It is interesting to compare photos taken many years apart, as we have seen with the 1966 vs. 2009 photos at Choral Pepper's 'Lost Mission' ruins near
Las Animas.
Rancho San Gregorio is an old ranch that was built on the Golfo Camino Real, 8.6 miles southeast of Mision San Borja.
The auto road ends 1/4 mile short of the ranch... a short hike on the mission trail brings you to the small oasis in the desert.
In August of 1960, Howard Gulick researching for his third edition of the Lower California Guidebook took the first three photos... one was published
in his book.
First, here's Howard Gulick's map of the region... note the road between San Borja and San Gregorio:
In April, 2001 with Neal Johns, Amo Pescar, and my son Chris we visited the now abandoned rancho. We noticed that the foundation of the adobe ranch
house was on blocks of cut stone. This is very much an indication of mission-era construction... and being at an oasis, San Gregorio was likely a way
station or visita of the mission at San Borja.
Near the ranch were terraced and filled growing fields:
Walking back to Amo's truck/camper... it is parked at the end of the road from San Borja:
Near the truck, was another from a past time... that never left!:
Here is the 2003 topo of the area:
I have GPS data if anyone would like more details on visiting this ranch from the past!
VIVA BAJA!
[Edited on 2-5-2009 by David K]Bajaboy - 2-4-2009 at 09:34 PM
cool pix-thanks!David K - 2-5-2009 at 01:59 AM
Thanks Zac!ligui - 2-5-2009 at 07:28 AM
Thanks David ! A must stop on my next trip down .
Love the out of the way places .... thanksshari - 2-5-2009 at 07:59 AM
neat photos for sure...it would be awesome to find out who's old car that is...could be another challenge for ya david...TMW - 2-5-2009 at 08:24 AM
David in the second 2001 photo down there appears to be an old car above the roof of the house or was it some other left over relic?desertcpl - 2-5-2009 at 09:07 AM
very nice,,, how hard is it to get tobajamigo - 2-5-2009 at 09:28 AM
These are really interesting. Any idea why the ranch was abandoned?Humboldt Chris and Robin - 2-5-2009 at 10:38 AM
Thanks for those, I love before and after photos of places like that (and old maps, too). I will seek this place out in the near future!David K - 2-5-2009 at 11:01 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by TW
David in the second 2001 photo down there appears to be an old car above the roof of the house or was it some other left over relic?
I see what you mean TW, but those are boulders... that just happen to look like a French car!David K - 2-5-2009 at 11:08 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by desertcpl
very nice,,, how hard is it to get to
The road from San Borja is seldom used and the vegetation will add 'Baja pin stripes' to any large vehicle, such as Amo's camper.
The road ends at some 'line shacks' (I think that's what Neal called them) used by ranchers when they move their cattle through the area, etc.
Just before the line shacks, the road for San Gregorio forks off to the right (it is very faint and overgrown)... and somes to a parking area where
the hike begins. As I mentioned above, the hike is about 1/4 mile or a bit more... The El Camino Real (Golfo Camino Real) is the trail to the right
along the hill... Or, follow the arroyo trail, below it.
We walked in on the arroyo trail and walked back out on the mission trail.
I should have mentioned to TW that no way could a car get to the rancho, as he thought he saw above it.
Also, be warned that I have not been back there since 2001, so things may have changed.David K - 2-5-2009 at 11:11 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by bajamigo
These are really interesting. Any idea why the ranch was abandoned?
My guess is to be closer to modern comforts... The far back ranchos that are off the grid and even off the road have to have some real appeal to get
people to stay there.
There are large fruit trees in the arroyo by the ranch, including a huge citrus and guava tree.David K - 2-5-2009 at 11:19 AM
Thank you all for the comments...
Baja is FULL of adventure and places to see... a photo does not replace experiencing the place in person!
If this sort of thing interests you, I recommend you pick up a copy of the Lower California Guidebook ('62, '64, '67 or '70 printings) and learn about
these places!
Here is the San Gregorio photo as it appeared in the guidebook, in black & white:
Until you have the guidebook, you can use my web site(vivabaja.com) to find interesting sites... that's what it is there for!
[Edited on 2-1-2015 by David K]fdt - 2-5-2009 at 11:20 AM
Is that the same San Gregorio from "Corazon Vaquero"?David K - 2-5-2009 at 11:37 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by fdt
Is that the same San Gregorio from "Corazon Vaquero"?
No, (an excellent movie, by-the-way) that San Gregorio is in the Sierra de San Francisco near the giant cave art sites.
This San Gregorio has been unoccupied for quite some time when we were there.
This San Gregorio has been unoccupied for quite some time when we were there.
Well, I can solve THAT---------------I am calling Tiger today------
BarryNeal Johns - 2-5-2009 at 08:38 PM
View looking north from parking area:
David K - 2-5-2009 at 09:30 PM
On top of that volcanic plug is a cross...BajaGringo - 2-6-2009 at 12:41 AM
Great thread and photos David - thanks!Sharksbaja - 2-6-2009 at 02:59 AM
Very cool and that photo Neal is killer.
David I thinkTW is looking at something different above or on that roof! Here is a blowup:
Mexitron - 2-6-2009 at 04:20 AM
Great info David--that area and south is one of my favorites--still need to get back into the Sierra San Borja proper (4,000 ft or so if I recall) on
one of those roads. Awesome country!David K - 2-6-2009 at 09:05 AM
Corky, Tom said the car shape was in the 2001 photo... your closeup is the older 1960 Gulick picture... in any case, cars can/ could only get to 1/4
mile from the ranch.
Interesting anyway!larryC - 2-8-2009 at 08:21 AM
David
Those line shacks are actually "Nueno Rancho San Gregorio" and on one trip up there I met the owners Vincente and his wife, but I can't remember her
name. They took us on a "tour" of the old rancho and offered to take us to some rock art that is about 1 and 1/2 hour hike away. Unfortunately I did
not have the time. Vincente lives most of the time in Rosarito and just works cattle seasonally at the rancho. He recently sold the property to a
couple in Bahia that run a college field station and will use the property as part of their program. I'm sure you remember Patricio in Bahia (he
worked at the Pemex station long ago and had trouble making change after you paid for the gasoline, somehow the mistake always came out in his favor)
any way he was born and raised at Rancho san Gregorio. I'm sure he has some interesting stories.
I have always thought it would be interesting to continue on up the valley and explore Aguaje, I have seen it from the air and there was lots of water
there. Aguaje was also a source of water for the San Juan mine. Probably an emergency source since it is about a 3.5 mile hike one way from the mine.
Thanks for the photos,
LarryDavid K - 2-8-2009 at 10:14 AM
Thanks a lot Larry for the background details!
Neal Johns and his friends rode mules (with Jose Gerardo) up to Aguaje in 2001 and the photos are here: http://vivabaja.com/neal
Here's one:
[Edited on 2-8-2009 by David K]David K - 1-31-2015 at 09:28 PM
A couple of my photos taken in 2001 just appeared in a Facebook post, along with two of Howard Gulick's 1960 (or earlier) taken photos at Rancho San
Gregorio.
I don't mind at all, but the location mentioned in the Facebook post was wrong. Like other place names in Baja, there is more than one San Gregorio.
The Facebook post had it as the one in the Sierra San Francisco, near San Pablo Canyon. The photos (however) are at a different San Gregorio, about 75
miles north... accessed from Mission San Borja, and about 9 miles southeast from the mission.jaymtb - 2-1-2015 at 01:28 PM
Hi,
I was mtn biking in the San Borja area in 2013, after yet another sea kayak trip in the S.O.C.
The Nuevo San Gregorio Rancho (nearby) was engaged in some alternative healing, among other activities.
Baja is rough on trucks!
(Not sure whether my pic will run the gauntlet of this site after tweaking?)
The truck was still there off a spur road. Maybe someone can date it?:
Cheers,
Jay
David K - 2-1-2015 at 06:10 PM
Thanks for the side view of that truck. Been there maybe since it was new?
!
Here is a blowup: