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ated by the ne ver -e ndi ng parade of diesel trucks that thundered o ver the multiple speed bumps on Highway 1 in fron t of th e El Palomar a ll night. The group departed after breakfast, heading west through Rancho Viejo to the Pacific, then cutting south along the coast to Erindi ra, w here the Baja Bound crew again met u s fo r gas, s nac ks a nd a choic e of beverages to replenish our tiring bodies. Highlights of the ride inclu ded riding alo ngside a herd of wild horses, aweinspiring views of the ocean a nd surrounding cliffs, la va flows, and tide pools with spectacu lar- blowholes - and endless b each riding . We came to a stream crossing . and we were warned that it was co ntam inated with bacteria that co u ld d evour clothing and gear. Well, you-know-who fell for it: I meande red slowly across the stream with m y legs rai sed out of the wa ter, d oing a low-sp eed Kevi n Wind ham heel -clicker imperso nario n a p erfect ta rge t fo r a (Above) Skirting the coast on the sec ond day, these horses actuall y ran right pas t us, iIIuS1rating what rea l horsepower Is all about. (Right) A blOWhole lets go In the background as part of the group looks out over the Pacific Ocean on day two . > Leaving Mike's Sky Ranch on the third day meant we still had ano ther 140 miles to traverse to get back to ou r sta rting po int, the Rancho Santa Ver on ica ou tside of Tecate. (Below) Along the way, we couldn't help but stop to check out t his prist ine church located In a sma ll village In the middle 01 the rugged (Le ft) desert. 1T .a 1."-• '" .1 soaking . Tim C lark blasted by m e , drenching me from head to toe . A sucker is as a sucker does, but I learned a d a m n -go od practica l joke - as lo ng as my bu dd ies do n't read this story. Do I still sound bitter? The snacks we re good , but we wan ted !eal toad - carne asada tacos - and they were still on the horizon, in Co lonia. G uerrero. Bu t first we had to rid e south, checking out the famous shipw reck along the way before stopping again in Costa Brava to have some "refreshments" with an American transplant, retiree Joe wilson . Wilso n and his cornpadres were worried about pos sible da mage to their beautiful beachfront h o u se s from a pproaching h u r r ica ne Nora (which wou ld a rrive just a few days after hurr icane Linda). We wis hed them we ll and set out toward our lu nch spo t a t the Vaquero res ta ura nt in Colonia Gue rrero. We ate and fue led u p fast because it was five in the af ternoon and we still had to go 70 miles to get to our destinatio n for the evening: the legen da ry Mike's Sky Ranch in the San Pedro Martir mou ntain ran ge. Cla rk led us th rough "Tim ' s Secret Trail," a little-used section that led di rect ly u p into th e m o u n ta in s a nd degenera ted into sections of cow trails and u nde velo ped fields. As dusk fell, the group relaxed on .a long section of well-main tain ed di rt roa d , then paused to regro u p and ride into Mike's Sky Ranch in ncar -total da rkness on technical, ru tted , rocky trai l. The nigh t ride was hairy but fun , and our g roup arrived at Mike' s at 8:30 p .m. - just in time for din ner, as th e steaks had just been 'cued. The repast was followed up w ith some more bench-racing wi th ot her groups of rid ers a nd offroade rs who were also staying at Mike's, but that ended abruptly w hen the lights went out. Mike only runs the generator until 10, and no juice means no power. If you ever get to Mike's, remember to light you r kerosene lan tern before th e man d at ory bedtime - it su re helps you find yo ur bed or, mo re im po rtantly, the bat hroom on your trek back to your roo m. Machaca was the breakfast of choice agai n and , after a qu ick pho to shoo t in th e m orning , w e s ta r ted o ur jau n t toward Tecat e, head ing back up central Baja California. Our first slop was in Valle de .Trinid ad . where we joined up w ith John Du ffy a nd Pa pa Mo rton for some snacks and gas before cont inuing no rth to Santa Catarina . A quaint, p icturesq ue ch urch in the small village stopped u s in our tire tracks for some mo re pho tos, and then we moved on towa rd the pine forest and, ultimately, Rancho Santa Veronica. Our "refreshment" stops along the way - as well as playi ng domi noes w it h the "dentally chall e nge d" lo ca ls i n Ind epen cia - explained o ur later-than-expected arrival time at the rancho. Sunday was enjoyed by all, since the last half was smooth and fairly highspeed, which was easier on our ever-tiring mo nkey bu tts . The group rolled out of Rancho Santa Veronica after 6 p .m. and bega n the worst process of the entire trip (or any tri p, for that mail er ): the process of cha ngi ng, load ing up an d d r iv ing ho me. Th e gro u p .ag reed th at Ba ja Bou nd had provided an excellent rid e and service that cou ld please eve n the pickies t of rid ers. You won 't go hungry and yo u' ll always get a grea t night' s sleep . They ca n' t g ua ran tee yo u won' t get any flats, but there's always backup support by experienced Baja Bound personnel. As we rolled across the bord er and back into the United States , I was already look ing forward to our next Baja excursion - except next time, I'll be th e guy pulling off th e contaminatedwater /soak- the-lame-d uck trick at th e strea m crossing ou t of Santo Tomas. I~ B jaBound M a otorcycle a nd Off·R A oad dventures • Baja Bound tours can run from one day to two weeks anywhere In Baja. mcluding going all the way to the tip. • Fishing and whale-watching ex cursoos • are also available in 'Conjunction WIth the tnps. . • Family and couples rides are welcomed and encouraged. • The rate . including the rental of a motor- • cycle(Honda XR400. or 600.). fuel. all acco mcdano ns. trailside snacks and meals· is $35 0 per day. If yo ur motorcycle is up to the high mainte nance sta ndards needed to traverse Baja and yo u wo uld like to ride It. the price is $2 00 per day. Baja Bound Motorcycle and Road Adventures Off~ Fe Dr_ C-467 . Solana Beach. CA 92075 Teland fax 619/755-7599 Toll free 888 /66-4-BAJA 991 Lo mas Sante E-M ail: bajabound@aol .co Web site: mernbe ra.eo tcom zbejebo und t r-, 0\ 0\ ...... 00 ... a.> .s: o ..... u o 31