RR: Los Barriles, Baja

[Mamba]

Had a chance to do some limited riding while staying in Los Barriles, about
60 miles north of Cabo San Lucas. I've done a bit of desert riding before,
but it was mostly coastal sandy track stuff. This was a sweet combination
of dirt/rock singletrack with a fair amount of elevation change, and the
normal desert penalties for error if you stray off the narrow trails.

Nice stuff. I understand there are many miles of trails close to town in
the surrounding hills, although we did only a couple of trail variations.
Best to ride early morning even at this time of year, it got pretty hot by
10 am. The moderate trails we rode were actually pretty gnarley for an
intermediate rider like me. Lots of deep rain wash ruts combined with loose
rocks from baby-head to medicine-ball size. Certainly enough to keep us
very entertained without being life-threatening. The paved road and traffic
from Los Barriles to the trailheads is probably the most dangerous part of
the ride.

So if you're into MTBiking along with windsurfing or deep sea fishing,
here's a spot where you can do many things. Decent hardtails available for
rental from the Vela operation at Playa del Sol hotel near the south end of
town.

Cheers
Gary

[Paladin]

On Feb 12, 5:00 pm, "Mamba" > wrote:
> Had a chance to do some limited riding while staying in Los Barriles, about
> 60 miles north of Cabo San Lucas. I've done a bit of desert riding before,
> but it was mostly coastal sandy track stuff. This was a sweet combination
> of dirt/rock singletrack with a fair amount of elevation change, and the
> normal desert penalties for error if you stray off the narrow trails.
>
> Nice stuff. I understand there are many miles of trails close to town in
> the surrounding hills, although we did only a couple of trail variations.
> Best to ride early morning even at this time of year, it got pretty hot by
> 10 am. The moderate trails we rode were actually pretty gnarley for an
> intermediate rider like me. Lots of deep rain wash ruts combined with loose
> rocks from baby-head to medicine-ball size. Certainly enough to keep us
> very entertained without being life-threatening. The paved road and traffic
> from Los Barriles to the trailheads is probably the most dangerous part of
> the ride.
>
> So if you're into MTBiking along with windsurfing or deep sea fishing,
> here's a spot where you can do many things. Decent hardtails available for
> rental from the Vela operation at Playa del Sol hotel near the south end of
> town.
>
> Cheers
> Gary


Can you post any pictures? Sounds like cool terrain.

CDB

[JD]

On Feb 12, 4:00 pm, "Mamba" > wrote:
> Had a chance to do some limited riding while staying in Los Barriles, about
> 60 miles north of Cabo San Lucas. I've done a bit of desert riding before,
> but it was mostly coastal sandy track stuff. This was a sweet combination
> of dirt/rock singletrack with a fair amount of elevation change, and the
> normal desert penalties for error if you stray off the narrow trails.
>
> Nice stuff. I understand there are many miles of trails close to town in
> the surrounding hills, although we did only a couple of trail variations.
> Best to ride early morning even at this time of year, it got pretty hot by
> 10 am. The moderate trails we rode were actually pretty gnarley for an
> intermediate rider like me. Lots of deep rain wash ruts combined with loose
> rocks from baby-head to medicine-ball size. Certainly enough to keep us
> very entertained without being life-threatening. The paved road and traffic
> from Los Barriles to the trailheads is probably the most dangerous part of
> the ride.
>
> So if you're into MTBiking along with windsurfing or deep sea fishing,
> here's a spot where you can do many things. Decent hardtails available for
> rental from the Vela operation at Playa del Sol hotel near the south end of
> town.
>
> Cheers
> Gary


Wow, that's much more info than that dweeb Enchilada Jim Lame ever
posted about riding on the Baja Peninsula. Then again, all he did was
argue with vandamnan, being another pointless dumbass.

JD

[Mamba]

"Paladin" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> On Feb 12, 5:00 pm, "Mamba" > wrote:
>> Had a chance to do some limited riding while staying in Los Barriles,
>> about
>> 60 miles north of Cabo San Lucas. I've done a bit of desert riding
>> before,
>> but it was mostly coastal sandy track stuff. This was a sweet
>> combination
>> of dirt/rock singletrack with a fair amount of elevation change, and the
>> normal desert penalties for error if you stray off the narrow trails.
>>
>> Nice stuff. I understand there are many miles of trails close to town in
>> the surrounding hills, although we did only a couple of trail variations.
>> Best to ride early morning even at this time of year, it got pretty hot
>> by
>> 10 am. The moderate trails we rode were actually pretty gnarley for an
>> intermediate rider like me. Lots of deep rain wash ruts combined with
>> loose
>> rocks from baby-head to medicine-ball size. Certainly enough to keep us
>> very entertained without being life-threatening. The paved road and
>> traffic
>> from Los Barriles to the trailheads is probably the most dangerous part
>> of
>> the ride.
>>
>> So if you're into MTBiking along with windsurfing or deep sea fishing,
>> here's a spot where you can do many things. Decent hardtails available
>> for
>> rental from the Vela operation at Playa del Sol hotel near the south end
>> of
>> town.
>>
>> Cheers
>> Gary
>
>
> Can you post any pictures? Sounds like cool terrain.
>
> CDB
>
It is very cool terrain, well, to someone from the PNW anyways. Lots of
sand, dry washes, granite, and every manner of spiny vegetation you can
think of. Sadly, the pics we took were for the benefit of family and
friends who are not riders, so they contain mostly us (the obligatory
couple) posed in front of mongo cactus, etc. Perhaps I'll try to hunt down
a couple that at least show the hills surrounding the town, as that's where
the trails are.

I suspect the terrain is not unlike venues in SoCal or the drier areas of
Utah or Texas, not that I've ridden there. Interesting that we hit it
during the wetter season, and after a long period of cloudy, cool and wet
weather. Still arid and parched by our standards, but various cactii were
blooming and it was very pretty if you took a close look around.

Cheers
Gary (W)

[G.T.]

Mamba wrote:
> "Paladin" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>> On Feb 12, 5:00 pm, "Mamba" > wrote:
>>> Had a chance to do some limited riding while staying in Los Barriles,
>>> about
>>> 60 miles north of Cabo San Lucas. I've done a bit of desert riding
>>> before,
>>> but it was mostly coastal sandy track stuff. This was a sweet
>>> combination
>>> of dirt/rock singletrack with a fair amount of elevation change, and the
>>> normal desert penalties for error if you stray off the narrow trails.
>>>
>>> Nice stuff. I understand there are many miles of trails close to town in
>>> the surrounding hills, although we did only a couple of trail variations.
>>> Best to ride early morning even at this time of year, it got pretty hot
>>> by
>>> 10 am. The moderate trails we rode were actually pretty gnarley for an
>>> intermediate rider like me. Lots of deep rain wash ruts combined with
>>> loose
>>> rocks from baby-head to medicine-ball size. Certainly enough to keep us
>>> very entertained without being life-threatening. The paved road and
>>> traffic
>>> from Los Barriles to the trailheads is probably the most dangerous part
>>> of
>>> the ride.
>>>
>>> So if you're into MTBiking along with windsurfing or deep sea fishing,
>>> here's a spot where you can do many things. Decent hardtails available
>>> for
>>> rental from the Vela operation at Playa del Sol hotel near the south end
>>> of
>>> town.
>>>
>>> Cheers
>>> Gary
>>
>> Can you post any pictures? Sounds like cool terrain.
>>
>> CDB
>>
> It is very cool terrain, well, to someone from the PNW anyways. Lots of
> sand, dry washes, granite, and every manner of spiny vegetation you can
> think of. Sadly, the pics we took were for the benefit of family and
> friends who are not riders, so they contain mostly us (the obligatory
> couple) posed in front of mongo cactus, etc. Perhaps I'll try to hunt down
> a couple that at least show the hills surrounding the town, as that's where
> the trails are.

A couple of pictures of the hills would be great.

Greg

--
"All my time I spent in heaven
Revelries of dance and wine
Waking to the sound of laughter
Up I'd rise and kiss the sky" - The Mekons

[pete fagerlin]

Mamba wrote:
> Perhaps I'll try to hunt down
> a couple that at least show the hills surrounding the town, as that's where
> the trails are.

Let me help. These are almost a year old now. I didn't ride
but we spent the day hanging with my buddy who lives down
there now (we used to poach Tam together, he was on his Ibis
SS (geared bike) and I was on my Bridgestone MB3, "back in the
day").

On the beach on the North end of town.
http://www.paradigmhosting.net/images/rk2.jpg

View from the beach to my bussy's house in the hills above Los
Barilles:
http://www.paradigmhosting.net/images/rk1.jpg

View of Los Barilles from my buddy's deck:
http://www.paradigmhosting.net/images/rk3.jpg

He claims that there is some great riding in the area but
sadly I wasn't able to sample any of it.

[G.T.]

pete fagerlin wrote:
> Mamba wrote:
>> Perhaps I'll try to hunt down a couple that at least show the hills
>> surrounding the town, as that's where the trails are.
>
> Let me help. These are almost a year old now. I didn't ride but we spent
> the day hanging with my buddy who lives down there now (we used to poach
> Tam together, he was on his Ibis SS (geared bike) and I was on my
> Bridgestone MB3, "back in the day").
>
> On the beach on the North end of town.
> http://www.paradigmhosting.net/images/rk2.jpg
>
> View from the beach to my bussy's house in the hills above Los Barilles:
> http://www.paradigmhosting.net/images/rk1.jpg
>

Now that's a McMansion!

Greg
--
The ticket******* Tax Tracker:
http://www.ticketmastersucks.org/tracker.html

[Mamba]

"pete fagerlin" > wrote in message
. ..
> Mamba wrote:
>> Perhaps I'll try to hunt down a couple that at least show the hills
>> surrounding the town, as that's where the trails are.

<snip reminders of rustic town and beautiful beach ... sigh>

Need to meet your buddy ;-) We are already trying to plan a return trip.
Although we are mainly focused on windsurfing there, the wind is often light
or uncooperative in other ways. Having great trails nearby removes the
"skunk" factor from trips like this.

[[email protected]]

On Feb 20, 12:26 pm, "Mamba" > wrote:
> Although we are mainly focused on windsurfing there, the wind is often light
> or uncooperative in other ways. Having great trails nearby removes the
> "skunk" factor from trips like this.

Do they have any kiteboarding there? If I can ride, windsurf &
kiteboard there I'll start the vacation fund right now, with the jar
on my office bookcase and the money in my pockets at the moment. In
fact, I'm off to see just how long of a flight that is, and what it'd
set us back in airfare.

[pete fagerlin]

G.T. wrote:

>> On the beach on the North end of town.
>> http://www.paradigmhosting.net/images/rk2.jpg
>>
>> View from the beach to my bussy's house in the hills above Los Barilles:
>> http://www.paradigmhosting.net/images/rk1.jpg
>>
>
> Now that's a McMansion!

We must have drastically different views of the definition of
"McMansion" then.

This is the way that I've heard it used:

"McMansion is a slang architectural term which first came into
use in the United States during the 1980s as a pejorative
description and an idiom. It describes a particular style of
housing that—as its name suggests—is both large like a mansion
and as culturally ubiquitous as McDonald's fast food restaurants.

In addition to ubiquity, almost every reason to poke fun at
McDonald's has been applied metaphorically to "McMansions".
These criticisms include the deviation from traditional local
or regional architectural style, a gaudy, sterile,
mass-produced appearance, and perceived negative effects on
nature and neighborhoods."

[pete fagerlin]

Mamba wrote:

> Need to meet your buddy ;-) We are already trying to plan a return trip.
> Although we are mainly focused on windsurfing there, the wind is often light
> or uncooperative in other ways. Having great trails nearby removes the
> "skunk" factor from trips like this.

The El Nortes can be like that. Years ago the same buddy and
spent 17 days on a windsurfari, driving from Norcal and ending
up at Punta Chivato and we were skunked way more than expected.

If you know that you're going to be skunked another cool thing
to do is to head up to La Paz for a day and do a trip out to
Espirtu Santu and Partida. There are a bunch of guys in larger
pangas that will run you out for pretty cheap.

[Mamba]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> On Feb 20, 12:26 pm, "Mamba" > wrote:
>> Although we are mainly focused on windsurfing there, the wind is often
>> light
>> or uncooperative in other ways. Having great trails nearby removes the
>> "skunk" factor from trips like this.
>
> Do they have any kiteboarding there? If I can ride, windsurf &
> kiteboard there I'll start the vacation fund right now, with the jar
> on my office bookcase and the money in my pockets at the moment. In
> fact, I'm off to see just how long of a flight that is, and what it'd
> set us back in airfare.
>
Yeah, kiting is pretty big, as in most areas where the wind blows < 15K more
than > 15K. The season for el Norte is usually November to March.
Several guys we met with during our trip were getting a daily shuttle (or
two) about a mile up the shore to a big open "kite" beach. Then they do the
downwinder to the hotel to finish (or start over). On the two days it blew
harder, they windsurfed. On the days when it was less than 10 knots, they
biked. We mostly biked early and sailed starting around lunch. This
matches the wind pattern if it's gonna blow.

Dunno about the other hotel operations there, but Vela was reasonable for
food/gear included. You could opt out of the gear cost and buy it daily if
you don't plan to windsurf much. Bring your own kite stuff. Bikes are 30
or 35$ a day I think. Windsurfing stuff probably $50/day.

The hotel rooms are, shall we say, rustic, but it sounds like you spend
mostly sleep time there, as we do.

If you're west coast based, there are lots of flight options to Cabo. We
went on points, direct from Portland.

Gary

[Mamba]

"pete fagerlin" > wrote in message
. ..
> Mamba wrote:
>
>> Need to meet your buddy ;-) We are already trying to plan a return trip.
>> Although we are mainly focused on windsurfing there, the wind is often
>> light or uncooperative in other ways. Having great trails nearby removes
>> the "skunk" factor from trips like this.
>
> The El Nortes can be like that. Years ago the same buddy and spent 17 days
> on a windsurfari, driving from Norcal and ending up at Punta Chivato and
> we were skunked way more than expected.
>
> If you know that you're going to be skunked another cool thing to do is to
> head up to La Paz for a day and do a trip out to Espirtu Santu and
> Partida. There are a bunch of guys in larger pangas that will run you out
> for pretty cheap.

Sounds excellent. We tried to get to La Paz two years ago from La Ventana
during a skunk period. The hurricane had made roads really ****ty and we
didn't have a rental car (shared a ride from Cabo). Had hoped to spend some
time in the town and the water - maybe next trip.

[[email protected]]

On Feb 21, 8:22 pm, "Mamba" > wrote:
> Yeah, kiting is pretty big, as in most areas where the wind blows < 15K more
> than > 15K. The season for el Norte is usually November to March.
> Several guys we met with during our trip were getting a daily shuttle (or
> two) about a mile up the shore to a big open "kite" beach. Then they do the
> downwinder to the hotel to finish (or start over). On the two days it blew
> harder, they windsurfed. On the days when it was less than 10 knots, they
> biked. We mostly biked early and sailed starting around lunch. This
> matches the wind pattern if it's gonna blow.
>
> Dunno about the other hotel operations there, but Vela was reasonable for
> food/gear included. You could opt out of the gear cost and buy it daily if
> you don't plan to windsurf much. Bring your own kite stuff. Bikes are 30
> or 35$ a day I think. Windsurfing stuff probably $50/day.
>
> The hotel rooms are, shall we say, rustic, but it sounds like you spend
> mostly sleep time there, as we do.
>
> If you're west coast based, there are lots of flight options to Cabo. We
> went on points, direct from Portland.
>
> Gary


Sweet, sounds like a dream spot. We actually started a vacation fund
last night, though it will be a while before that materializes into
enough to actually vacation. How long depends on the vacation,
naturally. We've got a month or two before we buy tickets, and even
then we'll be buying them for far enough out to save vacation money in
the meantime.

November would be good, as it's far enough out to save up and still on
the '07 vacation-day year. We'll look into Vela for sure; you're dead-
on about hotels being for sleeping and nothing more.

We're in New Hampshire, so anything on the west coast is going to set
us back quite a bit. I have not seen anything on our side that can
rival all that's there, however, with a possible exception somewhere
in the keys. I hear there's better sand out west, so we'll see.

Thanks again,

Dan