Baja Dirt Biking Adventure

Last week we, Steph's dad (Mike), his two friends (Scott & Lou), Steph's little brothers (Forrest & Austin), and Paul had a sort of off-roading adventure in Baja California. The trip was something Mike and his friends have dreamed of: exploring the infamous Baja peninsula made popular by the annual Baja 1000 race. The guys below are the dirt bike riders.......

.....And no dirt bike rider is complete without his "chase vehicle." This is where Steph and Paul come in. Steph drove her dad's truck with copilot Austin. Paul drove Lou's van with navigator Forrest.

Ryan has spent a lot of time on road bikes but not as much on the dirt. However, his maiden voyage into the off road world went quite well. Mike a veteran rider of who knows how many years was impressed with Ryan's natural talent. And...he only flew over the handle bars once and wasn't hurt. Unfortunately, only one other rider saw this leap frog event!

How do boys pass time in the middle of nowhere? Throwing rocks!One of the riders favorite experiences was playing around on this dry lake bed near San Felipe (on the Sea of Cortez). The white stuff is actually salt. Ryan is pictured below.Mike was taught a little lesson when he tried to "roost" his buddy, Lou. Normally this little stunt works great but his tires bit in too much traction thus causing him to dump backwards! Nothing hurt but a little pride and his fender.

Paul, an accomplished cyclist, even got in on the moto-action with riding lessons while we were at a ranch in the mountains (Mike's Sky Ranch).

This was a trans-peninsular trip taking us from the Pacific across the desert to the Sea of Cortez. We spent two nights at Gonzaga Bay, a tiny place on the Mar Cortez only accessible by dirt roads or plane.The boys spent hours playing in the sand.

One of the incredible things about the Sea of Cortez is the clear water and untainted sea life. One night Steph and the boys found clams of various shapes and sizes. We gave it our best at cooking them the next morning.This isn't our first attempt at cooking clams at we still don't have it down...maybe next time.The line up just before their first ride from the Pacific side to the Sea of Cortez. All were challenged by the technicality of this ride but enjoyed it.

Mike put us up in hotels each night but we typically cooked our own oatmeal each morning and made PB sandwiches for lunch. Austin caught Ryan in action as they passed us on the rough road to Gonzaga Bay.

Here we are back in Tijuana. The Oregonians spent the night at the Castillo before heading out at 4:30 the next morning to cross the border and drive north. Austin was especially preoccupied with stoking the fire.

How can you stay in TJ without eating street tacos?