David K - 9-22-2006 at 11:50 PM
Taken by BajaMur, May 1, 1999 when he and I rode to the mission... I have had the link to this panorama on my Baja notebook page and it's in BajaMur's
web site too... I just never thought about trying to post it here... It may not work? Let's see!
Well, it wouldn't open here... so click on the link to see... use your mouse to see the entire area at the mission!: Mision Santa Maria 360 degree panorama
[Edited on 9-23-2006 by David K]
Ken Cooke - 12-8-2006 at 08:26 PM
I emailed this to everyone who camped there with us in November. GREAT SHOT! Suzanne loved it too BTW...
David-------
Barry A. - 12-9-2006 at 01:02 PM
----what a great shot--------thank you for posting.
Did the preliminary "drain" ever get installed to drain rain water from inside the Mission ruins so that further erosion will not occur????
David K - 12-9-2006 at 01:32 PM
This panorama and the larger one are at Baja Mur's web site and have been for 6 years... This is why I repost stuff from the past on occaision. http://bajamur.homestead.com/index.html
No Barry, no drain was ever installed... No more contact from INAH people either... It's all politics.
For the newer folks here on Nomad: Last year, after the Baja-Rosario Festival in July '05, some of us Nomads volunteered to install a short drain from
just inside the mission of Santa Maria through the doorway and out so that the erosion of the doorway could be reduced or stopped altogether.
This project was discussed with INAH (Mexico's National Insitute of Anthropology and History) and received their support and offers to help
financially or with student laborers... Since the drain pipe and catch basin are items I regularly use in my business, I didn't need to be
reinbursed... Only about 20 feet of trench needed to be dug, and the few of us going in to the mission could handle that too, if the students didn't
show up.
Anyway, a day before I left for El Rosario I got an email from the person at INAH that had been so enthusiastic with the project saying in no way
could we install the drain pipe... the site would need to be investigated by the proper engineers, and all the other beurocratic nonesense as well.
This person could have said this in the months previous, but maybe she was surprised when we were down to one day to go and were actually going to do
the job...??!!
We ended up not even going into the mission that week...
In comparing photos taken over the past 50 years, the eroded doorway at Santa Maria appears to be the same or very close. Maybe it was treasure
hunters more than rain water that caused the widened doorway?
Photo of doorway taken in '04... note the gaps under the walls on each side of the doorway...
Photo taken by Howard Gulick in 1961 of the doorway (from 'inside' the mission...
[Edited on 12-9-2006 by David K]
stupid question
BAJACAT - 12-19-2006 at 10:34 PM
What do you think is holding this walls from collapsing Dk.. Do we know anything about how big are the footings if any..I hope to one day be able to
make it there before they falll.....
Inah:moon:
[Edited on 12-20-2006 by BAJACAT]
David K - 12-20-2006 at 10:23 AM
Hola Cat!
I hope you and your family have a great NAVIDAD!
No question is stupid! The adobe walls are very thick and are still standing thanks to the remoteness of the mission and the lack of rainfall...
However, that erosion under the wall at the doorway should be addressed someday!
The interior of the mission is elevated from the melted adobe side walls and any rain water that falls in there must drain out that doorway which is
lower than the mission's insides.
Until that happens, let's hope for the wall to remain standing!
Do plan a trip to the mission... Spend a couple days in there... Really awesome experience... I want to take Baja Angel there, too... Hike some of the
El Camino Real towards Gonzaga Bay, too!
David K - 12-21-2006 at 09:13 AM
A better photo of the doorway erosion at Santa Maria...
