At the rate days are flying by I’m going to be as old as Methuselah before I know it. I flubbed once again so we have the April President’s Corner in May.

As I was pondering what to write, I thought about the beginning of our riding season.

About three years ago Steve, Roger, Roy and I decided to ride our dual-sport 650’s in Baja. After a couple days, we arrived in Guerrero Negro well after dark, and decided to take a day off to go whale watching. This departure from our ride was an awesome experience, and I made a new friend, Baby, who was about the size of a stretched passenger van.

We had an uneventful couple days after meeting Baby until we headed to El Arco en route to San Francisquito on the Sea of Cortez. After El Arco and as we climbed into the mountains, the effects of the hurricane that blew across Baja from the Sea of Cortez the summer before made its presence known many months after it dissipated over the Pacific Ocean in the form of washed out roads, deep ruts and most riders nemesis, deep sand. What once was a valley suitable for grazing cattle was a sand wash from side to side with just enough big rocks and ruts to foreclose any hope of getting enough speed up to stay on top of the sand. By late afternoon we were exhausted, dehydrated and psychologically spent. More significantly, we only were about half way to San Francisquito. As we approached the spine of Baja in the mountains at dusk on what barely passed for a sandy Jeep trail, we were contemplating how we could spend the night in the middle of nowhere without camping gear. We decided to press on just a little bit more, and were saved by Rancho Piedra Blanca where we rented rooms for the night, took a shower, ate fresh fish and steak dinner, and drank about a case of cold beer. In every respect, the Rancho was paradise.

As we ramp up the riding season and embark on our travels, take a day off to pursue a different venture. It may lead to an unexpected new friend. When you are at your wits end, look around the next corner and you may find paradise. When you get home, share your photos and experiences by submitting a photo journal or article for the Newsletter.  

Salud!

Thoughts / Suggestions / Insults / Welcomed / Appreciated

Jack