BajaNomad

EL CAMINO REAL, from Space! (near Gonzaga Bay)

David K - 2-28-2007 at 02:55 PM

With more high resolution satellite images of Baja California, new ways to explore the colorful California history opens up!

20th century researchers/ explorers Howard Gulick and Harry Crosby documented the location of many sections of the old mission trail and traveled on much of it by foot or mule.

Using their research and maps, then looking at those areas of Baja with Google, one can pick out the old trail between Loreto and El Rosario in many places.

Personally, I have hiked a few sections of the trail and find it most exciting!

I am starting this list of links to the images where the high resolution ends (near Las Palmitas, SW of Punta Final) and will work southward...

ECR near Gonzaga Bay-1

ECR near Gonzaga Bay-2

ECR near Gonzaga Bay-3

ECR near Gonzaga Bay-4

ECR near Gonzaga Bay-5

More to come!

Sharksbaja - 2-28-2007 at 03:43 PM

David, check your links, they all take me to Death Valley.

[Edited on 3-1-2007 by Sharksbaja]

Mexitron - 2-28-2007 at 05:40 PM

The map is correct but the google label says Death Valley...

David K - 2-28-2007 at 07:41 PM

Yes, well so what? I see Death Valley in url, but the links take you to Baja. Talk to Google about why Death Valley is in the url.

How about some constructive or supportive comments?

A mistake on my end I guess so shoot me

Sharksbaja - 2-28-2007 at 10:01 PM

Gee, I guess if you saw what I see on my end, which was not Baja , then you might understand. But then, you already know everything, right Mr Niceguy.:no:
Simmer down David. I was actually trying to view the link.

Thanks Mexitron.



[Edited on 3-1-2007 by Sharksbaja]

David K - 3-1-2007 at 01:09 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Sharksbaja
Gee, I guess if you saw what I see on my end, which was not Baja , then you might understand. But then, you already know everything, right Mr Niceguy.:no:
Simmer down David. I was actually trying to view the link.

Thanks Mexitron.



[Edited on 3-1-2007 by Sharksbaja]


Corky, of course I want you to tell me if the links are bad...

I spent some time making the post, flying back and forth over the Baja desert with Google, looking for straight lines through the shrubs and rocks...

But, the links all went to Baja every time I checked, as it did for Mexitron... regardles of what Google called the location (Death Valley).

I wonder why your PC took you to somewhere else? Or, were you just reading what Google said and hadn't actually clicked on the hyper links?

My mission is to find or talk about Baja historic sites to raise the awareness of them, and excitement that they have on others as it does me.

Giving them value in this manner will preserve them for the future and increase our knowledge of what life in Baja was like 100-300 and more years ago.

Mexitron - 3-1-2007 at 07:37 AM

And those maps are very interesting indeed. Its amazing how long the desert can hold on to a trail...and after attempting to find trails on google myself I know how much time it takes to find them--thanks for the views DK! When would that section of the trail have been in use? 1700s sometime?

David K - 3-1-2007 at 08:34 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mexitron
And those maps are very interesting indeed. Its amazing how long the desert can hold on to a trail...and after attempting to find trails on google myself I know how much time it takes to find them--thanks for the views DK! When would that section of the trail have been in use? 1700s sometime?


Calamajue mission was moved to Santa Maria in 1767... at first the padres used the Indian trail which went up via the canyon. When the Franciscans took over, they had a new route constructed after Junipero Serra walked up the canyon of Santa Maria (on his way to San Diego and beyond) that stayed to the north of the canyon. In addition they had a second trail to Gonzaga Bay ('Serra's Cargo Trail') built primarily for supplying their new mission at San Fernando Velicata.

What is in the high resolution is from almost Arroyo Santa Maria back to Calamajue... The Franciscans were not the great road builders that the Jesuits were... So we are lucky to see any of the trails north of San Borja since the Jesuits weren't around long enough to improve the ECR north of that mission.

I tried very hard to find signs of the Camino Real from Calamajue south to Tinaja de Yubay and was not successful.

You can see some trails right near Calamajue... and the ECR did use the canyon as does the current road. Mainly I was looking east of El Crucero where the ECR is next to the foot of the mountain.

Anyway, the answer to your question about the section of the trail I showed, was used from 1768 to 1957 or so when an automobile road was constructed to Gonzaga Bay by Arturo Grosso... Indians may have had a trail there as well, before the padres arrived.

Actually, the Camino Real is still used for hikers wishing to reach Santa Maria from Gonzaga Bay area... as in this 2003 photo!

Mexitron - 3-1-2007 at 10:37 AM

Thanks for the info DK...was the road constructed by Arturo Grosso the one down the gulf coast or did it come in from the Chapala area?

1956

David K - 3-1-2007 at 06:35 PM

Grosso accepted the challenge placed by the governor to be the first person to get an automobile between San Felipe (perhaps the sulfur mine which was being worked in the 50's) and the transpeninsular road... Since Grosso owned Laguna Chapala, he blasted a road north from there, past Gonzaga, over the 'hills', past that cove that would later become 'Puertecitos', to Matomi wash where a road looped around over the San Fermin plain to the sulfur mine, or maybe straight to the mine.

The Grosso road between his ranch and where Coco's Corner is today was so bad, that a better route was made south via Calamajue Canyon... which became the main route until the government bulldozed a new road in from Chapala, about 1983.

Arturo Grosso was Mama Espinoza's brother... FYI

[Edited on 3-2-2007 by David K]

Mexitron - 3-1-2007 at 07:27 PM

Wow, that Espinoza family owned(s) some real estate. I've talked to people who drove the stairstep north of Gonzaga. Pretty rough. My first experience in Baja was at Gonzaga in the 70's but since I flew in( with Link Grindle & family) I never experienced driving that section of road.

Would love to go hike some of those trails someday, but I'll have to get closer to the Pacific again.

David K - 3-1-2007 at 07:33 PM

They were great!

Here I am driving my dune buggy down one of the famous grades at age 16 (Easter week, 1974)... My first trip without parents...

scan0003r.JPG - 40kB

David K - 3-1-2007 at 07:39 PM

Dune buggies or 4WDs were the way to get to Gonzaga Bay!

Well, in those days, from Puertecitos...

The road fell into disuse and got to be nearly impassable over the next few years because after the Transpeninsular Highway was completed, supplies came in from the south (through Calamajue) and repairs to the north stopped.

My last time over the 'Gonzaga Grades' was in November 1979, pre-running the Baja 1000 section I was to drive that year... The next time to Gonzaga was in 1986 and the new graded road was through... no more need for 4WD.

scan0004r.JPG - 36kB