Baja's Finest Pit Stop Mike's Sky Rancho
Baja’s Finest Pit Stop MIKE'S SKY RANCHO
NEARLY 25 YEARS AGO, MIKE LEON OPENED A hunting resort 150 miles south of the U.S. border, in the wilds of Baja. He called it Mike's Sky Rancho in acknowledgment of the new dirt airstrip he had put in for the hunters and fishermen who were supposed to be lured there by promises of trophy deer and lunker trout.
As it turned out, the hunting and fishing trade never developed the way Leon had expected; instead, the Baja off-road races began to get routed right past the Sky Rancho, starting a long-term love affair between off-roaders and Leon’s small, out-of-the-way hotel.
By most standards, the Sky Rancho would seem a bit tawdry, but for Baja, it’s a class act. There’s a swimming pool, a dining hall and, most important, a fully stocked bar. Each room has at least two beds, its own kerosene heater and a private shower with hot, running water 24 hours a day. This last feature is a recent development at Mike’s and one of which the whole staff is proud.
When you arrive at the ranch, you ride your bike right into the inner courtyard and park it under a canopy along the edge of the pool, which is clean and usable for only a few months each summer. The 20 or so rooms bend around the pool, with the bar and dining hall fencing in the western edge of the compound.
Meals at Mike’s (not included in the price of accomodations) are announced by Ramon, the resident manager—and much of the reason the place runs so well. Food is served bunkhouse-style, with several long tables grouped in one large dining room. Everyone recuperating in the bar has to be herded into the dining room for the nightly feast of steaks or roast pork, with ever-present refried beans and fresh, handmade tortillas. Breakfast is usually chorizo con huevos (scrambled eggs and sausage), bacon and tortillas.
Perhaps it’s in the darkly lit bar at Mike’s where you feel most at home. At least, that’s where everyone gathers to swap lies and benchrace. Granted, it's not The Tavern on the Green, but Ramon does make a world-class Bloody Mary; and the wall behind the bar boasts one of the most complete and craziest off-road decal collections on the planet.
Mostly because of its remote location and relatively difficult access, Mike’s seems to be a destination almost exclusively for dirt-bikers and four-wheel-drive pilots. Indeed, not all roads in Baja lead to Mike’s, but depending upon your mode of travel, there are several ways to get there. Some routes are tailor-made for AT Vs, others are ideal for dirtbikes, and you can even ride a streetbike there if you aren’t afraid to tackle about 20 miles of dirt road.
If you’re not familiar with Baja, however, it’s best to attempt a ride to Mike’s—or anywhere else on the peninsula, for that matter—in company with someone who knows the way. This is particularly true if you're taking the pure off-road routes. There are some good maps available, but the routes are tricky, and a wrong turn in many cases could lead into areas where water and gas are nonexistent.
When you finally arrive at Mike’s, though, you'll find it a bastion of male camaraderie, a heavenly mansion in the dirt-riding paradise that makes up most of Baja. Mike’s might offer only the essentials for off-road riders, but at the end of a 150-mile dirt ride, it can seem like one of the most beautiful places on earth. —Camron E. Bussard
To make reservations at Mike's, write Mike's Skv Rancho, RO. Box 5376, San Ysidro, CA 92073; or make an international phone call to 0115266-85-49-95.
There are several good maps of Baja, but one of the better and newer is called Baja Topographic Atlas Directory. You can get it for $25 from Topography International Inc., P.O. Box 5794, San Clemente, CA 92676. Also, the AAA provides an excellent Baja map and guidebook.
