I am graduating from HS in January and the 1st thing I intend to do is ride my drz 400 from mass (visit friends in georgia and drive through the southwest) and ride some varation of the baja 1000 course. I will be living out of a bag with the bear nessitys and well traveled relitives of mine are convinced that I am going to get robbed or killed or dissapear.....I figured I would check here because you all have experience in the area, obviously Tijuana is a sketchy place no argument about that. But I am a gringo who knows how to hablar espanol and I look somewhat southamerican. Are most robberies "give me your wallet gringo"(easily prevented by having one with expired cards and some $$$) or are they "give me your keys" and leave you marooned 100 miles from the nearest road???

dont camp in goergia man!

trackmaster said:

Exactly:lol: :lol

Listen to (almost) anyone on this forum and you'll be fine...godluck wi th your finals...

(what trackmaster said+1)

East Coast said:

Dude. Look me up. Maybe I'll roll down a ways with you when you're passing through and we'll tour a few trails. I'll be returning back at HQ tomorrow. You can PM me. I'll give you my contact info.

If you've got a great attitude, a bit of wisdom and common sense, you'll be in great hands. Beyond the horror stories and many of the misfits that tell them, you'll be navigating through the land of God, and you're more than likely to be enriched by your travels.

PM me and I'll provide my contact info. Like I said, I may be available to log some miles as well.

trackmaster said:

You home dude?  Congrats, BTW.

trackmaster said:

haha imm staying at my buddy's house. why is georgia dangerous??

That sounds like a killer journey, but I must give a you a real warning about the southwestern US and Mexico. Dirt roads run through areas that are incredibly remote, cities are spread out across WIDE OPEN desert. Temperatures in the desert in Jan and Feb can range from daytime highs in the 90s to nightime lows in the 20s. The desert is nowhere to be stranded any time of the year. At the very least, if you travel alone buy the SPOT tracker, better yet invest in a Satellite phone. I'd recommend setting up a network through Thumpertalk of people you can stay with on your way, (call me if you're in San Diego) or plan on going from Hotel to Hotel. But best of all enjoy the freedom, if you do get to SoCal I'd join you for a few days on your trip.

Oh yeah and my girlfriend has travelled in Mexico for her entire life with no troubles but just recently we got shafted by a motorcycle cop for all our money (it was only $35 but still all we had as we approached the border) for what he said was speeding, That was BS we were slower than all the other Mexico registered cars on the highway. Definetly avoid Tijuana and I've not heard anything good about Juarez either.

East Coast said:

Have you seen Deliverance??

Just kidding, be careful and have a great trip.

If I were you, I would cross the border at Calexico and boogie down the highway (MEX 5) a couple hours straight to San Felipe. That way you bypass any of the alleged drug violence in the north.
Go south from there camping on the beach or out in the desert if you prefer, nothing wrong at all with Gonzaga Bay, Bahia de los Angeles, and Punta San Francisquito. At San Francisquito I would just pony up the $20-$30 he charges for one of his grass-roofed beach huts and fish taco dinners. That's just me, if you want to stretch out under a cactus and eat power bars, that's cool too.
That's just my two cents. Oh, and I think the DRZs rock in Baja.

Not sure about camping, we always stay in hotels in Baja, they are pretty cheap. Gulf side is nice this time of the year. Maybe go down aways on gulf side then cross over to pacific side and return to San Diego.

With that grammar, punctuation and spelling... I'd think graduating at all would be your biggest obstacle!

if you really want to camp as much as possible, the more remote hotels sometimes have camping areas close by on the property. that way you have access to a bathroom/running water, and you'll save some more $.

going through calexico and running down the cortez side/ returning on the pacific is a great suggestion, if you have the time and the money, that's what i'd do.

Scotty Breauxman said:

I'll bite....  I love the place, but am taking a hiatus.

Be safe, travel smart. Know your in a 3rd world country....  Don't take anything for granted.

I'd also stay towards the Mexicali to San Felipe area.

... just too much going on coastal or even along the common travelled routes (for pre-run fun or pleasure riding).   "Too much" meaning, it only takes 'once' for it to be too much for me.

Who woulda' thunk...  El Rosario of all places!!!
Read this--->  http://www.voiceofsa...dina1112408.txt

Thread reminded me of the show Man VS Wild.  Guy dropped into baja from a helicopter in the mountains, walked through Laguna Salada, to the gulf.  Here are some youtubes of that episode.  You probably can find the complete show somewhere on the internets.  Anyway, this is a good reminder to keep your camelbaks full.  Lets just say that the guy drank something that was yellow and tasted like piss, but it wasn't a Corona (4th clip).

Man VS Wild-Baja Mexico-FULL HIGHLIGHTS 1 of 5


Man VS Wild-Skunk Dinner-Baja Mexico-2 of 5 Full Highlights


Man VS Wild-Bee Sting-Baja Mexico-Full Highlights-( 3 OF 5 )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tmEmUGodw0

Man VS Wild-Food=Snake Drink=Urine- Full Highlights 4&5 of 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQmx5BjZoTo