alfalfa

Allen's in the house!!! But, did you die?

patience, mule. had to ride all weekend. That, and the pics are all on my work computer and i was going nowhere near that until today! ?

Fernando, the fellow on the right and owner of the DR is ride story by himself. He had a Multistrada at the beginning of this trip, but didnt make it to the border before the italian stallion started misbehaving. He left us, rode to San Diego (this is Friday) and tried to get it fixed. We wake up on Day 4 to a text that he was in Mexicali and wanted to know where to meet us. The text was old, as he was outside the gate of this complex by the time we went looking for him. He had ridden thru the night, crossing the border at 3am, and was raring to go! The Fernando/cactus story is coming shortly. Followed at the end by the Fernando "I know a short cut in TJ, at the border" debacle.

Day 3 - cont: Originally, the list of riders for this trips was somewhere around 8 or so. It exploded to 15, by the time we left. Because of that, all the hotel reservations i made had to be revised, or alternates found. In this particular case, Day 3 we were to spend at Alfonsina's, in Gonzaga Bay. Why? Because you wake up to this: or, this but, you have to stay here: Tough life, eh? Well, we had room for 8, so now to find room for the 7 tag alongs. That involved finding an AIRBNB in nearby (90 mins away) San Felipe. You know, the town mentioned above with the teenagers on their fones during lunch, and the dancing harley riders. Turns out, a BNB in San Felipe is an awesome choice, too!! We got this place: for $120/night. Sleeps 12! The views arent quite the same, but they aint half bad, either. We did have to suffer thru our own cooking tho. Alfonsina's serves meals like shrimp, stake, tacos, etc. Our BNB served PopTarts. (but, it cost us $30/nite each, versus $95!) End day 3. Next, we get to start getting really dirty. And, we get to meet the most famous Baja 1000 hero.....

in the works. wanted to finish the Baja story before they get here. Like herding freaking squirrels when we are all together!

Welcome! Dont let Bruce scare you off. Ever since he quit riding, he's lost his bite. (if he ever had one)

still stings, dont it

??

Isnt there always? ? (i usually take mine wherever i go)

The mill has been decommissioned and the owners hired an artist to come do that work.

we are known for our fight for freedoms ? Baja has in place measures to help with the virus - temp checks going into restaurants, etc. We were in the hinterlands, so spacing wasnt an issue. The wide open spaces in the west help us, plus we dont really listen to politicians. Here's hoping we are all soon able to roam again

We do that here! Place known as the Beta Factory, outside Las Vegas, just across the state line into California: And, the reason its called the "Beta Factory"? Named by the friend of a guy who thinks Betas are the only bike! Oh, and because the men's room is "adorned"

ahh, lady riders - swoon!!

Love France (and not because of my surname). We usually tour with Laurent, from Ride in Tours. I agree that the picture above of your bike and the trees is great!

My buddy from Connecticut, the one whose bike didnt get to Las Vegas in time so he rode Flames, was a little rough on the ol girl: Government job - 3 watching, one working On his way out the second time (first was to get Allen's bike to pavement), he missed a curve and tore off the side case. The mount was also messed up so roadside surgery was in order. Flames has about 130,000 miles on her now, has been upside down (completely) twice. Once on the way to Mike's from the south, another falling off a bridge during a competition, but she has never been treated so badly as this last trip ?. But, given that I ride with the best peeps, there is good news ahead about the ol girl! Next stop - San Felipe for lunch Given the late start due to the rescue efforts, we skipped the next offroad section that was to run thru a dry lake bed, coming out in San Felipe. Might have been a good thing, as we heard horror stories of silt. Probably worse than sand as it is slippery and you get to breathe it in the whole time. We slabbed it to San Felipe and had lunch by the beach: As you can see - AGALOS is like a bunch of teenagers, with their noses stuck in their smartphones! I chose to sit on the side with a beach view because - honeys!! (sorry, no pics) We ran into a group of hardcore bikers from Tijuana at a gas station north of San Felipe. They were headed home after a weekend in town, commandeering a hotel for their savage activities. Don't they look savage? Right, they werent. They were fun loving and we shared riding stories with a couple of the guys, while the ladies danced in the parking lot. We did see a BMW in the bunch, which they said they made ride in the back. I asked if that was to clean up the oil leaks and they said "no, to pickup the dropped parts" ? The guy on the Victory was a Prospect. The leader told me that he rode so much that he hadnt been able to put in his time as a newbie to become a full member.

Day 3 - "But, did you die?" Day 3 began with us tracking down transport for Allen back to the highway, plus recovery of his motorcycle (which we had hidden in the weeds about 6 miles from Mike's). Fortunately, there was a fellow from Ensenada with his pre-runner truck, who graciously agreed to our request to tack Allen to pavement. (one of the greatest things about Baja is the people! We've had cause to be rescued 3 times now, out of 3 trips ?, and not once has anyone not volunteered to assist. and, without pay, too!) Now, the only issue was for the AGALOS brain trust to figure out the gyrations required to get two bikes out, with only one rider. Hector (our saviour) solved that by saying he would bring a rider back from the pavement after dropping off Allen. So, we all mounted up and headed back north, with 4 guys headed over to the abandoned bike. Mike's Sky Ranch shots: 3 beds, 4 riders. someone got the floor. Bruce will agree - Fresh balls are the cat's meow Mike's Sky Ranch: Dining room Kind of an oasis Mike's was full due to a whole passle of side by sides. These guys probably own boats, too Hector: Not only did Hector not accept our money after making 3 runs between Mike's and the Hwy, he followed Allen back to Ensenada to make sure he had no lingering issues. (Allen is still reporting pain in his side due to the smashing of ribs, but fortunately he no longer pisses blood. So, no, Allen Dye didnt die!)

Yes, good ol sand. you love to hate it. Sadly, two of our riders are experienced enough that they usually blast thru it at three times the speed of the rest of us. But, they aint human. The guy on my KTM has sooo much offroad experience, that when he and I were side by side in the sand section, trying to rescue Allen above, he would look at me and wheelie thru the tough stuff ?

Patience, mule. I'm trying to get pics and vids from the others ?

At the lunch stop, we took over the little cafe. I think they appreciated the large crowd, but they got worked! Our friendly wait staff. After the meal, the normal tab gyrations started happening - who had what, etc, etc. We finally told them to just add everything together and we would divide by the number of people. After 15 mins of adding, etc, the total came to 600 pesos. Before the high level math started (each person owes xx pesos), i figured that i would just cover the $30 (US) tab and let the poor help recover. I mean, really, $2 (US) per person for some excellent tacos, burritos, cokes, etc! Back on pavement, we continued SE'ly along Hwy 3, to Lazaro Cardenas, where we stocked up on Tequila, some snacks, and water before heading off into the hills in search of Mike's Sky Ranch. Mike's is at altitude, in one of Baja's park areas. It is famous as being a stop on the Baja 1000, either during the race, or for the crews pre-running the course before the race. There is electricity (which they shut off around 9), food and rooms. Meals are served family style and included in the room price. But, you have to get there. With a setting sun and the silt and sand, it was hard riding out of Cardenas. We really didnt have any incidents until we were about 6 miles from Mike's, when Allen dumped his bike in the sand. Given how well he had done all day, i figured he must have been getting tired and in a little pain from the mud puddle drop. I was following behind him, sweeping, when i saw him lose his front wheel in the sand. (Allen waiting for the stars to rise, or leave his eyesight) He must have landed hard on an arm, or something as the pain kept him from getting up from about 15 minutes or so. Adam really wasnt waiting impatiently ? We got him up and moving again, but he must of run out of confidence, as he kept losing it in the sand (speed is your friend). Some others came back and we worked at making progress towards Mike's but eventually the pain and sand became too much. We hid his bike and Allen hopped on the back of Matt's bike and rode the 6 miles into Mike's. One good thing about arriving late, is the sunset....

Day 2 - first full day in Mexico. We left Tecate after getting our tourist visas validated (what a cluster!). These may or may not be required, but given how deep into Baja we were headed, we didnt want to chance it. Actually, given that we had so many newbies already freaked out from entering Mexico, i didnt want to add to the angst. The process of validating the visa requires you to hit the immigration office on the Mexican side of the border. Since there is a cost, you have to have the form filled out and then go to the bank kiosk, and then back to Immigration. Or, since it is 2021, you can fill it out online, pay online, and get it emailed to you already approved. Sort of. Remember, its Mexico. So, one would think that doing it all online means it was verified and good. Nope - still have to go to immigration and see the guy. He does his little stampy, stampy thing and then you are out. But, only if you remember to print out both the FMM AND the bank receipt. Which some hadnt. Anyways, an hour later, we were ready to roll east. We turned south of Mexico Hwy 2, in the little town of Luis Echeverria Alvarez, at the beginning of El Compadre Trail. This is a dirt road that runs southerly from Hwy 2, to Hwy 3 by way of Ojos Negros. It isnt a tough dirt road, but can have tough sections depending on the weather. This time thru, we ran into several places with mud puddles and mud, and some little sand. No real incidents, but some fun mud spins. One of our guys was new to offroad, so we were keeping an eye on him. Other than the first mud drop, he appeared to be having a lot of fun in the dirt, until an hour or so in. Crossing one very large water hole, he spun and dumped the bike, tweaking his back a little (found out he has a couple of fused vertebra). An aspirin and he was ready to go again. We finished the trail with a great, late lunch at a little hole in the wall in Ojos Negros. Allen after his big off in the puddle.

Yeah, but i keep hoping Bruce turns it around....

8 days off road, in a strange land, what could go wrong......?

Whining is the new mantra, and not just for the old. I've been fortunate to hang with older people that still have a zest for life. I attribute it to the motorcycle. During helmet time, i reflect on my addiction to it, and to what i do with it, and i think it is that overall "pioneer" trait that keeps you young. I crack up when someone asks me how old i am and their reaction when i say "64". Riding keeps you mentally alert, which keeps you younger (at least in your head). Humans need to have something that drives them forward. When that is taken away, they sit around and whine. I grew up in Alaska, state motto "The Last Frontier". I watched Star Trek, which searched for new frontiers. I've always wanted to see what was over that next hill. I think that is what kept me positive in life. We need that "thing" to keep us interested.

I've ridden two weeks in mainland Mexico (2013) and in Baja 3 times now. Never had a run in with the Federalis. Baja has check points in several places and most of them just wave us thru. Leaving San Ignacio, all 16 bikes were searched. You see the camo trucks with armed military in the back all over, but for the most part we've had no issues. Unlike in 80s and 90s.

Wellll, we did have a rescue on our first full day in Baja, at Mike's Sky Ranch. He is fine. The other group of riders had one, as well. But, you are jumping ahead of my story ?. You put old men on heavy bikes trying to relive their youth and sometimes we fall. However, as one of our favorite stickers says "But, did you die?", and the answer is "no"