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David K
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Baja 4-06 (Part 2): Search for Santa Ursula
In 1953, Lower California Guidebook author Howard Gulick traveled 2.0 miles west of Rancho El Arenoso, then 6.9 miles southerly in search of the
waterhole called Santa Ursula.
The tinaja was the first water source on the padre's El Camino Real west of Mision San Fernando. Franciscan Father Francisco Palou left San Fernando
at one o'clock on July 21, 1773 and camped at Santa Ursula that night.
In 1953, Gulick found an old adobe house and remains of an old dam and irrigation ditch for a small field below. A shallow well held water.
In 2006, I hoped to follow Gulick's directions and see what came of Santa Ursula.
At Km. 106 (sign for Puente El Arenoso II) is a gate across the the road leading a short distance to the ruins of the old ranch on the pre pavement
main Baja road. GPS at the Highway and closed gate (not locked) is 30-03.44', 115-19.24'.
==========================================================
Before reaching that point, we started with breakfast at Baja's Best (Bed & Breakfast & Restaurant) at the far end of El Rosario before
crossing the bridge.
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David K
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Trash on the other side of the bridge... The No Tire Basura sign is gone!
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David K
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Yucca is harvested for the cosmetic industry (Yucca Dew Shampoo?)... This truck was unloading a harvest from the interior, on the former 'Arenoso'
airstrip behind the cafe at the turnoff to San Juan de Dios and Los Martires.
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David K
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It is kind of a shame, because these giant tree yuccas will be gone from the landscape before they can regrow themselves... I am guessing.
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David K
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The runway with a ditch across... called 'El Arenoso' in Galen Hanselman's 'Air Baja!'
The cafe nearby goes by the name Los Martires... The old rancho El Arenoso is 3 kilometers away.
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David K
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Once we went through the fence gate, I stopped at the old ranch to take a photo... Just as I was shooting, three armed soldiers appeared!!! They
apparently made a base camp behind the old ranch walls.
I was ordered to not drive away, as I was about to!
I explained what we were doing there and showed him my map and what I was searching for. The soldier went and got his big, plastic laminated topo map
to offer assistance.
It all turned out well, buit he did insist I delete the photo I took and he examined the other pictures on my camera.
As we drove away, a Humvee hauling wood and the rest of the brigade passed us heading back to El Arenoso.
As soon as we were relaxed, I stopped to photograph the scenery.
Photo near map point A
[Edited on 4-12-2006 by David K]
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David K
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Here's Chris on a boojum that had fallen onto a cardon.
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David K
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I just love driving in Baja!
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David K
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End of (this) road (point E on map) at the edge of an arroyo. A small puddle of water was on the boulder... 29-56.39', 115-21.41'.
[Edited on 4-12-2006 by David K]
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David K
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Santa Ursula, where are you?
Here's a tree yucca that hasn't been chopped down yet!
This and the following 2 photos southeast of map point D
[Edited on 4-12-2006 by David K]
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David K
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Spring bloom!
This one cardon blossem was about all I noticed... So, no major bloom yet!
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David K
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Some boojum (cirio) skeletons here as we continue south, beyond the roads shown in the Baja Almanac topo map.
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David K
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Wow, here we see the San Fernando arroyo gorge... I am crossing my fingers that we can drive right to Arroyo San Fernando for a short cut to Las
Pintas, where we are going next!
This and the following 5 photos near or at map point F
[Edited on 4-12-2006 by David K]
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David K
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I am wondering why this road was bulldozed over these hills as we get closer to Arroyo San Fernando...
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David K
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The road ends at some kind of stone mine and we were so close to Arroyo San Fernando, but no cigar! GPS (NAD27) is 29-54.45', 115-20.37'.
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David K
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Flat stones quarried
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David K
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This followed along a vein...
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David K
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This is as close as we got to the arroyo...
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BOLABOUND
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GReat stuff David!
Feels like I was there thanxs..
You know Yucca takes a very long time to grow 20years for 8ft.
My uncle plants it at his ranch called the Alamo south of El ejido, Heroes de la independencia going to San Felipe.
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David K
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This sign was along the road we used to return north... It reached Mex. 1 at Km. 103 (just west of Los Martires jcn., near where the yuccas were
unloaded on the airstrip).
A closed gate there is not locked... ALWAYS reclose these gates after passing through to keep them unlocked, please!
Can one of you Spanish experts translate the sign? Thanks!
This was near point H on the map
[Edited on 4-12-2006 by David K]
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