My first trip to San Felipe

My first trip to San Felipe, 1965 I believe. JH

San Felipe Cont.

absolutely love these old baja pics that folks like you post here...thanks buddy

I was 10 during our first trip, my father worked at a building supply store in San Jose, California and was doing construction on the side. He went down with a load of supplies to help a local pastor build a small church and of course we had to do some fishing while there. Many of our local contractors had learned of my father’s upcoming Baja trip and they begun donating windows, doors and misc materials that might be used, much of the stuff they loaded into my father’s trailer was brand new, and they just wanted to help in some way. The travel trailer that you see in the photo was filled completely with building materials for the local pastor.

This was one of my most memorable trips. My sister and I met up with some of the local kids that knew where all of the action was, the tide pools, the best places to play, things to see and do, even the funny people to watch, etc. The local police officer was very kid friendly, he would stop and talk to us, told us where to get fireworks, sodas and all of the things that kids look for. Looking back, I believe he was just stimulating the local economy. Being able to just walk into a bar and order a coke (warm), wow, how cool was that. I purchased a 2” Switchblade knife that I kept in my top drawer at home that served as a reminder of this great trip for years to come.

I remember watching the locals help launch or retrieve my uncle’s boat, it seemed that they would back it out into the water for ¼ of a mile. When the waves were active, they loaded as many locals into the bed of the truck to help hold it down, so the tires could get a little traction, the guys in the back of the truck were paid in beer and fish, as I recall.

I recall my entire family being invited to the preacher’s home for dinner after one of the days of building on his church. I was a little traumatized walking into their home after spending so much time with such happy people. The house was little more than a tarpaper shack with dirt floors. Dinner was soup with little more than a fish head floating in the pot, the smell was great, but I just could not get over the fish head thing. My father and I had a long discussion about being really content after my culture shock event. We lived a very plush life and had so much and they had so little, but they were rich with family and living life as they wanted. I found at 10 years old that it did not take “stuff” to make happiness; it was what was inside of me that made me content.

I have returned to Baja many times and one trip to the Mainland and have yet to have a bad trip. In keeping with my father’s own mission, I even did a “missionary” type of trip, to help build and repair a church in the Tijuana barrio. Even with that trip, I brought back more memories of the people that brought joy to my life while just being there with them; they touched my life far more than they will ever know. Long after the building falls down or it just needs another coat of paint, the joy that I experienced there with them will live much longer than they will ever know. Each time that I return, I am strengthened with the memories of each of my previous trips and the people that I have met. JH

Great Post! Classic pics and some words of wisdom. Keep em coming if you got more!

Heres a little house we built in west Tijuana in Nov 08 in one day with about 12 kids from our High School Ministry.




Cheers, Curt

[Edited on 6-22-2010 by Curt63]

here my first trip to San Felipe 1953, me and my dad went fishing for Totuava,, we camped on the beach just north of town, where rubens camp is now, at that time that beach area only had one small beach palapa bar, I guess it was the start of Rubens camp, I dont know for sure