The Team is Assembled.

Dan arrived at Claudia's house in Ensenada on Monday afternoon.  Their were warm introductions, Dan got washed up and the ladies served us up some authentic Méxican molé.


After some discussion, we unloaded some gear from Dan's bike, and were off to see La Bufadora!  The ride there was beautiful and being late in the day, it was actually the perfect time to go.  There were very little tourists and traffic, so we managed to ride up very close and parked rock-star.

La Bufadora is down at the bottom of this crevice.

Mist from La Bufadora. 

It was kinda tricky to get a shot with La Bufa blowing in the back.  Patience was key. 

Water running down the rock face after an eruption. 

Amazing place.

That night, I needed to make some preparations.  I've gotten so comfortable with my school and home-stay, and now it's almost time to leave.  The next day, we'll have to fix up a couple things on the bike, and I'll make a trip to the post office to send home my broken tank bag and Camel-bak.

Dan looking very proud of his humongous tool kit.

 Early in the morning we have breakfast and get to work.  Lucky for me, Dan  has arrived with my much anticipated lock for my top-box, my new tank bag and a better camera.  For the new top-box locking handle,  a few holes need to be drilled to mount it.  

Dan makes friends at the machine shop. 

These guys were really helpful.  He did a good job and even counter-sunk the screw holes.

50 Paso's later....it's all done and now I can finally lock on top box.  People here are great. 

My first Méxican post office and I did it all by myself.

We bid farewell to the ladies at the house and blast off.  We're heading back to the National Park so Dan can have a look and get a feel for the GS on the dirt road.  A quick stop for gas and groceries and we hit the highway.

That bike is LOADED and the flags are a nice touch.

The new tank bag is working out great so far.

A clearer shot of the sign with the new camera.

The GS is heavy, but Dan does great and I think he's starting to enjoy himself. 

This truck was one of three vehicles we passed in hours. 

The road is mostly good, but it can go to crap really quick. 

We're riding through the park and suddenly I see a guy on the side of the road and he starts to run toward me!  I was a little startled and wondered if he was crazy or in trouble?!

They turned out to be two bikers from San Diego on KLR's and they were so surprised to see anyone, they waved us down to say hello.   Great meeting you Steve and Ryan.  Two friendly guys headed toward the Baja 250 as well.

These guy had actually rode in the back way and camped on the far side of the lake.  I'm willing to bet, not many people know about that route, but it's all new to me. 

Another beautiful sunset. 

We just get our tents up before dark. 

The moon is so bright this evening, it looks like the sun.

My first night camping on this trip and I had to have a picture of myself in the tent.  

The wind gusts all night long and we fear the snow will come, but we are spared and end up with a frozen coffee pot and a little dusting of hail balls first thing in the morning. 

After we pack up the tents, we melt the ice, and cook up some coffee and oatmeal.

A little coat of the good stuff on my Tiger.

Snow pellets or hale balls on the map case.

Dan brushing his teeth with Vanilla coffee and apparently he thinks it's pretty funny.

The clouds are ominous in the morning, but we get off with-out a hitch. 

Another fine example of the huge boulders that litter the park.  Looks like this baby has a fracture line.

A beautiful contrast of colours that seem quite unique.

Dan and I have both travelled a bit, but neither of us has seen anything quite like this. 

The sandy trails that await you in the Baja. 

The vivid blue sky in the Baja. 

Primitive fence, but I guess it works.

My little Garmin is really coming in handy. 

Washboard sand. 

My second time to the Park, but a great time and great scenery again.  Dan & I both enjoyed the ride and got a feel for the bikes fully loaded off the black-top.

We hit the highway and head south towards San Felipe and the Baja 250.  We must be the luckiest guys on the planet  :)