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tommy750 Posts: 1049
9/16/2021
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Not exactly The Park but kinda the same idea. My wife and I decided to head down to Baja last week for a break. Found a nice beach on GE we'd never visited and figured what the heck. Took about eight hours driving and arrived at the end of a 30 mile dirt road to this scene. Never would have guessed there would be five sailboats anchored off shore. Most of the sailors showed up on shore for a bonfire that night. There were retirees and two younger couples who had been sailing the Gulf for the past 1-2 years. Was a rather stark contrast to the standard rat race (guilty) and felt more than a twinge of envy regarding their circumstances. Before we left to set up camp, they mentioned Chubascos, bees and coyotes and we would find out exactly what they meant.
 IMG_7065 by tomteske, on Flickr
The next morning, we awakened to a beepocalypse. Hundreds of bees swarmed the water container on the tailgate and any stray moisture that may have leaked during the trip. Being a bit rusty regarding bee mitigation strategies and no internet, I was unable to make any inroads before my wife crawled out the tent and was promptly stung (ended up being three times total). With a concerted effort to relocate all our water jugs away from camp, immediately bury any spilled liquids and judicious use of DEET, we were able to make some inroads but our camp coordinates were firmly imprinted on too many bees to not have an ongoing problem. The pics don't capture even a slight percentage of the swarm.
 IMG_7075 by tomteske, on Flickr
 IMG_7072 by tomteske, on Flickr
We were able to improve the mood a bit with a few beverages and a dip in the 85 degree water. My wife is trying to finish some continuing education requirements.
 IMG_7080 by tomteske, on Flickr
Definitely were coyotes all over the beach which is rather common down there. Did notice both my water jugs got chewed up quite a bit.
 IMG_7070 by tomteske, on Flickr
 Low Tide Coyotes by tomteske, on Flickr
 Lone Coyote by tomteske, on Flickr
 IMG_7118 by tomteske, on Flickr
Oh yeah, the Chubascos. The first night there was lots of lightening to the south and some wind but nothing major. The third night we awakened to strong gusts but regrettably delayed securing camp till things got dramatic. By the time we got serious, our "well secured" staked and guylined awning was flailing in the wind and bashing the truck. Fortunately, there was no significant damage. While blasted by blowing sand, we furiously threw every loose item into the truck bed, collapsed the roof top tent and jumped into the truck for the subsequent hour long deluge. By the next morning, the wife was pretty much over our relaxing stay on a deserted beach and we broke camp. The place is obviously quite beautiful but just not ideal in mid-September. Was also a speck on the warm side...
 IMG_7071 by tomteske, on Flickr
 Playa by tomteske, on Flickr
 Camp by tomteske, on Flickr
 Pelican by tomteske, on Flickr
 Bird by tomteske, on Flickr
 Beach Gull by tomteske, on Flickr
Leaving camp.
 IMG_7092 by tomteske, on Flickr
On the way out, spotted what I think were a ewe and lamb. They were rather shy.
 BHS Pair by tomteske, on Flickr
 Bighorn Sheep Pair by tomteske, on Flickr
Lots of elephant trees.
 IMG_7097 by tomteske, on Flickr
Few other critters.
 Raptor by tomteske, on Flickr
 Horned Toad by tomteske, on Flickr
Almost back to pavement. Was a very memorable trip with a "few" hiccups( forgot to mention the truck battery dying running the wife's shower setup---was able to luckily get it started using a Li battery jump start. Yeah, that was a rookie mistake) Definitely will be back. Enjoy! Tom
 IMG_7099 by tomteske, on Flickr
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Rocko1 Posts: 601
9/17/2021
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Fantastic! Now that is a trip! It's so ironic to have that much beautiful water and not be able to drink it. I imagine there are no fresh water sources for many many miles?
edited by Rocko1 on 9/17/2021
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Brian Posts: 231
9/17/2021
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I remember when the beach at Cabo looked like that and I remember thinking "it won't be like this for long."
Nice rig!
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Britain Posts: 606
9/17/2021
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Thanks for sharing. Love the Baja. I like taking the dirt roads south at the Rumerosa. Lots of good camping hiking areas. Head on down to Mikes Sky ranch and then either go down the pacific side or the gulf side. Travel Baja use to sell gps maps. I have an older version but at that time it did a good job showing dirt roads and places to get gas.
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Cant drive 55
Britain
http://icorva.com
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Buford Posts: 461
9/17/2021
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Nice trip report. The only thing missing for a full Baja beach experience is noseeums.
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Links to my photos: ABDSP photos, Bighorn sheep photos, ABDSP time lapse video, Wildlife photos (mainly birds)
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
9/17/2021
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Rocko1 wrote:
Fantastic! Now that is a trip! It's so ironic to have that much beautiful water and not be able to drink it. I imagine there are no fresh water sources for many many miles?
edited by Rocko1 on 9/17/2021
Other than the back of my pickup? Probably not 
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
9/17/2021
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Brian wrote:
I remember when the beach at Cabo looked like that and I remember thinking "it won't be like this for long."
Nice rig!
Did a number of trips to Baja in the late 70s and early 80s and when I first returned in 2011 I couldn't believe how all the pristine beaches were covered with houses or fenced in with a guy wanting $5 for the day. The one exception was Bahia de Las Animas south of LA Bay and maybe the beach we just stayed at. Both, a little off the beaten path.
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
9/17/2021
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Britain wrote:
Thanks for sharing. Love the Baja. I like taking the dirt roads south at the Rumerosa. Lots of good camping hiking areas. Head on down to Mikes Sky ranch and then either go down the pacific side or the gulf side. Travel Baja use to sell gps maps. I have an older version but at that time it did a good job showing dirt roads and places to get gas.
The classic Baja California Almanac and Nat Geo maps are pretty dated but there's a new Baja atlas here: https://smile.amazon.com/Baja-California-Recreation-Atlas-Benchmark/dp/1734315059/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3GBS8PJRUUJ3P&dchild=1&keywords=baja+california+atlas+2021&qid=1631936640&sprefix=baja+california+atlas%2Caps%2C210&sr=8-3
There's an app called Map E32 with a decent topos of Baja but in order to be useful you have to get the pro edition for $60 and then download tiles for wherever you're going. Mexico has great free topos of all of Baja but the only place I could find them stitched together was surprisingly caltopo.com---for free.
Need to check out the roads south of La Rumorosa.
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
9/17/2021
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Buford wrote:
Nice trip report. The only thing missing for a full Baja beach experience is noseeums.
Buford, you're a truly experienced Baja Traveler! My wife took a nap on the beach and got obliterated by noseeums or sand fleas or whatever they are. We were searching farmacias on the way back for creams etc. Read her your post and she started laughing.
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Buford Posts: 461
9/17/2021
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tommy750 wrote:
Buford wrote:
Nice trip report. The only thing missing for a full Baja beach experience is noseeums.
Buford, you're a truly experienced Baja Traveler! My wife took a nap on the beach and got obliterated by noseeums or sand fleas or whatever they are. We were searching farmacias on the way back for creams etc. Read her your post and she started laughing.
Guilty. Sorry you guys found noseeums. They are far worse than mosquitos. I found out about noseeums the same way your wife did.
The sea of Cortez is not so tranquil when the chubascos hit in the summer or the northerlies come down in the winter/spring. Hay mucho viento.
Haven’t been for the last couple years and never was lucky enough to see BHS. I miss going with all the crazy experiences and sights, thanks for sharing the report.
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Links to my photos: ABDSP photos, Bighorn sheep photos, ABDSP time lapse video, Wildlife photos (mainly birds)
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ziphius Posts: 911
9/18/2021
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Great trip report Tommy. Love the coyote tracks, and even the coyotes! Spent a lot of time in 1997 in the northern Gulf on research vessels, surveying for the elusive vaquita porpoise. Saw a few too. The sheep know where the tinajas are...
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http://www.coyotelearning.org
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
9/19/2021
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ziphius wrote:
Great trip report Tommy. Love the coyote tracks, and even the coyotes! Spent a lot of time in 1997 in the northern Gulf on research vessels, surveying for the elusive vaquita porpoise. Saw a few too. The sheep know where the tinajas are...
So, you were involved in the first survey of the vaquitas in 1997? Are there any still alive?? Outlook seems quite desperate.
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ziphius Posts: 911
9/19/2021
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Tommy, yes I was an observer on the 1997 survey. I think estimated population size that year was ~ 500 vaquita. A 2016 survey resulted in an estimate of around thirty vaquita. Colleagues have been back since and have seen live animals, but it's likely there are fewer today.
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http://www.coyotelearning.org
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2624
9/21/2021
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Nice TR tommy750..!!
I like the pics, good eye spotting the BHS....
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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tekewin Posts: 371
9/21/2021
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What a wild trip! Assaulted by all kinds of wild life on the beach. Love the truck BTW. It looks loaded and ready for anything.
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Rocko1 Posts: 601
9/21/2021
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Any worry of pirates down there?
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
9/21/2021
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tekewin wrote:
What a wild trip! Assaulted by all kinds of wild life on the beach. Love the truck BTW. It looks loaded and ready for anything.
Took a stock Tundra and added KO2s, rock sliders, gas tank skid plate, a low bed rack for the lightweight RTT that's nearly below the roofline and a lightweight awning with adjustable height to keep it low while driving. No lifts, no racks on the cab or heavy stuff up high---all that makes me nervous driving on winding narrow roads. Saw lots of top heaving vehicles that looked roll over ready.
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rockhopper Posts: 668
9/21/2021
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Neat Baja trip. Is that Isla angel de la Guardia in the back ground on pic 1 ? Reminds me of trips down to Bay of LA and Mulege'. Never had the bee problem. It's been years. brings back great memories of Baja. Baja is longer than the boot of Italy!
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
9/22/2021
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rockhopper wrote:
Neat Baja trip. Is that Isla angel de la Guardia in the back ground on pic 1 ? Reminds me of trips down to Bay of LA and Mulege'. Never had the bee problem. It's been years. brings back great memories of Baja. Baja is longer than the boot of Italy!
Believe you're correct. Had a hard time figuring what islands were offshore till the stars came out and I realized my orientation was way off. The sky was so dark you could actually see Andromeda with the naked eye.
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
9/22/2021
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Rocko1 wrote:
Any worry of pirates down there?
Was thinking of the Gulf of Mexico where there's lots of piracy but just saw this: https://maritime-executive.com/article/sea-shepherd-vessel-attacked-again-in-gulf-of-california
Kinda disappointing. Ziphius, you have any info on these attacks?
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
9/22/2021
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dsefcik wrote:
Nice TR tommy750..!!
I like the pics, good eye spotting the BHS....
Daren, if you ever find any free time in your extremely busy schedule, let me know and let's plan on a Baja adventure!
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ziphius Posts: 911
9/23/2021
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tommy750 wrote:
Rocko1 wrote:
Any worry of pirates down there?
Was thinking of the Gulf of Mexico where there's lots of piracy but just saw this: https://maritime-executive.com/article/sea-shepherd-vessel-attacked-again-in-gulf-of-california
Kinda disappointing. Ziphius, you have any info on these attacks?
There's a lot of economic incentive to keep fishing, no matter what the consequences are for vaquita. So conservation groups being targeted is not a surprise. This article tells more of the story: https://qz.com/468358/how-chinas-fish-bladder-investment-craze-is-wiping-out-species-on-the-other-side-of-the-planet/
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http://www.coyotelearning.org
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
9/24/2021
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ziphius wrote:
tommy750 wrote:
Rocko1 wrote:
Any worry of pirates down there?
Was thinking of the Gulf of Mexico where there's lots of piracy but just saw this: https://maritime-executive.com/article/sea-shepherd-vessel-attacked-again-in-gulf-of-california
Kinda disappointing. Ziphius, you have any info on these attacks?
There's a lot of economic incentive to keep fishing, no matter what the consequences are for vaquita. So conservation groups being targeted is not a surprise. This article tells more of the story: https://qz.com/468358/how-chinas-fish-bladder-investment-craze-is-wiping-out-species-on-the-other-side-of-the-planet/
Interesting read. Thanks, Ziphius. When my wife and I were down in Baja in 2016 ( http://www.anzaborrego.net/anzaborrego/forum/topic1228-bahia-de-los-angeles-road-trip.aspx ), we encountered a couple fishermen who were harvesting the Blue Spotted Jawfish ( https://www.nationalgeographic.org/projects/photo-ark/animal/opistognathus-rosenblatti/ ). This trip, we saw multiple pangas near shore with diving hookah setups and presumably harvesting the same fish from their colonies on sandy bottoms. The two fishermen we met last trip stated they got $2.50 each and the price now on aquarium sites is around $200 each. Fortunately, they don't seen to be endangered---yet.
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