures circled overhead, waiting for our sweaty survival-skill-inept bodies to become their next carcass meal.

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We came to a river. We were to swim across the water and on the other side we would find the paintings up on the cliff face.

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We aren’t allowed to take pictures unless you pay extra. I'm on a budget so you’ll just have to google it. The paintings are prehistoric and absolutely fascinating. Obviously not in a Rembrandt or Picasso way, they are essentially just finger paintings on some rock, but in a way that leaves you in awe of a people that have long left this valley. The history that is right in front of your face is mind boggling. Our guide had a wealth of information and it was worth the money to learn about these people and how they lived. They were known as the 'second harvest' people. Why you ask? Among many other fascinating things, when food was scarce (as it often was in this location) they would eat their food, then throw it up and give it to the others in the tribe to eat. They would also all defecate in the same location, then later when food was scarce they elect a person to go through and sift out all the seeds from the dried feces for their "second harvest".

I have no photos of the place, here’s a picture of Damian instead. He is a cheeky frenchman.

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We walked back.

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I snapped some photos.

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And then it was time to go back to town which meant going back down the dirt road that we came in on. Earlier on the way in I had been dropping tracks on my GPS, I now knew the way back and was free to ride on ahead. Wait, so you mean I don't have to go 10mph and suck down the kicked up dirt from your van for an hour? Ah shiiiit yeah! Having left all my gear and panniers at camp I was ready to fly. I haven't really opened the bike up for some higher speed pounding since I reworked my entire suspension with the help of Cogent Dynamics, this road provides just the opportunity.

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Let’s just say, the 14 miles back into town were the most fun I have had on my bike in a very long time. The little boy-racer in me came alive again. Leaving the group behind, motor belching it's thumper roar. It was time to have some fun. Up through the gears and onto the trail. I got up on the pegs, body weight centered and mobile, picking up pace as I started to work the whole bike. I went zipping through washed out river beds, over banks and up burms. I can remember being a little kid on my rickety old mountain bike, bombing downhill on my long gravel driveway, throwing the handlebars side to side as I peddled as fast as possible. I used to imagine having a real motor as I emulated my favorite racers from TV. Sometimes making the sounds of the motor with my mouth.

Today, riding through this desert, I feel the exact same. I’m 25, but I feel 8 years old again. I have a real motor to make the sounds with now, and boy are they better. Picking up more speed my pupils dilate nice and wide, analyzing the track ahead. There's no time to see everything, just what is important. Large rocks, changes in surface texture, and the distinct patterns of soft deep sand. Obstacles quickly approach before flying by in a blur. Dreaming of my favorite racers I crank the throttle. The suspension jackhammering over the ground as I blast over whoops and power slide around corners. The tires fight to stay on the ground in a violent dance of traction and rebound, all orchestrated by the crank of my wrist and movement of my body. In my head I'm alone the deserts racing the Dakar, I crank the throttle more as I hunt for the perfect line, eager for every bit of speed. brraaaaaAAAAAAP.

Much like my old rickety mountain bike, my motorcycle is far from a race-bread machine. What she is though is a dream bike, a bike that can take me places I've never been. Today, she's brought me exactly where I want to be, right here, flying down this dirt road. I'm a little kid again. Shit eating grin ear to ear. I love you bike.

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After I got back to town I ate some tacos in the square. (Isn’t that the exact same guy from the day before, still reading??)

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And had some cold beer.

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This is now the third day I've been here in Mulege? Or is it the 4th?? I don't normally stay this long in a single town. I guess I did switch to the beach 10 miles south of town, yeah that counts as a move.

I went back to the beach and sat.

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Mangos are good here, and cheap. Nom nom nom.

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I pulled the killer into the bike shop and stripped her down to get some work done. Switching to LED's in the back and need to wire in the new relay and lights. Digital RPM readout is gone too, should address that. Love working on bikes, this is a good spot to do it. Some tunes and sunset complete it.

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I wake up the next day and knock on Cuervo’s motor-home door to see if he’s around. He has already been up for a while and is kayaking around the surrounding islands. He's left me a pot of warm coffee on the step. He's doing research on the local raven populations and taking general ecosystem metrics of the area. He's a naturalist both at heart and in his profession. He specializes in ravens and golden eagles. He's an endless book of information about the area and at 67 he has a very impressive resume, even having worked with Sir David Attenborough himself. He's booked out years in advance and still only has to work 4 months a year, mostly up in Oregon doing golden eagle research. The other 8 he's down here working on personal projects for himself, and in general, just having a good time. Sometimes he bicycles down when he's trying to stay in shape between bicycling seasons. He's made the trip from Madras to Playa Coyote and back 6 times via bicycle.

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He’s a regular crocodile Dundee type character, fun guy. His hat has a raven feather and a stingray stinger in it.

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I try to practice spanish for several hours every morning. Coyote Beach is perfect for it because there isn’t anyone else around to think I’m trying to speak to them. Eventually Cuervo comes in from his morning doings and pressures me to take his Kayak out around the islands for a study break.

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There’s lots to see out there.

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Several little island beaches that are always empty.

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These shells are biiiiiig, this is one side of a shell, I got big neanderthal paws and this thing looks huge still.

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Hang out for a bit, eat some lunch then leave.

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It’s a pretty shitty way to go through the days. I should just go home. (Wait….where’s home again?)

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Sometimes we get new neighbors, like this dutch couple. They converted a 30year old volvo military ambulance for their trip.

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Sometimes clams are snorkeled for and eaten raw on the beach.

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Or are cooked in the fire later.

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Twice a week a baker drives in from town with pizzas for sale.

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Whatever can be done to pass the time. Again and again taking the almost perfect road 10 miles back into town as the sun sets, sometimes with a purpose to get more food, or pick up beer. Sometimes for no purpose at all, just to enjoy the ride.

It’s wonderful here in Mulege and Coyote Beach. This is a place that has a feeling that is hard to put your finger on, but having been lucky enough to grow up in a similar place, I am all too familiar with how rare it is. Time to move on though. Many good places to see, can’t get too attached to any one spot just yet. Tomorrow, back on the road and further south, to roads yet unridden and places unseen.

Catch you later Mulege.

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seantully

3 Oct 2013 23:34

11. Where Are All The PEZ?

I left Mulege and Coyote beach yesterday to find someplace new. Someplace further south and hopefully by some water. It feels good to be on the road, it feels productive in a very geographical way. It’s a productivity that is quantifiable. Sitting and relaxing is nice but there’s always more to see. I didn’t know where I was going to go but the main options were first Loreto, and then Ciduad Constitucion, along with any place I saw fit to camp in between.

After I left Coyote it was only about an hour south on Mex 1 and then I hit Loreto. Loreto seems larger and more hip with the hippety-hop than Mulege.

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It’s a beach town that is supposedly trying to become the next La Paz (which is the largest city in Baja Sur).

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After being in the same area for a few days, moving an hour south was not satisfying my itch to ride and find something new. Ciudad Constitucion is another hour or so southeast and inland from Loreto. Inland? That means no water….no, no that will not do.

My camera needs to be professionally serviced as I am now aware that every photo I have taken has a small round smudge in the upper center. I tried to disassemble it myself yesterday but it didn’t go very well. I must accept I can’t fix it and take it to a professional. Alright, La Paz it is.

Doesn’t seem like there’s much between Loreto and La Paz on the map, this is infact correct. First you head straight for an hour or so towards Constitucion on Mex 1. The first 30 miles are great, twisty, turny, climby roads.

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But don’t be fooled, as you will soon reach a plateau.

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And after that plateau, it’s flat and straight, all the way to the middle of the Baja peninsula.

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After a long straight stretch. There will be a slight turn which points you south. This minute change in body position brings with it much excitement and joy, for at this point you may, like me, find yourself hopeful that the endlessly flat and straight road, has given up on it’s sinister game, and died. But no. It lives on to torment you further, only now in the southeasterly direction for a couple hours.

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Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittttttttttt these straight stretches are terrible. It’s funny how quickly riding a motorcycle can go from “this is the best thing in the world” to “sitting here going in a straight line for hours is the last thing I want to be doing right now”. My mind drifts, desperate for stimulation of some kind. Anything, please just anything. Giving in to the nothingness I stare off into space, slouched over the gas tank and handlebars, motor droning on at a steady high pitched hum….

Next thing I know I’m through some military checkpoints and in La Paz though! Was I really just not paying attention for that long?

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I found a nice hostel with locked parking for the moto and had some beers with the staff. They said they knew of a place I could probably take it tomorrow.

The next day I awoke rested and showered. Fresh water rather than salt water to clean myself with? I feel like a new man. Or maybe I just don’t smell like the old one. I can’t take the camera to the guy until after 5pm because he’s doing me solid and working on it after hours. Hopefully this will get it done faster as well.

Again I set out to criss cross the city and get a feel for it. There are roughly 250k people here I’m told. It feels bigger than any other place I’ve been too thus far in Baja, yet still has a smaller town vibe.

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The beaches are really nice in town, but I heard they are even better outside of town about 16 kilometers. I went to find those ones and to scoot around on the bike.

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Yes, they are in fact nice.

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But there’s also dirt to be ridden!
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And more beaches to find.

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Alright time to go back so I can drop this camera off in time. Hopefully he can fix the smudge (see it up there on top of all the pics?)

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seantully

6 Oct 2013 22:45

12. El Pescadero - West Coast'n

It’s the morning of 10/5 and I’ve been in La Paz now for 3 nights. This is a fun city. I’ve gotten a feel for it, met some people, and had a good time. This is a city that seems to have a bit of everything. You can have anything you want here, for the right price. Do you want a nice family vacation on the beach, or wild nights of debauchery? Maybe a historical getaway, or some time with the darker seedy underworld that quietly pulses throughout the city? If you look in the right places, it can all be had, and quite easily. This seems to be a Mexico thing.

The Hostel where I’ve been staying is called Baja Backpacker. For anyone wanting to stay in La Paz, this is a great place. Typically priced for hostels in the city ($250 pesos per night, current exchange is about 12.5/1usd) but is very well run and very professional. The owners (Rick and Eva) are very helpful and great hosts. The location is a couple blocks from the typical bar grinds and food places.

If you are traveling by moto there is also great gated parking.

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The motos also can’t be seen from the street and there’s plenty of space for several bikes.

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Time to head out though. I now have my camera fixed and am ready to roll. I haven’t seen the west coast since Ensenada, which was a couple weeks ago. I’m pretty close to the bottom of the Baja peninsula now and will be returning at some point to La Paz to catch a ferry to the mainland. At the bottom of the peninsula is Cabo San Lucas, I am told that it's a show of sorts and I can't leave without seeing it. Kind of like vegas, whether you want to see it or not, you have to go at least once. I like watching lots of shows, circus shows, freak shows. I even like to play a role in them every now and then. I’ll try anything once so might as well. Lots of other places to see on the way too Cabo as well.

First stop, Pescadero. A small surf community near the larger town of Todos Santos. It’s about an hour or so drive. The road is nice and big to accommodate the hordes of people going to and from Cabo.

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Just on the south side of the town of Pescadero is the Pescadero Surf Camp. This place is close to two of the best surf breaks in all of Baja, Los Cherritos and El Pedrito are both just down the road. The “camp” is basically a hostel designed around the idea that lot’s of surfers want to be here. It’s a rad place and only 10 bones a night if you are willing to camp.

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Looks like the dutchies (Michele and Erica) got word of the place as well.

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They have a pool for lounging.

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The pool sports a swim-up bar that you can also bring your own booze to.

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If you want to get all Gordon Ramsay on it there is also an open-air communal kitchen that has a full gas range.

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They have a camping available so I took that. It doesn’t really seem like camping though. I pull my bike right inside.

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The inside is big, with power and lights. $10 per night ain’t bad, ain’t bad at all.

I went out to drive around the area and see what the town is like. First I went to take a look at the beach.

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Then went out to drive around the little communities outside of town that all reside by the beach. There is a main area that has a network of dirt roads connecting all the houses.

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Beautiful place to have a home and pass the days.

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If you follow the roads as they wind around, between some of the houses closest to the beach will be little paths that lead down to the water. These beaches can be just as good as the main surf breaks, but are more remote.

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Stomach is grumbling for some food. Don’t know what I want?

Shiieeeeeet who am I kidding. I want me some TACOS.

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Got back to the spot and kicked it at the swim up bar for a while. You can get BIG beers here for 24 pesos, which is less than $2. I ended up chatting with Michele (the dutch guy driving around in the sweet old Volvo war ambulance) for quite a while. Asking him about how his journey came about, what lead up to it, what (if anything) he plans to do next. I like asking other people about their lives and the experiences they’ve had. Him and his girlfriend have been traveling for about 7 months. They started by shipping their vehicle to the US from the Netherlands. They both resigned from good jobs in the Netherlands to go and explore. They gave up and sacrificed a lot for this trip. Through the ups and downs and inherent uncertainty of what will happen in the future for both of their lives, they are confident it’s been the right thing to do. We talked on and on about the prospect of starting over after the accounts run dry, politics in each of our countries, and what we think things will be like in the future. Really interesting guy to chat with.

The next day I woke up and went straight down to the beach to surf for a bit. The wind is really low in the early morning and the water is less crowded. One of the locals let me use one of his boards for the morning which was sweet.

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Not sure how long I’ll stay. Don’t really need to know either. This guys got the right idea.

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