Los Cabos Magazine article – Issue #10

Adventure is never far off in Los Cabos, whether you’re a water baby or prefer your kicks on land. Join Sandra Berry, Bradley Fraser, and Sabrina Lear on these fun escapes—all outdoors at Land’s End.

Part 2 of 3 – | Section One | Section Two | Section Three |

Adventures On Land

Into the Outback—ATV Exploring
Looking for an eco-friendly adventure? While Los Cabos has a myriad of ATV tours, many involve long drives on public roads to reach your destination. Desert Park, midway between Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo, is a family-friendly option within the Cabo Real resort, where every effort is made to safeguard the flora and fauna.

This trip, I am fortunate to have the patient and knowledgeable Antonio Rodríguez as my guide. Not only does Antonio not tire of my many questions, he’s curious about life in the desert, and has groomed the other guides at Desert Park.

Before heading out on our 20-mile adventure, we receive an orientation at the base palapa, then suit up with helmets, goggles, and colorful bandanas for the dust, and stow our bottled water. These Honda ATVs are well maintained, and with semi-automatic shifting, anyone can drive them with a little practice. The pace is not really fast, so if you’re thinking about tearing up the desert at full speed, you’re in the wrong place. These adventures are focused on safety, family, and learning about the biodiversity of the desert ecosystem.

We gather into our posse line and head into the desert. Just as I am getting comfortable with the feel of the ATV, Antonio raises his left arm as a signal to stop, which we will do four or five more times over the next two hours. On the crest of a hill, we turn our ATVs around to catch an incredible panorama, from the Sierra de La Laguna range behind us down to the Sea of Cortés. The view makes me feel small. We jump back on the ATVs and follow the dirt trail up and down hills, around corners, and through dry riverbeds—called arroyos—further and further into the desert.

Antonio raises his left arm again and we all stop. When someone tells you he was “in the middle of nowhere,” I imagine that this is what it looks like. We follow Antonio on a short walk into the desert. Along the way he points out the copal tree, its berries are used for clearing the sinuses; agave, which is fermented to make mescal; the Lomboy tree, which oozes an indelible ink sap once used by the natives for cave paintings; and the choya “jumping cactus,” which clings to your clothing or skin when you pass near. Antonio’s folk knowledge makes the desert come alive. A random hoof print on the trail leads to a story about the Spanish, who first brought horses to the peninsula, and how wild horses, who have cleverly adapted to the harsh climate, still range the desert but are spooked by the engine sounds.

We drive back on a different route that takes us down an arroyo and then rally in a narrow blind canyon, which leads Antonio to tell us the story about the incredible disappearing… well, you’ll just have to go on one of their fantastic adventures to find out more.—Bradley Fraser

Rev it Up—Wide Open Baja‘s Extreme Adventure
Los Cabos offers up a big bag of activities, from low intensity spa getaways to high intensity kite surfing. A day with Wide Open Baja (WOB) falls into its own category… it’s a rush! Where else can you drive a real Chenowth Magnum off-road racecar on a three-mile dirt racetrack in the Baja California desert?

The WOB office is in downtown Cabo in Plaza Nautica—look for the racecar on the sidewalk—where everyone meets for a video orientation. We were four: Mark, a thirty-something pilot; James, a university student; Javier, a Deejay; and yours truly. After the orientation, an air-conditioned van shuttles us 20 minutes north of Cabo San Lucas to the test track. During the ride, Mark asks about the car specs (1600 cc Volks engine, 90 HP, double Weber carbs). Jorge, our driver and guide, says the cars are “power balanced” for the track, that I think really means they go fast enough to take you to the edge of control, without going over.

Another orientation at the track and we’re outfitted with a two-way radio-embedded helmet and goggles. The cars are safety rigged with racing seat belts, roll bars, and netting. Jorge takes us around the tracks in one of the larger cars. This alone could be a thrill ride at Disneyland. He shows us where the jumps and tricky turns are located… jumps?

It’s my turn. I hop in my flashy orange Chenowth, they secure my belts, go over a few more instructions and I get the green flag. It’s time to GO! The first few laps are shorter, on the inside of the big track to get a feel for the car, a good thing because this feels WAY different than my vintage Trooper. You’re really low-slung so your field of vision is the steering wheel and the front shock towers for reference. The desert track is another wild card for the novice (that’s me). The corners are banked and gnarly with washboard rolls the size of giant watermelons. Your world is loud engine revs, bouncing tires and shock towers, cacti and flying dust. It feels really macho, and this is just on the training track!

I have done my two inner laps, I have a better feel for things, and I am green-flagged for the big desert track. There were no jumps on the inner track to catch air, but on my first lap, I see the first jump on the horizon, seconds later I am air born (in the car) and I don’t see the track, just the tops of cacti and blue sky. Harummpppp—it sounds something like that—I land (in the car) and head into the straightaway where you can attain speeds of 50-60 mph. It doesn’t sound fast but it feels fast, and that’s what matters. The banks and the bumps in the corners on the larger desert track seemed to magnify with each successive lap. I feel more confident and drive faster and smarter. I also fly off the jumps higher. They radioed me to let me know it was my last lap. Since I had been flying around the track in a blurry bouncing ball of dust, I took it at a Sunday driver’s pace so I could see where I had been. Going slowly the track became wider, the banks and bumps larger.

While I was on the track, I never had to worry about another car. For safety, the track attendants keep the cars away from each other. The boy in me wanted to race (and pass) other cars but it makes sense to not allow it, and I had more fun competing with myself.

Mark was so stoked that he bought more laps. James hopped out after his ride and shouted to his father that it was the BEST thing he had ever done. James had a cactus jump in front of his car. The cactus survived, James was okay, the car intact, the staff knew about these crazy running cacti—that normally jump in front of cars at night—and handled it extremely well. Deejay Javier had his iPod plugged into his head with a bustin’ big smile on his face.

Wide Open Baja gives you the chance to race around the desert in a really cool, tricked-out race car, catch some air, eat some dust, and challenge your motor skills. Do it.

WOB also offers four to seven-day high-speed, off-road adventures throughout the peninsula to places few have ever been. Driver-guides are winners of the legendary Baja 500 and 1000 races. If you have the time, it’s a great way to experience Baja “raw.”—Bradley Fraser