It was day three of our tour of Baja, and we had already lost all track of time. Forgotten were the jobs back home, the stack of monthly bills, the monotonous daily tasks that we unconsciously complete each day. “Did I remember to make my mortgage payment?”
Who cares!
There was no commute to work to worry about, no alarm clock squealing as if it was sucking the membrane from my ears. It was just a bang on the hotel door…
“Get your butt out of bed! It’s time to ride!”
Morning started off with a tasty and healthy breakfast consisting of fresh fruit, muffins, juices and coffee. We all gathered up our 2-day old gear, which was already reeking of dirt, sweat and stale mud puddles left over from recent rains.
Beaches and Dunes
After a short stretch of my tight muscles and a quick engine warm up, I mounted my Honda CRF450X and fell in line as we funneled out of the hotel parking lot. We made our way south through San Felipe, and then toward the sea. Once again we leapt and roosted our way through sand dunes that lined the beach, but on the east side of the peninsula this go round. The dunes are larger near the Sea of Cortez, which gets very little surf coming in from its southern gulf inlet. The waters are calm and more lake-like.
Much like the day before, Larry Roeseler marked out an flat track oval on the beach. There are not many places in the States where you can legally ride on the beach for miles on end, much less hold an impromptu short track race with four racer wide heats and no sanctioning race organization. Roeseler’s ‘Felipe Beach National event was on! And once again, the promoter claimed the top podium spot. I’m pretty sure that’s illegal, but hey! It’s Larry Roeseler!
Giant Saguaros
With the racing out of the way, we continued south to experience the magnificent monuments that are Baja’s protected giant Saguaro cacti. This area is laden with the colossal plants, which have more of a prehistoric appearance than those found in the southwestern United States. The area is also full of spiny Ocotillo and Palo Verde Trees, all of which had burst out in full desert bloom upon our arrival.
As we entered this natural dry desert garden, we stumbled on a school bus loaded to the brim with local school kids. Like us, they were on a field trip to see the Saguaros. When they learned that off-road racing legend Larry Roeseler and Go Baja Ridin’s Bruce Anderson were there, the bus emptied as dozens of kids mauled both gentlemen for pictures and autographs. These two are rock stars in Baja, having spent the majority of their lives here. They took plenty of time greeting all with affection and toothy grins.
Local Flavor
This day would be the shortest of four. We returned through the wide sand washes that make up much of the Baja 1000 racecourse, and then cut between the mountains for our second night in San Felipe. Back at the hotel well before nightfall, everyone took their time relaxing by the pool, or even in it, rehydrating from the half day tour of the desert.
Fully relaxed and showered up, many of us headed toward the marina to check out the local festivities before dinner. A tequila festival was happening along the boardwalk. Four dollars bought you a wrist band for entry. “Try all the tequila you can handle, but be ready to ride at sunup,” said Bruce with a tan, full cheeked smile. Some of us checked out the local souvenir shops and/or paid a visit to Baja Miramar Tavern. A Mexican seafood feast was served up at Rosita’s soon after, a favorite restaurant with the locals and returning tourists. The walls are covered in off-road racing memorabilia.
Stuffed with camerones (shrimp) and pescado (fish) tacos, a good night’s sleep was had by all. We had to be ready to ride at sunrise.
Northwest Passage
Our final day of riding would be our longest, covering two hundred miles of desert, a mountain range and a highway back to Ensenada. We climbed technical and washed out two-track roads into the peaks northwest of San Felipe. As we ascended several thousand feet above sea level, the landscape transformed from sandy desert to granite rocks, hard pack trails and majestic pine trees. The air was also much cooler as everyone broke out the enduro jackets. From the top of the mountains, and well off into the distance, we could see dark clouds forming in the direction we were headed.
More Single Track!
Alongside the mountain road, fast flowing single track trails wound through the trees and embedded granite. These flowed much faster than those that we crawled through near Mike’s Sky Ranch on day two of the tour. Those of us on two wheels blasted down the eighteen-inch wide trails, often repeating our favorite sections. We spent a lot of time up on that mountain, as many of us found it to be the highlight of the trip. Unfortunately, time was of the essence as we had to be back in Ensenada before nightfall. Several of the guys had to cross the border and be at the airport in San Diego that same evening.
The Tacos At Ojos Negros
Racing down the mountain, we cruised into the town of Ojos Negros. The local kids here greeted us with giant smiles and voiced engine noises as they rode alongside on their bicycles. Bruce and Larry were back in town with a bunch of new friends.
Larry and Bruce treated all of us to one of their favorite taco stands in all of Baja – Tacos El Meno. “If you’re down in Mexico, you have to support the local taco stands,” claimed Larry. Tacos El Meno serves up the best carne and cheese quesadillas you’ve ever had the pleasure of wrapping your tongue around. Likewise, the tacos are second to none! And just like every other taco stand in Baja, they hand you a Coca Cola the way it was meant to be served – in an ICE COLD THICK GLASS BOTTLE!
Great Weather, Right Up Until the End
Leaving Ojos and the dirt behind, the final stretch of our journey back to Ensenada would take place on two lane black top, and the rain ahead looked relentless. We stopped at a roadside curio shop and purchased a roll of fifty-five gallon garbage bags to wrap around our legs and torso (beneath our riding gear) in an attempt to keep dry. Riding gloves were wrapped in duct tape, which worked for a while, but by the time we reached Ensenada we were drenched. The rain was refreshing though; washing away most of the four day old stench that had infested everyone’s gear.
We’ll Be Back!
As someone who’s raced in Baja multiple times, I can tell you this tour was a completely new experience to me – and one that I intend to repeat again. Go Baja Ridin’ Tours can be tailored to riders of all skill levels. It’s a must do, and should be on your bucket list! On our particular tour we had racers, weekend warriors, males and females, repeat customers and riders that we’re seeing Mexico for the first time. But I think Mark “Mustang” Eldred, who had only been riding a dirt bike for six months, spoke for all of us as we pulled into San Nicolas parking lot back in Ensenada: “Sometimes you get all excited about similar adventures and then it’s a letdown once you do it, but this trip was the complete opposite. Bruce and Go Baja Ridin’ Tours actually over-achieved my expectations! It was definitely a lot of fun, I’m doing it again and I’m glad I finally got to ride Baja.”
We couldn’t have said it better.
For more information on Go Baja Ridin’ Tours, go to
http://www.gobajaridin.com.