Anyone been down the "Old Bumpy" in the last 2 months? Last I heard it was paved to within 8 miles of Papa Fernandez', any newer word on it?

Was on it last on July 3, Pavement ends 24 miles south of the Puertecitos paved turnoff (near Okie's Landing site).

Good graded dirt (along new road construction) runs another 8 miles (to Campo Delfines road).

Still another 10 miles of very slow driving to Papa Fernandez' road.

Much grass(ias). We'll wait and see if they can "git 'er du-un" this fall when the weather cools a little.

They have been paving at the rate of 5 miles a year... Beginning at the start of 2007 in Puertecitos. Not quite 5 years later, and not quite at 25 miles paved! Just over 20 miles to go to Rancho Grande/ Alfonsina's means just over 4 years still to go (unless things change). They do have easier terrain, fewer hills the rest of the way.

Kinda sad, really. I remember going over the sisters, building ramps to climb the ledges, breaking a motor mount, fixing it with chain and vise grips, limping into Papas, and being met with a cold Pacifico..Ah Yes....

We came north on the road on July 29th 2011 and they were working like little beavers. We got on the new blacktop at mile post 318.

i have a few photos on our website at this link
https://sites.google.com/site/...-san-felipe-to-hwy-1

Warren

This is from North to south... but, shows the location of KM. (not Mile) marker 318, 24 miles south of Puertecitos and 18 miles north of Papa Fernandez' road:

SAN FELIPE TO LAGUNA CHAPALA:

The following road log was made on the July 4th weekend, 2011.

MILE / KM. Marker

0.0 San Felipe (Traffic Circle by Pemex stations, south turn)

0.8 Pemex station and market on south side of town

6.0 Left Turn off Airport Road, Km. 0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(add 6.0 miles to following for distance from traffic circle)

The next 45 miles are well paved, but many short, steep and unmarked dips will require reduced speed to avoid damage.

0.0 / Km. 0 Airport Road/ Puertecitos Road Jcn.

12.5 / Km. 20-21 Rancho Percebu Road

15.7 / Km. 26+ Shell Island Road

18.6 / Km. 31 Bahia Santa Maria Road

19.3 / Km. 32+ Nuevo Mazatlan Road

21.5 / Km. 35.5 Colonia Delicias (markets/ restaurants)

29.6 / Km. 49 El Coloradito Road

32.8 / Km. 54 Campo Cristina Road

35.4 / Km. 58.5 Los Olivos Road

36.1 / Km. 60 Arroyo Matomi

36.3 Rancho San Rafael (well)

43.4 / Km. 72 Playa Destiny

44.9 / Km. 74+ PUERTECITOS (paved) Road
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The newest paved additions to Hwy. 5 are well engineered, wide and are designed and signed for high speed. However, frequent rock slides onto pavement require caution.

0.0 / Km. 74+ Puertecitos Road

5.0 / Km. 83 Bahia Cristina

6.1 / Km. 84.5 La Costilla

7.2 mine road

16.4 El Huerfanito Road

18.9 Bridge at previous end of pavement (July 2010)

20.1 / Km. 311 Change of Km. markers, distance from Mexicali

23.6 / Km. 317

24.1 / Km. 318 END OF PAVED DRIVE, detour onto older road, regraded smooth. Pavement ends just ahead on new roadbed.

25.5 Okie Landing site.

32.0 END OF NEW ROAD CONSTRUCTION and end of smooth dirt detour on older road.

32.4 Campo Delfines Road

35.6 Las Encantadas Road

37.7 Punta Bufeo Road

42.4 Papa Fernandez' Road, roadbed south of here is better/ faster.

43.6 Miltary Checkpoint

45.0 GONZAGA BAY PEMEX/ ALFONSINA'S ROAD/ RANCHO GRANDE MARKET (Pemex closed from 2-4 pm for siesta)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

0.0 Gonzaga Bay Pemex

1.2 Campo Beluga (2.0 mi.) and El Sacrificio (4.2 mi.) Road

7.1 Las Palmitas Oasis (4.7 mi.) and Santa Maria Canyon (4.0 mi.) Road, right.

14.4 First Boojum Trees on Hwy. 5.

14.6 La Turquesa Canyon Road, right.

18.4 Las Arrastras (site) Road, right.

22.1 Coco's Corner (Puerto Calamajue and Mision Calamajue road left).

34.8 Hwy. 1, Laguna Chapala (Cataviña is 33 miles north).

Geez, Chuck... you left out the part where it was "in the snow and 5 miles uphill both ways... and in your big brother's shoes with holes in 'em and your mom's coat..." "The times, they are a-changin" as Robert Zimmerman sang about.

Warren, TY for the newer info, at least they're still on-site, that new development down by Punta Final will ensure a speedier project, and then in another 5 years will be pot-holed and worn-out. In the mean-time all the OG's (not Old Gangsters, but Old Gomers lol) at Gonzaga will shit little bricks knowing their paradise will become a 'Little San Diego' like San Felipe, but only for a time... La Baja is still wonderful. I still haven't heard of one single big sailboat being semi-trucked from Sta. Rosalitita to Bahia L.A. yet, but last time into B of LA there was pah-lenty of building and new settlement. Such is the way of El Vientos, amigos. T'is truly a pity youth is wasted on the young. Mean-time, let's us OG's enjoy all that we have left. I for one don't mind the newer nicer roads, easier on the undies. So I'm woosie in my older-age...

Just read the construction crews graded the road all the way to Gonzaga... the 10 miles of ultra rough are gone... pavement not far behind?

Like I said before, I'll miss the OLD Baja, but Tempis Fugit". Momma Espinosa' used to say: "Bad roads, good people, good roads not so good people"...

Yah the good old days... where the tough land was the filter... pave the land you drove on, and you put a hole in the filter, and that allows anything to get it.

Today, another report put the pavement 12 miles north of Papa Fernandez' road.

Another post yesterday (11-21-11) also confirmed the pavement is 12 miles from Papa Fernandez' (15 miles from Alfonsina's/ Rancho Grande) and that those miles have been re-graded, so the bad road is gone...
There is a short dirt detour around an unfinished bridge in the new paved section.

UPDATE: Nothing's changed since November, no new construction whatsoever. Sumpin' new and different, huh. Had a fellow camper get in yesterday from a round-trip up and back down the hwy., 51 miles of dirt from Chapala to the pavement. Ergo, exactly the same mileage as David K's log. However, he made it from San Lucas (Sta. Rosalia) to Mexicali in 10 hours driving a solo pick-up truck (and he does drive fast). He sez he wouldn't pull a trailer over the last 50, just not a good idea still.
Happy trails y'all.
bb

Same news I got from some folks a couple of weeks ago.

FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH (the front end)... just did the road yesterday, made it from Guerrero to Mexicali in 8 hours flat. Under no circumstances would I haul my 5th wheel over the dirt, upper or lower stretch from Gonzaga. Just too many bumps for anything but the small and sturdy. The new highway however is gorgeous, both in construction and scenic views. Worthy of a round trip just to see it. And, as earlier posted by others, it opened the door to new investors, developers and, shall we say, higher rent districts. Oh well, such is progress as we know it, and propogated it ourselves. Ah, memories...
bb