last time I was there the margaritas, chips and guacamole were great!!!.....and a killer view
Calafia
Vince - 1-5-2007 at 10:33 PM
I agree, the setting at Calafia is spectacular. In the mid to late 50's it was our favorite spot to dive and surf in the cove immediatly north of the
now cliffside resturant. The lobster and abs were plentiful, we would cook them on the beach. Going there now brings back great memories, the only
thing that is the same is the surf, even the sand is gone.
nice view
k1w1 - 1-5-2007 at 10:45 PM
r u talkin' Buena Vista?
If so, yea this place is fantastique. (can't believe real estate values in this neighbourhood of late!?)
If not, donde???Vince - 1-6-2007 at 03:51 PM
Back then it was called locally, Louie's Beach. Not sure what name it has now.capt. mike - 1-7-2007 at 07:15 AM
i love their baked cheeze appetizer dip deal with ground hog sausage crumbles, in fact i just decided to make some for today's games!!bancoduo - 1-7-2007 at 05:01 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Vince
Back then it was called locally, Louie's Beach. Not sure what name it has now.
let me throw some names at
you. Tom Carlin, Deshler Whiting, Bill Gove, Dirk Jennings. I remember Louie's well. Surfing; then diving for bugs, boiling them over a fire, then
dipping the meat into a Mexicali beer can full of butter; yum! yum!
Did you ever surf the break about 1k north of the halfway house. Not many people new about it. WELCOME aboard.
Bancoduo-------
Barry A. - 1-7-2007 at 06:46 PM
-----those names?????? Heck, I know all those guys, with the possible exception of Bill Gove (but even that name sounds familiar). I went to school
with them, partied with them, etc., tho I was on the perifery of that "group". Are you from Coronado???
I have spent many an evening at Calafia, back in the 50's,60's, and 70's, and even early 80's----------a truly wonderful place, and a place where I
always took my dates to impress them, and introduce them to Mexico.
And "Louie's beach" was a favorite hangout and dive place for us, too.
Is "Vince" possibly the notorious "Dr. Vince ------" of Coronado?? And who are you??? (u2u me??)
What fun!!!!
Barry
bajaeng-----
Barry A. - 1-7-2007 at 07:07 PM
----it was really, really good------we were never skunked when taking "bugs" there, and yes, one of the many places was at Louie's beach. BUT, you
are really taxing my memory to remember exactly where "Louie's" was in relation to the now existing Calafia. It was not there in the early 50's, as I
recall.
You have to remember that we also routinely took bugs off of La Jolla, too, in those days, but of course La Jolla got cleaned out pretty fast, and
then we started going to Baja where they were much more plentiful. There were also many abs off La Jolla, and in Baja, that were taken for personal
use. The La Jolla dives were in the early 50's, as were my dives in Baja. The diving was amazing, back then. You seldom had to dive down more than 15
feet max.. for abs and bugs. We were only free diving back then----no scuba, at least for me.Baja Bernie - 1-7-2007 at 07:23 PM
I am not a diver, but I remember popping abs off the rocks in La Jolla cove at low tide by just bending over at the waist........Same for many of the
small coves along the Pacific Coast in Baja..................the mention of hot butter in a beer can really brought back the glory days of the 50's
and 60's.
Last time I had abs was at the Cave of the Tiger Restaurant just sorth of Ensenada............that was about 15 years ago.
I'm sure you all know that at one time Califia was where the border between Baja and Alta California was drawn....roughly east toward Yuma.DENNIS - 1-7-2007 at 07:35 PM
Bernie ---
I thought that old line was drawn just north of Rene's, south end of Rosarito. There's a sign in that area saying this.
I suppose , like everything else in Mexico, facts will drift around till they find a comfortible place to lite.
Dennis
Baja Bernie - 1-7-2007 at 07:43 PM
Drop in at Califia Hotel/Restaurant and see the history gallery they have showing it as the 'spot'.....................they used to have an old
marker in their display.
It is tough even getting in there now with all of the hi-rise construction.
Remember when they served dinner down on the 'old Spanish Galleon' at the foot of the stairs................After a while the help just refused to run
up and down all of those stairs................
You are right about the drifting stuff.
[Edited on 1-8-2007 by Baja Bernie]
Bernie-----
Barry A. - 1-7-2007 at 07:59 PM
------now that is a "fact" that completely escaped me--------I do not remember, or perhaps never knew, that the old border ran anyplace other than
where it is now-------are we talking about pre-Gadsten Purchase days??? or what??
BarryBaja Bernie - 1-7-2007 at 08:04 PM
I believe it had to do with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago. One story goes that the Mexicans were unhappy because they could not ride their horses
from the mainland to see what was what in Baja so they convienced the Americans to move it to where it is now so they would have a land bridge to
Baja.
Another was that was the border between to two California's, California(which became Baja California and Alta California which became California)
about the time that the good Padre came up to Alta California to establish Missions in a much nicer climate.
[Edited on 1-8-2007 by Baja Bernie]
Bernie-----
Barry A. - 1-7-2007 at 08:07 PM
-----as good a "reason" as any------------glad we accomodated them.
Thanks, Bernie.DENNIS - 1-7-2007 at 08:13 PM
Oh yeah Bernie, I remember the Galleon. I love Calafia....what a beautiful setting.
Bernie, do you recall the Kontiki in Ensenada? The in-water restaurant for which you had to negotiate a swinging, looping gangway to board the
vessel? The floating diner, when it wasn't stuck on the bottom, would bob on the swell and list to one side or the other for no apparent reason?
Boarding the craft required all your empty hands hanging on but going ashore would often require a crawl of sorts.
As I said earlier, Bernie, these memories are the best part. Thanks again.Dave - 1-7-2007 at 11:20 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Baja Bernie
Drop in at Califia Hotel/Restaurant and see the history gallery they have showing it as the 'spot'.....................they used to have an old
marker in their display.
Bernie, everything in the "gallery" is manufactured BS.
Most all the tourist traps have invented their own history. However, there was something penciled on the men's room wall of the Halfway House
that I tend to believe. It said, "John Wayne pi$$ed here."
Dave
Baja Bernie - 1-8-2007 at 12:51 PM
I would really like your evaluation of all of the 'history' posted in the lobby of the Rosarito Beach Hotel.
I guess the only thing that I can really believe in is that your sandwiches are always fresh and outstanding AND the DESSERTS are out of this
world.............in fact one could say they were out in the desert.
Okay, Okay
Baja Bernie - 1-8-2007 at 01:05 PM
I got off my lazy butt and found my reference for part of my statement about Califia and the border..............................
Baja Legends by Greg Niemann page 99......This Dominican-Franciscan boundry was also designated in 1777 to separate New Spain provinces of Alta and
Baja California [at Califia].
I know I also have a reference about the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildalgo changing it to the current border.............but I just got better things to do
than dig it out.
Off to Costco in hopes of meeting Captain Mike's lady's friends.
Dave
Baja Bernie - 1-9-2007 at 07:51 AM
Okay, Back from Costco—no luck.
Got off my butt and here is the information about the current border between Baja California and California.
History
With the exception of a small number of minor Rio Grande border disputes, since settled, the current course of the border was finalized by the 1848
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the 1853 Gadsden Purchase.
US-Mexico boundary marker and adjacent fence near southwestern corner of Coronado National Memorial.
Whether the border between Mexico and the breakaway Republic of Texas followed the Rio Grande or the Nueces River further north was an issue never
settled during the existence of that Republic, and the uncertainty was one of the direct causes of the 1846–48 Mexican-American War. An earlier
agreement, signed during the Mexican War of Independence by the United States and Imperial Spain, was the 1819 Adams-Onís Treaty, which defined the
border between the republic and the colonial empire following the Louisiana Purchase of 1804.
Bajaeng- The cove is the next one north of Calafia, it looks entirely different now, as the sand has been washed away, but right in that vicinity we
would get 30 or so people together, on a weekend, surf and dive. Some of us would just get abs and use the boards to store them on, the abs would
attach themselves to the top of the board and then push the board to shore full of abs, mostly green, some black. One time I popped 5 or 6 blacks at
once all on top of eachother. Of course, we would have the standard innertube with a gunnysack tied to it for the bugs, fish and abs. On those
weekends we would eat all we took and maybe catch a bullfight on the way home. Now, gringos cannot take anything out of that area except fish.bancoduo - 1-9-2007 at 05:10 PM
"Catch a bullfight on the way home" That brings back memoriesmarla - 2-5-2007 at 02:23 PM
I love that restaurant outdoors on the rocky point. We go there every trip southward that I can arrange it, just because it's so beautiful. It reminds
me of the Greek islands. I don't stay at Calafia anymore because the rooms are overpriced for what you get, but I still enjoy the restaurant. My
friend got married at Calafia a few years ago and it was lovely. The restaurant maitre d ran off with $700 they had given him as a deposit on the
wedding, but other than that the entire event was beautiful and fun. They have a reception room and lovely garden to the north of the main restaurant.
Louie's beach
woody with a view - 2-5-2007 at 05:41 PM
otherwise known as "mushrooms" for the rocks at the takeoff spot.
regan and i used to leave work at 3.30 from what is now university towne center (we were building all the condos/homes around there and la jolla
colony) and we could be down to "louie's" by4.30 or so, maybe 5pm if we stopped for beer. anyway, when a hurricane was pumping swell OB would be flat
(swell went right past) and we'd be the only guys in the water. many, many days spent there watching the sunset. then be back home by 9pm......THOSE
WERE THE DAYS!!!
!!!