BajaNomad

Best Baja memories of the 60s/70s

Baja Oldie - 4-4-2018 at 01:42 PM

Fun time-- What is one of your best Baja memories of the 60s and/or 70s 25 words or less.....

Mine-- using the San Jose del Cabo telegraph office to communicate a safe trip in Dec. 1977

BajaUtah - 4-4-2018 at 02:01 PM

2 drives in the (early?) 70s of the unpaved road between El Rosario and Loreto. Beat the holy crap out of my dad's IH Travelall.

25 words

David K - 4-4-2018 at 02:54 PM

The drive from Tijuana to Cabo San Lucas in the family Jeep Wagoneer, in 1966. 800 unpaved miles. Other trips too!

1966, south of El Rosario.

[Edited on 4-5-2018 by David K]

sancho - 4-4-2018 at 03:16 PM

Those yrs. are going to exclude some, a lot. Surfing Cuatro
Casas '71. Lobster from the fisherman, $.75 for the larger
one's. I do miss the Long Bar, TJ, don't know why, if the
border wait was over an hr., would stop by the place

bajabuddha - 4-4-2018 at 03:49 PM

'78, Cholla Bay n' JJ's Cantina, still big fish to catch. Camped west of Sandy Beach on the rocks, coyote howling 10' behind my van.

Maderita - 4-4-2018 at 04:04 PM

Punta Canoas: Plucking dinner (abalone) off the rocks at low tide without getting my feet wet.
Canyon Tajo: Hand drilling bolts for new routes on virgin granite crags.

DanO - 4-4-2018 at 04:32 PM

Playa El Requeson, 1969, digging up clams with my toes, and then eating mounds of steamers with drawn butter and limes for dinner that night.

freediverbrian - 4-4-2018 at 04:35 PM

1972 Driving a Chevy Impala to Loreto with my Dad. A friend of ours want a four door car to use as a taxi. Four ,12 hours days to get from Ensanada to Loreto. Saw that car for years driving around Loreto.

AKgringo - 4-4-2018 at 04:45 PM

Not 60s/70s. My first Baja trip was in 86 to Cabo, then took the ferry to the mainland, where my memories go back to 1957!

Paco Facullo - 4-4-2018 at 04:57 PM

Going to Tijuana looking around for the famous Donkey show. ( never did find one )

Going into the bars on Revolution that had the barkers in front only to get ripped off once inside.

Fun times !

Fang - 4-4-2018 at 05:01 PM

Not the 1960-70 period but in 1946 I got my 1st Drivers Lic. & I had a 1934 Ford Victoria that was in good shape. I was 15 1/2 years old.

Our folks had been taking us on vacations in Baja starting in 1939, but that was all interrupted by WW2 ( you remember it, it was in all the papers). My dad had helped a friend, Pancho Rojas, get work in the US in the late 1930's when there was little work to be had. Our families were close & remained so for many years. Mr Rojas & his family returned to Baja prior to the war years and opened a small restaurant on the old highway just North of Ensenada & we always stopped there. They later built a couple of stone cabins on the hill across the road from their restaurant & we always stayed there on our summer vacations until 1942 when my dad joined the US Army Air Force.

In 1946 with my newfound ability to drive wherever I wanted to go, my younger brother Jim & I decided we wanted to go back to the Ensenada area to free dive & fish. My folks agreed but with the proviso that we stay in the area next to the Roja's cafe. Mama Rojas was to be our overseer for these trips & she did her job well. She treated us as part of her family and she ran her family with an iron hand. She inspected our tent daily & saw to it we did nothing too wild or crazy. We in turn help supply the cafe with abs & lobsters and washed a few pots, pans & dishes now & again to earn our keep.

It was a different era, lobsters & abalone were hunted with flashlights after dark at low tide on the beach just below the restaurant. No need to dive, just wear sturdy shoes or boots as you walked across the rocky bottom. Lobster tacos sold for a dime. and abalone dinners were 75 cents. Jim & I made this trip each summer for the next 3-4 years until we got sidetracked by school, girlfriends & earning a living.

They were, without a doubt, some of the best times of our lives.

BajaBlanca - 4-4-2018 at 05:48 PM

1989

went to san felipe, met no Americans and remember that Lambada music was playing on loudspeakers

fish tacos on the beach at 5 for a buck!

first time drinking margaritas! yesssssssssssssss

BajaTed - 4-4-2018 at 06:35 PM

The flood of 1969 was bad for Tijuana. Seeing the masses of people in the streets was bad.
The TJ river was channeled and paved after that.

Cancamo - 4-4-2018 at 07:50 PM

1974 first trip drove as far as Mulege with three brothers, Conception Bay was alive above and below the water including tuna at times. 1977 bused to La Paz, mattress on roof of pension was 50 cents/night, comida corida de pescado con bebida, $1 at puesto downstairs. Bottomless fresh shrimp c-cktail from street vendor $1. Espirutu Santo desolate except for fish camp. Hwy 1 was one lane cobblestones into center of SJD, little traffic to CSL except for a bus or rancher's pick-up now and then. Road to TS still dirt hit and miss. Only folks around were ranchers and fishermen.

Cliffy - 4-4-2018 at 07:53 PM

My Mother went to TJ in 1945 with Mary Vega. She owned a restaurant on Olvera St in downtown LA (Casa Vega) and was from TJ. My Mother was from Norway and forgot here papers in LA and had to return across the border in the trunk of the car that night.

I remember eating fried turtle with Papa and his family in Gonzaga about 1973. Gave balloons to all the kids that night. They had ball playing with them.

Worked for a guy for many years who had old man Husong as his Best Man at a wedding in Ensanada. They were good friends.

Sorry more than 25 words.

gueribo - 4-4-2018 at 08:29 PM

Fun thread. Thanks for sharing these stories.

kevin_in_idaho - 4-5-2018 at 04:00 AM

Like others, I remember getting fish tacos on the side of the road for 20cents. They were awesome. You'd buy 5, eat them, then know you need more!

I also remember when you could do down to Puerto Nuevo and there were just a few shacks down there; I think a giant lobster, tortillas (the best), beans and rice was like $7.

So many, many surfing stories, etc. too. All great memories.

BajaBlanca - 4-5-2018 at 08:00 AM

more more more stories please!

billklaser - 4-5-2018 at 08:15 AM

Easter week of 1967. I was in college, went with my brother to San Quintin for the week. Very little there except Rancho's, we camped out at the old ruins of the Old Mill, right next to the Old Mill Hotel (abandoned). Where we camped is now the restaurant.

AKgringo - 4-5-2018 at 08:48 AM

In the late 50s, my siblings and I were towheads to start with, and after a few months on the beach we were platinum blonds. People frequently were rubbing our heads for 'good luck'!

chippy - 4-5-2018 at 08:51 AM

La Jolla Camp in the 60s. Us kids hangin with the Pavlov kids.
Rancho Todos Santos late 60s early 70s. Us kids hangin out with the Fitzgerald kids. Surfing crowdless San Miguel,3Ms. Staxs,California camp.Surf trips to 4 casas.

Early to mid 70s Mid Baja =Sandy Point,Abreojos,Scorpion Bay
Mid to late 70s The Cape = Pastora,Pescadero,Zippers/Old mans,ship wrecks,9 palms

Being able to trade a few steaks or a bag of leaf for all the abalone and lobster you could eat for however long you stayed.:cool:

hermosok123 - 4-5-2018 at 09:11 AM

1976 chucking rocks to fill in the holes on the East Cape Road with my brother in his VW van untapped waves and sat out a small Chubasco. Never another soul for 13 days. Plenty of fish right out of the surf and plenty of cussing as we wandered on East. No clue that it would ever change, absolutely clueless. Then there was pulling into Abreojos as a pinhead on the Red Rooster 11 and watching Razors from the back spit. Took 10 more years but I got back there on the b-tch of a road.

Glad to get out alive.

baitcast - 4-5-2018 at 10:06 AM


It was 1964 and I found myself,a friend,wife and two daugthers on an ungodly bad road in my brand new VW bus!

With a map in hand given to me by a friend who said "your going to love this Rob and the fishin great: somewhere south of here is a place called San Luis Gonzaga bay just ask to speak to an old man by the name of PaPa and you will have it made:lol:

Long story short we were lucky to get out alive 10 days later:lol:........Rob

DawnPatrol - 4-5-2018 at 11:18 AM

1967
Flew into Cabo and taxied up right behind the ONLY hotel there, the Hacienda
Met John Wayne at the bar a couple days later

Ooops, dummy... it was 1967, not 1974
Tonto!

[Edited on 4-5-2018 by DawnPatrol]

[Edited on 4-5-2018 by DawnPatrol]

chippy - 4-5-2018 at 12:20 PM

Quote: Originally posted by DawnPatrol  
1974
Flew into Cabo and taxied up right behind the ONLY hotel there, the Hacienda
Met John Wayne at the bar a couple days later



Cool love the Duke! There where a couple of other hotels. The Finisterra opened in 72 and Solmar in 74. The Twin Dolphin and Mar de Corte where open before 74 but with different names.

Cliffy - 4-5-2018 at 12:23 PM

Loved the Hacienda Hate the condos now!

Landed at Casa Diaz in BOLA and taxied right up to my room.
Landed at Papa's across the bay from Alfons. Had to fly past the roadway that crossed the runway before touch down.

A friend needed to "recover a Piper Navajo from the Feds in Baja. Seems the owner landed long and broke the nose gear off. The Feds posted guards on it. He took two spare props that I had and asked me how to fly it (he'd never been in one and the pitot tubes were gone from the landing- no airspeed indication). Went there on Cinco de Mayo and while the Feds were at the party he jacked the nose up. bolted the gear down, put on 2 props and a battery and fired it up and left.

His partner in a Cessna 210 was held by the Feds. They said he had a verry beeg problem. He asked how much this problem was going to cost They said $500. He said all he had was $300. They said that was enough and handed him a hand pump to pump up the tires they had let the air out of. He left. The Navajo sat at Van Nuys Airport for months with a Customs seizure sticker on it!

TMW - 4-5-2018 at 12:45 PM

In the late 70s and early 80s we were living in San Diego and I would join my brother Bill and several friends for weekend trips to Kennedy's Cove across the hills from La Joya camp. We would free and scuba dive for fish, lobster, abalone etc. Fun times. One friend named Bob would usually make a big pot of home made chili to take down. We would eat it and then store it under Bill's truck then eat more later.

I had a friend come out from Fort Wayne and went with us for a weekend. All the while we were at Kennedy's he was afraid bandidos were going to get him while we were in the water. So he would lock himself in the truck until we got back to camp. He also thought he was going to get sick from eating the chili since it was not stored in a cooler. Nobody got sick. He never did come out to visit again.

The first couple of years I went to Kennedy's I drove my 72 Ford Pinto. The road in was pretty rough but if I hugged the side of the edge and took it easy I didn't have any problems. One time there was a couple of young guys in a jeep there and they made fun of my Pinto saying I'd never get out. When they tried to leave they had a really hard time getting up the hill, throwing rocks everywhere. After several tries they backed down and I told em I'd pull them up if they wanted me to. They didn't care for my comment. I then got into my car and without any problems I drove right up and out. Brother Bill then explained to them how to drive up the hill. I guess they got out OK, they were not there the next time I went down there.

DawnPatrol - 4-5-2018 at 02:03 PM

Quote: Originally posted by chippy  
Quote: Originally posted by DawnPatrol  
1974
Flew into Cabo and taxied up right behind the ONLY hotel there, the Hacienda
Met John Wayne at the bar a couple days later



Cool love the Duke! There where a couple of other hotels. The Finisterra opened in 72 and Solmar in 74. The Twin Dolphin and Mar de Corte where open before 74 but with different names.


OOPs... Chippy
the year was 1967 my bad !

David K - 4-5-2018 at 02:16 PM

These are great stories, but the OP (Baja Oldie) did specify them to be 25 words or less... Otherwise, I would be into a couple of pages, and lots of photos and maps (you guys know me)!

bkbend - 4-5-2018 at 05:25 PM

1976 broken down in Guerrero Negro drinking tequila and listening to Mexican 8-tracks in my van with the mechanic in his front yard while waiting for the parts store to open the next morning.

billklaser - 4-5-2018 at 06:31 PM

Sorry David, its hard to say hello in 25 words.

David K - 4-5-2018 at 07:09 PM

I agree, and especially not easy to talk about the golden years of Baja in so few words either!

25 words, 1968 - 1976

Don Jorge - 4-6-2018 at 08:10 AM

Spanish, sonrisas, sun, sea, stone, surf, salt, stuck, shakedowns, dirt, dust, fish, buns, cactus, flowers, water, ta taas, beer, buds, flat, washboard, peaks, palms, pangas, amigos,

AKgringo - 4-6-2018 at 08:19 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Don Jorge  
Spanish, sonrisas, sun, sea, stone, surf, salt, stuck, shakedowns, dirt, dust, fish, buns, cactus, flowers, water, ta taas, beer, buds, flat, washboard, peaks, palms, pangas, amigos,


We need a ruling here! Is "ta taas" one work, or two?

Who cares anyway, it's a great reply!

[Edited on 4-6-2018 by AKgringo]

LancairDriver - 4-6-2018 at 08:27 AM

Flew down to B of LA over New Years 1970. Big storm stranded lots of airplanes there trying to get back to US. Telephone communications non existent back then. Radios were busy passing messages to US bound airliners flying overhead to be relayed to concerned family’s. The airline crews were very helpful in passing these on. How times have changed with technology.

bajabuddha - 4-6-2018 at 08:33 AM

"Ta-taas" should be hyphenated as in one word. They also should be prefaced with "bodacious" which makes it two. However, not all ta-taas are bodacious.

25 words. :biggrin:

elgatoloco - 4-6-2018 at 09:09 AM

1960 - skinny dipping all day. I was 2 years old. :saint:
1973 - skinny dipping at night with my first real girlfriend. She was 18. :dudette:

pappy - 4-8-2018 at 10:56 AM

My first personal Baja experience started in ‘68 with trip to Ensenada and camp at Estero....was immediately hooked on Baja.

pappy - 4-8-2018 at 11:45 AM

My first personal Baja experience started in ‘68 with trip to Ensenada and camp at Estero....was immediately hooked on Baja.

wiltonh - 4-8-2018 at 04:54 PM

First trip to Mexico was the mainland in the late 50s. First trip to Baja was in the late 60s. Drove to Cabo in 1974 with a 40 foot motor home pulling a car. Spokane to Cabo was about 2000 miles at 4 MPG.


[Edited on 4-9-2018 by wiltonh]

1st time in Baja

beachbum1A - 4-10-2018 at 07:55 AM

First time in Baja was in 1967: gf , me and another couple took a friend's Triumph TR3 to Tijuana. None of us had been to MX before. Hit the bars, lunch and drove back home all cramped in that tiny car.

Cliffy - 4-10-2018 at 09:13 AM

You must have been drunk going down to put 4 in a TR3 :-)