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baitcast
Super Nomad
Posts: 1785
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: kingman AZ.
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1964 found I and the family making our way to Gonzaga Bay in our new VW bus,tough drive,very hot,no AC,stuck 3 times,lots of digging,the family
walking up 1 hill that I couldn,t make
I know what Lewis and Clark must have felt like after that drive,lucky to get out alive but you know what we couldn,t wait to go again
Rob
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acadist
Super Nomad
Posts: 1125
Registered: 3-31-2007
Location: Spanaway,WA
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Mood: Waiting for the Sun
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I love ALL your stories! Mine is neither as old or adventurous. 7 or 8 years ago I had been fishing only a couple of times in my lifeand my wife's
cousin (our next door neighbor) and our friend around the corner were going fishing and my wife encouraged me to go with them. We were loading the
truck and they asked me if I had brought my birth certificate, I had never even seen it before. Very nervous crossing the border, paid the attendant
an extra $20 to get my tourist visa. Drove to Loreto and had an awesome time, giant Humboldt squid and schooling Dorado. Been back at least once a
year ever since, it has gotten harder since moving to CO but I will never stop. Have many great memories of fishing trips with the guys but the best
ones are the few trips with my family, my daughter catching her first fish, a 30# dorado in Loreto then getting to see grrey whales up close and
personal. Casting a trout rod for my boy (4 years old) in the Bahai Concepcion, him saying "I got a fish"...no you just have more seaweed, Dad was
wrong! Well I am trying to get there next weekend, don't know if I can pull it off but once again I am dreaming of baja every waking moment.
Dave
I moved to CO and they made me buy a little rod to make it feel like a real fish
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Ken Bondy
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3326
Registered: 12-13-2002
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Mood: Mellow
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My first visits in a little more detail:
I think I was a Mexican in another life. I have a strangely powerful attraction for Mexico and all things Hispanic. The attraction is particularly
strong for that part of Mexico known as Baja California. Perhaps it was just proximity; I grew up in the Los Angeles area, less than 200 miles from
the Mexican border. I can’t remember exactly how I got interested in Baja (the other life, maybe?) but I started going to Tijuana shortly after high
school. I am uncomfortable admitting this, but one of the initial attractions I had to Latin culture was bullfighting. I was a huge Hemingway fan
and “Death in the Afternoon” was a strong influence. The Latin pageantry, the whole spectacle of the Tijuana “Bullring by the Sea” grabbed me—but
eventually the brutality and cruelty of the “corrida” outweighed the fun parts of the afternoon and I lost interest. I do remember loving the
cultural shock of crossing the border, the mostly friendly chaos of the Tijuana streets, the drive out Calle Segunda to Playas de Tijuana, the colors,
the smells of the mesquite fires. It was amazing that everything could be that different by just passing a few feet over some imaginary line. It was
an attraction for me that would last a lifetime.
I made my first trip to the southern part of the peninsula in the late 1960s. It was a fishing trip to the classic “east cape” resort Rancho Buena
Vista. On that trip we flew commercially to La Paz, and then took an air taxi flight in a high-wing single (I think it was a Cessna 206 or 207) from
La Paz airport to the dirt strip at Buena Vista.
The experience was literally life-changing for me—flying in a small airplane, landing on a dirt strip, the first taste of the Sea of Cortez where the
desert just became ocean—the whole “Baja experience” back when it was still young, simple, and pristine. Back then Cabo San Lucas was a dusty little
village. When I got back I started collecting and reading everything I could find on Baja California. I went crazy over Ray Cannon’s classic book
“The Sea of Cortez.” Baja would become a major part of my life and experience for the next 40 years; it remains so today.
I learned to fly in the early 1970s and earned my private pilot’s license in 1973. Within a year I had my instrument and multiengine ratings. Baja
influenced my decision to take flying lessons. I knew flying would open up my access to the peninsula, making everything easier to get to and in much
less time. In 20 years of flying I eventually logged over 1,700 hours, flying a wide variety of single-engine airplanes (Cessna 150, 152, 172, 177,
182, 210, Beechcraft Bonanzas F33, V35 and A36) and several multiengine airplanes (Beechcraft Travelair and Duchess, Piper Aztec.) In 1979 I bought a
beautiful 1963 Beechcraft Baron, and in the next ten years logged over 1,000 hours in it, more than half of my total time. The Baron was like a
family member.
My four kids kind of grew up in Baja. They loved Baja and the Mexicans loved them. The kids all thought they were Mexican…eventually that had to be
explained. There were several places we particularly enjoyed and visited often—Hotel Punta Pescadero on the “east cape” near the southern end of the
peninsula, Meling Ranch in the mountains north of San Quintin, and the cities of Loreto and La Paz.
But our favorite place was Punta San Francisquito, “PFQ” for short, a small basic Sea of Cortez resort about halfway down the peninsula on what must
be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. With a difficult drive on marginal dirt roads it is accessible by land (we have driven in several
times in recent years) but it is known primarily as a “fly-in” place.
We made over 100 flying trips there from the mid 70s to the mid 90s. We would make it down to San Francisquito for long weekends at least once a
month in the summers. We could be there in less than 4 hours from Van Nuys airport, where I kept the Baron. Driving takes two full days. We kept a
locker there, with two inflatable boats, scuba tanks, a small compressor, and an ungodly stash of fishing, diving, snorkeling and other beach,
camping, and kid gear.
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Paulina
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3810
Registered: 8-31-2002
Location: BCN
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Ken Bondy
...We made over 100 flying trips there from the mid 70s to the mid 90s. We would make it down to San Francisquito for long weekends at least once a
month in the summers. We could be there in less than 4 hours from Van Nuys airport, where I kept the Baron. Driving takes two full days. We kept a
locker there, with two inflatable boats, scuba tanks, a small compressor, and an ungodly stash of fishing, diving, snorkeling and other beach,
camping, and kid gear. |
Great story Ken! Four hours!!! I would be wanting to go EVERY weekend!!
Grover, thanks for that link.
P<*)))>{
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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Ken Bondy
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3326
Registered: 12-13-2002
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Thanks Paulina. Four hours from takeoff to touchdown was possible but it all depended on how things went in Mexicali. We could make Van Nuys to
Mexicali in about an hour. If there weren't many airplanes on the ground at Mexicali we could gas up, do the paperwork, and get in the air in another
hour. Then it was 1 hour 45 minutes from Mexicali to PSFO. Sometimes we were on the ground in Mexicali for two hours or more. But it still beat
driving!! ++Ken++
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Paulina
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3810
Registered: 8-31-2002
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Ken,
Dern and I will meet you in Van Nuys in about four hours!!! 
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride!
Thanks for the visual, loved it! I want to be there right now.
P<*)))>{
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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baitcast
Super Nomad
Posts: 1785
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: kingman AZ.
Member Is Offline
Mood: good
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The long version,I hope
posted on 11-22-2003 at 10:30 PM
Gonzaga Bay 1964.....My first date with three sisters
This was a trip report I made a year or so ago on the old Amigos board and thought maybe some of you nomads might get a kick out of it.
A friend of mine asked me if I wanted to know a good spot to go fishing,you bet I said where?....a place in mexico on something called the sea of
cortez,lived in huntington bch in those days,jest a hop skip and jump and I would be there great!!!
My friend drew up a map for me,just bought a 64 vw bus and he said I was ready to ,all I had to do was drive down to a bay called Gonzaga and meet a
old guy by the name of papa he would show me where to fish,so I packed up the bus,wife two kids and a friend......He also said I might have a problem
or 2 on the road but everything should be fine,I thanked him.
I have always thought that stupidity must be blessful,for in those days I was my late 20,s and still stupid but happy and was always game to try
anything if it had anything to do with fishing!!.....My friend had also mentioned it might get a little hot it was july and I should plan on it ,no
problem I borrowed one of those window coolers you hang on the outside of the rig,there I took care of the heat problem,went out and bought a map
which gave mileage and some other stuff,we were ready to go.
The trip........left huntington bch late on night ,should be in san felipe by morning, puertecitos a couple of hours later ,Gonzaga for
lunch,everything went smoothly,arrived in san felipe on time , and now the dirt I can,t wait finally the trip starts,not 10 min,s later we were stuck
in a sand pit,I could still see san felipe,this is not what I had in mind,I did bring a shovel,half hour later we were on our way again........the
going was a little slower than I had planned but no matter we were headed south,finally puertecitos dead ahead,getting a little tired,the kids are a
bit loud,my wife is talking to herself not loud something about this #$%^ road I couldn,t make out the other things ,my friend is saying nothing by
now,stopped for some gas in town,while there a gringo came by and asked where we were going I said Gonzaga Bay its just down the road a ways from
here!!!
Left the window cooler at the station,does,nt work going 10 15 miles anyway,he thanked me.......Not2 mins out of town I lost track of the road saw
nothing but rock,know its here somewhere.....going is slow ,its very hot,my oldest daughter is getting sick.......and my wife ...I can hear her now
she is getting mad it me,how could I do this to to her and the kids.......I was very reasurring and told her the bay was just over the next
rise,having no idea what I was talking about,the map I just bought mentions something about three hills that must be climbed and we are in them....God
help us.....the first two we just made,we are at the bottom of the last and my wife wan,ts to go home,she wan,ts to get out and walk,no problem dear
we will get over this we,ll have it made,I put my foot in it and up we go,going slower I see a rock ledge dead ahead must slow down,now stopped can,t
make it over,put my foot on the brakes and start to slide back down the hill.....at the bottom of the canyon my spots several wrecks,poor souls never
made it,we are now backing down the hill,my hands are shaking,kids are crying,my friend is white faced,tried once more but could not get over the
ledge.....one thing left to do back down to the bottom,told everyone to get out and walk,just what my wife wanted to do in the first place.......Well
this time I made it ,felt like rocky on top of that mountion.......flat lands dead ahead,I am numb between the ears but know we are getting
close.....No sooner than we get to the bottom of the hills and I,m stuck again in the sand,will this never end???
Digging and more digging,starting to get pretty good at this though...can,t be to far,daughters temp. is still up,monster headache,finally arrive at
papa,s late in the day but find just a couple of old house,s and a shack or two and no trees,I check my map my friend gave me,I,m suppose to go down
the canyon just before papa,s,he said the fishing was best there and a nice beach so I turned around and made for the canyon,found a set of tracks to
follow,you guessed it stuck again only this time no amount of digging is going to get us out,my friend said he would watch the family for me so now
I,m walking back to papa,s,sometime later I arrive in camp and this little old man come,s up to me smiling and said something,he already knew what the
problem was ,first thing you know chichi his son and a man with a big rig shows up ,things appeared to be a little slow in camp anyway this would
everyone something to do ......Didn,t take long for them to get us out.......Guess we will stay at papa,s place,the ground looks firm and I,m not
moving,the wife got the kids in the water for a cool down and I and my friend enjoyed the best and the coldest beer we have ever drank to this day.
After a wonderful nites sleep we got up and started looking for shade,no trees what do you do for shade I asked he smiled and pointed toward his front
porch........Lucky for us papa had started to build a big cabana all it needed was a roof,so my first day of vacation we finished the roof.....still
lots to this vacation but you get the idea,lots to learn but having fun,going home no problem all the up hills were now down hills and I knew what
firm ground looks like,when we hit the highway at san felipe we all smiled and my wife leaned over and gave me a big kiss and said when we come down
next vacation maybe we should go a month or so sooner,might not be so hot
BAITCAST
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Von
Senior Nomad
Posts: 961
Registered: 10-1-2006
Location: Poway-Rosarito
Member Is Offline
Mood: getting ready!
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November 23,1972 2:16pm in Tijuana somewhere around seventh street my mom said.... 
READY SET.....................
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Phil S
Super Nomad
Posts: 1205
Registered: 10-28-2003
Member Is Offline
Mood: After 34 years. Still in love w/ my wife
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About 18 years ago when my brother & I flew down to Loreto to see what was so facinating to drag a 33' Airstream down every year & stay there
for six months out of the year on a beach call "rattlesnake beach"??????
We found out the first 15 minutes coming out of Oregon in a huge rainstorm, and landing in blue skies, 75 degree temps, and cold beers waiting on
the beach when we arrived. Three days later saw our first rattlesnake under his trailer. We had it for dinner two days later. Was 5' 8" long, and 9
buttons (if I can remember the exact number of buttons) Been going back every year ever since. Brother gave it up about three years ago. Sold his
boat & house full of property. We eventually bought a home in Nopolo. Sold it last year. But still drive down every winter for two weeks visiting
friends in Loreto/Nopolo and on to Cabo for two weeks of Thanksgiving. Then back to Oregon for Christmas & 9 grandkids. No more FM3's. Only
Tourist passes. Yahoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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jeans
Super Nomad
Posts: 1059
Registered: 9-16-2002
Member Is Offline
Mood: Encantada
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Paulina
Ken,
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride!
P<*)))>{ |
If wishes were horses, I'd clean up!
(sorry...couldn't resist)
Mom always told me to be different - Now she says...Not THAT different
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64488
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Gonzaga Grades
Baitcast, your story is great... I placed some spaces in it to ease the reading... Below is a photo coming down one of the Gonzaga Grades ("Sisters")
in my dune buggy, 1974...
| Quote: | Originally posted by baitcast
The long version,I hope
posted on 11-22-2003 at 10:30 PM
Gonzaga Bay 1964.....My first date with three sisters
This was a trip report I made a year or so ago on the old Amigos board and thought maybe some of you nomads might get a kick out of it.
A friend of mine asked me if I wanted to know a good spot to go fishing,you bet I said where?....a place in mexico on something called the sea of
cortez,lived in huntington bch in those days,jest a hop skip and jump and I would be there great!!!
My friend drew up a map for me,just bought a 64 vw bus and he said I was ready to ,all I had to do was drive down to a bay called Gonzaga and meet a
old guy by the name of papa he would show me where to fish,so I packed up the bus,wife two kids and a friend......
He also said I might have a problem or 2 on the road but everything should be fine,I thanked him.
I have always thought that stupidity must be blessful,for in those days I was my late 20,s and still stupid but happy and was always game to try
anything if it had anything to do with fishing!!.....
My friend had also mentioned it might get a little hot it was july and I should plan on it ,no problem I borrowed one of those window coolers you hang
on the outside of the rig,there I took care of the heat problem,went out and bought a map which gave mileage and some other stuff,we were ready to go.
The trip........
left huntington bch late on night ,should be in san felipe by morning, puertecitos a couple of hours later ,Gonzaga for lunch,everything went
smoothly,arrived in san felipe on time , and now the dirt I can,t wait finally the trip starts,not 10 min,s later we were stuck in a sand pit,I could
still see san felipe,this is not what I had in mind,I did bring a shovel,half hour later we were on our way again........
the going was a little slower than I had planned but no matter we were headed south,finally puertecitos dead ahead,getting a little tired,the kids are
a bit loud,my wife is talking to herself not loud something about this #$%^ road
I couldn,t make out the other things ,my friend is saying nothing by now,stopped for some gas in town,while there a gringo came by and asked where we
were going I said Gonzaga Bay its just down the road a ways from here!!!
Left the window cooler at the station,does,nt work going 10 15 miles anyway,he thanked me.......
Not2 mins out of town I lost track of the road saw nothing but rock,know its here somewhere.....
going is slow ,its very hot,my oldest daughter is getting sick.......
and my wife ...I can hear her now she is getting mad it me,how could I do this to to her and the kids.......
I was very reasurring and told her the bay was just over the next rise,having no idea what I was talking about,the map I just bought mentions
something about three hills that must be climbed and we are in them....
God help us.....
the first two we just made,we are at the bottom of the last and my wife wan,ts to go home,she wan,ts to get out and walk,no problem dear we will get
over this we,ll have it made,I put my foot in it and up we go,going slower I see a rock ledge dead ahead must slow down,now stopped can,t make it
over,put my foot on the brakes and start to slide back down the hill.....
at the bottom of the canyon my spots several wrecks,poor souls never made it,we are now backing down the hill,my hands are shaking,kids are crying,my
friend is white faced,tried once more but could not get over the ledge.....
one thing left to do back down to the bottom,told everyone to get out and walk,just what my wife wanted to do in the first place.......
Well this time I made it ,felt like rocky on top of that mountion.......
flat lands dead ahead,I am numb between the ears but know we are getting close.....
No sooner than we get to the bottom of the hills and I,m stuck again in the sand,will this never end???
Digging and more digging,starting to get pretty good at this though...can,t be to far,daughters temp. is still up,monster headache,finally arrive at
papa,s late in the day but find just a couple of old house,s and a shack or two and no trees,
I check my map my friend gave me,I,m suppose to go down the canyon just before papa,s,he said the fishing was best there and a nice beach so I turned
around and made for the canyon,found a set of tracks to follow,you guessed it stuck again only this time no amount of digging is going to get us out,
my friend said he would watch the family for me so now I,m walking back to papa,s,sometime later I arrive in camp and this little old man come,s up to
me smiling and said something,he already knew what the problem was ,
first thing you know chichi his son and a man with a big rig shows up ,things appeared to be a little slow in camp anyway this would everyone
something to do ......
Didn,t take long for them to get us out.......Guess we will stay at papa,s place,the ground looks firm and I,m not moving,the wife got the kids in the
water for a cool down and I and my friend enjoyed the best and the coldest beer we have ever drank to this day.
After a wonderful nites sleep we got up and started looking for shade,no trees what do you do for shade I asked he smiled and pointed toward his front
porch........
Lucky for us papa had started to build a big cabana all it needed was a roof,so my first day of vacation we finished the roof.....still lots to this
vacation but you get the idea,lots to learn but having fun,going home no problem all the up hills were now down hills and I knew what firm ground
looks like,when we hit the highway at san felipe we all smiled and my wife leaned over and gave me a big kiss and said when we come down next vacation
maybe we should go a month or so sooner,might not be so hot
BAITCAST |
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baitcast
Super Nomad
Posts: 1785
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: kingman AZ.
Member Is Offline
Mood: good
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One of my early attempts at story telling
Rob
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64488
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by baitcast
One of my early attempts at story telling
Rob |
I love it... any story about a real Baja experience is a treasure! The pre-pavement days of Baja made it such a special palce to visit... a real
adventure... and Gonzaga Bay was the best, as it was reached after climbing those severe staircase grades... which got worse after Highway 1 was
finished!
All supplies came in from Hwy. 1 to the south and no more work was done south of Puertecitos to keep the road open... until the new graded road was
built in '86 and for the first time passenger cars could drive south of Puertecitos without risk of severe damage.
Cliff Cross's 1970 Baja Guide map of the grades...
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Baja&Back
Senior Nomad
Posts: 549
Registered: 9-10-2004
Location: Vancouver, Canada / todo de Baja
Member Is Offline
Mood: Rarin' to go South!
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In '69, drove with a newly-met girlfriend from Vancouver to Ensenada in a Triumph Spitfire. Did Hussong's, a roach motel near the old naval base,
fabulous supper at La Cueva del Tigre restaurant, tented just above the blowhole at La Bufadora, and learned to drink Kahlua in the morning instead of
yeech Mexican coffee - a habit not yet fully lost 
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: optimistic
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THE GRADES BELOW PC
In the late 70's, or early 80's (not sure) I drove the "grades" in my 1969 Ford F-100 2-wheel drive 4-speed tranny pickup with my son. I had huge
tires. We twisted the motor off it's motor mounts on the last grade south (we were headed north on our way home) and had to chain the engine to the
frame to keep going-------the engine and tranny twisted so far that the gear shift lever came over and nearly broke my upper right leg. We made it
home to El Centro, tho. Them's were the days alright.
I later installed "solid" motor mounts and never had any problems again, tho the truck vibrated some from then on. That '69 Ford is still going
strong in Owens Valley under my son's watchful eye and loving care.
Barry
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Mango
Senior Nomad
Posts: 685
Registered: 4-11-2006
Location: Alta California &/or Mexicali
Member Is Offline
Mood: Bajatastic
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My first trip to Baja was in 1996; but, I had not really explored it until a few years ago.
On my first trip to Mexico I had originally planned to bus down Baja from TJ and take the ferry over to the mainland.. but a hurricane changed my
route to: Mexicali, Mazatlan, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Puebla, Oaxaca, Guanajuato, Los Mochis, Creel, and finally TJ where I walked back to the USA.
Not much Baja in there on my first trip.. but I was hooked on traveling in Mexico. I have since criss-crossed the mainland on buses (mainly) one to
three or more times a year ever since. Some trips would last months, others only a few weeks, all were great in their own ways.
Drinking tequila while riding on the luggage rack on the roof of a bus (it was only going 5mph on a crazy dirt road) to the bottom of the copper
canyon was one of the highlights of my first trip.
In the last few years I have made several trips down Baja as far as Loreto. Most of my explorations have been up in the north as of this time,
rambling around the Sierra Juarez, wandering the local street markets in Mexicali, the old Colorado River delta, trips to San Felipe, Valle de
Guadalupe, etc..
Thanks for all your stories.. its neat to see and hear about the history of Baja.
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7641
Registered: 3-12-2006
Location: on the bayou
Member Is Offline
Mood: undecided
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Three maybe four years ago.
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baitcast
Super Nomad
Posts: 1785
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: kingman AZ.
Member Is Offline
Mood: good
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As a follow up on the first trip,I went out and bought a 3/4 ton Dodge power wagon 4/4 pick-up 6 months later right off the show room floor for
3250$,took a beating on that deal but I had to get back down there as soon as possible
Still had problems tho,we were just motoring right along when I heard this noise,stopped the truck lifted the hood and there was the battery
up-side down,the bracket had broke completely off,wire and rope fixed that for
the time being.
Aways down the road this explosion takes place and a roaring sound, stopped the truck again,a quick look under the truck and there is the
whole exhaust system on the ground,more wire!!
I often thought what fools would tear up their gear just to maybe catch a fish,play on the beach,swim in warm clear water and just sit
and look,there as been many of us!
Rob
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Vince
Nomad
Posts: 445
Registered: 10-17-2006
Location: Coronado
Member Is Offline
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In the late '40's my parents took us kids to Rosarito and points south fishing from the rocks. While Dad fished, I shot rock crabs with a BB gun. We
ate lunch several times at the Half Way House. Many trips including one to San Quinten were very memorable. Later in high school we started going to
San Carlos for Easter week like Barry did. All formative years for sure. Then my flying trips started in 1974 also, mostly to Serenedad.
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BajaGeoff
Super Nomad
Posts: 1727
Registered: 1-11-2006
Location: San Diego and Campo Lopez
Member Is Offline
Mood: Heading To Baja!!!
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My first trip to Baja was in 1989 when I was in high school. It was a day trip down to Raul's to surf with "Doc" Morton, who eventually opened Baja
Bound as a drive through in the mid-nineties. We did those weekend trips a couple times a month, which led up to a couple of longer trips down to
Scorpion Bay. Great memories!
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