Day 128 to 136
November 11th to the 19th, 2007 |
From Laguna Hanson to San Felipe, Baja, Mexico.
...We wake up to beautifully cold morning. 25 deg.F. (-4 C approx). Jim, who's from San
Diego, says it's his coldest night of camping yet...He got up in the middle of the night
to restart the fire and warm his feet. He says he had never felt his feet so cold and
could just picture himself with severe frost bites on them...Maybe the would have to be
amputated...Maybe the whole legs...:)
After thawing those feet out, he put on 2 pairs of sox and curled back into his sack.
Guess it was kinda cold. The only jug of water that is'nt frozen solid is the one we
left by the fire...
That's not dust on the machines and tents this morning. That's frost!
Welcome to Mexico !
Just south of Laguna Hanson, we pit stop at the local gas station/convenience store.
They also serve burritos and sodas! That's Baja!
At $5.00US/gal. (super), make sure you don't spill any!
It's the return of the cacti ! Although they're a little shorter than in Arizona.
One of the only "obligations" we set for ourselves when we began this journey
was that we wanted to be here in Baja for THE race. The Baja
1000. The longest, most demanding and craziest race in North-America. Over 1000
miles (this year, close to 1,300) on and off road at speeds often over 100m/h. The
fastests will complete it in around 20 hours. The slowests have up to 52 hours to make the
finish line. That's more than 2 days of being shaken to pieces at full throttle! It's
ompletely nut's! Definitely THE RACE to see for any off-road enthousiast!
It's the big event in Baja! The places' economical engine. Living over
3000 miles from Baja, this will probably be the one and only chance we have to experience
it.
To put ourselves in the spirit of the race, we ride the race course for about 35 miles
while looking for the perfect place to camp. Because, not only will we see the race, we
will also camp just a few feet from the race course! Free! Gratis!
After riding those few miles at a casual speed of about 20m/h, my hands and feet hurt
(from standing)... Imagine 1,300 miles!!! It's a heck of a feeling, nonetheless, to ride
the Baja 1000 race course! We even went down the infamous "goat trail". It's a
very very technical section just north of Vallee-de-Trinidad. It's ultra-rough and there
is a lot of fresh new paint on the rocks around it. Few people, besides racres, will ride
it (unless they end up there by accident...). Even fewer ladies...
Finally, we set up camp just north of Vallee-de-Trinidad...
...In the middle of nowhere! At less than 10 feet from the race course! We're alone.
To make sure Marc does'nt get too bored waiting for the race, France squashes his cool
toilet seat...Oh Shit...
...That keeps him busy for a few minutes...Voilà! Just like new! What a precious piece
of equipment. Going on your own toilet seat: Priceless !
Not much more to do left but wait for the race...And think...Someones going to die
here, tomorrow. That's for sure. Happens every year...It could be a pilot, someone from a
support team, someone from the crowd...But, someone will not be going back home after the
race, that's a fact.
Tuesday, November 13th, 2007.
When we wake up, there are people all around us! They climbed way up on the rocks with
their JEEPs and pick-up trucks. Tents popped up everywhere! There's electricity in the
air! Motos! Motos! Camiones! Camiones!
The race starts at dawn and we're at mile marker 100 so, they should be here around
8:30am.
Like Jim told us, when the first racer gets here you can't miss him. The crowd get
super-excited! People scream! They honk their horn! The sound of the helicopter that
guides the pilot is deafning! The bikes always start first because they're always the
fastests.
...Behind the bikes, the Trophy Trucks. When they get closer, the
crowd gets absolutely hysterical!!
What an incredible feeling!
We can hear the first one coming from 2 miles away! Then, the sound of the raging
engine mixes with the sound of the chopper. Soon, not-only can we hear it, we can feel it.
The earth trembles...The crowd screams! We have chills all over our bodies! Our hearts are
in our throats!
VVVVVVRRRRRRROOOOOOOUUUUUAAAAAAAMMMMM!!!
It does'nt last one second. Like an explosion! He's gone. Only the cloud of dust
remains...Next.
Yeah ! The Baja 1000
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Bof... |
Mexican frost... |
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Sure hope it gets warmer on the beach... |
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November 14th, 2007.
Another new member to the Quadtrek team?
On the way to San Felipe. A couple of examples of local road art.
A parrot...
...And a fisherman!
Have a better look. Click
here
The team is getting ready to cross another dry lake bed. Laguna Diablo.
...While Minnie looks pretty bored...AAaaaaarrre we almost there yet??
Across the lake. Minnies ears flapping in the wind!
Typical road signage. Only in Baja.
When the way is well marked, you can't go wrong! |
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Polaris
Industries - Canada
Polaris Industries - USA
Come on Honey, we're almost there!
YAHOOUUU !! LA PLAYA !!!
We want to sincerely thank our friend and guide Jim and his wife Karen. Thanks to them,
our integration and adaptation to the Mexican way was much easier,
quicker and more enjoyable. The few days we spent together gave us a chance to
get use to the new language and environment.
Jim did a whole lot more than just guide us around. He took us on a town tour is San
Felipe, helped ud find a place we liked, and spent many hours answering all our questions
about Baja. They also let us stay at their new place for a couple of days! As a bonus, he
explained to us where to go in Baja and, more importantly, how to get there. All this
between 2 jokes and a good laugh!
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If you are thinking of going on a Baja discovery tour, we very
strongly recommend you do so with him. You won't regret it! www.bajautv.com |
Quadtrek goes "indoors"!
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We camp in Jim's garage! If you get a chance to talk to him, ask him why
he did'nt make his garage 10 feet longer? |
Baja !
For sale: 4 door Pick-up, air, clean, washed often, has never seen snow...
It's Baja!
That soft sand is dragging!
Are you jealous?
6:10am. Sunrise. Nothing we won't do to post a great pic for you guys.
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Quadtrek under the palapa. |
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Everything is street legal in Mexico. A buffer cut bikini top. |
Ready for our next expedition! |
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Imagine...4 months...
Minnie is having a great time also! She meets many many many new 4 legged friends!!
Tomorrow we leave and head south again. Hopefully, we can ride the beach...
...T.B.C...
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