Originally posted by BajaNews
http://www.examiner.com/x-4820-San-Diego-OfftheBeatenTrack-T...
by Kenneth Brantingham
July 19, 5:11 PM
Heading south past the densely populated towns of Tijuana and Ensenada, and even further beyond the agricultural region of San Quintin, the town of El
Rosario emerges as the last stop before entering Baja California’s barren but captivating Central Desert.
El Rosario is a legacy with travelers as the last town before the true Baja California; a land undeveloped, wild and free, and raw as seen in movies
like Dust to Glory.
It’s the Baja traversed by Graham Macintosh who covered over 3,000 miles on foot to explore and fall in love with the land and its people, accompanied
by a burro and carrying jugs of water in his hands. Macintosh wrote about his experiences in the books Into a Desert Place and Journey with a Baja
Burro.
Up until 1973, the paved road stopped at El Rosario. From this point to Cabo San Lucas, 800 miles south, would be all dirt. This is why resorts like
Hotel Serenidad at Mulege built landing strips to fly in guests, which are still in use today.
Despite being small and written off as a highway town, El Rosario is famous with paleontologists for the number of dinosaurs bones and giant mollusks
found within the stratum that covers the region. Excavators found huge hadrosaurs - duck billed dinosaurs whose crown or crest had air pockets
possibly for breathing while partially submerged like a snorkel device.
The giant mollusks also known as ammonites look like giant sea snails and have been found prolifically in the area.
The legend of El Rosario is Mama Espinosa whose restaurant signals the exit out of town but is a must stop for a lobster burrito. Born Dona Anita
Grosso de Espinosa, about a hundred hears ago, aka Mama Espinosa, she’s old enough to remember the Mexican Revolution when rebels overtook the town.
She was placed on a wagon and sent to Calexico on the U.S. side of the border. The journey took 22 days.
For Mama Espinosa giving is a way of life and El Rosario is a better place for her involvement with the children and families of the town. She is
credited with inspiring the creation of the Flying Samaritans whose members provide free healthcare services throughout Baja California.
Her restaurant is located right on Highway 1 where the pavement once ended. There was a time when she could track the progress of those who dared to
head further south on the old dirt road. But now it’s a thoroughfare. She says, "bad roads bring good people; good roads bring all kinds of people."
At El Rosario, Highway 1 cuts inland towards Catavina where the boojum tree grows, but gas can only be had from pickup trucks laden with barrels of
liquid cargo. Between El Rosario and Guerrero Negro to the south is 220 miles of pure, unobstructed desert.
Mama Espinosa’s, Highway 1 at El Rosario. Phone (616) 165-87-70. Open daily 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
References:
- Niemann, Greg. Baja Legends. San Diego, California: Sunbelt Publications, Inc., 2002
- Brantingham, Kenneth. First Impressions, A Journey Into The Heart Of Baja. San Diego, California: 2006
[Edited on 7-20-2009 by BajaNews] |
