Thanksgiving 2016 in Baja

1Hondalover · Post by **1Hondalover** » Thu Jan 07, 2016 8:17 am

Very fortunate to have both my Parents alive and very well as they head north of 75 years old. They're up for most anything at any time, but Mother Nature doesn't let that go on forever. After literally living my motorcycle racing career that ended in the mid 80's, they've eagerly followed my off road passion that later swallowed Paige and our boys. When this passion took me to Baja for the first time in the late 90's, they of course heard about all of the adventures many of us know all about.....good and bad.

By no means excluding most everything else in Baja, I've always loved the Horsepower Ranch. My folks have heard about it for years, the last few HPR trips inclusive of visits to La Cava and overnight runs to Meling Ranch. I've since decided that my Mom & Dad need to fully experience HPR and the surrounding off road fun before they're too old to do so. This past Thanksgiving we talked about the next one in Baja, and what better place to give thanks than Horsepower Ranch?

God save the Bronco, and this is where one comes to play. My folks aren't going to be interested in jamming race course whoops for miles, and they're not going to squeeze into the race seat of a Prerunner. As much as my Dad would have some fun in a RZR for a short time, my Mom wouldn't as much and neither would appreciate the dust and etc. for very long. To enjoy all Baja has to offer, they need a vehicle with some decent suspension to deal with the rough roads, as well as 4x4 to get down on the beaches and over the mountains. Most of us could make it happen in two wheel drive, but extrication is rarely fun so a slower moving rig best have locking hubs.

The best plan I can come up with to move Mom & Dad around Baja is to buy an old clean title Bronco for +/- $2,500 and check it for safe. Of course it's no guarantee, but I could clean it up and have my general mechanic go through it. Probably replace the tires and shocks.....love to install some better springs to make it ride a little better but I'll have to control myself. If things go well we may be able to sell it when we're done for what I paid for it.

What do you guys think? Am I nuts for such an effort?

tcm glx · Post by **tcm glx** » Thu Jan 07, 2016 8:35 am

Hell no Jim, I agree with it 100 percent. Love HP ranch, and the idea of a stocking bronco on 33s with some bolt in bilsteins will be super comfortable. Great places to explore, absolutely do it!!! You will thank yourself for years after.

hollandermotorsports · Thu Jan 07, 2016 3:22 pm

Sounds like a good time. The memories you will take from the weekend or week will last you a lifetime. Let us know what kind of parts you need maybe some of us have parts laying around we could donate to the cause.

Post by **SteveG** » Thu Jan 07, 2016 11:12 pm

Not nuts at all. A couple years down the road, the money you will have spent on a Bronco for them to use down there will long be forgotten and totally irrelevant. The memories will live on forever. Do it!

This reminds me of a few years ago when my dad decided he was going to throw a big birthday parties for everyone in the family... no particular reason or significance. He put it simply. We never know what tomorrow will bring, so I want to celebrate my family now. This was 4 years ago and we still talk about it. It was some damn good times that I'll never forget.

Go after it, Jim. And let us know how we can help.

1Hondalover · Post by **1Hondalover** » Mon Jan 11, 2016 2:01 pm

OK......this is the plan. I may ask for everyone's help in locating a "Project Bronco" beginning May 6.

Thanks guys.

cs_drums · Post by **cs_drums** » Mon Jan 11, 2016 2:30 pm

I'm moving to VA for 3 years just take mine ad a vintage air unit for the rental cost

haha

I'll keep my eyes peeled

dtbback · Post by **dtbback** » Mon Jan 11, 2016 2:31 pm

[quote="cs_drums"]I'm moving to VA for 3 years just take mine ad a vintage air unit for the rental cost

haha

That's a heck of a deal!

cs_drums · Post by **cs_drums** » Mon Jan 11, 2016 2:52 pm

That's for the trip, not the whole 3 years haha

cs_drums · Post by **cs_drums** » Fri Jan 22, 2016 5:07 am

Saw this on Facebook and thought of your trip. Seems like a killer deal....
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2783137 ... 3224092856

cs_drums · Post by **cs_drums** » Fri Jan 22, 2016 10:26 am

I have his number. Text me and I'll send it to you if your interested. 760-419-094three

1Hondalover · Post by **1Hondalover** » Fri Jan 22, 2016 9:45 pm

Unfortunately too early.....the search starts in May. Hope we can find something similar then.

Thanks for the heads up though.

1Hondalover · Post by **1Hondalover** » Thu May 12, 2016 6:16 pm

OK it appears we're on. Paige and I talked today, and changed the Mom & Dad's Bronco beginning plan slightly. My current DD is a 2012 F150 4x2 SCab, leftover from an ex-employee we bought it for. I've been waiting for my new DD, which appears will become available in the Fall. I'll wait until December or January for it anyway. If we sell the 150 now and convert part of the dough into a nice Bronco, I'll use it as the DD while simultaneously fleshing it out and get ready for Thanksgiving.

If I need to do some work on it along the way, I can always pound my guts out on the L.A. freeways in the F350 tow truck for a few days. This means the plan is now to find a nicer and newer Bronco, for which we obviously expect to pay a bit more. For this we're going to be a little more critical about the spec, which hopefully doesn't become a needle in a haystack. I tried to get Paige to give me $250K for that silver beauty, but she declined. Damn.

Hope some of you can keep your eyes and ears peeled, and possibly preview something for us if we find one in your 'hood. Then I'll need a few parts.....Tony has already been looking out for Mom & Dad here. Thanks Tony!

Done here.....moving to Big Broncos.

tcm glx · Post by **tcm glx** » Thu May 12, 2016 7:09 pm

Something tells me your on the wait list for a 2017 Raptor as your new daily!

Will keep eyes peeled for a clean bronco.

Post by **SteveG** » Thu May 12, 2016 10:18 pm

tcm glx wrote:Something tells me your on the wait list for a 2017 Raptor as your new daily!

YES!