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For the three day Memorial Weekend, it was a return to our favorite beach in Baja California... one I call 'Shell island'. It is a barrier island, 4.5 miles long and surrounded by sea water during high lunar tides. The access is a muddy trail, that can be several inches covered, a few days each month.

4WD LOW and A-TRAC makes crossing the mud a breeze, but we did go sideways at one point, requiring some quick counter-steering (VSC is inactive in low range)!

Shell Island is located about 20 miles south of San Felipe, on the Gulf of California (also called the Sea of Cortez).

Here are some photos of the beach, my Tacoma, and other things...







Deflating to 18 psi for deep sand flotation (Hankook Dynapro ATM)











The Baja Feeling!





Memorial Weekend on a crowded beach? No way, it's a Baja beach!





Saturday's Sundown



Moon rise



Sunday morning camp as I walk out at low tide.



The tide really goes up in the upper gulf... over 20 foot vertical change, and nearly a half mile away in distance!



Looking back to our camp.



Mine Mine Mine





Sun canopy up!



Going for a drive to look for shells.



Love my Tacoma!















Looking south down the island from our camp, when the tide came back in.



Monday Morning we go... bummer!



Off the beach and across the mud, I air up the tires for the 300 mile trip home.



One last look back towards Shell Island.



Until next time, adios!

Maps:





Our camp is about where that umbrella symbol is. There is no 'Castañeda', but that is the road to Rancho Percebu.

Thanks for sharing

My pleasure, glad you enjoyed it!

I am not going south as often as I want to, so I am hoping to inspire others reading this to please post their trip reports and photos to keep us all energized with that Baja feeling, when we can't be there!

Thank you!!

Great Time!

Hey...do you like the Hankook tires? I almost bought a set for my Chevy Silverado, but chickened out and bought BFG's again. Maybe next time.

Thanks DK. Usually go to the Pacific side, but your pics sure look very inviting. Maybe next time.

Originally Posted by BigWooo

Great Time!

Hey...do you like the Hankook tires? I almost bought a set for my Chevy Silverado, but chickened out and bought BFG's again. Maybe next time.

They were great, except not as long a life as I had hoped... but they were the P rated and not LT version. They were fantastic in ALL conditions however: quiet highway, great mud and snow, perfect in the sand.

I go through tires more than most and I don't think I am driving crazy or ever running at wrong pressure... But I get 25-35 thousand miles before I consider the thread too thin. BFG Rugged Trail TAs were the worst (known on Tacoma World forums as 'Rugged Fails'), what the Tacoma comes with, got rid of them at 20,000 miles)...

In the past, I have run Cooper Discoverer ATRs and Toyo Open Country ATs (both good and gave me 35,000 miles).

I also ran Cooper Discoverer STTs (an aggressive 3 ply sidewall mud terrain tire) and those lasted 40,000 miles, but were LOUD on the highway and TERRIBLE in sand (where I do most of my four wheeling).

I also have run Pep Boys (made by Cooper) Definity Dakota ATs on my 2001 Tacoma and that's what I have on the truck now (the Hankook place was closed and needed the tires that Sunday PM, Pep Boys sells them, but I was not feeling like paying their price for the Dynapro ATm LTs). The Dakotas are quiet, and when I had them before, they were just fine in the sand.

I think the Hankook Dynapro ATm was my favorite tire of all... but I replaced them at 31,000 miles. Perhaps the LT version would have lasted longer?

PEP BOYS (COOPER) DEFINITY DAKOTA ATs:





HANKOOK DYNAPRO ATMs:

Originally Posted by Doc Rey

Thanks DK. Usually go to the Pacific side, but your pics sure look very inviting. Maybe next time.

While I like the Pacific at times, both Baja Angel and I LOVE the warmth/ heat of the Cortez side (in the summer)... No fog, no drizzle, and warm water to swim and soak in! The clean white sand and solitude is really a great attraction for us.

Some photos from the first time I took Baja Angel to Shell Island to camp (July, 2005) following the El Rosario Cultural Festival...









She stayed in that warm water all day, and I brought her fresh cold beers! I was a good cabana boy!

That's the world's biggest heated swimming pool!

I run the Hankook LT's on our F-250. They have logged over 20K miles on mostly rocky roads and still look and run great!

Thanks for the input. My BFG all terrains only last about 12-15,000 miles. Nearly all my driving is in Mexico on and off pavement, and I don't drive crazy. They lasted quite a bit longer when I lived in the U.S. They are reliable though. In 15 or so years using them, I've only had two flats.

I had a neighbor buy Hankooks, don't know what kind, but he went back after only a thousand miles or so and changed them out for BFG's. He didn't like the way they handled. That's what steered me away from buying them last time. I'd like to find something reliable (load range D) that lasts longer than the BFG's.

Since this thread is already hijacked, I'll add a tire comment. I've had two sets of these Goodyears on my Yukon XL and got over 60,000 miles on the first set, sold the car with 40,000 on the second and plenty of tread left. They are super strong, not quite as aggressive a tread pattern as the BFGs but much quieter on the pavement and still have very good off road traction. They are comparable in price to BFGs. Worth a look.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....er+SilentArmor

Originally Posted by ncampion

Since this thread is already hijacked, I'll add a tire comment. I've had two sets of these Goodyears on my Yukon XL and got over 60,000 miles on the first set, sold the car with 40,000 on the second and plenty of tread left. They are super strong, not quite as aggressive a tread pattern as the BFGs but much quieter on the pavement and still have very good off road traction. They are comparable in price to BFGs. Worth a look.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....er+SilentArmor

Thanks, I'll check them out next time....hijack over

Difficult mix for a set of ties, Freeway to off road ...and getting 50,000 plus, with low road noise, and great gas mileage ...

Originally Posted by wessongroup

Difficult mix for a set of ties, Freeway to off road ...and getting 50,000 plus, with low road noise, and great gas mileage ...

Shall we start a tire thread???

No need ...

"TalkBaja.com - Where everybody knows your name and nobody stays on topic..."

Originally Posted by David K

Shall we start a tire thread???

Heck; we could just re-title this one to "Tire Test On Memorial Day 2013: Shell Island"

As wesson implied, we're not real big on micro-management of forum structure/linearity here.


We reserve those efforts for those bent on being nasty online.

Originally Posted by Marty Cortez

Heck; we could just re-title this one to "Tire Test On Memorial Day 2013: Shell Island"

As wesson implied, we're not real big on micro-management of forum structure/linearity here.


We reserve those efforts for those bent on being nasty online.

Well, my thinking is if anyone is seeking tire discussion they are more likely to look for a thread titled Tire Suggestions or ??? . However, this thread didn't get into tires until AFTER the trip report when BigWoooo asked about the Hankook Dynapros I was running. You are welcome to extract any tire posts from that one on and place them in a new discussion thread: Baja Tire Talk. Whatever you like... ;)

Where do you get your fire wood on Shell Island ...

Just fun talking about things ... btw I have one of those hats too and put a set of those Hankooks on the Bronco ... based on info from "that" tire thread ... thanks to all

Originally Posted by wessongroup

Where do you get your fire wood on Shell Island ...

Just fun talking about things ... btw I have one of those hats too and put a set of those Hankooks on the Bronco ... based on info from "that" tire thread ... thanks to all

We bring it from the store... use an artificial log and add a couple pieces of real wood for warmth, or not if summer. Watching the sky and counting satellites and UFOs is easier when the fire is low!

I have tossed in a 'magic rock' from L.A. Bay to add color to the fire when friends are with us!