Los Cuatro Penguinos

January 11/06

We finally parked the car and trailer and hit the road on the bikes this morning. The main road west out of Yuma is Hwy 8. It is a 4 lane interstate hwy but part way to Calexico we planned to get off the interstate and take the alternate 2 lane highway (98), but the apparently it runs too close to the USA/Mexico border for someone’s comfort and it is now closed to traffic. We stayed on the interstate. As we approached Calexico, it was interesting to note that several of the rural roads that parallel the border were also “permanently” close with concrete barricades.

After a short stop for lunch and a visit to an insurance agent (CIBC insurance is invalid in Mexico) we headed for the border. We expected that we would be pulled aside and questioned. We had prepared ourselves with copies of our MC registration, DL and passports but much to our surprise we were waved through without even having to stop.

I bet it’s not this easy to leave!

We were warned of the slow posted speed limits in Mexico and not wanting to attract any attention from the police, we stuck to the posted limits. It seemed like no one else on Hwy 5 paid any attention whatsoever to these signs. The speed on the 4 lane, then 2 lanes, highway to San Felipe varied between 40 and 80 KPH. It took longer than expected to travel the 180K from Mexicali and we reached San Felipe at dusk.

We had read the traveller’s reports. We knew that one should not travel at night or arrive in a strange town in the dark, but this is exactly what we did… and on our first night in Mexico. Luckily we managed to find our way out town and back to a camp ground, but it was a bit unnerving.

We are now camped on the beach at Pete’s Campground just north of San Felipe. We have not had much chance to look around yet but what we have seen is wonderful. There is a great restaurant and bar, from which we have partaken. We highly recommend the Negra Modelo beer.

Tomorrow we plan to continue south down Hwy 5 although we have been told that it turns to gravel in about 50 miles but it is passable. We have been briefed on the gas stops. One sounds particularly interesting… we are to watch for two guys in a blue Toyota pickup at a particular intersection. We have been told that the gas of good quality and we will probably need some to make it to the next gas stop. Hmmm! Wonder if they take VISA?

Time to crawl into the sack (literally). It is quite cool. There appears to be a on-shore breeze. All I can hear is the lapping of the waves on the beach and the occasional laughter from other campers.

January 12/06

Today was slow going. We are now in Alfonsinas at a small hotel. South of San Felipe, the road was paved for about 75 kilos, then broken pavement for 20 K, then rough gravel, boulders and sand. We managed about 200K in 7 hours of riding.

Linda and I only fell off the bike twice. Once as we stopped (my short legs couldn’t quite reach the sloping soft gravel) and once in some deep sand. Both were soft landings and neither of us were hurt at all.. just embarrassed. The bike took a bit of a beating though. I now know why Suzuki doesn’t bother supplying a centre stand on the V-Strom. I have an after market one and it now non-functional (I think). There is not enough ground clearance and we consistently banged the stand bracket into the rocks.

Along this road, the max speed for Linda and I on the V-Strom was 40K but most of the time we were in second gear at 25 to 30 K. At times the road was so bad that the locals have created a parallel route simply by driving in the desert along side the road. We followed this route on several occasions and it was no screaming hell either. When driving in the ditch is better than on the road ya gotta wonder! Many times we were in first gear utilizing the stand up “Trials” technique to navigate boulders and potholes. Fun for a while but damn tiring. Jen and Dave fared much better on the KLR. Their bike has much longer suspension travel, higher ground clearance, lighter weight and knobby tires. It is much better suited to the type of roads we are currently riding.

We didn’t reach our destination until dusk (again) and we had a few problems with the language barrier at the hotel. With the help of a bilingual local we managed to get things sorted out. We had a great meal… today’s catch with lemon rice and salad, washed down with a couple of beer.

We have discovered that the Baja is motorcycle heaven for the off-road riders. They are mostly Yanks that we have met, but the locals we met this evening were from San Felipe. It appears that it is asset to travel by MC here. As I mentioned earlier, we were waved through the USA/Mexico border without stopping. Also there are military check stops along the way. I really don’t know why. Probably just to remind the tourists that the Baja is Mexican territory. Anyway… these posts are manned by young soldiers, armed with automatic weapons of some sort. They seem to stop all the cars and trucks but once again we were “waved through”. Literally… we waved to them and every soldier waved back!

We still have 35 miles of gravel to get back to the highway or we can continue south on the dirt roads. We have been told that the roads are better once we get off this one.??? It is enticing to stay along the east coast. The beaches are superb. This is a decision for tomorrow, looks like everyone else is asleep now. I don’t care which route we take but I want to go to the highway intersection to get gas from the guys in the blue Toyota Truck first.

January 13/06

After a great breakfast at Alfonsino’s we loaded up and continued south on “Hwy 5”. The first 35 K was tricky. More loose gravel and sandy sections than the previous day but I found that I had better control of the bike by standing up and getting more weight over the front wheel. We managed to get through a whole day without dumping the bike. Lee, you will be glad to know that the Wee-Strom is looking more “adventurous” now. Both Jesse bags are scraped now.

We had been told to stop at Coco’s Corner, 35 K down the road. A fellow by the name of Coco has a business / residence on a corner of two dirt roads in the middle of nowhere. He sells beer, pop, snacks & bike parts. He fixes almost anything that moves, and offers free accommodation for travelers through the area. (free, if you buy at least one beer). Everyone who stops by has to write in the “book”. You are asked to describe yourself and your journey, then he adds sketches to your tale. He seems to be able to remember most of those who have passed by having creating a distinctive indexing system. When we told him we were Canadians he told us Canadians are refered to as Penguins. In his index we are the “Cuatro Penguinos”.

Shortly after leaving Coco’s we were back on pavement on Hwy 1 south to Guerrero Negra. After talking to Coco we decided to stay on the highway. As advertised, the blue Toyota was exactly as expected. We did not need gas then so we only stopped to take a picture. Guerrero Negra is nothing to write home about. It is ,however the whale viewing center of the Baja and since whale viewing is in season, it was quite busy. We camped at an RV park jammed in between two big units.

January 14/06

Before leaving Guerrero Negra we back tracked for gas. Unfortunately we had to go back through a “migration” checkpoint. Yesterday we didn’t need a visa but apparently today we did! After filling out the paper work we were able to leave “BCS” (Baja California South) fill up and return. All for 200 Peso’s each! ($20.)

On the pavement we made much better time. 300K to Mulege. We found a very nice campground on the south edge of town. The town looks interesting. We did a short tour and Dave and I rode back into town to try to find a 1/2 dozen Negro Modelo. Tomorrow we will have a better look around.

The trip today was mostly across flat desert on straight roads. We crossed two low mountain passes where the road became more interesting for a while. The speed limit on the highway is 80K and the speed drops to 40K as you pass through towns. To help enforce the speed there are speed bumps across the road. . . high enough that my center stand bracket touches down as we ride over them. They work.. no one speed though the towns. If you hit one of thse bumps at 80K you might do serious damage to your vehicle. We have been told that these bumps are common throughout Central America and once we are out of Mexico not to expect that there will be any warnings that you are approaching one. Also, there are no recommended speeds for the sharp corners only warning signs “Curva Peligrosa” (dangerous curve) and rumble strips. The highway is very narrow. The “semis” definitely fill the lane and there is no shoulder. Sometimes the drop off the edge of the pavement is 18” or more. Makes you pay attention!

We just finished supper. We picked up some supplies at a small grocery store and cooked up an authentic Mexican meal at the camp site. We are planning a short day tomorrow. Hopefully we can find an internet connection to up load these reports and a place to do some laundry.

January 15/06

This turned out to be a real short day… only traveled about 10K. The coast south of Mulege (Pronounced Moo-la-hay) is a series of small coves, each with a fantastic beach. We picked one and set up camp on the beach, put on our bathers and relaxed. There was a great little restaurant a short walk from where we camped. The meals have all been very good.

January 16/06

Another short day today. It is extremely windy. We were constantly being buffeted and sandblasted so in Loreto we found a nice campground with laundry facilities and wireless internet. We are about 350K from La Paz. We hope to make it to La Paz tomorrow and make arrangements for the ferry to the mainland. We have been getting mixed info regarding the ferry. Once we see what is involved there we may head down to Cabo San Lucas before taking the ferry to the main land.