From the Choral Pepper Desert Magazine Collection, a 1964 letter describing a month-long Baja expedition.

As some here know, after Choral Pepper passed away in 2002, her two children (Trent & Ming) following her wishes, gave me boxes of files and film containing papers, letters, maps, drafts from her years of owning/ editing Desert Magazine (1960s). I made a web site to show some of the photos: http://vivabaja.com/choralpepper/

Choral and Jack Pepper were invited to accompany the Erle Stanley Garder Baja expedition as Erle was a big Desert Magazine fan. Erle (Uncle Erle as his friends knew him) used his TV show and book royalty (Perry Mason was his creation) income to finance these explorations, sometimes included helicopters and always 4WD vehicles and specialty off-road vehicles invented by J.W. Black (of Paradise CA).

I became friends with Choral in the last years of her life as she saw in me the same desire for sharing what is exciting about exploring and history in Baja, as she and Gardner had. My book, Baja California Land of Missions, shares much of Choral's love and discoveries. Several lines came from her inspired works, as was her wish. The 1541 Melchior Diaz Grave search is the latest effort by some of us Baja Nomads inspired by Choral Pepper.

While unpacking at my new home, I found a very interesting letter dated March 28, 1962, from Klaus Sulzmann, replying to one from Choral [Many letters to the Editor of Desert Magazine received her reply and that helped create future Baja articles].

The trip began December 22, 1962 and went to San Ignacio from San Diego via San Felipe, Gonzaga, Calamajué, Punta Prieta, Rosarito, El Arco.

It documents well what a Peninsula trip envolved when 4WD was necessary and falling into a deep well was a possibility on a moonless night!
(Klaus is a German-American and the English or typing is a bit rough. Discovering a fellow German in San Ignacio, Frank Fischer, was most interesting!)

I have a Choral Pepper photo of Frank Fischer I will add below, taken not long after this letter...











Choral Pepper, Frank Fischer, Erle Satnlety Gardner, circa 1964: