'08 Baja 1000

[FrostedFlake]

Thanks for the audio/video assistance there, Fano!  But I'm not sure any picture or clip can really capture the power of those monsters.  One day I'd like to hitch a ride on one...
And thanks, John - you may be right about what I was trying to do in that picture.  Some gorgeous views, for sure.

A couple of more race pics before we start back home - one of Team Curvas Peligrosas, before we got the bike dirty.



Another Tecate girl shot -



And even though we didn't quite make the finish line this year, I'll throw in a couple from last year just for effect -

Me and part of the team at the finish line in Cabo.  Notice the number of Tecate cans hanging on the bike, those Tecate girls really do serve more than one function!  



Us and Sal Fish, promoter extraordinairre -



A slightly toasted Sal Fish at one of the after-parties at Squid Row -



Showing off my war wounds.  Under the knife once I got back to the States.  





Just another day on the beach in Cabo -



Here's your sign -

[HappyMan]

Killer report!!!  You wouldn't happen to have any waypoints posted of your trip would you or maybe even a Mapquest of it or something?  This sounds like a trip I'd be interested in taking some time.

Thanks for sharing the pics!

[FrostedFlake]

Happy, I'm not sure if I cleared my GPS after we got back or not - need to look.  But honestly, the route was mostly trial and error, trying to keep a westerly course north of the interstate and then angling south when we got closer to Tecate.  We stopped every night and pulled out the maps to make sure we were still close and adjusted on the fly.  I could surely recreate most of the roads and towns if it would help.  We rode several hundred miles further than the straight shot, but it was worth it to avoid the big roads and see some of the less traveled two-lane highways.  Now the route home was more of a challenge, as we stayed on the Mexico side until almost El Paso.  The "highways" over there can be a little deceptive, but I'd surely do it again.

[HappyMan]

That's the kind of route I try to always take.  Adds time and miles but I'm in it for the ride not the easy route and the finish line.  Your description of your trip is totally my style which is why I asked the question.  Honestly, I'd take any info you've got on it to get me close and I could take it from there.  Thanks! 8)

[JetdocX]

Swwwwwwoooooooooeeeeeeeeeeeet ride report!  Thanks! :D  :D  :D

[FrostedFlake]

Back to the report.  After returning to the house early Saturday morning with a dead bike and bad attitudes, we slept for a couple of hours then decided to try to locate and retrieve our SPOT tracker which had somehow disappeared from the bike.  We logged onto a computer, found the coordinates for the last location it had transmitted from, and popped them into my GPS.  We then loaded up the truck with a cooler of Dos Equis and took off for an area of the race course about an hour away.  We figured it was a wild goose chase, and it was, but we ended up driving over about 50 miles of the course on the western coast, drank all the beer, saw some beautiful beaches, and even got passed by a couple of the VW bugs that were still in the race - hats off to them, they work harder than any other class.  Got back to the house late afternoon and decided to go into Ensenada for a couple of after-parties, but ended up being so tired that we couldn't stay enthused long enough for the parties to get going.  Instead, we walked around the city and decided to do a little shopping - tequila shopping.  

Ensenada has a liquor store on every block, along with a pharmacia.  Never a shortage of alcohol or Viagra if you live in Ensenada.  Unlike Cabo, where they have tequila tasting rooms and you can freely sample a couple-dozen varieties before making a selection, Ensenada just has liquor stores.  Small stores with one worker behind the counter, but pretty good selections of local tequila.  We quickly found that if you tell the attendant that you want some of their best tequila but are unsure of which one, they will take you to the back room and pour shots of as many as you'd like to sample, all the while giving you their take on the attributes of that particular agave juice.  We visited four or five stores, as each had some different brands that we didn't dare miss out on, and before long the race was forgotten.  We made our purchases and stumbled home for bed.

Sunday morning, everyone started to pack up and head back to the States.  I repacked the Tiger, gave everything a once-over, and waited for Dave to show up.  By ten o'clock we were on our way, headed east toward Tecate.  



Here's the two-lane crossing at Tecate.  A very low-key place to cross in or out, especially for motorcycles.  



We tried to take care of our tourist visas that we had neglected to do upon arriving, but since it was Sunday and the banks were closed, all we could do was fill out the forms and try to find a bank later along the trip.  Or not, as it turned out, we just kept riding and no one ever asked to see the visas.  Even at the more than a dozen military checkpoints we went through and the eventual border crossing we chose, no one cared.  Your mileage may vary.

About an hour east of Tecate we hit Rumarosa.  This is a mountainous area that descends about 4000 feet in a matter of miles, all switchbacks carved out of solid rock with the potential for multiple "oh shite!" moments if you aren't careful.  The race course came this way and did a nonpaved version of the descent which I understand was a challenge for the bikes, and even more so for the 4-wheel vehicles.





Curvas Peligrosas!  ("Dangerous Curves", our team name)

























Made it to the bottom safely, things flattened out for awhile from here.

[HappyMan]

Nice pics.  Thanks for letting us in on this ride.  I'm very intrigued.

[FrostedFlake]

Back at sea level, the terrain started to look like this:











Somebody built a nice little fence along the highway, must have followed it for ten miles or so.





Wish I could think of the name of the town, but we found a crappy little hotel around dusk and squeezed our bikes in next to the door.



Started getting into some hilly country the next day, turned into some great switchbacks.













As usual, my picture-taking slowed down the closer we got to home.  We continued westward until coming to the fork in the road for the border crossing into Las Cruces, NM or El Paso, TX.  It was almost dark, and given the size of the El Paso crossing and the amount of traffic, we opted to shoot north to Cruces.  About two miles from the border, we were met by a Mexican police truck who immediately hung a u-turn and started in behind us at a high rate of speed.  Coincidentally, we were travelling at a higher rate of speed and opted not to slow down.  I figure we were safe enough, far away from the locations where bandits pose as cops and shake tourists down, but why chance it?  The crossing was in sight, we were already busted, no use in slowing down to look innocent, so we kept it pinned.  Oddly enough, the truck pulled over, did another u-turn, and headed south.  We pulled into the crossing station, got little more than a nod, and were back in the States.  We slabbed it into Las Cruces, found a hotel and headed for a nearby sports bar to celebrate.  Next morning we rode the 90 miles to Cloudcroft and were back on the same track we started out on ten days before.  Another 175 miles or so and we crossed into Texas -



It felt good, but bittersweet.   2590 total miles (not counting the race), it would be hard to adjust back to normal life.  Thankfully, we hit home two days before Thanksgiving, which allowed us time to decompress before heading back to work.  Would I do it again?  In a hearbeat.  Wouldn't change a thing.

Thanks for reading and all the comments.  Next trip I will do a better job of documentation, and hopefully there will be more Tiger shots as well.  Happy, I'll dig back into my notes and post a more complete route shortly.  In the meantime, if you or anyone has any specific questions, fire away!

[abruzzi]

Dude, If you were in Cruces, you should have PM'd me.  I'd have shown you the best bar (or bars) in town.

Geof

[FrostedFlake]

Don't think it didn't cross my mind, Geof.  But trust me, we didn't need the "best" bar, just any bar.  Plus, we got there late and left early, would have been rude to impose on you.  We'll have to meet in Cloudcroft soon.

[fano]

Thanks Frosty. Awesome report. Last Baja 1000 was my first time down there and I fell in love with the place. I am afraid I will have to go down there this year again.

[HappyMan]

Awesome report Frosty!  
You've peaked my interest in a future trip.

[FrostedFlake]

Fano, maybe we should consider a "Team Tiger" sometime in the future?  

It is a great place for motorcyclists - dirt, dual sport, or street.  If you only got as far south as San Felipe this year, you owe it to yourself to venture further.  The terrain changes and coastline views are incredible.  

Happy, like Ferris Bueller said, "Life moves pretty fast.  If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it".  Go For It!