Watch out, it's true, people DO go there!

Along with my own accounts, it's true, people are exploring and finding those more "out-of-the-way" spots! Listen in and you will soon see the "the secret(s)" are out. If you want the REAL Baja info just listen in. That is, listen in to the popular Baja internet forums. It's a veritable "newbie heaven" in terms of discovery.
While not just a fun place to play and learn simultaneously, a "poster" can divulge instantaneously, important secrets not revealed anywhere else or else not much publicised any where else. Such adventures and back-country discoveries, especially sensitive locales like archeological sites or mineral and fossil sites can be gleened and accessed via these "in the know" real-time sources.
Never before has this been accomplished. Relative to the time a "secret" place can be divulged could make a place expect to receive more visits much sooner than pre-blabla.
Convince me that publicising sensitive and/ or unique places by way of GPS coordinates via "real time" media is wise or prudent or is beneficial in the preservation of same.

In this information based era and using this platform for entertainment and education we all contribute to each others appetite by contribution. In this case Baja is the love we share. Some areas of this relatively undamaged place are jewels that would be best examined and exposed in the face of close friends. Consider please , the scope of the contribution and the potential consequences,
.
Think about it....

here here

Here I am

Seriously, as DanO said the publishing of 'cool' Baja places is not new or limited to Baja Nomad.

My family began to 'explore' Baja with the help of Howard Gulick's fantastic 'Lower California Guidebook' published first in 1956 with new editions right up to 1970.

Howard made the best maps and had the best detailed road logs that still have value today... 50 years ago. This enticed us to explore and see more of the peninsula... because of what Howard wrote.

More recently, Walt Peterson wrote 'The Baja Adventure Book' with tons a cool or 'secret' places and details on how to get there, such as Las Pintas.

Published Baja guide books have already been posting GPS waypoints... also the two most recent mission books have waypoints...

Now that we are clear that given out details on how to find a Baja location is not limited to this web site, let's add that we on Nomad (unlike books you need to buy) do it for free because we enjoy sharing and the overwhelming responce shows it is greatly appreciated.

To address some concerns:

1. Who reads Baja Nomad?

Is it Baja loving people who want to enrich their travel experiences, learn more, visit, and preserve the great places so others may enjoy them, including our children?

Or are Baja Nomads theives or criminals armed with spray paint and picks just looking for new targets to drive for miles in 4WD to destroy?

2. Who uses GPS receivers or road logs?

Is it Baja loving people who want to see for themselves a beautiful or intersting location without getting lost or trailblazing?

Or is it gang members with spray paint looking for remote places to tag that nearly no one will see?

3. Does the historic information and photos posted here (or shown in books) actually cause the destruction of missions and historic sites?

Or, is the knowledge and appreciation of these sites cause more people to want to preserve it because they now have value both in education and as a tourist draw to an area?

Afterall, when nobody knew a pile of rubble was once a mission site or that it would be something to attract tourists and their dollars, the sites were deemed of no value and allowed to be artificially destroyed or bricks hauled off to build a corral or home.

Case in point: The onyx schoolhouse of El Marmol was being slowly torn down about to disappear forever. A couple of us on the Internet made quite a stink about that... Now, a fence has been erected around it. While that alone won't stop anyone who wants to vandalize it, the fact that it was deemed worthy of a fence shows others that once old building has value to preserve. There is plenty of onyx laying about and the schoolhouse is worth keeping.

Once the locals see the tourists (because they were made aware of their existance) are interested in the melted mounds of adobe or piles of stone, then they have a better reason to help preserve the sites.

Education (telling and showing people about Baja history) is not a bad thing and will do more to save a site than keeping it a 'secret' if that were even possible.

There are no secret sites in Baja, somebody has seen it before or written about it somewhere. It is not our private playground for only us to enjoy, it is a true wonderland that everone should be informed about to help keep it that way.

Only those who think it is a desert wasteland with ruined buildings will not appreciate it and will NOT have a reason to preserve it.

Baja Nomads love Baja and will do more to help keep the sites valuable and preserved. The more sites we share with each other, the BETTER those site have a chance to be protected by the people of Baja who live near them.



[Edited on 6-8-2006 by David K]

I consider you all my friends, by the way...

Think about what I wrote Corky, knowledge beats ignorance... Baja Nomad readers love Baja, they wouldn't be here otherwise.

[Edited on 6-8-2006 by David K]

Quote:

Originally posted by David K Here I am There are no secret sites in Baja, somebody has seen it before or written about it somewhere. It is not our private playground for only us to enjoy, it is a true wonderland that everone should be informed about to help keep it that way. : [Edited on 6-8-2006 by David K]

How about 4 Hoof Drive Bruce?
Here I am on the Camino Real near Mision San Miguel de la Frontera!




I would love to spend more time in Baja California Sur! The problem I have is the distance! My time off rarely allows that far of a trip along with an equal or greater number of days to enjoy myself. The last time I had 2 weeks off was in winter '01-'02 and made it to the tip... http://vivabaja.com/baja15 Capt. Mike took us flying over Mulege the second day of the trip!

David

You can't be that naive. If you(or anyone else) tell people things in a public forum, thinking they are ALL respectable honourable people you are addressing then naive may fit. I would love to have that much confidance in my fellow man, and I don't mean you. Think about this; a Nomad posts a GPS # and claims that one can find gold nuggets there in quantity, ok rare cave artifacts, do you think ALL that read the invitation will react with honourable intentions? The internet is a HUGE place and the info posted becomes globally accessable. What about the treasure seeker? You know the type. Cmon, we all want to savor the "best" places and for sure most of the time we all adhere to our (hopefully)sensibilities. But David just because you are a Nomad doesn't mean scores of others are not there who just look and lurk for other reasons(off-topic is a good example). How can you say we are all firends anyway?
Also, I never said "secret" in a physical context. But that's a good point. There are many unpublished and untold sites like Bruce mentioned. Only the outsiders popularize these places if they can. The locals have known about them for millenia.

[Edited on 6-8-2006 by Sharksbaja]

Wow. I gotta applaude David on this one. That was a well thought out & bang on post.

In the past, I've known of secret places vandalized by the few who knew of them, until many more came along and curbed that activity. All over the USA. Bet you all know of places like that, too. The locals are tagging the Catavina boulders less, now that more tourists travel the road and shake fingers at the vandals.

It's when a secret gets so popular as to attract millions, like Grand Canyon, that Shark's concerns become valid. Like Cabo in '75 & Cabo now.
But - t'll be a looooong time before the Montevideo pinturas get that popular.

Of course we want the same thing

if you can guarantee that you can expect disclosures of such sensitive places to be respected. I use the term "secret" very loosely David . I am sure some of us have been to sacred sites that were never and will never be divulged to the general public and should not be. I know you totally agree. I worry you might tho inadvertantly because you are so willing to share your finds.

As far as damage and pilfering goes, you would be alarmed at who does what out there.
Now with that said, I still don't know how many respond to detailed directions to them. It is certainly a crowd I DO trust on this board those who are actually an active part of it.
This post was NOT particularily intended at targeted them either. My fear and basic concern lies in the fact that these shared bits of info ends up on some pendajos Google inquiry,courtesy of ????


One more note: As was mentioned before. Like a cheat book for a video game, somehow I feel that the disclosure kind of thing takes that "thrill of discovery" out of the fun equation.

please....PLEASE......don't anyone tell anybody about my favorite places, ******** and ******** ** ****. Also, the less said about ********** and *************** the better!!! thx all!!

Some..... jus don't get it. or give a ratsass

[Edited on 6-8-2006 by Sharksbaja]

our place is at playa linda km 34 south of san felipe,its not too much,just enough and we're adding on a little more...after the summer we'll be spending some time down there working on improvements and just hanging out...any and all nomads are invited to join us,its not really a secret spot just a real fun place to hang out

Quote:

Originally posted by eetdrt88 our place is at playa linda km 34 south of san felipe,its not too much,just enough and we're adding on a little more...after the summer we'll be spending some time down there working on improvements and just hanging out...any and all nomads are invited to join us,its not really a secret spot just a real fun place to hang out

yes...

Quote:

Originally posted by Roberto Quote: Originally posted by eetdrt88 our place is at playa linda km 34 south of san felipe,its not too much,just enough and we're adding on a little more...after the summer we'll be spending some time down there working on improvements and just hanging out...any and all nomads are invited to join us,its not really a secret spot just a real fun place to hang out Is this the campo that's right next door to (and owned by the same family as) Campo La Joya?

Yah Grover!

Quote:

Originally posted by grover Quote: Originally posted by Tomas Tierra...( rarely surfed cause it pretty much sucks)... Man what a rash af crap I got from a couple of buddies who think it is some big secret... Somebody should open a surf camp there...

Grover,who needs wax?

"If having fun is the ultimate goal, a whinefest and stinkeye marathon on strangers doesn't exactly get the aloha flowing."

Says it all !


I can remember surfing in others domain. The locals reaction was well, pretty much the same reception everywhere.
Of course, San Blas was only there for those in the know. We would photograph the more serious and experienced guys(sorry gals weren't there). This was a great way to meet and get accepted as someone who"should" be there. Even tho were not as hot as some of those dudes we were welcomed to their camps. I don't know how they get along these days but I always gave plenty of berth to the more experienced. There is always some greedy wavehog types no matter where you go it seems. On the water or on the land. On the water they take ALL the waves. On land they take ALL the surprise.

You got me on that one... Typically, that kind of behavior is frowned on by the locals...

Punta Estrella and Punta Diggs is about that distance south, and I always camped further south.

Got any pictures?

Roberto...

i heard the exact same story about the trailers even though the place i have is indeed a trailer but it was there before most of the nice houses on the beach(which are all relatively new)....acording to what i was told is that they have some kind of HOA there that decided they arent to stoked on the trailers and will not allow any more into the camp and may possibly get rid of the existing ones in the future...the upside is that if you look around and talk to a few people down that way you will probably hear what I did...which is that Playa Linda is one of the best run campo's of the whole area due to the fact they always have water and thievery is not really an issue there like at some of the other campo's...and btw it is also one of the most expensive at about 1200$ a year for a lot lease,all in all its a great place to be and I wish I was there right now

most likely..

because the people in the front row with the real nice houses are spending mucho bucko's,some as much as 200,000$...so apparently they dont want no trailer trash living behind them to me the whole idea of spending that much money on a place youre only at part time is kind of ridiculous,and then telling others around you how they should live is even more ridiculous but of course that is just my opinion....oh and just to let you know i've been down there about 4 times in the last 6 months(mostly holidays) and almost every time i'd say 75% of those houses were vacated

agreed...

except i'm not sure how many surfers are living on the sea of cortez beaches...not a whole lot of waves to be found down there

CPG