Introduction: In October 2004, lasvegasrider (LVR) and gaspipe met in Creel, MX at the Horizon's Unlimited meeting. We decided to plan a trip to Baja in the Spring of 2005, and that's how it all started. LVR and I spent a good deal of time trading emails, researching and telephoning to gather the intelligence we needed make this all happen. A friend, Clement Salvadori, and I discussed a good deal of Baja when I rode with him in December 2004 in Copper Canyon. His book, Motorcycle Journeys Through Baja, is an excellent tool for planning this sort of ride.

The images contained in this report were taken by all of us. Ask for permission, please don't rip them off.

The plan is generally very loose, as it needs to be for traveling in remote areas. Our basic plan is to ride south along the Sea of Cortez, cross the peninsula somewhere near Mulege or Loreto, and ride north along the Pacific coast, and generally see what happens.

Don't skimp of preventative maintenance on your machine. Trust me on this. New tires, chains, sprockets, cables, filters, engine oil, as well as new heavy duty tubes, are a must.

The original plan was for LVR to meet jumpingchollo and I in PHX, and trailer the bikes to Calexico. LVR called me from Kingman, explaining that he chunked and killed a brand new Dunlop 606 in about 100 miles. He bought an IRC GP1 from a Harley shop, and we decided to meet in Yuma. That was a success, and we caught up with gkennedy at the Border Motel on 4th Street. It was not a 4 star motel, but did the job. We clipped LVR's load and left a lot of spares and weight in the truck, and it really never became an issue. Traveling as light as you can safely do is a good thing when your aim is the road less traveled.

We really didn't have much of a goal in mind, but had loosely decided to find someplace to stay in or around Gonzaga Bay, a notoriously beautiful and relatively remote place. We motored past the turnoff to Ensenada, and headed towards San Felipe.

San Felipe was strangely quiet considering the date - this is in the thick of Spring Break Season!. We figured we were probably a few hours ahead of the crowd, so we had fish tacos on the beach, looking out over the Sea of Cortez.

The road was typical rocky dirt, and a little too much throttle and play was tearing up my MT21 and LVR's GP1. We lost a lot of rubber on that stretch of dirt. Time to rethink our riding styles a tad, and switch back to more of a tourist mode, or there's no way we'll make it a week on a single tire. Southbound we went, on past the various camps that dot the rocky coastline, as the washboard road winds it's way through the hills.

The stark contrast of the Sea of Cortez against the rocky islands that jut from the water are awe inspiring.

Onward to Gonzaga Bay!

The Pemex is now open at the entrance to the road to Alfonsinas. We gassed up again, and went in for a beer, and to look for accommodations. The Cessna 180/185 tail draggers were at Alfonsinas, leaving us little option, as it was declared in no uncertain terms that there was no room for us. We all are travelling light, with not much more than a sleeping bag and a tarp - enough to get by, but not particularly comfy.

No problemo, there are palapas down the other end of the beach. However, the wind was blowing about 25 knots, making the sand blow and generally being a PITA. It would be a long night. It also looked like a chance of a passing shower, too.

Eventually, we all nodded off, in a symphony of snoring, but LVR had a couple extra nightcaps.

Where will we go tomorrow?