Ken Bondy
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3326
Registered: 12-13-2002
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Mood: Mellow
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Bahia...circa late 70s
carpe diem!
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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Ah yes, those were the days.
Paulina is somewhere down there.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64857
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Great! Looks like the pavement has arrived, and Casa Diaz would soon be joined by the Villa Vita as the only rooms in town for guests.
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Bob53
Senior Nomad
Posts: 661
Registered: 2-24-2014
Location: Fallbrook, CA & Bahia de los Angeles
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I stayed at Casa Diaz many many times back in the 70's before the pavement arrived.
[Edited on 2-19-2015 by Bob53]
The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
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Mood: Everchangin'
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does the pavement follow the old road for the most part?
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AKgringo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6030
Registered: 9-20-2014
Location: Anchorage, AK (no mas!)
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Mood: Retireded
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I first camped at Bahia de L.A. in 1986, but my first say in a motel there was in 1999. I had a new sweetheart at that time and didn't want to rough
it too much until we found out how we got along.
I didn't book a room at the new looking place, that as it turned out had it's own generator. I went with the more rustic, older motel. Right about
the time she was lathered up in the shower, the power to the lights and water pump quit! It was fortunate that the back up lighting was poor, because
sincere sympathy is hard to fake when you are pouring bottled drinking water over your traveling companion to rinse the soap off!
To make things up to her, we went back to the new motel with the generator for dinner and drinks! It didn't help as much as I thought it would, so I
looked for better accommodations after that.
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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BajaRat
Super Nomad
Posts: 1303
Registered: 3-2-2010
Location: SW Four Corners / Bahia Asuncion BCS
Member Is Offline
Mood: Ready for some salt water with my Tecate
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Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo  |
To make things up to her, we went back to the new motel with the generator for dinner and drinks! It didn't help as much as I thought it would, so I
looked for better accommodations after that.
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A new room or girlfriend 
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4x4abc
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4290
Registered: 4-24-2009
Location: La Paz, BCS
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Mood: happy - always
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beautiful!
Harald Pietschmann
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KaceyJ
Nomad
Posts: 391
Registered: 10-7-2011
Location: there
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Thanks Ken for the memories.
Mid seventies we'd camp just North of where they built the turtle station. Nothing out there and you wouldn't see anyone unless you went to town. It
was great .
Standing in knee deep water, casting anything you had and catch (and release) all the bay bass you wanted with my Zebco , until your arms fell off or
pass out from the heat . Mom and Pops liked July for some reason , the nights were magical , especially when the electrical storms rolled up the
Sierra Madre far to the East.
Would go into town to get spring water and those were the days when a few locals would stop in their tracks and stare at you, the foreigner. Some with
the ol' mexican stink eye.
Now the area is too crowded and full of riff-raff  so we dont go there anymore.
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
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Mood: optimistic
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The eastern portion of pavement is mostly close or on the old dirt road, but the western 1/3 which is paved is quite a bit south of the old dirt road.
You can see the old dirt road on the Baja Atlas. The old dirt road was the way we got there in the early '70's, or late '6o's---can't recall
exactly when. You can still travel in that way on the dirt portion, and it is fun to do that.
The Villi Vita Hotel was built by Jim Bracamonte of Jim's Air, the FBO owner at Lindberg Field, San Diego. He was good friends with Diaz's.
Barry
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64857
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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The old roads into L.A. Bay, as shown on this 1962 Gulick (Lower California Guidebook) map:
The new road meets the old road about 10 miles east of Hwy. 1 and closely follows it or is next to it the remaining distance to L.A. Bay. They were
beginning to pave it in 1976, by 1984 it was very badly pot holed... it was first graded in 1974.
Here is the map with new roads drawn in:
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StuckSucks
Super Nomad
Posts: 2325
Registered: 10-17-2013
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Compare with Google Earth:
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Ken Bondy
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3326
Registered: 12-13-2002
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Mood: Mellow
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That's fantastic StuckSucks!!
carpe diem!
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Vince
Nomad
Posts: 446
Registered: 10-17-2006
Location: Coronado
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I believe that is the airstrip right there in the middle of town, I remember landing there in a friend's plane once. The fuel was right there also,
mid 1970's.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64857
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Yup, planes would taxi right up to the Diaz cabins... more planes than cars there before 1974!
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Bob53
Senior Nomad
Posts: 661
Registered: 2-24-2014
Location: Fallbrook, CA & Bahia de los Angeles
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If remember correctly, the gas pump was right near the ramp at Diaz.
The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
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Mood: optimistic
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That's the way I remember it also, Bob. In Ken's picture, the building just to the right of the ramp is the fuel shed.
The comparison pics are just amazing-------thanks Guys.
Barry
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durrelllrobert
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7393
Registered: 11-22-2007
Location: Punta Banda BC
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Mood: thriving in Baja
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Way, way off the left side of the picture.
Bob Durrell
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Paulina
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3810
Registered: 8-31-2002
Location: BCN
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That was just a little before my time. My first trip to Bahia de Los Angeles was in July 1981. I have the best memories ever of the place and people I
met, good friends to this day.
We stayed in the Vermillion Sea Station, on Ocana land. It's the building with the red roof.
The Govt. campground and Antonio's turtle farm
Thanks Ken for posting your original photo. I love to see Bahia from the way back machine.
P>*)))>{
[Edited on 21-2-2015 by Paulina]
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64857
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Awesome Paulina!
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