BajaXL 2025 Day 2 - San Felipe to Bahia de Los Angeles

And we are off yet again! Waking up in this lakebed is wonderful. So quiet and beautiful with the mountain range backdrop. Town is only 10-20 miles away, biggest challenge is the absurd sand bogs. This section is where we got stuck last time because engine was overheating and couldn’t pull through the sand for so long. This year I am hopeful for a better result with the supercharger. Foreshadowing we didn’t make much better progress….

But first things first a blast across the lakebed!

Morning time!

Nothing to add…

Epic

Ever see a more amazing view? Yeah the Miata, not that boring pile of dirt in the background. ;-)

Yes we got stuck

First, if you expected a Miata to not get stuck then you don’t know what a Miata is.

Second, if you off-road in a Miata then you know you go with 4WD friends to drag your ass out of dumb spots.

Third, we were having fun. Have you tried it?

Llantera aka Tire Shop

Surprising how many are out here, they are all extremely helpful and we seem to need them often. Today was just for easy air up.

Said hi to the Porsche boys.

Puppies of Baja

They are everywhere and all friendly. Always stop to give them a pat and you won’t be disappointed other than you can’t take them home.

Opposite of Miata

I’ve never seen one in person. Holy shit they are huge and that doesn’t even do them justice. Road tank is a good description. Ready for the torn up roads and trails down here.

All important first tacos of Baja

Yes we are lame and didn’t immediately stop for them once crossing, but we were behind and needed to run the lakebed asap. Problem rectified in San Felipe.

Chad's Torre de Pescado

So tasty looking, he forgot how to smile.

Proof I was here

The little Baja Miata made it to the first awesome town. I’d really like to take a trip here for a week. Very relaxing, low key and not too far from the border.

San Felipe beach

Watch out for flying vehicles, they fly powered paragliders from here.

First repair

I’ve known my front suspension was wounded since 2023, but did I change parts… No, wait until they are clunking non-stop in Baja. Change in the back of grocery store parking lot while enjoying a Modelo.

Lower ball joint was slowly coming apart and currently had ~1/8” of play. I planned ahead and had a spare ready.

Stop Here!

If you come down 5, you need to stop here. First it is the last/only store south of San Felipe for ~100+ kilometers in either direction. Gas sometimes is across the street.

Find our stickers!

29°47'30.1"N 114°24'54.0"W

Road Side Photo Op

Surprised we climbed this rocky outcropping, the view was worth the dents and dings to my exhaust/bracing.

30°12'43.0"N 114°39'58.6"W

Bear-vision

Thanks JR and Judy….This made the trip a bit more amusing. Yes we kept it on the entire trip.

Today we ended up running highway the entire day because the Valley of Giants was holding a local race. Cool to see buggies and other racers rolling around on hwy south of San Felipe, but meant we couldn’t play in the sand here.

All good, we were running low on fuel and today has minimal gas stops. Damn me for supercharging this thing with a 11.5 gallon tank. Great views and an overall relaxing drive to Bahia de Los Angeles. We did encounter one minor issue. The exhaust downpipe bolts decided to back out yet again, slightly ruining our only gasket. At camp I pulled it apart and red locktite all three bolts. Hoping this fixes it for rest of trip (hint it did!).

Baja will find anything that might come loose and very quickly remove it for you. Anti-sieze isn’t required to ensure stuff will come off. In 2023 we actually lost on of the header bolts, this year I caught it “soon” enough.

Here’s to mañana! We probably will wake up near water!