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zforbes
Nomad
Posts: 334
Registered: 4-11-2005
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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Mood: Living the dream
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Great trip report, Shari...very engaging, it was like being there with you. Thanks for sharing!
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David K
Honored Nomad
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Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BajaNomad
| Quote: | Originally posted by rts551
Used to be a Gringo lived full-time in La Purisima... |
Is that Gary - or someone else you're referring to?
Thanks,
-
Doug |
Perhaps the late Jim Dandy (where Mision the burro lived after Graham's 1000 mile walk)?
Photo from http://grahammackintosh.com
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BajaBlanca
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Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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loved the pics and the history and the beauty and can't wait to taste some wine !!
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Bob H
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5867
Registered: 8-19-2003
Location: San Diego
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Wow, just read this trip report and saw your stunning photos Shari. It's the best trip report I've ever followed on Nomad. Thanks so much for
sharing your experiences. We have not been through La Purisima in at least 15 years.
[Edited on 1-21-2011 by Bob H]
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Cypress
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Location: on the bayou
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Mood: undecided
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b1, Thanks for your contribution. That's a mystical area. Any pictures of the jail in La Purisima? Those old sugar-making mills/cookers/molds are a
bit of living history.
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elgatoloco
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4332
Registered: 11-19-2002
Location: Yes
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Great stuff all! Thanks for sharing the photos and stories.
Ten years or so ago we were camping in Loreto and decided to take a day trip up to San Javier. We then looked at the map and thought why don't we head
over and check out Comondu. The road was sketchy in parts and great in others so we decided to just see how far we could get. There had been
considerable rain around that time and all the flora was bursting with color and cactus bulging. I recall huge fig trees clinging to rocks and a few
little ranchos by the side of the road. The most amazing sight was when we turned the corner onto the very narrow carved out of rock road down into
the canyon and saw more palm tress in one place then I can remember. Once we got down in the valley the old buildings and huge trees and palms made
for a very tranquil feeling. I have often thought it was one of the most unique places I have been to in Baja. We were running out of daylight and
wishing we had our camp gear with us so we could have hung around. We were one of those who slowly drove thru and got a hearty wave from everyone we
saw. It's been on our list of places to return ever since.
A different trip a few years ago to surf we stopped on the way home in La Purisima with goal to meet Jim Dandy and Mision then take the road to SJ
Comondu and on to Loreto, Jim was not home, we fed the burro then were stopped on outskirts of San Ysidro by some locals who told us that both the
east road to 1 and the road to Comondus were impassable due to recent storms.
Thanks again Shari and all for the trip back in time.
MAGA
Making Attorneys Get Attorneys
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Nappo
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Registered: 1-25-2009
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Great report Shari!
You know our group is going to spend a few more days with you in October - Just wondering how far/time wise this side trip may be. Any info would be
great.
Thx
D
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elfbrewery
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Registered: 12-25-2006
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Judging by what others have said, I must confirm that I took a group on a trip through San Javier to the Comondus up to San Isidro over a year ago
(maybe a little longer). It was a difficult trip from San Javier to San Jose, but worth it (we camped by the "lake"). The drive from the Comondus to
San Isidro was a nightmare. Bolders and washouts everywhere. The only traffic we saw were rancheros on horseback -- made sense. We made it through
eventually after one of the vehicles had a valve stem sheered off by boulders and we moved a few 100+ lb. boulders to get to the wheel to change it.
It took hours to go that short distance that looks like a straight line in the Backroads Baja book. It's not worth going this way, ut uh. The other
roads are beckoning for us to try, though.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64848
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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The El Camino Real parallels that road between San Jose Comondu and La Purisima... just a bit west of it... Maybe using it would have been better? The
Jesuits built it almost 300 years ago and you can still see it all from space!
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mcfez
Elite Nomad
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Registered: 12-2-2009
Location: aka BN yankeeirishman
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Shari....
Outstanding travel log. In fact...I got more out of your report that any book!
Few questions 4 you, if you dont mind;
How many days were you on the road?
Gasoline avail?
Could you maybe "yellow marker" your route for us? No offense to DK's maps....I just cant see your route in them.
Old people are like the old cars, made of some tough stuff. May show a little rust, but good as gold on the inside.
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13048
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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thank you all so much for your comments....I am just tickled that many of you GOT what I was feeling!!! I am still overwhelmed and know there is
something I must do there....each photograph could be a chapter in a book as there are so many wonderful stories to be told about this place and it's
people...hmmm...maybe another book in the making.
our route...hmmm...DK is much better at this. We were lost much of the time...around Batequi the road we were on ended...so we got on another goat
path to San Juanico...then on another pathy road a few miles out of SJ to La Purisima....we were told the short cut was not passable unless on beast
or bike..so we went back out and got on another road that doubled back from Pancho Villa that went up to Comondu...but next time I would go up from
just south of Mulege around san nicholas and straight up there.
Nappo...you guys could do this trip in 2 days just to see it....but why not just go up to la sierra de san francisco...similar ranch feeling and much
closer!
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Bob H
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5867
Registered: 8-19-2003
Location: San Diego
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Shari, is it possible to do a "day trip" from Mulege to La Purisima and back?
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shari
Select Nomad
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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anything is possible Bob!!!
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Mulegena
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BUMP...
Just shared these photos of La Purisima with Ricardo, my new sweetheart, who enjoyed my wonderful birthday weekend with Shari & Juan at their
house. Ricardo is of the Romero Acosta families of La Purisima. He was born there but came to Mulege with his parents when he was 7 years old.
Looking at these pictures he brightened into a smile to see photos of home, then sat up abruptly when we came to the ones of the petate. "That's my
Aunt Hilda's house," he said, "Remember when we visited last month?" I immediately recognized the young boy in the photo as his cousin Jonathan who
is all of nine years old and possesses the deepest blue of blue eyes I've ever seen. The petate was hand-crafted by his Uncle Antonio.
Having visited there with him just last month I also recognized the specifics of the area, the wonderful sweet-water river with turtles and caña
growing on its banks. Its from this type of bamboo/cane that the petate is made. On the banks of the river you'll see the old-old system of aquaduct
which is still in use today. The photo of the orchard with the mountain in the background is very near the rancho of his cousin Ita and her husband
Lalo who raise goats, make cheese & petate and grow Frijoles Habas which we would know as lima beans. They live without running water or
electricity and live completely off the land.
A personal aside: When I visited in early April I took a bit of medication for the animals up there and treated many of the otherwise healthy-looking
dogs for fleas, ticks and stomach parasites. Word was sent down the mountain to me over Semana Santa with a big thank you because the dogs which were
lean are now all robust, "Los perro son gordos ahora, gracias," said Ita and Lalo.
As you said, these people are gentle folk, quiet, self-sufficient people living securely alone up in the mountains much as they have in the centuries
since their ancestors first explored and settled the area. I was blown away by the life-style that still exists up there, the strength & dignity.
Being one of these people Rica still has the sense of adventure of his ancestors. Because of its isolation, he's never been to Comondu and now wants
to go see the place. "When shall we go. Today? Estoy listo!!" he says.
Thanks, Shari, for your glowing report which has brought continued joy to myself and to Rica, yet another Baja Nomad.
| Quote: | Originally posted by shari
PART II
Again we chose the wrong road and ended up taking another rough road up to La Purisima.....saw some neat places though like Cadeje.
La Purisima is pretty spectacular....there sure is alot of visual pollution with all the political banners splattered everywhere. We talked to locals
about pressuring politicians to clean up their mess after the election.
We drove up to San Ysidro and marveled at the water canal system and beautiful fertile valleys full of huertas.
We continued further up to Cambuchi where we saw people making petates. We stopped to enquire about them and enjoyed meeting the family. As is the
custom, the petates weren’t for sale…the ones already made were encargos…ordered by someone else. We chatted for a good while about la gripa, los
politicos, economicos, perros etc. and I commented on the colour of all their eyes and that they looked like Arce’s and they laughed and told me they
were all Arce’s!!! Well MAYBE they might be able to sell a couple petates and they sent a boy to get his uncle. After more chatting, he agreed to sell
a couple to us for 150 pesos each.We gave him 200 each and he was very very happy and promised to somehow send them up a puppy as their dog had just
got run over…so anyone going that way, please take a puppy to them!! So we loaded them aboard the Toyota…Café was happy to have some shade and lay
down inside the rolled up petates.
We asked directions and about road conditions to Comondu and they told us to make sure to buy some of their homemade wine there that was famous and we
were on our way once again.
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"Raise your words, not your voice. It's rain that grows flowers, not thunder." ~Rumi
"It's the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." ~ Aristotle
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13048
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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I'm happy the photos brought joy to you both...Rica has that ranch gentleness about him and it will be wonderful for you to connect on a family level
with these folks and perhaps learn some of their skills.
I've been rather busy this past while with the bajagypsies but am preparing another trip report from our last visit there semana santa...stay tuned.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64848
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Location: San Diego County
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Terrific stuff here! Pure Baja!!
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TMW
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Location: Bakersfield, CA
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Pictures do tell a 1000 words. Thanks
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ddawson
Nomad
Posts: 103
Registered: 9-6-2010
Location: Hilo
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Wow, just saw this report for the first time. Great pics and info! Thanks for sharing.
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motoged
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6481
Registered: 7-31-2006
Location: Kamloops, BC
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Mood: Gettin' Better
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Some of my impressions of Los Commondus:
The road in from where the pavement ends...
The road north out of town to La Purisima:
and the bad part...
Ride report and pics for La Purisima and Commondus areas:
from:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=666961&page=6
to....
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=666961&page=7
Don't believe everything you think....
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BajaBlanca
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Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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absolutely loved seeing the photos and reading the stories again ... you are a gifted photographer, without a doubt, Shari. I do think that you
should publish a book with stories and pics. no one knows about these places...
Mulegena, the first person I thought about was Rica, since he said he was from la purissima !! what fun to travel up there and meet the folks up
close and personal. you are a lucky lady. please, have a glass of wine in our honor ...
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