BajaNomad - Graham Mackintosh back on the Sierra San Pedro Martir!

Graham Mackintosh back on the Sierra San Pedro Martir!

David K - 6-18-2013 at 05:04 PM

Hi gang,

With some surprise, I got a SPOT OK message two days ago from Graham... Since it was from the same area as last month's messages, I thought it some email error. Well today, I got a second OK message... So I called Bonni, and she confirmed Graham went back down there, but will be returning home Thursday.

Here is his location as of 3:30pm today... looking across the canyon to Diablo Mountain:

Udo - 6-18-2013 at 05:27 PM

Way to go, Graham...

Looking forward to your next book.

HOWEVER...

Once Jana and I move down there, I'll have time to work on my book.
I think it will take me about 6 to nine months to put together...heck...you and Gerige Bergin will get an entire separate chapter all to yourselves!

Bob H - 6-19-2013 at 10:55 PM

How in the HECK can we know where this SPOT is?

David K - 6-20-2013 at 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bob H
How in the HECK can we know where this SPOT is?

Well, when Graham presses the button, the GPS location goes out to who he has set up to receive it.

About 3:30pm Tuesday, he did just that.

The email one gets has a link to the map or satellite image of the area he is at and you can zoom in and out from the image/map.

I click the Print Screen key, then on Paint I paste the image at the zoom level I chose, and save to My Pictures folder. There, I crop the screen image to show the map I think best shows his location. I did so placing him midway between the observatory and Diablo mountain. I then uploaded that file to my Photobucket album, resized to 800 pixels (to fit on the Nomad screen without stretching), and pasted the IMG link here.

That is how you know where Graham is when he sent the Spot signal out! :light:

Barry A. - 6-20-2013 at 08:33 AM

To me it looks like he is at, or close to, Botella Azul (Blue Bottle), looking across the abyss of Diablo Canyon to the actual Picacho del Diablo peak.

Barry

11:45am 6-20-13

David K - 6-20-2013 at 04:24 PM

Graham was on the observatory road this morning, between the park entrance and the turnoff to Baja Dark Skies Inn (Rancho La Concepcion)... heading downhill...

Graham - 6-24-2013 at 12:16 PM

I couldn't resist heading back to the park for another week of exploring... and photography with my $90 Canon SX150.

And great to know that you are getting those signals David... provides a real sense of security if anything bad happens. Thanks.

Most of the time I was hiking up to and along the edge of Canyon Diablo. And marvelling at how deceptively easy it looks to follow the ridge around the canyon past Botella Azul peak and over to Picacho.

Of course when you hike closer or study it with your binocs you soon see how steep and difficult it is.

Even on the plateau/park side it's precipitous and dangerous.

But there's great views to the desert and northern Sea of Cortez.

And even though you think you're alone, you're never really alone in such a wonderful wilderness.

Even by my campfire there was so much going on - including June beetles getting in a bit of mating.

I was having so much fun trying out the features of my camera...

The night of June 16 my water bowl became covered in ice... tried to capture that with a little fisheye effect.

And stars and constellations are always worth a photo in the San Pedro Martir.

Even the clouds during the day seem inspired.

Macro works pretty good too - aphids on a columbine.

And coming down from the park I stopped a few times to scan the sky for condors. Eventually saw what I thought was a group hovering high above. Hard to be sure looking into the sun.

And really tough to get a decent photo... best I could do...

Then they seemed to take an interest in me and circled to check me out.

Then to my surprise four of them landed thirty yards away.

And went about their condor business as if I didn't exist...

A little preening.

A little squabbling.

And sad to see, a little pecking at trash.

Forty minutes later, time to bid adios and head for home...

And time for me to plan my next trip to the Martir to enjoy the wild summer lightning storms.

Mexitron - 6-24-2013 at 12:31 PM

Nice pics! What a wild looking cloud...nice to see the Condors looking good.

Barry A. - 6-24-2013 at 12:40 PM

Outstanding photo-journalism Graham, and your comments are great!!! Canyon Diablo from Botella Azul was always the deterrent to any attempt at the peak by me from the west-----it is intimidating, to say the least, and you shots show that perfectly.

Thank you for these fine shots and memories.

barry

JohnMcfrog - 6-24-2013 at 12:49 PM

Great pictures... Thanks

Juanito

TMW - 6-24-2013 at 03:15 PM

Excellent, thanks

David K - 6-24-2013 at 04:31 PM

Dear Graham... what outstanding photos! Seriously great photo trip report!

I am happy to post your Spot locations, but when I got the first one, and not knowing you had returned to Baja, I blew it off as a technical error, with the email... When I got a second one a couple days later, I confirmed with Boni you had indeed gone back to the same area. Sorry I ignored the first one!

Thanks for sharing the photos... they are awesome.

bacquito - 6-25-2013 at 06:49 AM

Great photos, thanks for posting and good to share time with you and Ron.

bkbend - 6-25-2013 at 07:51 AM

Most excellent report and photos, Thanks!

Graham - 6-26-2013 at 12:46 PM

Thanks for all the comments.

I'm looking forward to getting down there again in the next couple of weeks... probably with my little corgi.

Hoping to enjoy a little quality time together dodging coyotes and trying not to get killed by the midday, midsummer lightning storms that shake the mountains... and bring cooling rain and hail.

I posted a few short youtube movies to add to the photos above.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1hRUZHHmAE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQe2NUWCzmU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp7EEWc77fY

BornFisher - 6-26-2013 at 01:09 PM

Graham-- great report--- love the pic of the old buzzard!!

BajaGeoff - 6-26-2013 at 01:11 PM

Amazing stuff Graham! Gracias!

Desert Rat - 6-26-2013 at 04:17 PM

Glad to see you made it to the park and had a good time. The photos are great. Those two old "buzzards" (condors) have names---Ronnie and Roger. Hope to see photos from your next trip to the Parque. I'm re-reading your book about SPM and just finished your tale about the terrific thunder storm that you endured with Pedro. Be careful out there!

Graham - 6-29-2013 at 02:56 PM

Desert Rat... hope you enjoyed the re-read of "Nearer My Dog to Thee."

Yes, that was quite a stormy summer, especially in July and August and being without a vehicle and only having a tent to retire to.

But street dogs Penny and Pedro were real troopers and great companions and took all the flashes and deafening bangs in their stride. And when the storms moved on they were out to play in the hail and puddles... and generally celebrate the fact that we were all still alive.

Pedro cooling his paws in the hail

Penny and Pedro with a lightning shattered fir tree

Darkness at noon - illuminated by flashes of lightning.

Time to emerge and dry out

Lightning struck pine reduced to ashes

Lightning started fires happen frequently

And always fascinating to watch the storm clouds peel from the mountains and bring flash flooding to the parched summer desert.

Looking forward to getting back to the San Pedro Martir and reliving the whole thing with my mellow corgi... but I'll sure miss the old "buzzards" Roger and Ronnie... and my old buddies Penny and Pedro.

Skipjack Joe - 6-29-2013 at 03:19 PM

While looking at your videos, Graham, I came across this one.

It reminded me of an experience my son had at San Lucas Cove many years ago. He was stung from the bite and then felt as though their were sharp spines still stuck in his fingers. I examined them carefully but never could see the hairs. We suspected it to be a worm but were never sure. Alex would stick his fingers into holes on that flat in front of the campground searching for anything.

Desert Rat - 6-29-2013 at 03:30 PM

Graham, I just finished "Nearer My Dog To Thee" and I enjoyed it more the second time around. Now that I have spent a week at the Parque with you and Roger I have a better sense of what you wrote. I also paid more attention to your descriptions of the trails and how you felt as you hiked them, and what you saw along the trails, etc. This time I saw it clearly because I have been there, too. I envy you guys who live close enough to be able to drive to SPM Parque within a few hours from your home. I would visit the Parque at least twice a year.

bacquito - 6-30-2013 at 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Desert Rat
Graham, I just finished "Nearer My Dog To Thee" and I enjoyed it more the second time around. Now that I have spent a week at the Parque with you and Roger I have a better sense of what you wrote. I also paid more attention to your descriptions of the trails and how you felt as you hiked them, and what you saw along the trails, etc. This time I saw it clearly because I have been there, too. I envy you guys who live close enough to be able to drive to SPM Parque within a few hours from your home. I would visit the Parque at least twice a year.

Just remember Ron, you have a place in Ensenada to stay on your way to SPM.
Also, have you returned to you Coke habit??
I'd continue this discussion but I must fined my car keys!!

Neal Johns - 7-1-2013 at 10:25 AM

Thanks for all the pics and words, Graham.
Maybe we will come down to Discover Baja to listen to your BS, uh, I mean Words of Wisdom :-).
Neal
Desert Explorers

Graham - 7-2-2013 at 08:54 AM

Thanks Neal,

It will be a great honor to see you there.

I'd better lay on the BS extra thick so you won't see right through it! :biggrin:

Location: Adventure 16, San Diego, July 31, Weds, 7 pm.

Skipjack... those pretty stinging worms are something. Real common under so many rocks in the intertidal. Touching one is not an experience you'll soon forget. Good chance that's what your son encountered.

astrobaja - 7-2-2013 at 10:56 AM

Hi Graham,

Did you see any of the 2 untagged young condors this time? We often see them at the km 72 Mirador, they seem to like the thermals there a lot during the summer.

Next time send me a PM and I'll give you our gate code, stop by and visit us!

cheers

Mike

Graham - 7-2-2013 at 11:41 PM

Mike,

Thanks so much for the invite. I'll be in touch if I think I can make it on my next visit to the Martir. It was fascinating to talk to you both and see your great place when I last drove out there.

I may have seen the untagged young condors... they never came down with the four tagged birds I photographed but there were at least two other vulture-like birds flying high with the group....

Graham - 7-9-2013 at 09:29 AM

Off to the Martir for a couple of weeks with my corgi... seen here last April having a little cooling snow ecstasy.

It won't be snowing this time but looks like there should be some nice rain and hail to cool her paws.

The critters better watch out... Pili's coming.

If I can ever get her out of bed in the morning.

All Okay on the Plateau July 10, 2013

David K - 7-11-2013 at 04:00 PM

I got a SPOT signal yesterday (7-10-13) from Graham, and he was within a few hundred feet of the location I posted on June 18th, when he was last up there... so here is that map FYI:

Quote:

Originally posted by David K
Hi gang,

With some surprise, I got a SPOT OK message two days ago from Graham... Since it was from the same area as last month's messages, I thought it some email error. Well today, I got a second OK message... So I called Bonni, and she confirmed Graham went back down there, but will be returning home Thursday.

Here is his location as of 3:30pm today... looking across the canyon to Diablo Mountain:

David K - 7-23-2013 at 08:21 AM

Just an update, I received a SPOT update from Graham on Sunday (July 21)... same area, and all is OK!

Graham - 7-23-2013 at 08:23 PM

Had a wonderful two weeks in the San Pedro Martir. Pili was half way to heaven running free and having the time of her life.

The last few days it was either pouring, had just poured, or was about to. The little corgi wasn't phased by all the thunder and lightning... a couple of times we were caught out on the trail and got soaked but she just seemed to appreciate all that cooling rain.