 n my Emde Report in the last issue, I mentioned that I had just ridden the full length of Baja California
with Trail Boss Tours the last week of December. Of the 30 rides they put on each year, this is their signature event, the annual “Rip To The Tip,” a 1,140-mile ride from Ensenada and into Cabo San Lucas for
New Year’s Eve.
I grew up in San Diego and have ridden in Baja quite a few times, but always in the northern section. This time, I was going the whole way on a guided tour by Chris Steward and Nancy Emde. If you’ve ever longed to
experience Baja, this is the way to go. Trail Boss provides the machine, a Yamaha 450WR, plus they have a support truck and crew in case of any mechanical issues. They make all the arrangements for hotels each night and know where the food and gasoline can be found along the way.
My ride, along with Chris and Nancy and four other guests was very memorable. We left Ensenada the day after Christmas and headed south. After six days in the saddle and 1,140 miles of road and trail (about 800 miles of it dirt), we pulled into Cabo San Lucas where we celebrated New Years Eve. Another group then flew into Cabo for a northbound ride back to Ensenada and I flew home. How cool is that!
We all took hundreds of pictures on this memorable ride. Here’s some of the best from the 2006 Rip To The Tip. Magnifico!
That’s me on the right with the proprietors of Trail Boss Tours: my brother-in-law Chris Steward with his wife and
my sister, Nancy Emde.
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After a short warm-up ride from Ensenada to San
Quintin on Day 1, the group is just about ready to start the next day for the ride to Catavina.
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With a lot of miles yet to go, we head south on the
famed Baja 1000 course near Bahia de Los Angeles.
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An early morning view of Bahia San Quintin from our hotel at the Old Mill.
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Gas from a five-gallon can! The gas stations in Baja are a lot less sophisticated than in the US, but the service and hospitality are great. The locals love it when the dirt bikers come to town.
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A morning rainstorm on Day 2 left a rainbow over us.
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It’s not all just dirt trails along the Baja peninsula. There are also many old missions to check out, as well as other great sightseeing stops.
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We rode many miles along the beach. This is south of Scorpion Bay on the Pacific Coast side of Baja on Day 4.
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Everyone should have one of those “On Any Sunday” moments sometime in their life. Former AMA roadracer Thad Wolfe works on his Flat Track skills.
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A recent hurricane had left the creeks full in central Baja. Tour guest Jeff Kroeker navigates one of many that had to be crossed along the way near Loreto.
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If you ride Baja, make sure your headlight is in good working order. We didn’t get in before sundown every night and when the sun went down, it got really dark!
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The Trail Boss support truck at our stop in San Ignacio. Every morning, the crew had our bikes topped off with gas, spokes checked and chains lubed. Not one of the Yamaha 450s provided by Trail Boss experienced any mechanical failures or problems.
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After riding 1,000 miles from Ensenada to La Paz, we still had to get to Cabo San Lucas. On the final day we took the 150-mile “bonus” ride along the east cape of the Sea of Cortez. It turned out to be one of the most scenic sections of the ride.
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Trail Boss Chris Steward (left), with me and Thad Wolfe, as we relax in the parking lot of our hotel in Cabo San Lucas. A Pacifico never tasted so good as this one waiting for me at the end of the ride.
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Sunset on New Years Eve in Cabo San Lucas.
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