Baja for the next few days!

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MMc

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San Dimas, Ca.
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Mike
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McMullen
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Hurricane Hilary is going to up rolling up the pacific coast in the next few days. She will be ripping the roads with flooding and washouts. Please don't head south for fun, check the road conditions after she has passed by. Last year Kay the middle of Baja jacked up for a week or two. The locals don't need a bigger drain on the services.
 
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Murphy Slaw

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That hurricane is making serious news. I lived in Louisiana for many years and rode many out in my younger days.

I'm watching this one with much interest.
 
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MMc

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That hurricane is making serious news. I lived in Louisiana for many years and rode many out in my younger days.

I'm watching this one with much interest.
Baja has mostly 1 road going up and down, when there are rains like these it washes out. Some of last years washouts are still being worked on. Hurricane Kay (last year) took out miles of road and a couple of bridges. The locals will have a work around as soon as it dries out. I have a friend that went north for Kay and it took her a week to get back to her place.
 

MMc

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This hurricane has washed out many spots on the highway so far.
I will be a day or two before you'll be able to drive to the tip.
 

MMc

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How's everything looking now?
Baja is F ---ed up right now. Both highways are washed out and impassable. I have friends that lost roofs and buildings. There is still plenty of standing water and debris everywhere. There are at least 2 dead. It will be a week at least before the highway will be passable.
 

Fairbro

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Burlingame, CA
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We've been planning a 3-week, mostly off-road, trip starting middle of September for months now. I'm guessing that it will take a lot longer than a month to make many of the damaged dirt roads passable, so it's probably time to pivot and make new plans. Nevertheless, can anyone point me to a website with up-to-date road conditions?
 

MMc

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I would go as planned, the locals will be on it already. I would take road tools (pick, shovels, saws) and a willing ness to make a work around. I would also have a plan B just in case. I have dug out grades to get into river beds and exits on the other sides. Check out Talk Baja Road Conditions for highways and Baja Overlanding for some off road. I would not trust the accuracy unless they have been on the road after this storm. I couple of weeks makes a big difference in Baja.
 
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MMc

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1,749
San Dimas, Ca.
First Name
Mike
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McMullen
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18647

We've been planning a 3-week, mostly off-road, trip starting middle of September for months now. I'm guessing that it will take a lot longer than a month to make many of the damaged dirt roads passable, so it's probably time to pivot and make new plans. Nevertheless, can anyone point me to a website with up-to-date road conditions?
"Hell if was easy everbody would do it." "Never let other peoples fears decide what you are going to do." "The harder it gets the better the story."
Just go and have fun.
 

DintDobbs

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Daniel &
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the Vulture
@Fairbro @MMc Hmm... I can't necessarily agree with all of that logic. Nevertheless, I have had the best luck with it of all the people I have known.

Heed warnings. Prepare accordingly. Be smart, and you don't have to be scared, and don't let anybody talk you into tackling an obstacle you're not ready for - if you're not up to it, don't tackle it. Overconfidence and/or peer pressure decisions rarely end well.

Always go prepared for the worst, but beware that overpacking can result in overloading.

Now, with all that said... go out and have fun! There are ways to take on unfamiliar challenges and new experiences that aren't dangerous. As with all other activities, enjoy responsibly!

P. S. I'm the only one who caught air time on my last major outing, and I'm one of the two who left without broken parts.
 
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MMc

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1,749
San Dimas, Ca.
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Mike
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McMullen
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As of today you can drive to the tip, there are workarounds for the washouts and the boulders can be driven around with caution. A couple of bridges are out but have been graded side roads. I have no idea what the back roads are like. This storm was very windy about 1/3 the water as last year.