This year's Baja adventure was unique in two ways. First, we all were able to touch gray whales. Absolutely cool! In the past we only saw them up close from the boat. This time the whales came right up to the boat and let us pet them. The picture to the left was taken just after I was petting the nose of this whale. Surprising to me, they feel less firm they expected. Kinda like a tire inner tube with low pressure.
Second, I had many equipment malfunctions. Unlike nearly all my past trips anywhere, I had a number of problems with the bike. Mostly my own fault for not fully preparing for the trip. My trusty KLR has made four Baja visits and taken me to Alaska and back. I guess that was about all it could handle without a major overhaul. Anyway, I needed a new back tire, chain and broke both the front and rear dampening before it was all over. Fortunately, I was able to put a new tire on at a hotel overnight (thank you Rice and Beans ), was rescued by a mechanic with just the right chain in nearly nowhere and nursed the suspension all the way home.
Check out all the pictures.