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INTRODUCTION: The Baja Asylum Runs (BAR) were conceived three years ago by lasvegasrider (Mike) and I while we were in Creel attending a Horizon's Unlimited meeting. The first BAR ran in in 2005, the next BAR in 2006, and 2007's BAR was February 11th -26th of 2007. This year's attendees were: Ibarra (Gerardo), lasvegasrider (Mike), GypsyRider (Jan Marc), jonz (Jeff), BigDogAdventures.com (Mark), leewildwater (LeeBob), and gaspipe (the author!). As would be the case, as the ride date approached, personal matters and business got in the way, and at the last minute, LeeBob and Ibarra had to bail out. Jeff could only run with us for a week, and that would leave just four riders for the LONG HAUL anticipated for the '07 BAR. And then there were five. Mark and I spent considerable time in the final two weeks mapping and planning a series of routes to use (or not use) as we traversed the Baja peninsula. We both were using Garmin 276C GPS units, which are really the best out there for now for our purposes, but we did anticipate doing a good deal of exploring and creating new routes as we rode. Jeff just acquired a refurb'd 2610 which Mark would program with our data when he arrived, and I emailed lasvegasrider the data to load into his trusty old Garmin V. Mark and I trucked west from Tennessee, hauling the BigDog Husky TE610, a tricked out XR650R I built for Jan Marc, and a crusty old LC4e I bought and had yet to ride at all. I was a bit nervous about the LC4e, as I had a grand total of 3 miles on it since I bought it, and didn't have the time to go over the bike since I was preoccupied building the XR650R. I had intended to bring my XR650R on this ride, but I just didn't have time to get it done. Anyhow, the LC4e was a 2000 model, with 10,204 miles on the clock, and was largely bone stock - including the mainshaft ball bearing. We congregated the morning of February 11th in Calexico. At 0730, THE CALL came over my cell phone. It was lasvegasrider - his freshly rebuilt KLR685 had broken down enroute. He was out. And then there were four.

Day 1: Jeff arrived promptly at 0830, and Mark quickly programmed up his 2610 with the data while Jan Marc finalized his packing scheme for his new XR650R.We crossed the border into Mexicali at 1030, and got tourist visas for Jeff and Jan Marc. Finally ready to roll, we headed west out of Mexicali........

West? Why west? Laguna Hanson? NO WAY. Something new! The road less traveled......

About 15 miles out of Mexicali, past the PEMEX refinery a ways, but before the climb to La Rumerosa, is the northern end of Laguna Salada - the dry lake. We turned south off the highway and our tires touched Mother Earth for the first time. Our plan is to work our way south, to the Hot Springs in Guadalupe Canyon, and after that, back to civilization for fuel. Gas was going to be a bit of an issue, as the IMS tank for the Husky 610 was still not released, limiting BigDog's bike to about 150 miles of range. My 640e was a total unknown. I had *no idea* what it could or couldn't do. Not too bright to test it here, but I didn't have much choice. Jonz and GypsyRider are carrying well over six gallons each, so they'd be our tankers.....if we needed it.....

The ride south was a relative easy, wide and sandy road. The weather was exceptional, and the combination made for some 70+ mph cruising. It was about here that I noticed my countershaft bolt was loosening. I had to stop every 15 miles and tighten it, which was becoming a bit tedious. But these are the things that get you when you don't prep your bike adequately before a ride. Well, not much I can do about it here, but somewhere in the next day or two, I need to find a refracionaria and get some threadlocker. PITA. As we approached and then passed a huge olive grove, we turned into the base of the Sierra Juarez range which rise five thousand feet above us. The road became nice and rough, with a couple water crossings and rock galore. It was then we were told by the owners that "no further may you go" on your motorcycles.... No motorcycles allowed. Seems that loudness is prohibited - car alarms, radios, bullhorns, guns, fancy dirtbikes with loud exhausts were all on the not allowed list. Undaunted, we proceeded on foot - rumors of a tienda urged us up the hill. BigDog almost knocked me over on his way to a cool drink....

A Coke and a bench later, we were watching a nekkid woman across the canyon. Old perverts? Nahhh. I made the pic small enough so you can't see her. This is a family site, right? A beautiful view down the canyon looking back at Laguna Salada..........

After swilling back our Cokes, we ambled down the hill, mounted up, and headed back out onto the dry lake - southbound!! After heading south along the edge of Laguna Salada for a few miles, the road became more narrow, then eventually became a whooped sand track, and was taking us into the mountains, away from where we should be. Ordinarily, this would be not much concern to me, as I enjoy unravelling a mystery, and have little problem tossing out my tarp and sleeping nearly anywhere. Our problem was going to be fuel. I spotted a couple beer drinking lads who told me that the road we were on would eventually take us somewhere that I would *like* to go, but it is gated and locked So we turned and went a couple miles back to the last crossroads...

After a conversation with another kind soul at lonely rancho another couple miles later, we found an interesting track to take us somewhat southeast. Somewhere about this time, we'd decided to make a play for San Felipe for the night. My countershaft sprocket bolt is an every fifteen minute item now, and I need to find some threadlocker to let it set up overnight before we ride again.

Like Jonz says - as long as you have fuel, you're never lost. We're close to lost - BigDog's tank is good for 154 miles under ideal conditions. He's carrying 2 liters of extra fuel in tank panniers to get another 20 miles of range. But we'd been hammering along in the sand, which gobbled up HP, and also fuel. The odometer showed well over 100 miles already, and we were exactly right in the middle of nowhere. The best I managed to pull out on the dry lake was a lowly GPS indicated 84mph. The fancy hi-flo KTM head on ol' Ironsides must be the difference. BigDog soldiered on in a methodical, fuel conserving pace - perhaps the only one of us mature enough to restrain his throttle hand.

We climbed up onto the highway as the sun began to set, with San Felipe in our minds, and the dust storm on our heels.

We stopped briefly a bit north of El Chinero, and that's when my KTM caught on fire. Well, not a real fire - but the ground strap to the battery fractured and broke away while riding, and electricity, being what it is, must find a way to satisfy the potential if possible. The current flowed through the Garmin power cable up to the fuseable link, and arc'd through the insulation into the subframe, welding the puny wire to the steel. about 10" of insulation burned away, causing the nice plume of smoke and the brief, albeit greasy orange flame. The fusible link blew, and the GPS told me I lost system voltage. Strangely, the remains of the Garmin cable, now fused to the subframe, provided enough current to run the bike, but I had to kickstart it to run. It was just after this that BigDog ran out of fuel, about 15 miles short of San Felipe. Jonz donated a liter of fuel to the cause, and we made it into town around a half hour after sunset. Gassing up, we grabbed a motel on the southside of town and got a decent carnivorous dinner.

Afterwords, I pretty much figured out that I couldn't fix the bike without a visit to an electrical supply place, and the refracionarias were all closed before we reached town. No Loctite, no electrical parts until morning We watched some of BigDog's daily helmet cam video on the motel TV, and then turned in. Day 1 - 190 +/-miles --- not bad considering we didn't even get on the trail until after 1030.

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