To All Bicycle Tourists.....

Every year since about 1975 there has been a more or
less informal bicycle ride from the California border
down the length of Baja to Cabo San Lucas. The last
time that I rode it was 1991.

The changes that I hear about over the years for the
ride are; 1) more traffic, 2) more places to stay,
3)an off-road group leaves 3 days early from Jacumba
along the Eastern edge of Baja and they meet up with
the roadies about a third of the way down in Rosarito
and continue on the road from there.

Here is a brief synopsis and my personal opinion of
the "road" ride; This is a VERY DIFFICULT, but very
rewarding ride. It is best to be stoic and get in
the mind set of pedaling every mile from the border to
"Kilometer 0" in Cabo. It is approx. 1100 miles, done
in about 14 bicycling days and 3 rest days. I will be
taking the paved road all the way. The beginning and
end dates and number of rest days are subject to
change slightly and the traditional route is as
follows;

Day  0  Dec 29   Tecate                    0  miles
Day  1  Dec 30   Tecate to Ensenada       72  miles
Day  2  Dec 31   Ensenada to Colonet      75  miles
Day  3  Jan 01   Colonet to El Rosario    78  miles
Day  4  Jan 02   El Rosario to Catavina   76  miles
Day  5  Jan 03   Catavina to Rosarito     96  miles
Day  6  Jan 04   Rosarito to Vizcaino     97  miles
Day  7  Jan 05   Vizcaino to San Ignatio  44  miles
Day  8  Jan 06   San Ignatio to Mulege    83  miles
Day  9  Jan 07   Mulege to Loreto         85  miles
Day 10  Jan 08   Loreto                    0  miles
Day 11  Jan 09   Loreto to Constitution   88  miles
Day 12  Jan 10   Constitution to Conejo   88  miles
Day 13  Jan 11   Rancho Conejo to La Paz  43  miles
Day 14  Jan 12   La Paz                    0  miles
Day 15  Jan 13   La Paz                    0  miles
Day 16  Jan 14   La Paz to Todos Santos   54  miles
Day 17  Jan 15   Todos Santos to Cabo SL  50  miles 
                                TOTAL   1029  miles

The paved road, although 2 lanes and narrow, is
usually good with an ocassional stretch that is a
mess. The Mexican drivers are usually very good and
cautious, especially the trucks. The California motor
homes can be about the same as armed terrorists and
most of the buses are in a hurry. I recommend using a
rear view mirror.

In the "old" days we used to camp quite often, but now
you can almost do the whole ride and stay in rooms,
but everyone carries basic lightweight camping gear
even if only for emergency use. Trust me, carry it.
There is no SAG, but you never know if an interested
spouse or friend might follow along. Some folks take
some cooking and food supplies. This is optional, as
it is no problem to get by, food and water wise, in
the towns and markets and small "truck stop" type
ranchos along the way. Yes, there is bottled water and
you should make use of it unless you grew up in
Vietnam.

There is a north-south mountain range that we cross
about 3 times, maybe getting as high as 3,500 feet or
so; NOT AN EASY RIDE.

The climate changes as we trek south. The north is
like Southern California, some vineyards, can be cool
and rainy or delightful. In the central part there is
a high desert type of environment with some very
interesting rock gardens and vegetation (Boojum).   
further south, the beaches from the Gulf side south
are warm and inviting (bring your swim suit).

The Mexican people are terrific, muy simpatico. No one
I know has had any bad experiences (read no
banditos) and there is safety in numbers anyway.

The off-road ride leaves from Jacumba, CA on the
morning of December 27th and meets the road group on
January 3rd in Rosarito.

The road ride starts in Tecate, MX on the morning of
December 30th. Most people stay in a motel in Tecate
the night before the start. Tecate is about 45 miles
East of San Diego. On the 29th, I'll probably be
taking a train from my home in Oceanside to San Diego
and then bicycling up to Tecate.

Here are some of the trip and logistical options; Keep
in mind Tijuana is just across the border from San
Diego and both have airports. Riders can fly back from
Loreto, La Paz or San Jose del Cabo (20 miles from
Cabo San Lucas). You can take a bus back. You can
hitch hike back. You can bike back. You can take a
ferry from La Paz over to the mainland of Mexico and
continue your tour. There is another road on the
Southern tip that loops back to La Paz. In the past we
have stayed in Los Barriles on the Gulf of California
side of the peninsula. Or you can find a beach that
you like, set up your tent, and have your social
security check forwarded.

One other thing; THE COST IS FREE, NADA, ZIPPO. You
will be paying as you go for your food, rooms, and
transportation. In the past people have doubled and
tripled and quadrupled up (very cozy). Flexibility is
important on this ride. An itinerary is issued so that
riders will have the option of riding together or just
meeting up in the evening for meals and/or rooms or
camping, whatever.

The reason that I am spouting off about this ride is
that I would like everyone interested to at least know
about it and because the bigger the group, the more
fun, in my opinion.

A brief word about equipment. You should know some
basics about keeping your bike rolling and have the
required tools along to do so. Wheels are probably the
area where most people have made mistakes in the past.
"Skinny" wheels with less than 36 spokes are not good
for fully loaded touring. Even mountain bike wheels
should have at least 36 spokes. The first year that I
tried the Baja in 1981 or so, I was hitch hiking
almost every other day with broken spokes in the rear
wheel. Not using a front pannier didn't help the
weight distribution either.

So, I'm counting on whoever reads this to at least
spread the word about this great Winter vacation.

For further info contact either Burt Reiff
760-732-3938 BURT4754@YAHOO.COM or Paul Griffith
760-728-8908 GRIFFITHPAUL@HOTMAIL.COM