BajaNomad - The ALL NEW VivaBaja.com INTRODUCTION

The ALL NEW VivaBaja.com INTRODUCTION

David K - 12-18-2021 at 08:37 PM

Hello Amigos and fans of all things 'Baja'!

My website www.vivabaja.com was originally created almost 22 years ago, on a WebTV device! It hasn't changed a whole lot, other than the addition of many trip pages, map links, and other links...

UNTIL NOW!

With a ton of assistance by a Nomad amigo, VivaBaja.com is all new, all 'cleaned-up', easier to find links, maps, more. The best part is that I can now edit and add to my site without needing an html expert (my former web host) to make the changes for me.

ALL the same content is there plus more... and more will be added. The page has always been made to assist the Baja bound travelers with planning ideas on places to go and historic sites to see.

NO MORE multiple pages to click on, to view one trip (except for the biggest trips. By eliminating the multi-page photo pages (because of dial-up speed), the site has been reduced from over 700 pages to less than 200!

I have been making a few edits but the main thing is the new look... for now a simple white background, which makes seeing the text and links very easy compared to the previous, with a background image.

It looks good on a cell phone too, and that's how many people browse the Internet.
In time it will have more content and adjustments.

Will you have a look, use it to view maps, or photos of Baja... and give me your feed back? Do you like the white background or prefer color or a huge photo? I will be adding a few more photos to the home page to break up the long list of links. All in good time!

This is brand new, today, so you may find problems. Let me know!

Thanks amigos! www.vivabaja.com

JZ - 12-18-2021 at 08:57 PM

It's much improved. Lots of good info.

Congrats.

Bajaboy - 12-18-2021 at 08:58 PM

Congrats David! Why not call it Viva THE Baja :biggrin:

David K - 12-18-2021 at 09:06 PM

I'm not Canadian, 'eh!?

Notice your 20-year-old trip pics are preserved, too.

Bajaboy - 12-18-2021 at 09:12 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K

I'm not Canadian, 'eh!?

Notice your 20-year-old trip pics are preserved, too.

time flies....Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays amigos

David K - 12-18-2021 at 09:24 PM

Same to you and that beautiful family of yours!

Jack Swords - 12-19-2021 at 06:35 AM

Very nice David. You have enhanced the already historical record you and others started. Well organized and informational. Well done!

David K - 12-19-2021 at 06:57 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Jack Swords

Very nice David. You have enhanced the already historical record you and others started. Well organized and informational. Well done!

Thanks Jack, and all your historic location photos can be easily viewed on just one page now! Same URL as before: https://vivabaja.com/swords/
The link is near the bottom of VivaBaja.com in the Contributed Photos section.

Ateo - 12-19-2021 at 08:40 AM

Looks great!!! Lots of info well organized in one place!

GPS LIST BEING REVISED and converted

David K - 12-19-2021 at 09:13 AM

In the early 2000s, I recorded the GPS waypoint (lon. & lat.) of many Baja locations and road junctions. Since we were using the Baja Almanac at the time, and the Mexican topographic maps used in it, are drawn to the map datum of NAD 27, that was what the GPS was set to.

Now, we are using Google Earth and other satellite maps a lot. They are set at Map Datum WGS 84, which is the factory setting of the GPS devices.

On the new Viva Baja GPS list (of old GPS waypoints), I have converted the hundreds of waypoints to WGS 84 and I changed the / (slash) between longitude and latitude figures to a , (comma) and added the negative sign for west longitude. These edits now make my list readily usable to "plug and play"

*I got a TON of assistance to do this conversion from one of you, so a great big thank you!

Have a look... (just one of many changes to make exploring Baja from your computer or phone easier, and to help you get to these places in person)

https://vivabaja.com/gps/

David K - 12-19-2021 at 10:10 AM

Thank you, I appreciate the suggestions.
A search engine is on my wish list, one that only searches on VivaBaja.

I did put my Bahía Concepción, Gonzaga Bay, and soon my Dancing Boojums photos on the home page, as they were former wallpaper images on VivaBaja.

I think I know what you are saying about menus vs vertical listing. Give me time to adjust... I just spent a couple hours changing all my GPS list figures!

In time... but this all happened faster than I expected... WordPress is an amazing platform for doing this.

[Edited on 12-19-2021 by David K]

One more gift for Nomads: Erle Stanley Gardner photos

David K - 12-19-2021 at 10:45 AM

I had put some of them up, but it was not easy as they were huge TIF files!

Here are some, most of the Gardner photos, not in order (yet), to give you a quick look.

I will organize and add to them, soon!

For now, in the new VivaBaja in the Contributed Photos section: https://vivabaja.com/erle-stanley-gardners-photos-in-baja-ca...

David K - 12-20-2021 at 10:27 AM

Our Kilometer Marker Guide/ List is now at VivaBaja.com and it includes the federal highway signs. I have not found state highway signs on the Internet quite as easily. John M made some by hand, and I used those:

https://vivabaja.com/baja-califorina-kilometer-marker-guide-...

BajaBlanca - 12-20-2021 at 03:46 PM

Congratulations! I bet it feel GREAT!

CaboMagic - 12-20-2021 at 07:28 PM

DK WOW!!!

Congrats .. Definitely helpful for anyone in need

and a nice way to re-visit and be reminded of time gone by .. saddened a bit to be reminded of those that have passed..

overall a wonderful resource.

we know how much work is involved, even more complicated when you are learning step by step :-)

All the best, L&T

David K - 12-21-2021 at 09:20 AM

Thanks a lot!

This morning, I revised / improved/ updated my links to the historic author's photos collections: Peveril Meigs, Marquis McDonald, Howard Gulick, and Harry Crosby.

HISTORIC PHOTOS FROM BAJA CALIFORNIA BOOK AUTHORS

All the Peveril Meigs’ Northern Baja Photos from 1925 to 1936
Marquis McDonald’s Color Mission Photos of 1949-1950
All the Marquis McDonald Baja California Photos
Howard Gulick’s (selective) Baja photo album
All the Howard Gulick Photos Collection of 1950-1975
Harry Crosby’s El Camino Real Details and Photos
All the Harry Crosby Photos Collection

[Edited on 12-21-2021 by David K]

David K - 12-21-2021 at 11:06 AM

Quote: Originally posted by lencho

Quote: Originally posted by David K

I have converted the hundreds of waypoints to WGS 84

How did you do that?

A really nice Baja Nomad has a program. I will let him come forward if he wishes to.

The late Neal Johns was really big on using GPS in Baja and even though the devices come set at WGS 84, he thought it made sense to switch the setting to NAD 27. That is the map datum used my Mexican topographic maps (and thus the Baja Topo Atlas and the Baja California Almanacs). So, around 2001/2002, I began posting waypoints set at NAD 27 Mexico.

Today, we use Google Earth and other satellite maps so much. They are set to WGS 84, same as the factory setting of the GPS units. So, it makes more sense to post GPS waypoints at WGS 84. On the ground, the difference is not big... like 50-100 feet between the two datums. However, that may be enough to miss a road or trail you are seeking!

This page is now all converted to WGS 84 as well as how I listed the waypoints so they can be easily copied and pasted: https://vivabaja.com/gps/

Next, I will convert other places I posted waypoints in different trip pages on VivaBaja.com :light:

It's work... but because it's Baja, it's FUN!

John Harper - 12-21-2021 at 11:11 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Bajaboy

Congrats David! Why not call it Viva THE Baja :biggrin:

How about "Viva Las Bajas?" DK can cosplay as a Mexican Elvis!

John

David K - 12-21-2021 at 11:15 AM

Quote: Originally posted by John Harper

Quote: Originally posted by Bajaboy

Congrats David! Why not call it Viva THE Baja :biggrin:

How about "Viva Las Bajas?" DK can cosplay as a Mexican Elvis!

John

Oooh, I like the sound of that! :lol:

geoffff - 12-21-2021 at 03:57 PM

Quote: Originally posted by lencho

Quote: Originally posted by David K

I have converted the hundreds of waypoints to WGS 84

How did you do that?

Here are a couple sites that let you convert coordinates from NAD27 to WGS84:

https://epsg.io/transform#s_srs=4267&t_srs=4326
This EPSG site is bit confusing because you must put Longitude before Latitude. Make sure your West longitudes are negative!

https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/nadcon.prl
This one is from NOAA. On this site, you enter your West longitudes as positive numbers! It says "NAD 27 to NAD 83" but NAD83 is indistinguishable from WGS84.

Finally, if you're a software developer kind of person, you can use what I use -- a command line tool from https://gdal.org/ called gdaltransform. This is what I use to bulk-convert lists of coordinates.

David K - 12-21-2021 at 04:16 PM

I just love Baja Nomad... what a wealth of information!

OK, so far today's edits have been examining Lencho's suggestion and took the group of maps off the home page and put it in a separate page (WordPress calls them 'Posts'). Then, I have added a LOT more great maps... Have a look: https://vivabaja.com/baja-california-maps-current-historic/

I also began editing the Erle Stanley Gardner photos... only a little bit done: https://vivabaja.com/erle-stanley-gardners-photos-in-baja-ca...

What I intended to do today, was convert more GPS waypoints (posted of trip pages) to WGS 84... maybe soon?

[Edited on 12-21-2021 by David K]

Today's Update

David K - 12-22-2021 at 07:13 PM

Lot's of work... but rewarding for us Baja aficionados
Besides all the former trip photo pages now condensed to just one page rather than multiple pages to view all the photos... I have been converting the GPS waypoints from NAD27 (topo maps) to WGS84 (GPS devices & satellite maps). I also have been increasing the size of the small photos and doing spell checking.

What do you guys think of me moving my dozens and dozens of 1999 to 2010 trip reports into linked groups off the home page? I can make posts with them arranged by date (how they are now) or arranged by destination... Put all the Shell Island trip pages together, for example.

I can easily do both (Did I say how much I am enjoying WordPress, yet? LOL)!

From 2011 to 2017, I have very few trip pages... mostly because that was after my old WebTV device service ended (it had an easy web page builder). Since I do not speak HTML or know much about web building, I needed to make new web pages on WORD and then ask my web host to put it on VivaBaja.com. He insisted on refining the pages I sent him to look the way he felt they should look. THAT is what slowed me making more trip pages to share. I was unable to refine and edit my pages without bothering my web host...

You know I had eight super-duper Baja trips in 2017-2018 researching for the Baja Bound Road Guide... My trip reports are a source for many photos and details to help travelers. But, being on a forum, there are often sidebars and drama that clutters a post. Plus, my photos were hosted by Photobucket and they reneged on their agreements and size settings. So, their watermark is on my photos and the sizing for Nomad (800 pixels) was removed by them (SOBs).

Soon, I will have crisp and clean photo filled trip web pages for my 8 big research trips, plus a couple more family trips during the 2011-2017 period.

If you need a Baja-fix, go to the new www.vivabaja.com and look around, click on links. Still lots more for me to edit, but if you think I missed something that I just edited on the new page, please send me a note (u2u or email info*at*vivabaja.com).

Thank you and Happy Holiday/ Merry Christmas!