Oggie
Nomad
Posts: 312
Registered: 6-16-2009
Location: Carlsbad, CA/BOLA
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Mood: Missing Baja
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BOLA to San Borja and Rancho San Gregorio
Photos of our trip, last week, to Mission San Borja and Rancho San Gregorio
Big Cordon
Green Desert
The Road
Trail to the old San Gregorio Ranch House
At the old ranch house
Picnic with Carolina, Matt, and I, at the old ranch
Rock terrace
Holding a Baja California Rat Snake
Rat Snake
Iguana
Gopher Snake?
My dog Patch and I
Carolina and Martin in the garden at Rancho San Gregorio
Fairy Duster
Baby Mule
San Borja looking North
Find the rattler
I am heading south again next week and will take more pictures.
A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child.
Knights of Pythagoras
Funny how falling feels like flying
for a little while - Bad Blake
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Bajaboy
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4375
Registered: 10-9-2003
Location: Bahia Asuncion, BCS, Mexico
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Good stuff-Thanks!
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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That gopher snake (if that's what it is) is remarkably beautiful. I hope to see one like that some day.
The desert scenes are just so inviting.
Thanks for sharing.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64855
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Thank you so much for sharing your photos... They are fantastic!
I am glad to see so little has changed since Amo Pescar, Neal Johns, Chris and I went there in 2001...
Who is tending the garden? Is there someone living at the end of the road or at the ranch? That trail to the ranch from the road is the El Camino
Real, eastern or 'Gulfo' route between Santa Gertrudis and San Borja.
Thanks again!
Here are a couple photos from 2001:
Here's the same place in the early 1950's (Howard Gulick collection):
Note the cut stone that the adobe is built upon... mission-era construction:
Garden terraces:
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Baja&Back
Senior Nomad
Posts: 549
Registered: 9-10-2004
Location: Vancouver, Canada / todo de Baja
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Mood: Rarin' to go South!
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Is that Carolina Espinoza from the museo??
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BornFisher
Super Nomad
Posts: 2107
Registered: 1-11-2005
Location: K-38 Santa Martha/Encinitas
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Great pics, thanks. Are you sure that isn`t really a four toed, banded tail, spotted, green bellied, geico lizard?
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Oggie
Nomad
Posts: 312
Registered: 6-16-2009
Location: Carlsbad, CA/BOLA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Missing Baja
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Thank you so much for sharing your photos... They are fantastic!
I am glad to see so little has changed since Amo Pescar, Neal Johns, Chris and I went there in 2001...
Who is tending the garden? Is there someone living at the end of the road or at the ranch? That trail to the ranch from the road is the El Camino
Real, eastern or 'Gulfo' route between Santa Gertrudis and San Borja.
Thanks again!
Here are a couple photos from 2001:
Here's the same place in the early 1950's (Howard Gulick collection):
Note the cut stone that the adobe is built upon... mission-era construction:
Garden terraces:
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The Viavincencio(sp) family is tending the garden and living near the end of the road.
A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child.
Knights of Pythagoras
Funny how falling feels like flying
for a little while - Bad Blake
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Oggie
Nomad
Posts: 312
Registered: 6-16-2009
Location: Carlsbad, CA/BOLA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Missing Baja
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Baja&Back
Is that Carolina Espinoza from the museo?? |
Yes, She came with us and was a fountain of information on the people, places, and all things natural.
A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child.
Knights of Pythagoras
Funny how falling feels like flying
for a little while - Bad Blake
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64855
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Villavicencio (I think)... Cool, there were abandoned or empty shacks there in 2001... We camped there.
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Oggie
Nomad
Posts: 312
Registered: 6-16-2009
Location: Carlsbad, CA/BOLA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Missing Baja
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Villavicencio (I think)... Cool, there were abandoned or empty shacks there in 2001... We camped there. |
The garden is where the old shacks were located. A new large building and smaller casitas are being built to serve as a center for learning and is
associated with the Vermillion Sea Field Station in BOLA.
A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child.
Knights of Pythagoras
Funny how falling feels like flying
for a little while - Bad Blake
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64855
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Great... How was the road in... are the brush and cactus still scratching the sides of trucks, or did they trim them back for all the traffic now?
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Oggie
Nomad
Posts: 312
Registered: 6-16-2009
Location: Carlsbad, CA/BOLA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Missing Baja
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Great... How was the road in... are the brush and cactus still scratching the sides of trucks, or did they trim them back for all the traffic now?
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My Jeep and your tacoma will make it just fine, however my F350 Duelly won't.
A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child.
Knights of Pythagoras
Funny how falling feels like flying
for a little while - Bad Blake
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Santiago
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3512
Registered: 8-27-2003
Member Is Offline
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Once you left San Borja, were you able to drive there by yourself or did you need to 'hire' one of the boys to guide you?
great photos.
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Oggie
Nomad
Posts: 312
Registered: 6-16-2009
Location: Carlsbad, CA/BOLA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Missing Baja
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Santiago
Once you left San Borja, were you able to drive there by yourself or did you need to 'hire' one of the boys to guide you?
great photos. |
After reading about the aggressive tour guides, in the Mission and the caretakers son's, that in the past I had not experienced in previous visits, I
was paying close attention as to how we were treated.
We were contacted almost immeadiatley upon approaching the Mission by a woman connected with the Catholic Church.
She asked us if we would like a tour of the mission. We said yes and were encouraged to sign the guest register. We took the tour and at no time was a
"donation" mentioned. Genaro, the caretaker's son has left the ranch because of a lack of money due to the resriction against him and his brother from
giving tours, in the mission proper and the poor economy. there is a current dispute between the church and the Mexican department of antiquties as to
who controls the Mission. I believe the caretaker is caught in the middle.
P.S. The church lady lives on the caretakes's property three days a week and pays no rent
A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child.
Knights of Pythagoras
Funny how falling feels like flying
for a little while - Bad Blake
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Natalie Ann
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2819
Registered: 8-22-2003
Location: Berkeley
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Oggie, your pix make me long for the desert. Nice trip report. Thank you.
nena
Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.
.....Oscar Wilde
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ELINVESTIG8R
Select Nomad
Posts: 15882
Registered: 11-20-2007
Location: Southern California
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Thanks Oggie for sharing you Baja adventure with us. I can't wait to get to Baja myself.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64855
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Oggie
| Quote: | Originally posted by Santiago
Once you left San Borja, were you able to drive there by yourself or did you need to 'hire' one of the boys to guide you?
great photos. |
After reading about the aggressive tour guides, in the Mission and the caretakers son's, that in the past I had not experienced in previous visits, I
was paying close attention as to how we were treated.
We were contacted almost immeadiatley upon approaching the Mission by a woman connected with the Catholic Church.
She asked us if we would like a tour of the mission. We said yes and were encouraged to sign the guest register. We took the tour and at no time was a
"donation" mentioned. Genaro, the caretaker's son has left the ranch because of a lack of money due to the resriction against him and his brother from
giving tours, in the mission proper and the poor economy. there is a current dispute between the church and the Mexican department of antiquties as to
who controls the Mission. I believe the caretaker is caught in the middle.
P.S. The church lady lives on the caretakes's property three days a week and pays no rent |
Thanks for your view of what happened... Indeed the economy is bad, but the only pressure for a tour or donation comes from the Catholic lady and NOT
from Jose (you call the 'caretaker') or his family... a truly humble and honest family who for so many years have been so very kind to everyone I have
heard talk about them, except one Nomad. Graham talks much about Jose in his 1997 book 'Journey with a Baja Burro', as they provided shelter for
Graham during the El Niņo storms of that year.
Jose of San Borja, July, 2009
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