BajaNomad

SammyHagar discovered LosCabos?

ReTire - 1-7-2022 at 09:26 AM

Just a sleepy fishing village with one hotel and nothing but dirt roads when he came across it.

Look at it now.

surfhat - 1-7-2022 at 09:48 AM

Back in the late 80's, early 90's, when I was flying back and forth to Cabo every couple of months on Alaska Airlines, one of the flights south had Sammy and his crew and several very hot ladies occupying the front section that was curtained off most of the time.

They were partying down and those curtains did not mitigate the noise coming from the 1st class seating.

The entertainment value was a hoot for that relatively short flight, and all the shorter because of Sammy and his friends.

Cabo Wabo had been opened at the point and was well known. They sure had fun for those two hours. I couldn't even pick up my book for all the entertainment us passengers had. The tunes were flowing the whole time.

I mostly stayed out on the East Cape and rarely went to Cabo and never went to Cabo Wabo. Just not my cup tea to go bar hopping when the surf was calling as it always was when I was a younger man.

ReTire - 1-7-2022 at 10:31 AM

I really do envy all of you nomads who knew these areas (not just Los Cabos) before they were ‘discovered’. You guys really were the pioneers, paving the way.

All of my time in Baja is relatively recent. That being said, my perception is that there has been a change since my 1st time. Covid, economy, leadership, crime, politics? I don’t know. Sure pleased that I took my big road trip when I did. I learned so much here and benefited from the shared knowledge.

Gracias!





[Edited on 1-7-2022 by ReTire]

sancho - 1-7-2022 at 10:56 AM

First time at the Cape, '83 ish, talked to a guy skippering
a sportfishing yacht for a US Co. Said he took Keith
Richards out fishing. Dirt streets, one breakfast spot,
stayed at the Mar de Cortez motel downtown. Those were
the days. Nothing much between the Cape and SJDC, a
large Hotel Twin Dolphins was on that strip. 4 yrs. later,
took the then, Cabo/Vallarta ferry, truck with slide in
camper, private room, $11 dlls. to Vallarta. $3 case beer





[Edited on 1-7-2022 by sancho]

David K - 1-7-2022 at 11:03 AM

The paved road arrived at Cabo San Lucas in 1970. Nothing has been the same since!

1970 birds-eye-view map of Cabo San Lucas from Cliff Cross:

chippy - 1-7-2022 at 12:00 PM

70s and early 80s I thought it was heaven on earth. The fishing was insane,good surf and you could camp on any beaches from Cabo to San Jose. There was only 2 or 3 hotels on that corridor. I stopped going after Sammy discovered it. It went to sh!t rapidly after that.

Don Pisto - 1-7-2022 at 12:44 PM

well wait a minute the Red Rocker built Cabo Wabo in 1990, CSL was far from a sleepy village! and "Van Hagar" just wasn't the same.:coolup:

mtgoat666 - 1-7-2022 at 02:44 PM

Quote: Originally posted by ReTire  
SammyHagar discovered LosCabos?


He did not discover. He is just one of the many developers that flocked to cabo and made it into the awful place it is today.

Let’s hope he and rest of the yucky cabo crowd stay confined to cabo!

David K - 1-7-2022 at 05:04 PM

They put Cabo at the TIP of Baja, so that we can see all of classical Baja without going there!

Don Jorge - 1-7-2022 at 05:08 PM

Quote: Originally posted by chippy  
70s and early 80s I thought it was heaven on earth. The fishing was insane,good surf and you could camp on any beaches from Cabo to San Jose. There was only 2 or 3 hotels on that corridor. I stopped going after Sammy discovered it. It went to sh!t rapidly after that.


Word. In the 70s we camped, surfed, fished and dove the east cape many summers and it wasn't until years later I learned the names of those places.

Sometimes for a quick week or so we would fly Aero Mex into La Paz and rent a car and drive south from there. There was no Los Cabos airport, no direct flight to Cabo.

In 1980 we were in Cabo on a short trip and wanted to see Super Bowl 14, Rams vs Steelers. There was not a single place in Cabo we could watch the game.

We heard of a place in la Paz that was going to show it and we took a taxi to La Paz to watch the game. That place, of course, was a bar near Rancho Grande, another memory indeed. By the mid 1980s the writing was on the wall and that was that.

ReTire - 1-7-2022 at 05:11 PM

Well, if you are one of the fortunate ‘seasoned’ Baja explorers, count your blessings to have been able to see and explore it before it was discovered.

Chippy,DavidK et al; I can only imagine what that was like before all the resorts, golf courses, Uber, International airport, etc…..

Hell, me?….I’m just glad I got to meet Coco at his corner before that becomes a memory from the past!

ReTire - 1-7-2022 at 05:15 PM

Oh and BTW, how the heck does a guy land a gig where he gets to fly back and forth to Cabo every couple of months SURFHAT?

100X - 1-7-2022 at 05:47 PM

1973: “Bad Motor Scooter.”

Down hill ever since. One notable exception: Cabo Wabo tequila (1996).

Cantina (1990) not much different from other Cabo options, maybe less popular.

Did not discover Cabo (and Cabo not all dirt roads in 1990).

David K - 1-7-2022 at 06:12 PM

There is a Cabo San Lucas in 1970 Facebook group page:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/632496947131623

Hook - 1-8-2022 at 08:48 AM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
There is a Cabo San Lucas in 1970 Facebook group page:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/632496947131623


That is one, amazing walk through time.

David K - 1-8-2022 at 09:17 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Hook  
Quote: Originally posted by David K  
There is a Cabo San Lucas in 1970 Facebook group page:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/632496947131623


That is one, amazing walk through time.


Right?
I like the 1970s vs today photo shots!

Bajaboy - 1-8-2022 at 09:47 AM

We rolled into Cabo after exploring for a few weeks. Got a room at the Mar de Cortez. Warm pool and hot showers were wonderful after camping for so long. Even better, Sammy was in town for his birthday bash. We walked down the street and got in line. Tickets were free then. What an awesome night at Cabo Wabo! Every place has its merits and detractions. It's all about perspective.

chippy - 1-8-2022 at 09:53 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Don Jorge  
Quote: Originally posted by chippy  
70s and early 80s I thought it was heaven on earth. The fishing was insane,good surf and you could camp on any beaches from Cabo to San Jose. There was only 2 or 3 hotels on that corridor. I stopped going after Sammy discovered it. It went to sh!t rapidly after that.


Word. In the 70s we camped, surfed, fished and dove the east cape many summers and it wasn't until years later I learned the names of those places.

Sometimes for a quick week or so we would fly Aero Mex into La Paz and rent a car and drive south from there. There was no Los Cabos airport, no direct flight to Cabo.

In 1980 we were in Cabo on a short trip and wanted to see Super Bowl 14, Rams vs Steelers. There was not a single place in Cabo we could watch the game.

We heard of a place in la Paz that was going to show it and we took a taxi to La Paz to watch the game. That place, of course, was a bar near Rancho Grande, another memory indeed. By the mid 1980s the writing was on the wall and that was that.



Rancho Grande, had some grand times there;):cool:

pacificobob - 1-8-2022 at 12:00 PM

I would rather take a beating than spend 10 minutes in a san lucas club.

volcano3 - 1-11-2022 at 08:40 AM

we camped on a vacant beach west of La Palmilla in the late 70's

and Cabo Pulmo, where I "settled" near, had one family that would sell you a beer and go find a fish to cook for you

mtgoat666 - 1-11-2022 at 08:55 AM

Quote: Originally posted by pacificobob  
I would rather take a beating than spend 10 minutes in a san lucas club.


Many years ago (1990s) I did a surfing road trip with a buddy, we ended up camping on east cape, and my buddy insisted on going to a certain strip bar most nights (in cabo, I think, though could have been San Jose)… don’t remember name of it, it was on second floor of a 2-story building.
I flew home, and my buddy lingered in cabo and east cape for a month or 2 dating a gringa stripper.

Anywho, strip bars were never really my thing, but I will say this one was pretty good place if you were into that sort of thing. It was much more pleasant, better ambiance than the strip bars I was familiar with in USA.



[Edited on 1-11-2022 by mtgoat666]

ReTire - 1-11-2022 at 09:15 AM

When I see the year 1990 or so mentioned, I always feel that it wasn’t that long ago until I do some math!

100X - 1-11-2022 at 10:00 AM

Volcano3:
"and Cabo Pulmo, where I "settled" near, had one family that would sell you a beer and go find a fish to cook for you"

Tito's family, by chance?

StuckSucks - 1-11-2022 at 11:53 AM

I first drove to Cabo in the 70s -- what a great place it used to be. Other than some population at the estero in San Jose del Cabo, there were no hotels until you got to Cabo San Lucas. Between the towns, there was a two-lane road that wound along the coast. Of course, there was no marina (in the 80s, I took the ferry with my truck from Cabo to Puerto Vallarta). The first couple of times there, we camped on the beach below the cemetery just east of town; down the hill from today's Costco. Like all small Baja towns, we'd buy fish tacos, sitting on the street on a metal Tecate table/chairs, only a block or two from the beach. Cabo used to be a super cool town.

Somewhere, I have a night-time time-lapse photo of Cabo under the light of a full moon taken circa 1980. Will share if I locate.

Don Pisto - 1-11-2022 at 12:52 PM

my girlfriend took me on vacation to CSL in 1980, on that trip I bought a time share that ended up being the best investment I've ever made. since that trip I've spent every thanksgiving dining with Mike from Latitude 22 (RIP Mike), I've seen some changes over the years my last and probably my last trip was right before covid. I love what that town has grown into.....different strokes!:coolup:

titos

volcano3 - 1-13-2022 at 08:16 AM

Quote: Originally posted by 100X  
Volcano3:
"and Cabo Pulmo, where I "settled" near, had one family that would sell you a beer and go find a fish to cook for you"

Tito's family, by chance?


yes,,,,titos......one card table out back, 4 plastic chairs...... 3 hours while they found someone with a fish to cook and fry up some potatoes with it.
For some reason, the wild. blasting wind sold me on the area.

100X - 1-13-2022 at 08:50 AM

Used to spend a lot of time in Cabo Pulmo camping and fishing. Wish I was home and had access to some of those photos to post!

If you settled there, I am envious for sure.

Before we were married, some time around 1990, my wife and I were camped at Cabo Pulmo in November and a very late hurricane hit! It hit on a Sunday, and the Los Frailes fish camp--all 7 pangas--were washed to sea and lost! The arroyo at Los Frailes was a huge gaping hole and the roads both north and south were impassable for almost a week.

After the main hit on Sunday, we would hang out with Tito's son in a little palapa drinking rancho tequila from a small oak barrel. It had a concrete floor and I so clearly recall taking turns sweeping the incoming water out every so many minutes.

In the evening we would stumble to our F150 (with our tent, sleeping bags, etc. now piled up on the floor) and try to figure out how to sleep in its single cab! Somehow, my "girlfriend" usually ended up on the floor and me on the seat.

Of course when we got home I immediately asked her to marry me!!!

We have not been back in a long time. First it was kids and all the busy life stuff, but now I am a little hesitant to see it as I am sure it has changed quite a bit, and I still hold pretty tightly to all the great memories!

cabo pulmo

volcano3 - 1-15-2022 at 08:44 AM

Quote: Originally posted by 100X  
Used to spend a lot of time in Cabo Pulmo camping and fishing. Wish I was home and had access to some of those photos to post!

If you settled there, I am envious for sure.

Before we were married, some time around 1990, my wife and I were camped at Cabo Pulmo in November and a very late hurricane hit! It hit on a Sunday, and the Los Frailes fish camp--all 7 pangas--were washed to sea and lost! The arroyo at Los Frailes was a huge gaping hole and the roads both north and south were impassable for almost a week.

After the main hit on Sunday, we would hang out with Tito's son in a little palapa drinking rancho tequila from a small oak barrel. It had a concrete floor and I so clearly recall taking turns sweeping the incoming water out every so many minutes.

In the evening we would stumble to our F150 (with our tent, sleeping bags, etc. now piled up on the floor) and try to figure out how to sleep in its single cab! Somehow, my "girlfriend" usually ended up on the floor and me on the seat.

Of course when we got home I immediately asked her to marry me!!!

We have not been back in a long time. First it was kids and all the busy life stuff, but now I am a little hesitant to see it as I am sure it has changed quite a bit, and I still hold pretty tightly to all the great memories!


still dirt, and everything still washes out in big water events......my place is in between rivers, so best to have a couple of weeks food and drinking water if there during monsoon season

100X - 1-20-2022 at 12:02 PM

On 1/5/22 Sammy Hagar named first Los Cabos Ambassador of Tourism:

https://youtu.be/03hZmry6YeM

Lee - 1-20-2022 at 02:23 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Bajaboy  
We rolled into Cabo after exploring for a few weeks. Got a room at the Mar de Cortez. Warm pool and hot showers were wonderful after camping for so long. Even better, Sammy was in town for his birthday bash. We walked down the street and got in line. Tickets were free then. What an awesome night at Cabo Wabo! Every place has its merits and detractions. It's all about perspective.


Sammy loves Los Cabos and I love Sammy and Los Cabos. Partied at The Cantina in the 90s, still drink Wabo Plata. Don't party much anymore, in bed early, up early. Love San Jose, too. Love MX and Mexicans. Always will.

ReTire - 1-22-2022 at 07:43 PM

I’ve enjoyed reading about all of you guys and your fun/adventure back when Los Cabos wasnt so well known and developed.
Hope there is a lot more to come!

bajafreaks - 1-24-2022 at 04:17 PM

I too went to Cabo for the first time in 1990. I'm a Sammy fan, partied at the Wabo several times. I've gone to one of his birthday bashes, lots of fun. The days before the marina was built, it was a fun town for sure. Once it got commercialized i was done. Found the East Cape and never looked back. But yes, Sammy Hager has played a major part in the popularity of Cabo.