AwesomeRecently a dream came true in my Bronco. My buddy and I have been planning a trip to Baja for almost 20 years and about 4 years ago we decided we would finally do it when I took delivery of my Bronco. Well fast forward 3 years of waiting for the truck and another year to make schedules work we finally embarked on our journey.
We decided to pass through Denver on our way to Moab to meet up with an old friend. We drove strait from DC and it took about 28 hours to get there (16mpg driving around 85mph). When I met up with my friend I found out he has Jeep on 37's and after telling him our plans, he decided to come with us to Moab.
When we finally made it to Moab, I could completely understand the hype. This place was a Mecca for off-roading. Being that I have never been off-road besides beaches and some woods, I thought it was fitting to try a black trail called Metal Masher for my first taste. I really can't explain how impressed I was with the capabilities of the Bronco. With the crawler gear on the manual in 4L it could crawl over anything the bumper could clear. The Bronco really made a novice like me look like a seasoned veteran. After exploring a few other trails we found a cool camping spot in the middle of a valley and enjoyed campfire steaks and beers for some unforgettable memories.
Then we spent the next morning and afternoon exploring some more trails before moving on the next leg of the trail to Mexico. We decided to pass through Monument Valley, Grand Canyon and Sedona on the way.
When we finally made it to Mexico I immediately had a chance to practice my Spanish with the border patrol. He saw 3 dudes and assumed that we must have illegal drugs on us but much to his disappointment we were smarter than that. We spent our first night in San Felipe which I will say had a beautiful beach and our hotel was a little house right on the beach. The town on the other hand was a little run down and I can see why some say to skip it.
After a day there we moved down to Bahia San Luis Gonzaga. On the way there we decided to stop at Valle de los Gigantes. They charged something like 200 pesos to drive through but it was worth it. The giant cactus were amazing and we also got to do some more off-roading.
When we got to San Gonzaga the first order of business was to set up the camp site. We got a place right on the water with a "palapa" that offered some great shade from the sun. If you do stay here, I highly recommend stopping by the hotel for the restaurant. The drinks were amazing and food was exceptional. We spent two nights here and also explored the beaches with the Bronco.
After our stay in Gonzaga, we made our way up past Ensenada. When my friend and I first starting talking about the trip 20 years ago, it was originally supposed to be all on 2 wheels. Of course being in our 40's that wasn't really a great option so to homage to our younger selves we booked a dirt bike tour. This was a great way to end our time in Mexico and if anyone is ever interested in doing the tour just south of the border look up Lets ATV.
After ending our journey in Mexico, we dropped off my buddy in San Diego and made the long trip back across the country. All in we drove over 6,400 miles and averaged just under 16 MPG. I found that fully loaded and running on 91 or lower greatly reduced my MPG. Back home I usually get around 18-21 mpg on the highway. Hope you guys enjoy the pictures!
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