[Steve]

Internet service permitting, more pics to follow on our Baja adventure.

 

[watercamper]

Los Algodones

I'll be there in early March!! More pics please! ¡Qué te disfrutes el viaje!

 

[proeddie]

Steve,

It goes without saying that we're all waiting for updates on this trip!

ed

OOPS... I just said it!

 

[Steve]

Made the border crossing today at Algadones, Mexico, near Yuma AZ. Crossing was super simple and after a four hour drive we are now in San Felipe on Baja's eastern coast. Only one military checkpoint so far. Absolutely no issues with gasoline supply or safety!

 

[Steve]

Only real problem I've had in Baja so far - finding enough bandwidth to upload photos. Will keep trying but suspect that updates to this thread will be spotty.

I've done a good deal of "off the main roads" driving so far. One 50+ mile drive on gravel/sand/rock/mud plus several water obstacles where I averaged a whopping 12mph. The ProMaster has handled everything so far, although I did loose a mudflap going through some deep mud. If you want to test the limits of your vehicle and your driving skills, Baja is a good testing ground.

Gas has been around $4 a gallon, no supply problems. Campsites have ranged from free to $15. Numerious police/military checkpoints. The little town of San Ignacio has been the highlight so far! The US dollar is universally accepted, BUT you get more bang for that dollar if you get pesos from a bank ATM.

More to come - internet access permitting. Right now it's cerveza time! ����

 

[Steve]

San Ignacio campground.

Baja traffic jam.

 

[Steve]

Playa Escondido beach camping

 

[KNDLKSTMS]

Great pics ! I like the one with the dude in the cabana caving in to the pressure !
Got a question though , how's the dust intrusion in the interior ? While poking around my PM I'm finding a lot of "gaps". Loose fitting plugs , chambers , unsealed joints.
Again thanks for the pic's , maybe someday it'll stop raining up here.Maybe.

 

[Novacaine31]

Thanks for sharing all the pics. Looks like a fun trip. I can sit here at my computer and live vicariously through your posts Great looking van build btw.

 

[Steve]

Got a question though , how's the dust intrusion in the interior ?

Has not been a serious problem for me - I do get some dust around the rear door seal if it was a particularly dusty road. I think "dust intrusion" has been discussed in another thread and I seem to remember that the major culprit was a improperly adjusted rear door latch.

 

[Steve]

A few more "off the main road" pictures - out to the San Javier Mission and beyond. The "beyond" part was a challenging drive, which is hard to show (and appreciate) in photos - we were told it was 4WD only.

Airing up (from 30psi) as we prepare to rejoin pavement.

 

[SteveSS]

Wow! I'm so glad I'm not the only crazy Steve! I come by it naturally. My first car was a 1948 Willys Jeep.
PS - I was in San Felipe 47 years ago. Probably hasn't changed much.

 

[Steve]

I was in San Felipe 47 years ago. Probably hasn't changed much.

Yup, still pretty laid back.

 

[Steve]

Well my penchant for "off the main road" excursions finally overwhelmed my ProMaster. We left Mex1 in search of a primitive beach campsite I had read about - just 70 miles (or so) of the usual Baja gravel/sand/rock road. The "road", we soon learned, was part of the Baja 500 course and not for the faint of heart. Over six hours of wandering neted us two impassable (for us) sections - one of which necessitated nearly 3/4 of a mile backing back down the "road" before we could turnaround! The day ended with us on a bluff overlooking the Pacific - with nowhere to go! Camped on the bluff overnight (free) and made our way back to pavement the next day, less than an hour later we left the asphalt - hey, I just can't help it. ��

It's a lot steeper than it looks in these photos, with about 10 inches of "talcum powder" sand over rock. You can see a video of my third attempt at http://www.takethelongway.us/2017/02/two-baja-tales.html

 

[Roblee]

You da MAN, Steve!

 

[Winston]

Well my penchant for "off the main road" excursions finally overwhelmed - hey, I just can't help it. ?

It's a lot steeper than it looks in these photos, with about 10 inches of "talcum powder" sand over rock.]

Wow, Steve. You're travelers after our hearts . . . . however, after the depicted "reversing muffler" episode pictured here, the co-pilot offers lots of 'commentary' whenever the wheels leave the pavement (or as she might put it, 'leave the road'):

 

[watercamper]

I am SUPER HAPPY to see your van on these types of backcountry roads. Are you using the OE tires or did you change them out? Keep up with the photos!

 

[Steve]

I am SUPER HAPPY to see your van on these types of backcountry roads. Are you using the OE tires or did you change them out? Keep up with the photos!

I'm now running Cooper AT3 245/70/16 tires - aired down to 30psi on the worst of these Baja roads. I do think the slightly wider tire and the more aggressive tread help in these difficult situations.

 

[cahaak]

The AT3s are excellent tires - I have them on my Sprinter now. Relatively aggressive, but they ride very nice on the highway and no issue with MPG. Up here you can get them at Fleet Farm and when both Cooper and Fleet Farm have a rebate, they are actually cheap.

Chris

 

[jostalli]

Nice work, Steve! In Baja surprisingly the roads are great. You have to seek out the off road adventures. Further south you can't find decent roads. El Salvador and Honduras the road is like a mine field. I feel our all terrain tires are one of the reasons we have yet to get stuck. 245 75r16 Hankook Dynapro ATM.