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JT Rides Again

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This ride looks incredible. Too rough for a big bike R1200GS?


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Very cool! Wonderful way to finish up the year. Thanks for the great pics and write up. Maybe one of these days... :rider:
 
Kberg said:
This ride looks incredible. Too rough for a big bike R1200GS?
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I rate this route as class 2+, and only about 10% of the route is class 2+. The rest is easier dirt (a bunch of which is class 1) and pavement. I think a rider with average dirt skills could ride any of the big adventure bikes on this route. As a point of comparison it's about as difficult as Old Ore Road or River Road in Big Bend National Park.
 
Thanks for the info. I've done Casa Piedra road and Pinto Canyon but never Ore.

You ever taken Candeleria rd to Lobo?

I'll practice up and maybe try it out if the stars align.


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Kberg said:
Thanks for the info. I've done Casa Piedra road and Pinto Canyon but never Ore.

You ever taken Candeleria rd to Lobo?
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The class 2+ section is a bit harder than either Casa Piedra (which is a class 1) or Pinto Canyon (which has a short section of class 2 on the northern end).

It is similar in difficulty to parts of Chispa Road (the road between Candelaria and Lobo Pass).
 
Excellent photographs, Richard. The view from the edge is stunning. Your level of HDR is appropriate, not overdone.

That little town of Manuel Banavides looks inviting, I'm sure the locals don't see very many Americans there. Having not ridden in Mexico before this looks like a trip that would work. Passports needed?
 
Richard,
Does the route require you to go past the "tourist area" where you have to have a vehicle permit? We tagged along with RG earlier this year and at that time the checkpoint was just beyond Peguis Canyon. I would assume that your route to the Mexico side of Santa Elena turns back east well before that.
 
Johnf3 said:
Richard,
Does the route require you to go past the "tourist area" where you have to have a vehicle permit? We tagged along with RG earlier this year and at that time the checkpoint was just beyond Peguis Canyon. I would assume that your route to the Mexico side of Santa Elena turns back east well before that.
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John,

We didn't do any paperwork for this ride. The route is not as far into the interior as Peguis Canyon. After we crossed into Mexico we stayed in the "tourist area" and didn't pass through any checkpoints. While we were more than 60 miles from the international bridge, we were within 25 miles of the border at all times.

The inspector at the international bridge did ask for my vehicle registration and compared the VIN on the registration to the VIN stamped on the bike. JT had the same thing happen to him. Presumably they just want to ensure the registration paper and the bike VIN match but they didn't ask for or compare the registration with my driver's license.

There was an abandoned military checkpoint just outside of Manuel Benavides that if it had been in operation may have required us to show tourist and vehicle permits. JT said it was abandoned last year when he came through here so perhaps it is permanently out of operation? Even so, my experience with military checkpoints in other parts of Mexico has been that if stopped the soldiers only do a cursory check of our bags for contraband - I've yet to have one ask for my passport or check my vehicle permit.

You need your passport to get back into the USA.

In summary you will need a copy of your vehicle registration and your passport to do this ride.
 
Trail Boss said:
...You need your passport to get back into the USA.

In summary you will need a copy of your vehicle registration and your passport to do this ride.
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Or passport card or birth certificate and valid drivers license.

_
 
Very nice Richard. I can easily see how you'd sit there for an hour or so just soaking in the view... :bow:
 
Great write up. So very jealous. This is now on my shortlist of future rides. Meriden, Silverbullet lets talk about this Wednesday night....;-)
 
SilverBullet said:
Or passport card or birth certificate and valid drivers license.

_
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I'm unclear on this. I used to be able to get back into the US with just my driver's license. Then, a few years after 9/11, the feds changed their policy and I understood that I needed to show either a passport or passcard to re-enter the USA. On the US Passports & International Travel page of the Dept of State website it states, "Additionally, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) requires U.S. and Canadian travelers to present a passport or other document that denotes identity and citizenship when entering the U.S. It is a result of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA). All adults arriving by land from Canada or Mexico must have a passport. Either a passport book or passport card may be used."

I haven't tried to re-enter the USA using a birth certificate. I suspect they would eventually let me back in if I didn't have a passport/passcard but I don't know that for sure. I also suspect that - knowing how Gov officials and processes work - even though they would likely let me back into the USA they would take their time doing so. Again, I'm just guessing. YMMV.
 
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Before 911 they routinely didn't check anyone. I've walked back across the border from TJ in lines of hundreds and don't remember them asking a single person for ID. Even my girlfriend from Thailand (but looked Guatemalian lol) visiting on a Visa walked across in the non citizen line without any ID request. But those days are now long since gone.

Per your link above it says only children 16 years and younger can enter by land with a birth certificate. Last year I was already in Tucson before realizing I left my passport in Houston. I wasn't going to let it ruin my vacation so crossed over anyway. Upon return I produced only my TX drivers license and was allowed back across with only a 10 second lecture. When he knew I didn't have my passport he did ask me for my birth certificate so I thought that was still acceptable but probably he was just asking to have something additional. I would do it again if i had to but not on purpose. I have wanted to get a passport card but to do so you will be without your passport for 4-6 weeks and I don't want an Int'l trip to pop up and have to miss it due to no passport. Next renewal I'll definitely pay the extra fee for one.

_
 
Trail Boss said:
John,

We didn't do any paperwork for this ride. The route is not as far into the interior as Peguis Canyon. After we crossed into Mexico we stayed in the "tourist area" and didn't pass through any checkpoints. While we were more than 60 miles from the international bridge, we were within 25 miles of the border at all time

The inspector at the international bridge did ask for my vehicle registration and compared the VIN on the registration to the VIN stamped on the bike. JT had the same thing happen to him. Presumably they just want to ensure the registration paper and the bike VIN match but they didn't ask for or compare the registration with my driver's license.

There was an abandoned military checkpoint just outside of Manuel Benavides that if it had been in operation may have required us to show tourist and vehicle permits. JT said it was abandoned last year when he came through here so perhaps it is permanently out of operation? Even so, my experience with military checkpoints in other parts of Mexico has been that if stopped the soldiers only do a cursory check of our bags for contraband - I've yet to have one ask for my passport or check my vehicle permit.

You need your passport to get back into the USA.

In summary you will need a copy of your vehicle registration and your passport to do this ride.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.

Same experience on our crossing at Ojinaga. They asked for our vehicle registration and matched it against our VIN on the bike. On a KTM Adventure, it is really hard to see the VIN under the fairing. The guard held us up 30 minutes trying to visually verify then let us go.

Can't wait to do this ride sometime.
 
I just got back from 9 days in Big Bend Friday night and I finally have time to post. Thank you Richard for the great ride report and thanks to everyone else for the comments. As Richard said, this makes for a great day ride into Mexico and I know I will go back asap. If anyone wants the gps tracks, pm me your email address and I'll send them out as soon as I clean up the missed turns, etc.

:chug:
 
First of all -outstanding ride guys. Thanks for the report.


my6 said:
Great write up. So very jealous. This is now on my shortlist of future rides. Meriden, Silverbullet lets talk about this Wednesday night....;-)
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I'll be there!

SilverBullet said:
I have wanted to get a passport card but to do so you will be without your passport for 4-6 weeks and I don't want an Int'l trip to pop up and have to miss it due to no passport. Next renewal I'll definitely pay the extra fee for one._
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Haven't kept up with the cards since my sailing days and my limited international travel is north these day, but I've started using my passport as ID for all travel, domestic and international. The TSA seems to like it.

JT said:
I just got back from 9 days in Big Bend Friday night and I finally have time to post. Thank you Richard for the great ride report and thanks to everyone else for the comments. As Richard said, this makes for a great day ride into Mexico and I know I will go back asap. If anyone wants the gps tracks, pm me your email address and I'll send them out as soon as I clean up the missed turns, etc.

:chug:
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PM Sent!
 
Trail Boss said:
JT enjoying the view
_1110338_39_40_41_42-L.jpg
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:drool: <-- For the view... not for JT hahaha. :puke:

Wow, that looks awesome. I've added yet another thing to "The list"
 
Trail Boss said:
The road eventually dead-ended deep in the mountains at a small, rugged house. My Spanish is not good but I managed to ask the man who lived there about getting to Santa Elena. As best as I could tell he said the road ended here and we would have to try another route. Hmmm, now what do we do?

As we backtracked, JT spotted another road veering off to the north and was certain this was the goat track he had seen on Google Earth. So off we went.

After going through two wire gates we encountered a Vaquero making his rounds on his horse, checking on his cattle. As before, I tried to ask him about getting to Santa Elena and he indicated it wasn't possible on this road. But he did indicate there were some great views ahead and gave us permission to ride on. I wished I had taken his picture.
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I have resisted going into Mexico but I'll have to admitted this has me getting my paper work ready. Opening a gate or crossing a fence line and walking into someones back yard without having ask permission first will get you shot around these parts so I would naturally have a pretty bad case of the hebegebees doing what y'all did. What do you know about the area off the improved roads you were in?
 
fossil said:
Opening a gate or crossing a fence line and walking into someones back yard without having ask permission first will get you shot around these parts so I would naturally have a pretty bad case of the hebegebees doing what y'all did. What do you know about the area off the improved roads you were in?
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I don't know this for a fact (due to my limited Spanish) but my experience riding in this part of Mexico leads me to believe that most of the dirt roads, especially the better maintained ones, are government maintained, shared access to the ranches along the road (the same as county dirt roads in Texas). The final road up to the cliff appeared to cross a few ranches (we went through several gates). I always presume the land on either side of the road is private, so I stay on the road (no off-road riding). If/when I encounter a gate with a lock I assume the road beyond is private property and don't proceed.
 
Looks like a great ride and definitely great views/pics. Will have to check it out next trip to the area
 
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