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A funny thing happened on the way to the forum…this forum. It included riding in the Big Bend, alongside the boondoggle border fence (no, it’s not a wall) in the borderlands of New Mexico, some AZ mining country, a great detour on part of the AZ BDR, and of course Baja California. Thus, the title of this report, “Baja Bind 2”, building off my 2017 trip report called “Baja Bind”: https://www.twtex.com/forums/threads/baja-bind.115861/
A fair number of the Austin-based Hill Country BMW Riders Club made the reinstated, resumed, semi-post Covid, “annual” club ride to the Big Bend in the Rio Grande. Motorcycling is the original social distancing, the far West Texas counties have very low population density, masks were worn, and more and more members have been vaccinated, thus those who “came along for the ride” felt like the risk might actually be lower than at home!
Just to get within sight of Big Bend, you cover miles and miles of Texas (hear Asleep at the Wheel?), whether your favorite route includes I-10 to the max, or you strive to minimize sailing on the interstate, instead enjoying a mash-up of two-lane blacktop. We had riders, both singly and in groups, who took practically all of the possible routes from Austin to the Stone Village “Tourist Camp” in Fort Davis. But however you cut it, all saw miles and miles of Texas!
One of the first broad glimpses of West Texas can be seen from what used to be called Lancaster Hill, the ragged edge of the Edwards Plateau, along a great (but short) section of old US 290. This road takes off of I-10 about 20 miles west of Ozona and ends at Sheffield. A roadside park overlooks the site of old Fort Lancaster, at the same time offering an expansive view of West Texas’ Delaware Basin.
Lancaster Hill:
One small group of three rode out to Fort Davis on Wednesday, with the balance of the riders trickling in on Thursday. A Wednesday arrival allowed three of us to explore Big Bend Ranch State Park, out beyond the Saucedo Ranger Station, on Thursday. Along the way, we had to make a critical decision: Straight ahead, or turn right and chance bandidos? BBRSP is a great place to ride and explore.
Canon de los Bandidos:
Since all of the club travelers had arrived in Fort Davis by Thursday evening, riders broke into both small and large groups to cover a lot of territory on Friday. The touring riders rode into and around and through Big Bend National Park, Marathon, Study Butte, Terlingua, Presidio, and environs – they a had a lot of miles to cover and asphalt to experience!
Meanwhile, the GS crowd formed into one of the larger groups (six riders) and went looking for their nirvana – where the “pavement ends”! That would be south of Marfa at the approach to Pinto Canyon – another wonderful ride. The road through the canyon was well-graded and in the best shape I’ve seen. We left Pinto Canyon Rd at Candelaria and motored to Presidio for lunch at El Patio – still there, although a new, smaller location that’s (for now) focused on take out.
Where the pavement ends:
Glass smooth Pinto Canyon Rd:
After lunch, as always, we rode the River Road (170) back to Terlingua, but instead of heading directly north, we detoured through the boonies via South County Rd, Hen Egg Rd, and North County Rd, to the junction with the Alpine Highway. The nagging puncture on one bike meant stopping twice to try plugs, but eventually breaking it down beside the highway and putting a tube in.
Workers and supervisors:
By the time the group finally returned to the motel Friday evening, the question on everyone’s mind was, “how many riders does it take to fix a flat?”. The answer is obviously, “too many”!
After riding all day, evenings were filled with war stories, drinks, and dinner (and maybe the odd bike repair). At dinner time, some opted for the Stone Village market next door, some the Drugstore, a fair number for the uppity Blue Mesa Bar and Grill (emphasis on “bar”), and at least one or two had dinner right out of their panniers.
Saturday offered another day to explore the region, so riders took off in all directions. While it didn’t suit everyone’s tastes or wallet, one group of eight opted to ride to the beautiful Cibolo Creek Ranch near Shafter for a catered lunch. To close out the Big Bend part of the ride, I detoured over to the closest car wash in Alpine to wash the grit off the bike, then swung by the local mural for a quick photo op:
The colors of Alpine:
On Sunday morning, bikes were starting up at zero-dark-thirty, so some riders were obviously eager to get on the road back to Austin. Others were not so eager and pulled out of the parking lot after daylight. Maybe one took a wrong turn (is the Davis Mountains scenic loop ridden clockwise or counterclockwise?? It apparently makes a difference!), and finally woke up in Arizona, meaning I went west instead of east. I took the 'normal' route from Fort Davis to Valentine, Van Horn, and El Paso. Easy ride, especially now that you can bypass El Paso's mess of I-10 by looping around Fort Bliss and the airport on the east and the Franklin Mountains on the north. More miles, but much more pleasant. Then it was west across NM on State 9 to its ‘confluence’ with State 80 (which used to be US Hwy 80 decades ago). Made it into AZ and an overnight in the vintage, biker-friendly Jonquil Motel in the cool mining town of Bisbee - great place for a break.
The next day I rode north from Bisbee to Benson, where I connected with the AZ BDR, which runs north from Benson to Mammoth. Just short of Mammoth at San Manuel, I went looking for the backroad up Mount Lemmon. ADOT had posted mixed messages about whether it was open all the way over the mountains to Tucson, but I took the chance anyway. Only two downsides: 1) The road was closed near the top of Mount Lemmon, so I had to turn back; 2) A speeding, two-beer dufus in (on?) a side-by-side almost ran me off the road sliding around a blind corner. Thankfully, no harm, no foul. The weather, roads, and scenery were all fantastic. I just got to ride Mt Lemmon Rd twice.
AZ BDR (Legs 3-4):
After returning from the Mount Lemmon blockage, I took the pavement back by San Manuel, up through Globe, and north to the start of the Apache Trail. Another information dichotomy – after about twenty miles on the way to Tortilla Flat, the road was closed. It seems forest fires over the past few years have resulted in erosive runoff and washed out roads that they haven’t had time to repair. Retreat again, but you take your chances and it was still great riding. Back to Globe and down US 60 to Tucson. Overnight, then on to Phoenix and pause for a new rear tire and fork seal repair.
After bike maintenance, it was time to head for Baja. Darrel and I were planning to meet in Yuma, but when I saw the gotch-eyed (one aux light is mis-aimed) GSA in my mirror at about Dateland, I knew who was rapidly approaching. We checked in at our motel, had dinner, and prepped to set out for San Luis Rio Colorado, our border crossing of choice, the next morning.
We both had obtained our Mexican tourist permits online, but my receipt was incorrect, and Darrel’s name was slightly different from his passport, so guess what? We did them over and paid the fee again right there at the border. But we were the only gringos crossing there, so it was not crowded and actually pretty much painless. Once in San Luis, we stopped by our favorite bank bank/ATM to withdraw pesos, then headed to the café for breakfast.
We were going to take the Laguna Hanson road south from Mex 2D to Mex 3, then up to Ensenada and down to Coyote Cal’s on the Pacific side. But after about ten miles on the Hanson route, we did a time check and there was no way to make Cal’s by dark. So, we retreated, rode to Ensenada, then south to Cal’s. Going through Ensenada is always horribly slow and hot. And speaking of Ensenada, how about a short break and nod to Lyle:
Our first night was another well-known Baja haunt, like Mike’s Sky Rancho, but Coyote Cal’s is on the beach south of Ensenada, not as far off the grid as Mike’s. Cal’s is a hostel-like, added-onto affair, but was not crowded with riders so we each had a private room. Like Mike’s, most flat surfaces are plastered with years and years of dirt bike and Baja 1000 stickers and memorabilia.
Coyote Cal’s:
Pacific sundown from Cal’s:
Fair warning inside my room’s door:
After Cal’s we trudged south, and the fun began.
Michelin Anakee Wilds are the best, go-to tires for a big GS that I’ve used. Good grip, good mileage, handle sand and gravel very well. I’ve used them for 75k miles on my GS, and on BDR’s, TAT’s, the Dempster and Dalton Highways into the Arctic, etc. But in Baja this time I apparently tested the lean angle and grip of my rear Wild to the extreme. If you’ve ridden Mex 1 south of Ensenada, you know it can be miles and miles of straight pavement, with a few steep, twisty escarpments to ascend/descend on the way to Guerrero Negro. Unlike last year, when we were caught out after dark, this year Darrel and I were much smarter than that; we were riding south in broad daylight. I was rounding a curve, perhaps a tad too swiftly, when the back end stepped out. I "dabbed" my left foot, skidded a little, but recovered and stayed in motion on both wheels - thus no low side, no downed bike, no sliding into the cacti – well done! Sorta.
My little lowside-saving foot dab resulted in a severe twist of my left ankle (leg and ankle were moving, pavement was standing still) against the underside of the bike or pannier. I didn't much like the way it felt, but like every coach I ever had, any leg injury must be met with "...you're OK, walk it off...". Thus, a few miles later, when we stopped, I “walked it off”. More or less.
We were planning on stopping that day in Mulege, but poor motel choices there forced us to continue south to Loreto. No big deal, we arrived before dark, checked into our favorite downtown hotel, had a good seafood dinner, etc. The next day I caught up on sleep and didn't much leave my room. My ankle was bruised and misshapen and "real fun" to boot and un-boot. In fact, it took a lot of pulling to get the boot on. I decided not to visit the clinic in Loreto, as I didn’t want any input on what I should do or not do, particularly with regard to a cast.
Favorite coffee/breakfast stop in Loreto:
We decided to head back north from Loreto rather than continue south; continuing to La Paz to stroll the city center was no longer in the cards for this trip. So, we turned around and headed north. It was good weather and a good ride, even offering the opportunity to stop at the Taco Factory in San Felipe for a great lunch, and we crossed the border and arrived in Yuma without problems. The next morning after coffee we headed out, and at Gila Bend went our separate ways, D to Phoenix and me toward Tucson and points east.
Darrel had offered to store my bike and let me fly home, or to even ride my bike and let me drive his car so I wouldn’t have to put too much stress on my leg. But I felt like riding home was the right answer. The only difficulties were getting my boot on without moaning too much...and mounting up...and dismounting...and shifting gears by rotating my foot upward. Other than that, A-OK. I guess I could have avoided the shifting issue by riding home in first gear…
The trip home wasn’t bad at all, so no real second thoughts that it was the right course of action. Hot and windy across AZ, but another night and nice motel and meal in Bisbee made it all better. Then the NM borderlands, bypass around El Paso, and evening arrival at our favorite ‘tourist camp’ in Fort Davis were all good. The last day across West Texas was relatively cool, with little wind and only weekend truck traffic. Thus, I used I-10 more than usual and it was a little faster, without hiccups.
Arrive home, explained why I was limping to my wife, that I didn’t go down or hurt the bike, didn't run into any bandidos, etc., and would have my ankle checked. Then, eventually this story's coup de grace: After x-ray the doctor here in Austin informed me that my little foot dab incident resulted not in an ankle sprain, but in a fractured and displaced fibula. Result – surgery, stainless steel plate, no riding for a few weeks. No wonder putting the left boot on in the morning and taking it off in the evening were the most thrilling parts of the six day, 1800 mile ride home. But once saddled up, the riding itself was fine! IMHO my compression socks and adv boots provided a pretty good field-expedient cast...
A fellow rider commented on how he thinks “Baja's winning”...I don’t think so – it feels like it’s two-all to me: Four trips, only two “Baja Binds”…
A fair number of the Austin-based Hill Country BMW Riders Club made the reinstated, resumed, semi-post Covid, “annual” club ride to the Big Bend in the Rio Grande. Motorcycling is the original social distancing, the far West Texas counties have very low population density, masks were worn, and more and more members have been vaccinated, thus those who “came along for the ride” felt like the risk might actually be lower than at home!
Just to get within sight of Big Bend, you cover miles and miles of Texas (hear Asleep at the Wheel?), whether your favorite route includes I-10 to the max, or you strive to minimize sailing on the interstate, instead enjoying a mash-up of two-lane blacktop. We had riders, both singly and in groups, who took practically all of the possible routes from Austin to the Stone Village “Tourist Camp” in Fort Davis. But however you cut it, all saw miles and miles of Texas!
One of the first broad glimpses of West Texas can be seen from what used to be called Lancaster Hill, the ragged edge of the Edwards Plateau, along a great (but short) section of old US 290. This road takes off of I-10 about 20 miles west of Ozona and ends at Sheffield. A roadside park overlooks the site of old Fort Lancaster, at the same time offering an expansive view of West Texas’ Delaware Basin.
Lancaster Hill:
One small group of three rode out to Fort Davis on Wednesday, with the balance of the riders trickling in on Thursday. A Wednesday arrival allowed three of us to explore Big Bend Ranch State Park, out beyond the Saucedo Ranger Station, on Thursday. Along the way, we had to make a critical decision: Straight ahead, or turn right and chance bandidos? BBRSP is a great place to ride and explore.
Canon de los Bandidos:
Since all of the club travelers had arrived in Fort Davis by Thursday evening, riders broke into both small and large groups to cover a lot of territory on Friday. The touring riders rode into and around and through Big Bend National Park, Marathon, Study Butte, Terlingua, Presidio, and environs – they a had a lot of miles to cover and asphalt to experience!
Meanwhile, the GS crowd formed into one of the larger groups (six riders) and went looking for their nirvana – where the “pavement ends”! That would be south of Marfa at the approach to Pinto Canyon – another wonderful ride. The road through the canyon was well-graded and in the best shape I’ve seen. We left Pinto Canyon Rd at Candelaria and motored to Presidio for lunch at El Patio – still there, although a new, smaller location that’s (for now) focused on take out.
Where the pavement ends:
Glass smooth Pinto Canyon Rd:
After lunch, as always, we rode the River Road (170) back to Terlingua, but instead of heading directly north, we detoured through the boonies via South County Rd, Hen Egg Rd, and North County Rd, to the junction with the Alpine Highway. The nagging puncture on one bike meant stopping twice to try plugs, but eventually breaking it down beside the highway and putting a tube in.
Workers and supervisors:
By the time the group finally returned to the motel Friday evening, the question on everyone’s mind was, “how many riders does it take to fix a flat?”. The answer is obviously, “too many”!
After riding all day, evenings were filled with war stories, drinks, and dinner (and maybe the odd bike repair). At dinner time, some opted for the Stone Village market next door, some the Drugstore, a fair number for the uppity Blue Mesa Bar and Grill (emphasis on “bar”), and at least one or two had dinner right out of their panniers.
Saturday offered another day to explore the region, so riders took off in all directions. While it didn’t suit everyone’s tastes or wallet, one group of eight opted to ride to the beautiful Cibolo Creek Ranch near Shafter for a catered lunch. To close out the Big Bend part of the ride, I detoured over to the closest car wash in Alpine to wash the grit off the bike, then swung by the local mural for a quick photo op:
The colors of Alpine:
On Sunday morning, bikes were starting up at zero-dark-thirty, so some riders were obviously eager to get on the road back to Austin. Others were not so eager and pulled out of the parking lot after daylight. Maybe one took a wrong turn (is the Davis Mountains scenic loop ridden clockwise or counterclockwise?? It apparently makes a difference!), and finally woke up in Arizona, meaning I went west instead of east. I took the 'normal' route from Fort Davis to Valentine, Van Horn, and El Paso. Easy ride, especially now that you can bypass El Paso's mess of I-10 by looping around Fort Bliss and the airport on the east and the Franklin Mountains on the north. More miles, but much more pleasant. Then it was west across NM on State 9 to its ‘confluence’ with State 80 (which used to be US Hwy 80 decades ago). Made it into AZ and an overnight in the vintage, biker-friendly Jonquil Motel in the cool mining town of Bisbee - great place for a break.
The next day I rode north from Bisbee to Benson, where I connected with the AZ BDR, which runs north from Benson to Mammoth. Just short of Mammoth at San Manuel, I went looking for the backroad up Mount Lemmon. ADOT had posted mixed messages about whether it was open all the way over the mountains to Tucson, but I took the chance anyway. Only two downsides: 1) The road was closed near the top of Mount Lemmon, so I had to turn back; 2) A speeding, two-beer dufus in (on?) a side-by-side almost ran me off the road sliding around a blind corner. Thankfully, no harm, no foul. The weather, roads, and scenery were all fantastic. I just got to ride Mt Lemmon Rd twice.
AZ BDR (Legs 3-4):
Hazardous road warning (AKA “invitation to a GS”):After returning from the Mount Lemmon blockage, I took the pavement back by San Manuel, up through Globe, and north to the start of the Apache Trail. Another information dichotomy – after about twenty miles on the way to Tortilla Flat, the road was closed. It seems forest fires over the past few years have resulted in erosive runoff and washed out roads that they haven’t had time to repair. Retreat again, but you take your chances and it was still great riding. Back to Globe and down US 60 to Tucson. Overnight, then on to Phoenix and pause for a new rear tire and fork seal repair.
After bike maintenance, it was time to head for Baja. Darrel and I were planning to meet in Yuma, but when I saw the gotch-eyed (one aux light is mis-aimed) GSA in my mirror at about Dateland, I knew who was rapidly approaching. We checked in at our motel, had dinner, and prepped to set out for San Luis Rio Colorado, our border crossing of choice, the next morning.
We both had obtained our Mexican tourist permits online, but my receipt was incorrect, and Darrel’s name was slightly different from his passport, so guess what? We did them over and paid the fee again right there at the border. But we were the only gringos crossing there, so it was not crowded and actually pretty much painless. Once in San Luis, we stopped by our favorite bank bank/ATM to withdraw pesos, then headed to the café for breakfast.
We were going to take the Laguna Hanson road south from Mex 2D to Mex 3, then up to Ensenada and down to Coyote Cal’s on the Pacific side. But after about ten miles on the Hanson route, we did a time check and there was no way to make Cal’s by dark. So, we retreated, rode to Ensenada, then south to Cal’s. Going through Ensenada is always horribly slow and hot. And speaking of Ensenada, how about a short break and nod to Lyle:
Our first night was another well-known Baja haunt, like Mike’s Sky Rancho, but Coyote Cal’s is on the beach south of Ensenada, not as far off the grid as Mike’s. Cal’s is a hostel-like, added-onto affair, but was not crowded with riders so we each had a private room. Like Mike’s, most flat surfaces are plastered with years and years of dirt bike and Baja 1000 stickers and memorabilia.
Coyote Cal’s:
Pacific sundown from Cal’s:
Fair warning inside my room’s door:
After Cal’s we trudged south, and the fun began.
Michelin Anakee Wilds are the best, go-to tires for a big GS that I’ve used. Good grip, good mileage, handle sand and gravel very well. I’ve used them for 75k miles on my GS, and on BDR’s, TAT’s, the Dempster and Dalton Highways into the Arctic, etc. But in Baja this time I apparently tested the lean angle and grip of my rear Wild to the extreme. If you’ve ridden Mex 1 south of Ensenada, you know it can be miles and miles of straight pavement, with a few steep, twisty escarpments to ascend/descend on the way to Guerrero Negro. Unlike last year, when we were caught out after dark, this year Darrel and I were much smarter than that; we were riding south in broad daylight. I was rounding a curve, perhaps a tad too swiftly, when the back end stepped out. I "dabbed" my left foot, skidded a little, but recovered and stayed in motion on both wheels - thus no low side, no downed bike, no sliding into the cacti – well done! Sorta.
My little lowside-saving foot dab resulted in a severe twist of my left ankle (leg and ankle were moving, pavement was standing still) against the underside of the bike or pannier. I didn't much like the way it felt, but like every coach I ever had, any leg injury must be met with "...you're OK, walk it off...". Thus, a few miles later, when we stopped, I “walked it off”. More or less.
We were planning on stopping that day in Mulege, but poor motel choices there forced us to continue south to Loreto. No big deal, we arrived before dark, checked into our favorite downtown hotel, had a good seafood dinner, etc. The next day I caught up on sleep and didn't much leave my room. My ankle was bruised and misshapen and "real fun" to boot and un-boot. In fact, it took a lot of pulling to get the boot on. I decided not to visit the clinic in Loreto, as I didn’t want any input on what I should do or not do, particularly with regard to a cast.
Favorite coffee/breakfast stop in Loreto:
We decided to head back north from Loreto rather than continue south; continuing to La Paz to stroll the city center was no longer in the cards for this trip. So, we turned around and headed north. It was good weather and a good ride, even offering the opportunity to stop at the Taco Factory in San Felipe for a great lunch, and we crossed the border and arrived in Yuma without problems. The next morning after coffee we headed out, and at Gila Bend went our separate ways, D to Phoenix and me toward Tucson and points east.
Darrel had offered to store my bike and let me fly home, or to even ride my bike and let me drive his car so I wouldn’t have to put too much stress on my leg. But I felt like riding home was the right answer. The only difficulties were getting my boot on without moaning too much...and mounting up...and dismounting...and shifting gears by rotating my foot upward. Other than that, A-OK. I guess I could have avoided the shifting issue by riding home in first gear…
The trip home wasn’t bad at all, so no real second thoughts that it was the right course of action. Hot and windy across AZ, but another night and nice motel and meal in Bisbee made it all better. Then the NM borderlands, bypass around El Paso, and evening arrival at our favorite ‘tourist camp’ in Fort Davis were all good. The last day across West Texas was relatively cool, with little wind and only weekend truck traffic. Thus, I used I-10 more than usual and it was a little faster, without hiccups.
Arrive home, explained why I was limping to my wife, that I didn’t go down or hurt the bike, didn't run into any bandidos, etc., and would have my ankle checked. Then, eventually this story's coup de grace: After x-ray the doctor here in Austin informed me that my little foot dab incident resulted not in an ankle sprain, but in a fractured and displaced fibula. Result – surgery, stainless steel plate, no riding for a few weeks. No wonder putting the left boot on in the morning and taking it off in the evening were the most thrilling parts of the six day, 1800 mile ride home. But once saddled up, the riding itself was fine! IMHO my compression socks and adv boots provided a pretty good field-expedient cast...
A fellow rider commented on how he thinks “Baja's winning”...I don’t think so – it feels like it’s two-all to me: Four trips, only two “Baja Binds”…
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Sucks about the ankle but that's adventure. Hope it heals quickly. Baja/La Paz is on my post retirement destination list.
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