The Turtle Expedition joins Granville King in Search for Baja Treasures

Granville King is an ornery Cuss. What makes him likeable is that he knows it: He’s proud of being an ornery cuss. Despite his mean streak, we’ve grown quite fond of the old desert rat. Monika and I have a lot in common with Granville. Neither he nor The Turtle Expedition have what you’d really call a “home”. That is, everything we own has wheels on it. The four (not to forget Superdog), of us have also developed somewhat of a neutral position for such things as flush toilets and microwave ovens. (Granny has never forgiven me for forsaking my old manual typewriter for a word processor.) We can spend hours sitting around Granville’s camp, sipping dark Bacardi whilst debating the pros and cons of rattle snakes, coyotes, magazine editors and other such vermin.

The expert is guiding the novice over a tight spot.

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(Location: Adventures – Mexico – Baja California.)

For me, it’s just a number, really!! For Monika, Birthdays are a big deal and should be celebrated for days if not weeks. OK. I had my wish list.

January 11: First stop was El Cajon, CA (an easy 8-hr drive from Nevada City) for a wonderful rib-eye & shrimp dinner prepared by my gourmet cousin chefs. Fresh steamed mussels in wine and garlic butter started the evening.

January 12: (my birthday) A short drive to Las Playas de Tijuana just south of the border for tequila shooters and fresh tacos on the street, and a scrumptious chocolate cake with friends.

January 13: On south to Ensenada for a lobster dinner with Sergio Murillo (Baja Racks) and his lovely family— with great wine of course. Later, we were off to Hussong’s Cantina for a traditional shot of tequila and some mariachi music.

January 14: Brunch was fresh fish tacos and seven-sea soup at the Ensenada open fish market before returning to San Diego for another special dinner with old family friends.

Already it’s the 15th, so a walk along San Diego Bay and a mahi mahi dinner at Anthony’s Fish Grotto.

One more stop on the way home for homemade lasagna in Madera.

Gained 6 pounds. Thank goodness, birthdays only come once a year!

And last but not least, thanks to all of you who sent good wishes!

Gary

Fresh steamed mussels in wine and garlic butter started the evening.

Rib-eyes are my favorites. Medium rare on the rare side please, if you’re taking notes.

Street tacos in Mexico are always the best, freshly sliced off a rotating spit of layered spiced meat.

Monika’s special chocolate cake was by request.

Lobster dinner was a must. Being invited by Sergio and Erika made it extra special.

No trip into Baja California is complete without a stop at the old Hussong’s Cantina, established in 1892.

The traditional shot of tequila at Hussong’s Cantina has been part of all our Baja adventures for 40 years.

Fresh Fish Tacos and Seven-Sea Soup at the Ensenada open fish market was the way to start our last day in Mexico.

In Search of Drug Smugglers and

Unexploded Ordnances

It isn’t often that we find an adventure as tempting as Arizona’s Devil’s Highway, otherwise known as “El Camino Del Diablo”, who could resist a name like that. Paging through the Backcountry Adventures of Arizona guidebook, published by Alder Backcountry Guides, we found the trailhead off I-80 just outside of Yuma. That was convenient. Since we were headed to the Overland Expo 2010, why not do a little Overlanding on the way. The Devil’s Highway was given a “Difficulty Rating” of 4, so we figured The Turtle V would not have a problem.

Click here to proceed to the story. Enjoy!

In the process of replacing the water pump belts and hoses at Ken Imler Diesel Performance, we took care of a couple of other problems. Plastic is convenient for lightweight manufacturing, but it doesn’t last forever under a hot engine compartment. Our overflow tank was deteriorating and the plastic brackets were cracking. The fan blade had a bad chip and was clearly showing the brittleness of time. Even the small drain plug on the lower radiator tank was cracked.

Our fan blade had a bad chip and was clearly showing the brittleness of time.

The rocky roads of backroad travel had taken a toll on our fan blade.

Finally with all the hard parts renewed we turned our attention to the coolant itself. Coolant is critical to the proper function of any engine, but especially diesels. After draining all the coolant, we refilled with Fleetguard ES Compleat™ Lifetime Heavy Duty Fully Formulated Antifreeze/Coolant. We liked the fact that it used the environmentally friendly Propylene Glycol, and the term “Lifetime Heavy Duty” had a nice ring to it.

The small drain plug on the lower radiator tank was cracked from heat and age.

The brackets on the overflow tank were cracking and the plastic was deteriorating.

Improper mixtures of antifreeze can cause corrosion, rust, overheating, and even cylinder wall cavitation which can turn into little pinholes, and that’s an engine’s death sentence. To prevent cavitation, a diesel engine’s coolant should be checked at regular intervals with a test kit such as the Fleetguard CC2607 Quik-Chek or the POLARIS 4-part test strips to verify the concentration of Molybdate and Nitrite, which in turn, will determine the number of SCA, (Supplemental Coolant Additive), units needed per gallon in the system. Fleetguard’s DCA4 additive protects against corrosion, scale formation, foam, liner pitting and solder bloom.

We used a Fleetguard CC2607 Quik-Chek to verify the concentration of Molybdate and Nitrite.

A refractometer can be used to determine the freeze point protection.

A refractometer can be used to determine the freeze point protection. A third method of testing, and perhaps the best, is to have your coolant analyzed by a professional lab. We sent a sample to POLARIS Labratories. The results were very informative.

DieselSite offers complete bolt–on coolant filter kits.

Last but not least, we installed a DieselSite Coolant Filter. We filter our oil and fuel but never think about the crud that might be floating around inside the radiator and cooling system. DieselSite offers complete bolt–on coolant filter kits.

 Horsepower of a Different Kind

In Search of Nowhere

We had just come up from the north end of the Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Utah, and stopped at the Visitors Center in Rock Springs, Wyoming. Surrounding Sweetwater County is home to 10,500 square miles of pure, high desert adventure, so it sounded like an easy place to get lost or find nowhere. There was a notice on the bulletin board about the Wild Horse Scenic Loop, and our imagination was instantly keyed.

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To all our Friends and Family around the World

We wish you an adventurous, healthy and happy 2013!

Gary and Monika

It was the rainy season in Chihuahua. Creeks had swollen and afternoon thunderstorms were the norm. From The Turtle Expedition’s earliest days of exploring Mexico in our old blue Land Rover, otherwise known as La Tortuga Azul, we have always been fascinated by the backroads. They invariably have led to the most interesting places and people. A little mud and a few river crossings just added to the adventure.

Click here to read the entire story. It can be found on the Adventures section under the Mexico page. Enjoy!

We were sitting among friends in a small apartment on the outskirts of Moscow, discussing the perils of driving alone across Siberia. Suddenly, an older gentleman looked at us and put his hand on his wrist. “Feel your pulse,” he said. We did. He moved his hand to his neck. “Feel your pulse,” he continued, so we did. Then he placed his hand to his heart and spoke quietly, as his eyes met ours,

“Our hearts beat the same.”

It is this truth that gives us the freedom to travel to far-off lands and take with us the warm memories of friends and family across the miles, especially at Christmas time.

As Charles Dickens wrote:

Happy, happy Christmas

That can win us back to the delusions of our childish days

That can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth

That can transport the sailor and the traveler

Thousands of miles away, Back to his own fireside and his quiet home!

From wherever we are to wherever you are,

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

“Our Hearts Beat the Same.”

Gary and Monika

An equally important part of the cooling system is the serpentine belt that powers the water pump as well as power steering, alternators and the fan blade. During a recent demonstration video shot at Ken Imler Diesel Performance in Sacramento, we installed the new Gates Heavy-Duty FleetRunner® Belt that provides twice the service life compared to other heavy-duty serpentine belts. Gates designed and produced the industry’s first V-belt and is today the world’s largest manufacturer of V-belts, timing belts and serpentine belts. Also important are the belt tensioners. The belt tensioner is a spring-loaded device that exerts a constant pressure on the engine’s serpentine belt. Gates Tensioners ensure proper performance on serpentine belt drives and reduce noise and vibration levels helping to prolong life of other accessory drive components. Gates asymmetrically dampening tensioners provide more energy absorbsion versus conventional symmetric damped tensioners. All hoses were replaced with Gates Green Stripe products that we have relied on for over 30 years. Hose clamps that require special tools to remove were replaced with quality Gates hose clamps. The sharp pigtails on the hose clamp ends were protected with Clamp-Aids to prevent accidental cuts when working on the engine.

The new Gates Heavy-Duty FleetRunner® Belt provides twice the service life compared to other heavy-duty serpentine belts.

Gates asymmetrically dampening tensioners provide more energy absorption versus conventional symmetric damped tensioners.

Hose clamps that require special tools to remove were replaced with standard Gates hose clamps.

All hoses were replaced with Gates Green Stripe products that we have relied on for over 30 years.

The sharp pigtails on the hose clamp ends were protected with Clamp-Aids to prevent accidental cuts when working on the engine.

Click on the link for the Gates/Turtle Expedition YouTube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNUn5N_aRag&feature=youtu.be

We sat patiently in the 22-foot Mexican fishing skiff that seemed to get smaller the farther we moved from shore. We were in the middle of the emerald green San Ignacio Lagoon, near its mouth where it opens up into the Pacific. As we waited, the little outboard engine idling quietly, we could hear and see whales breaching and spouting all around us. Suddenly, out of the depths, a huge grey, barnacle-encrusted form surfaced next to us. It is a rather startling feeling to have eye-to-eye contact, a mere two feet away, with one of largest mammals on earth.

The full account of this trip is now uploaded under Adventures – Mexico – Baja California – the Giants of San Ignacio Lagoon. Enjoy!

It is a rather startling feeling to have eye-to-eye contact, a mere two feet away, with one of largest mammals on earth.

Our guide, Pachico Mayoral, had been the first to touch whales and guide others for the experience over 36 years ago.

Assuring herself that we were harmless, the mother submerged briefly and brought her new baby up for a visit, nudging it up to the boat for a pet.