BajaNomad - MEMORIAL DAY WEEKENDs in Baja... a few select photos

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKENDs in Baja... a few select photos

David K - 5-24-2020 at 09:45 AM

1999: First time to Mission Santa María, with BajaMur...

2003: Matomi/ San Fermin road with Max & Polly ('MacGyver' or 'GilaOro')...

2005: El Rosario beach/ La Lobera with Baja Angel...

2007: Mission Santa María, we go with the Squarecircle...

2008: Shell Island...

2009: Shell Island...

2010: Nomads to Mission Santa María...

Neal Johns had a differential failure shortly after leaving the mission. This was his final Baja camping trip that I am aware of. Neal passed away in December 2019.

2013: Shell Island, just us...

2017: Shell Island with family...

bajatrailrider - 5-24-2020 at 11:25 AM

Thank you David it brings me back many good memories.

del mar - 5-24-2020 at 11:46 AM

back in the eighty's the place to be was the legendary memorial day fiesta's at Alfies.......kind of fizzled out over the years for some reason?

[Edited on 5-24-2020 by del mar]

David K - 5-24-2020 at 02:27 PM

Quote: Originally posted by del mar

back in the eighty's the place to be was the legendary memorial day fiesta's at Alfies.......kind of fizzled out over the years for some reason?

[Edited on 5-24-2020 by del mar]

Things don't last, especially as one generation dies off... It is a sad thing! I was very young for the generation that drove to Cabo only on dirt roads, pre-1973... and now many if not most only know of the peninsular drive on a paved Highway 1.

The Thanksgiving feast at Alfonsina's is what I enjoyed with my kids in 2002 and 2003. We camped at Brandi's Cantina de Floyd both times. Desert Bull popped by in 2003. Sad that Brandi is gone, so young... Heck, her pilot friend Doug Bowles (I flew from Alfonsina's to Oceanside with him) is gone too, flew into a mountain in bad weather with his grandson, a few years back. Ugh... sad times.

white whale - 5-24-2020 at 02:28 PM

David, you are a modern day ESG ! Just WOW on the trip to Mission Santa María / oasis area. Another new one for me. Not quite the c-ckeyed optimists of the 1700's Jesuits but the vehicles coming down the boulders is outrageous. I read your Bound article - yes, widowmaker, transmission buster , and ball breaker can be added too I think. Is there a truck or two that have been abandoned? Hopefully not. You need a caravan of people to explore this way.

The water in a desert always inspires me. I was told to my surprise Baja is loaded with water apparently. Close to the surface in fact. Actually confirmed by hydrology science I do not know.

[Edited on 5-25-2020 by white whale]

David K - 5-24-2020 at 02:39 PM

Mission Santa María is one of Baja's magic places (to me)!
Yes, water flows out of that mountain, year-round. It is also near the top of the mountain, so where is all that fresh water coming from???
Have you seen the videos made in 2010 of us Nomads going in?

Turn up the sound... on the Bog video... Zoom (Paul's lady) is hilariously funny when she hears that I am following them easily and screams as they drop into the deep water! This is just 1/2 mile from the mission...

David K - 5-24-2020 at 02:42 PM

The Nomad Mission Santa María trip that Memorial Weekend of 2010 is posted in 4 parts, beginning here: http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=46050

Feathers - 5-24-2020 at 03:21 PM

The key to a happy life is 'good memories'. Making them, reflecting back upon them and anticipating the creation of new ones.

Well done DK.

Keeping a Memorial Day tradition!

AKgringo - 5-24-2020 at 04:25 PM

That must be why the local gas stations here (Nevada County) all bumped the price of gas up 10 to 20 cents a gallon on Friday!

David K - 5-24-2020 at 07:58 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Feathers

The key to a happy life is 'good memories'. Making them, reflecting back upon them and anticipating the creation of new ones.

Well done DK.

Thank you!
Today we put small American flags in front of our home. My wife wants a regular flag mounted... She's a patriot!

Feathers - 5-24-2020 at 08:22 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Quote: Originally posted by Feathers

The key to a happy life is 'good memories'. Making them, reflecting back upon them and anticipating the creation of new ones.

Well done DK.

Thank you!
Today we put small American flags in front of our home. My wife wants a regular flag mounted... She's a patriot!

God Bless you both.

David K - 5-25-2020 at 07:17 AM

Thank you, Feathers!

I would like to remember Neal Johns, a Korean War navy vet who traveled to Baja on our 2010 Memorial Weekend trip to Mission Santa María:

Neal and Baja Bucko at our dinner party (Ed Lusk's 'Baja's Best Restaurant', El Rosario) the night before we drove to "Mission Impossible"

Neal chats with Paul Murphy enroute to the mission.

On the peninsular divide, 4.5 miles from the mission.
Group photo L to R: Bajatripper (Steve & Zully), CG (Chris), Baja Angel (Elizabeth), Kurt G, Neal Johns, Baja Bucko (Teddi), edm1 (Art & Maya), HB Murphy (Paul & Zoom).

After Art's motorhome, Neal's camper was the next heaviest rig.

Neal was right behind us, and we were #2 behind Paul.

Video: Following me is Neal Johns, coming down the Widowmaker. Getting Neal back up, the next day, would be the challenge!

At the mission, taking a break in the shade, after the hard drive. 3 hours to go 15 miles!

The next day, just a short distance away from the mission, Neal's custom rear differential blew out, and the front one alone couldn't pull all that wait, so he needed to be pulled. There couldn't have been a more difficult road to pull a camper over... But there also couldn't have been a better group of amigos to take that on in stride!

We finally quit about 1:30 am, and slept in our cars, having got Neal over the high point of the road.

CG stayed with Neal and was able to get him to El Rosario, where the differential was repaired with help from Antonio, Baja Cactus.

Neal left this world last December and several of us Nomads attended the memorial in February.

In this video from 2001 'BBBB-1' (produced by El Camote), Neal is at Minute 10:27+ and don't miss him at the end, Minute 22:22+
https://vimeo.com/389613694 (other Nomads and amigos are featured who are no longer here).

Miss you Neal Johns, The Aridologist!

[Edited on 5-27-2020 by David K]

shari - 5-25-2020 at 05:43 PM

some classic Nomads in some of those pics David..thanks for the memories!

David K - 5-27-2020 at 09:11 AM

I wrote to Neal's wife, Marian to see how she is doing, having lost Neal plus the Covid-19 thing that has cancelled all the Desert Explorers trips she so enjoys.

She corrected me on a couple of items, and I just edited my post above: Neal was a Korean War vet, not WWII and he and Marian went back to Baja several times following his 2010 Mission Santa María trip with us.
Thanks Marian!