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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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slogan: "ARE YOU BETTER OFF THAN YOU WERE 4 YEARS AGO?"
PUNTA CHIVATO SAYS......HELL YES!
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I know, I know...you are thinking, "Carumba, can't stay on a straight path for more than 10 miles, can he? At this rate, he'll never get home." All
I can offer as an excuse is an overpowering urge to make voyages, or at least attempt them. I hate sitting at anchor.
Okay, time to take the mob to the 'Nuevo' Punta Chivato. (After almost 40 years, I think I'm just gonna call it Chivato..little goat..or would 'El'
Chivato be better? :rolleyes
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You can get there by air, water, or land. I've done all three many times, plus that time I was at Jungle Jim's and got
beamed over.
This time we are taking the land route from Palo Verde. We've called this washboard road the 4 or 40. since forever.
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Flashback:
.......( oh jeezo, here he goes again..)
Back in the day, we improvished events at Chivato..no tv!...night dives at Sta. Inez, photographing sea snakes in the channel, flying brakeless with
Dr. Sordo (a nutcase from Mexico City), bikini stafing runs with Dusty, keeping bobcats, dove/duck hunts at the lagoon, skinny dipping in the hilltop
reservoir...the normal stuff. Ah..the '4 oor 40' though, that was something else! We had races aagainst the clock. I held the land speed record of
14 minutes from the old hotel to the pavement.  We did regular races on that
spine-rattling trail almost every day. Well..okay, so they were beer runs mostly, but we raced to the deposito!
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++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
BACK TO PRESENT DAY EVENTS
"Changes We Can Believe In."
Chivato - The view coming off the trail.
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There are many homes along this scenic shore these days. Some were built in the 80's, but many more lately, plus the remodels of the old Casa Grande,
where we all lived, and the hotel itself.
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THE BEACH
The entrance to the old camping beach on the point...drive between these houses.
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NO campers today....
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Pretty tranquil....quiet....deserted.
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We used to stage 4X4 climbs up this sandy, smooth dunes area. In fact, we had a great name for the hill shown below...but danged if
I can remember now just what it was?....it's right on the tip of my tongue..hmmm...what the heck was it?
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The lighthouse beach areas......lots of beachwalking room. 
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.........................NEXT STOP...'THE HOTEL'.
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I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Mood: Optimistic
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Punta Chivato Hotel - May 2008
Today known as Posada de las Flores.
Here is the entry from the hotel parking lot.
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Our old 'concrete pond.'
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Basically the same outside bar/patio. Much better furniture! No sign of the old Kobey's Swap Meet plastics.
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New seaside bar...very pleasant...not very crowded.
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Please excuse this teeny fishing memo..from 'the good ol days'..
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Newly remodeled seaview rooms. Same layout..but very pricey now. We saw only one guest, which the bartender confirmed. Whew...In the late
70's-early 80's these were rented out for 10 bucks a day. If you were a gal..almost free.
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While having a drink at the outside bar, we noticed a few bad guys out there...seiners!:mad:
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That dust trail below is yours truly when presented with the bar bill...
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Hey, is that you leaving, capt. mike? Got your bar bill, too, eh?
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Hey, what's that up ahead on the road...Oh, No!..looks like a time-warp space continuim blowing in...Un Calabozo?
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W looks at the phenomenon and says, "Ol Socrateaser had something to say about that, too...'The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.'
What's the worst that could happen?"
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[Edited on 5-31-2008 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
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Location: on the bayou
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Pompano, Great pictures! Thanks.  Looking foreward to the next leg of your journey.
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Mood: Optimistic
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'ONE HELLUVA RIDE" - The Early Chivato Years
These are all old photos from 1959 to 2003...all taken in and around Punta Chivato. I hope the nostalgia has not been too much for you. I
AM almost done. My Baja trip is coming to a close.
Did I just hear a little sigh of relief?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
!!CAUTION!! - OLD PTA. CHIVATO PHOTOS
Well, here they are ..20 photos in rapid succession. It'll be over soon, you'll suffer no lasting effects. ...Trust me.
Okey dokey, here we go...
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b]One for the road, Saul. Gracias.
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"ADIOS COMPADRES." Now to get going. Home is just over the next hill......
..................IMPORTANT EDIT......................
Anybody got room for a rider?
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[Edited on 7-21-2008 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Mood: Optimistic
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Back home at last....
ElinvestI8...thanks for your coffee table suggestion, but there's not much space left for another book.
I keep a visitor's register and my old Baja Sea Guide there. If you come by, please sign one and page through the other. That visitor's log makes
for interesting reading...full of 35 years of people...and could make a hi-dollar chip in any future blackmail poker game.
I don't have much passion for this right now, as I have received some news that needs attending to..but will finish the Trip Photo Report/Log/Blog or
whatever you want to call it soon. We have only to drive from Pta. Chivato to Coyote...that's just over the next hill...honest.
Be back in a day or two.......
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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ELINVESTIG8R
Select Nomad
Posts: 15882
Registered: 11-20-2007
Location: Southern California
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Pompano I look forward to more of your La Baja Tales.
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Barbareno
Nomad
Posts: 410
Registered: 11-4-2007
Location: Vernon BC
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Pompano
I think I will just go back to page one and read this all over again its that enjoyable.
Barb
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capt. mike
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8085
Registered: 11-26-2002
Location: Bat Cave
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Mood: Sling time!
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yep....that were me after i got the bar bill........just kidding, i know better and NEVER go to the posada de los ripoffs.
but thx for the old fotos and memories - when Bill alvarado had it yes we went once a month for years when the Flying Sams based clinic trips there.
one of THE best fly in places on the planet. now only so if you have a home there.
formerly Ordained in Rev. Ewing\'s Church by Mail - busted on tax fraud.......
Now joined L. Ron Hoover\'s church of Appliantology
\"Remember there is a big difference between kneeling down and bending over....\"
www.facebook.com/michael.l.goering |
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Mood: Optimistic
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FINAL PHASE OF THE TRIP...I PROMISE.
Hello again, Nomads. After a sojourn of many days to say goodbye to an old friend of Baja, I am back and ready to complete my trip ‘report’ from San
Diego to Coyote Bay. I realize I left you waiting at the hotel, Posada de los Flores, at Punta Chivato and am EXTREMELY sorry that
you had to sell your house and car to pay your bill...
SOOO...Back to the road trip...we are ready to resume our travels.
.Leaving Pta. Chivato I try to break my 1979 land speed record of 12.5 minutes from the hotel to the pavement at
Palo Verde, but gave up after losing 2 Pacificos and 3 dental fillings.
Regaining Highway 1, we turn south towards Mulege after waving at Olivia Canul and her husband. They are a very helpful couple who live in this tiny
hamlet and have an office in Sta. Rosalia where Olivia helps her clients with all sorts of paralegal jobs...various documents, permits, FM-3's,
translations, legwork, etc. Another person I can recommend doing this sort of work in the area is Julietta Medina Oronoz, also of Sta. Rosalia.
Good people, all.
The highway scene from Palo Verde to Mulege holds nothing of interest...except for the observant driver. Swinging your head to the left you could
note the recent developments, various new roads leading to new camping sites, investment opportunities, an ocean, etc.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In memory of an amigo:
Turning now to the other direction..inland...you might just spy a bare strip of desert floor way, way out
there....Mulege’s first 'airport'...circa early 70's. Pretty much forgotten these days and faded into Baja history, this was once a landing field for
prop planes, Air Cortez, Gunnel Air, DC-3 flights from Guaymas and many other origins.
It’s life-span was brief and we used it just a couple of times back in the day.
A lifelong friend, whose memorial I just attended, was once a passenger on an Air Cortez flight landing at this field, their trip originating in
Mexico City.
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It was 1976, he and his wife were coming to visit me after participating in a skeet shoot hosted by the Sauza family for Ducks Unlimited of Mexico.
My friend was western director for Ducks Unlimited at the time. Our hunts in Baja and mainland Mexico were many. I had talked them into visiting
this part of Mexico on thier way home.
Back in 1976 Mulege, life was very quiet, there was not a lot of need then for most things we take for granted today...let alone special airport
service. Almost all air traffic was private plane to the Serinadad Hotel..and before that to the old Club Aero strip across the rio.
I had arrived at this remote airfield early and was ready and waiting when the old Gooney-Bird thundered down for a landing.
I had a little practical joke planned.
I had hidden my car behind a shed and I was dressed in Hollywood-stereotype Mexican clothing...well-worn white pantaloons and shirt, sandals, and
large sombrero. I found a shady tree trunk to sit down against close by the passenger arrival area. I pulled the sombrero down over my face and sat
there, sandaled feet outstretched in my best siesta-mode. I even managed a slight snore.
I could hear the half-dozen or so passengers coming off the plane’s stairway and a couple hellos to a single waiting taxi and another private car. I
hear people talking, doors opening, closing, then the cars departing.
Then I heard my lifelong compadre’s voice...his name was Roger, also....talking to his wife: “I don’t KNOW, Judy. I don’t see his El Camino. Sure
hope he got message from Don Johnson. Communications to this place suck.”
His wife, Judy, said ...”Well, that taxi and car just left so we’re pretty much alone out here except for the pilot and he’s about to leave for
Guaymas again. Oh look, there’s a man sleeping over there under that tree. Maybe he can help, go ask him.”
I hear Roger walking towards me and then his shoes appear under the brim of my sombrero. He says in his mid-western drawl, “Hello, pardon me?
Sprecken sie English?.” I sit perfectly still, snoring away.
I hear Judy say, “Oh, great
Spanish, honey..this isn’t Munchen, you know.”
Roger says, “Senor? Hellooo..Hola-hola.?” and he taps my sandal a couple times with his shoe. Judy says, “This scares me, maybe we should get back
on the plane before it leaves?” Roger taps my sandal again and says, “Damn, we could be stuck here for God knows how long...best watch the luggage,
and keep an eye on this character.. I’ll talk to the pilot just in case.”
Then I tipped my sombrero back and said, “Ach, mein Gott!...But then you will miss the best fishing of your entire life, Herr Page.”
I gleefully listened to Roger recounting that meeting for the next 2 weeks at various dinner parties in Mulege. And each time over the last 32 years
was also great fun.
Like Roger always said about me, ‘I know him well, and love him anyway.’
My lifelong compadre has passed over. And left an empty place in many Baja hearts. I wish you could have known him, too, because I know you would
have been friends.
.. No farewells for us, amigo. Take the rest of the trip home with me..and beyond.
Roger David Page....my friend.
[Edited on 10-14-2011 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7641
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Location: on the bayou
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Pompano, 12.5 minutes from the beach to the hwy. That computes to somewhere
around 60mph+ across sand, washboard etc.  My math is fuzzy. Bet the brew was foamy when you hit the blacktop.
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ELINVESTIG8R
Select Nomad
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Registered: 11-20-2007
Location: Southern California
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Pompano that story about your friend and his wife was... I laughed out loud.
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capt. mike
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8085
Registered: 11-26-2002
Location: Bat Cave
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Mood: Sling time!
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nice pix of a Beech 18 with the tri gear conversion. used to be one at KSDL owned by a paving contractor i know. gas and maintenance were eating into
his Scotch fund, single malt neat doncha know....so he sold it to an enthusiast and got a 421 instead.
so - where was that picture taken Roger? who was flying, Capt. Munoz?
i'd like to put it up on BBP.
formerly Ordained in Rev. Ewing\'s Church by Mail - busted on tax fraud.......
Now joined L. Ron Hoover\'s church of Appliantology
\"Remember there is a big difference between kneeling down and bending over....\"
www.facebook.com/michael.l.goering |
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Cypress, the old Pta. Chivato road is nothing like the modern-day super highway. A few of us used to race against each other...and against the
clock. We all had flags on whips and road spotters along the route to avoid any traffic...of which there was very little back then. All you needed
were good flotation tires, an Evil Knievel attitude, and cup holders. Great fun in my then-new Chevy Blazer and a Jeep C-J 5 Renegade. (Only rolled
the Jeep once.) We made some impressive dust clouds.
capt. mike, that particular photo was at the Serinadad, but Air Cortez flew often to the old strip north of Mulege. Munoz was a good friend of my
amigo, Blackjack, but the Air Cortez pilot at this time was none other than ..you guessed it...another Roger. I once flew co-pilot seat with my amigo
in the above post, Roger, sitting right behind us..so there we were Roger, Roger, and Roger. It got a little confusing..Roger? Over and out.
[Edited on 6-13-2008 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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capt. mike
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8085
Registered: 11-26-2002
Location: Bat Cave
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Mood: Sling time!
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Roger that!!!!
huh??!!
what's your vector, Victor?
i dunno but i am on the clearance, Clarance.
formerly Ordained in Rev. Ewing\'s Church by Mail - busted on tax fraud.......
Now joined L. Ron Hoover\'s church of Appliantology
\"Remember there is a big difference between kneeling down and bending over....\"
www.facebook.com/michael.l.goering |
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Back to the present trip into Mulege..
We wind up the low mountains bordering Mulege and past the city dump up the large arroyo to the right.. A great place to visit if
you really want to see some pertinent history of any place, and Mulege has some truly great garbage:
5 million wine corks
1 zillion Carta Blanca empties -collector items with the old bottom-openers
every Padre Kino wine bottle made (no caps)
some working Servel refrigerators
rusted-out boat trailers
washing machine barrels ready to be recycled into perfect beach fireplaces
Model T parts galore
stinky black smoke fires
cow skulls
cow carcasses
grazing cows
rare artifacts
sponging relatives
my burned-out old VW camper
my burned-out VW dune buggy
a 1956 DeSoto with no seats
hordes of gulls, ravens, buzzards, snakes, ratons.....and shadowy glimpses of feral dogs slinking on the fringes, ready to attack the minute your back
is turned.
Here you can thrill to the excitement of having seagulls spray you on their bombing runs.
A truly enchanted place that tourists should not overlook.
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AND NOW.....
MULEGE....finally.
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COMING INTO TOWN........
If you survive the many S-turns approaching Mulege from the north, you will eventually come to the fortified entrance to Mulege.
Every time I see this new structure I get the urge to yell, Storm the gates! I have heard from reliable sources that the designer is
a King Arthur Camelot wanna-be.
I recommend parking in Pancho Anaya’s grocery store lot at the Y and sucking a couple cold ones while admiring this peek into The Dark Ages. After a
case of two, it grows on you. You can almost envision the boiling oil pouring onto the milling Black Death victims seeking universal health aid
below. Well...I can anyway. Some anejo helps to bring out the colors and screams.
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Pancho (Sr. Anaya) has an excellent view of the village portal from his well-stocked tienda and can relate with you in English,
German, and Espanol. When I asked....He preferred to call the country Baja California Sur...thought 'The Baja' was not good grammar. 
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Replenishing my Pacifico house supplies at Pancho's, I drive on...and manage to pass unchallenged thru the Portal of Pretense (POP) and come to more
familiar surroundings again.
Across the street, I wave at pretty-much-retired mechanic Don Juan sitting in his yard, an old Volkswagen mini-bus behind him. It was left there
about 15 years ago ..repaired now and waiting for owner to show up. That's Mulege for you....
A little further down the street, stop to talk to face-masked Koki standing at his barbeque. Try his great cafe for some super
BarBQed chicken. La Baja? Sorry...Koki is another 'Baja California Sur' user...
More to come.
[Edited on 6-15-2008 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7641
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Pompano,Thanks for the pictures. Mulege is a neat place.
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Mood: Optimistic
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MULEGE RIVER TOUR
Well, it's been a long and winding road back home..full of events, sidetrips and a US return for a memorial. I am almost home now, but first I need
to say Hi to Mulege again and buy some house supplies.
Would you all care to come along and see the villages sights, perhaps meet some new amigos? If so, then grab your camera...and trail along.
MULEGE (moo-la-hay) is my chosen Mexican village of 35 years, and a favorite for lots of other Baja aficionados. Lying about 38 miles
south of Sta. Rosalia, this is the perfect Baja oasis, complete with thousands of palm trees and multi-colored bougainvilleas filling a large fertile
farming valley which leads to the Sea of Cortez. It reminds one of San Ignacio, except that Mulege is located on the coast, which opens up a host of
additional options for it's 3,000+ residents and many visitors.
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FIRST VISITORS
The native Cochimi had the place to themselves until it was
'discovered' by foreigners in 1702. The Jesuit mission called Santa Rosalía de Mulege was started in 1705. The origin of the name
Mulegé is said to come from the Cochimíes voices "Carmaañc galexá", that means "Large Ravine of the White Mouth".
Padre Francisco Escalante began the formal construction of the church's mission in 1754, and was completed in 1766. Abandoned in 1828, it has been
restored several times. Actually it conserves the original appearance and in the interior a statue of Santa Rosalia and a bell, both from the XVII
century.
What say we first take a tour of the river from the mission to the lighthouse? Here goes...
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The mission.
The river view from the observation deck next to mission.
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This is the river view from beneath the highway bridge. Many years ago there was a shallow fjord across this shallow part. Mulege used it as a
car wash, and us bay dwellers, too.
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Looking upriver towards the highway bridge....
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Heading towards the ocean...
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Gentle waters invite quiet times....
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Pangueros tie up near the mouth...
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I have often thought of restoring this old charter boat....at least once a year for 30 years now.
The lighthouse
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History note: In 1719 the first vessel built in the Californias was launched here, with woods from the mountainous region of
Mulege. The construction super was father Juan de Ugarte who called the ship "Triunto de la Santa Cruz". It is said that this ship served Mulege for
54 years.
I wonder what became of that hull? Perhaps a dive adventure there.
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COMING NEXT....
...................MULEGE STREET TOUR
Come along with me..I have to do my shopping and say hello to some old friends.
We have several small, good hotels, some great restaurants, a dive shop, lots of markets, hardware stores, plus several miscellaneous shops. These
days, homeowners and tourists alike can find everything in Mulege.
Strolling around Mulege on foot is a great way to drink in the flavor of this charming riverside town! But I am a driver at
heart.....so maybe we could take this beauty for a ride? I found it next to the Pemex station outside of Mulege.
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We will stop first here for some tourist information....
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I could introduce you to my latest hitchhiker?...and now Mulege's newest Taliban negotiater and tour guide. Don't say anything about his
bonnet...he's touchy about it.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7641
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Pompano, Thanks. Looking foreward to the next series.
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Mood: Optimistic
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Mulege Street Tour & Some Amigos
Old Prison...honor system for inmates. Work outside during day, then back in for the night when the bell was rung.
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Lush date palm valley. Good harvests.
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Living above the village assures you of good, clear rooster calls each dawn...and the pleasant smells of woodsmoke.
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Good view of lighthouse and estuary from next to the prison.
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Some foxy chick walking along the empty siesta streets of Mulege. Looks like she is heading for that great gift and clothing store, La Tienda.
One of many gorgeous trees in Mulege. This bougainvilla is at the zocalo..square in el centro.
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Main Street, Mulege.
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Speaking of home...It's about time I got back to the casa. What say we hit the road. It's only 17 more miles...
Go figure...as soon as I start out for the house I see Dimas waving at me from his taco stand in the square.
Sheesh, when will I ever get home?
Okay..just a quick bite and I'm on my way...
[Edited on 6-19-2008 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Crusoe
Senior Nomad
Posts: 731
Registered: 10-14-2006
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Hi Pampano...Thank You...Thank You...and Thank You! That was the "best" trip report ever!!. ++C++
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