San Judas Onyx
The fine onyx mined in Baja California for over 120 years is found in several places. The best-known mine is El Mármol... Read more
Seeking San Francisquito
Traveling the mission road, El Camino Real, was no easy task. The shear rugged terrain, with rocks, cactus, and heat took its toll... Read more
Mission San José de Comondú
The fifth California mission was founded in 1708, by Padre Julián de Mayorga. The original mission location was twenty-two miles to the north... Read more
Mission San José del Cabo
The twelfth California mission was founded on April 8, 1730, by the Jesuit’s Visitador General Padre José de Echeverría and Padre Nicolás Tamaral... Read more
Mission San Luis Gonzaga
Mission San Luis Gonzaga Chiriyaqui, the 14th Baja California mission, was founded on July 14, 1737. This location was established... Read more
El Alamo Ghost Town
Located nine miles off the Ensenada to San Felipe highway, El Alamo is all but a ghost town today... Read more
El Volcán, Baja California’s Cold-Water Geyser
A special geologic place of interest is El Volcán, a bubbling-soda spring of cool water where onyx is being created, ever so slowly... Read more
The Mission at La Misión: San Miguel Arcángel
Missions were the method Spain used to instruct indigenous people on becoming productive subjects of the King, learn to speak Spanish... Read more
Los Dolores: The Mission of Sorrows
The Dolores mission story is one complicated enough to cause both interest and confusion with the Baja Bound traveler or researcher... Read more
The 1684 Atondo-Kino Expedition
The Admiral Isidoro de Atondo y Antillon and Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino overland expedition was the first crossing of the peninsula by Europeans... Read more
World War II in Baja California
My interest in the activities of the United States in Baja California, following the attack on Pearl Harbor... Read more
San Ignacio Beginnings
Perhaps one of the most impressive of the Spanish structures on the peninsula is the massive stone church in San Ignacio... Read more
The Old Baja Road
To drive an automobile from Tijuana to Cabo San Lucas was once such a rare and amazing feat that the few who did it wrote books about it... Read more
Pirates in Baja California
Each of us has a story on how we were infected with this wonderful bug that compels us to return year after year... Read more
Catching the Baja Bug
Each of us has a story on how we were infected with this wonderful bug that compels us to return year after year... Read more
Fernando Consag, the Jesuit Explorer
History tells us about many explorers of the New World. The Jesuits explored on land and sea hoping to find places to build new missions... Read more
The Albertino Barite Mine, Near Camalu
I remember seeing this side trip to Albertino as a younger person when thumbing through the Auto Club guide. I was always looking for places to explore... Read more
The Books That Brought Us to Baja, Part 2
Now, we shall see some examples of the books that may be more familiar to those travelers who began going to Baja California after Highway One was completed... Read more
Eliodoro Arce
Don Eliodoro Arce was a friendly old prospector who lived alone but was never lonely. He was universally loved... Read more
Mission Santa Rosalía de Mulegé
The first Spanish California missions were more of a test than a success, but the Jesuits had much faith... Read more
The Books That Brought Us to Baja, Part 1
Following World War Two, with the creation of the Jeep and Power Wagon, there was now a more secure means to travel beyond paved highways... Read more
Santiago Beginnings
Once again, we discover that the history of a Baja California mission is not so simple to explain. Most books do not provide the entire mission story and typically... Read more
A Passion for Baja Maps
One common theme with those of us who are attracted to the peninsula of Baja California is our love of maps! Read more
Spring Break 1974
This is about an adventure I planned for months and dreamed of for years. Growing up with adventurous parents who loved exploring Baja California, I was destined to... Read more
The Pearl King's Buried Treasure
The incredibly blue sea we call the Gulf of California has laid claim to names far more romantic than its present one. Early Spanish explorers who sailed northward... Read more
San Vicente Beginnings
Each of the missions of Baja California have a story about how they came to be and what were the challenges faced by the Spanish and the missionaries who were tasked... Read more
Santa Gertrudis Beginnings
Like so many of the twenty-seven missions of Baja California, the history is not as simple as one may think. Santa Gertrudis was the fifteenth mission founded on the peninsula... Read more
Returning to Mission Santa María
Santa María de los Angeles was the last mission established by the Jesuits, located in a desert-oasis canyon, midway between San Luis Gonzaga Bay... Read more
The Grandpas of San Jacinto
I have heard it talked about; a place where old men, without family to care for them, live out their final days... Read more
The Vanishing Mission of La Purísima
Missions were the system that Spain used to colonize new lands added to its empire. The Catholic church was very central to the way of life .... Read more
Where the Pavement Ends
If you have been driving the roads of Baja California for many years, leaving the pavement is a normal occurrence.... Read more
Valladares, a Person and a Place
Located in the foothills of the Sierra San Pedro Mártir, Baja’s highest mountain range, is a place called Valladares. Today, it is a ranch about thirty-five miles... Read more
Guadalupe Canyon Hot Springs
Guadalupe Canyon, southwest of Mexicali, is certainly one of Baja’s most amazing natural wonders. Petroglyphs and pottery, found at the entrance to the canyon... Read more
The Sky Ranches of Baja California
They come from a time when airplanes were more frequently used to vacation in Baja, and when bad roads brought good people, just not... Read more
Meeting ‘Mama’ Espinoza
Anita Espinoza was born Anita Grosso and she would become the grand lady of El Rosario as well as one of the best-known Baja California personalities... Read more
A Tale of Two Railroads
What grand dreams could bring such infrastructure to such a desolate region 130 years ago? Around 1885, an American (and later English)... Read more
Directions to the Missions: Part 1
With paved roads, people today can “time-travel” back when the Spanish only had a rocky path known as El Camino... Read more
Directions to the Missions: Part 2
With paved roads, people today can “time-travel” back when the Spanish only had a rocky path known as El Camino... Read more
The Sulfur Mines of Baja California
The yellow element sulfur is found naturally near volcanic activity of the past or present. Baja California .. Read more
California: Island or Peninsula
Establishing missions, baptizing Natives, and teaching how to farm the rugged land were not the only .. Read more
Remembering Luis of Nuevo Mazatlán
My story begins as a young boy traveling with his Baja-exploring parents in their recently purchased Jeep .. Read more
Petroglyphs, Pictographs, and Geoglyphs
Baja California has all three styles of prehistoric artwork. Used seemingly to convey a message, an idea, or .. Read more
1967 Baja Trip to Bahía de los Ángeles
Fifty-three years ago, in the summer of 1967, my parents and I took our Jeep Wagoneer to L.A. Bay going... Read more
Why Mission La Paz is in Todos Santos
Some of what makes Baja California mission history interesting might include the many unusual facts about... Read more
Driving to Cabo in 1966
Since December 1, 1973, motorists have had a paved highway running the length of the Baja California peninsula... Read more
The Controversial Padre: Félix Caballero
In the archives of October 12, 1812, Fray Félix Caballero is a 23-year-old of regular stature, dark color... Read more
The Visita de San Pablo
When Spanish missions were established in Baja California, several years would often pass by between... Read more
The Painted Cave of San Borjitas
In the mountains not far from Mulegé is perhaps the most interesting of Baja California’s countless painted caves... Read more
San Bruno: The Oldest Spanish Ruins in All of California
San Bruno was the site of a fort and colony established by Admiral Isidoro de Atondo y Antillón and Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino... Read more
TV’s ‘America Unearthed’ Goes to Baja
Scott Wolter, a forensic geologist from Minnesota, has been on a mission to find answers to mysteries of the past. Scott’s top rated television... Read more
The Mission Name Game
The twenty-five Spanish missions on the peninsula of Baja California, plus two more founded after Mexico’s independence, have many intriguing mysteries and questions of history... Read more
Laguna Hanson: A Baja Pine Forest
In the land best own as an exotic desert, dotted with tropical oasis resorts, is a beautiful lake and a pine forest, over 5,000 feet above sea level... Read more
El Rosario: The First Dominican Mission in Baja California
Spanish missions in California were the first step of Spain’s colonization program. The importance of peaceful coexistence with the Native Californians... Read more
An Amazing Structure at San Ignacio, La Muralla
Baja California is so rich in historical treasure and stories that one can have a fulfilling vacation just exploring these artifacts from the past... Read more
The Case for a Lost Jesuit Mission
Time for us to examine again an unsolved mystery I first wrote about many years ago. The story begins even earlier: In 1966, an expedition... Read more
A Surprise Desert Campground Near El Rosario
Baja California continues to provide new and interesting discoveries and Rancho El Sauce with its campground, cabins, and spring fed pools... Read more
Mission Santa Catalina
Padre Juan Crisóstomo Gómez was serving as the Dominican President from 1790 to 1793. He had recently completed the construction of the great stone church... Read more
The Disappearing Missions at Santo Tomás
Mission Santo Tomás was established to reduce the large gap along El Camino Real between the missions San Vicente and San Miguel... Read more
Backcountry Baja: The San Borja Loop
In the center of the peninsula, between the Transpeninsular Highway and Bahía de los Ángeles is a most magnificent structure in a seemingly alien landscape... Read more
A Desert Railroad
Once again, the surprises that a little exploring in Baja will provide attract those with a sense of adventure. One such surprise is the 1895 railroad line... Read more
The Highway to Bahía Tortugas and Beyond
A look at the map of Baja California will instantly expose the large point or “hook” midway down the long peninsula. This westward-projecting point off... Read more
The Distant Pacific
Baja California is a land of adventure and with a potential for enjoyment of so many outdoor activities. Surfing is one of those activities... Read more
San Felipe’s Valle Chico and Canyons
The desert valley southwest from San Felipe offers several driving and hiking adventures. With many dirt roads, palm filled canyons, waterfalls, and hot springs... Read more
A Baja Sur Mission Adventure
Most Baja travelers are probably familiar with the beautiful Bay of San Luis Gonzaga, about 90 miles south from San Felipe. What may be less known... Read more
Sierra San Pedro Mártir
When one speaks about the fascinating peninsula of Baja California, images of cactus covered deserts, rugged off-road racing, the best sportfishing, surfing... Read more
El Triunfo de la Cruz and Mission Guadalupe
The Jesuits had begun the colonization process in California, a land many considered to be an island. Missions were founded at Loreto... Read more
Baja’s Pronghorn Reserve Visitor Center
The Peninsular Pronghorn or Baja California Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana peninsularis) is the second fastest land animal on the planet... Read more
Agua Dulce In 2017
Agua Dulce is located 200 miles down the nearly 800-mile- long Baja California peninsula, about 12 miles north of Cataviña... Read more
Bahía Asunción
Halfway down the 800-mile-long peninsula of Baja California, and 70 paved miles west from Highway One is the seaside community of Bahía Asunción... Read more
Driving The Mission Loop
The possibility to see ten mission-era sites, ranging from complete churches to stone ruins to just a location where a mission once stood... Read more
Comondú Viejo - Nearly A Lost Mission
In 1708, the Jesuit missionary Julián de Mayorga founded the fifth mission on the peninsula called California. The Spanish still were unclear if this new... Read more
When Chile Invaded Baja
During the years when most Latin American nations declared their independence from Spain (1810 to 1822), the enemies of Spain such as France and England... Read more
Montevideo Rock Art
On the side of a rocky cliff, up a dead-end valley, in a forest of boojum trees, one may find a connection to the ancient past of Baja... Read more
The Other Side of Bahía Concepción
The first influx of travelers to Baja California followed World War II, thanks to the creation of the civilian Jeep, the Willys station wagon and pickup... Read more
Las Arrastras de Arriola
Las Arrastras de Arriola is another Baja California historic site that could soon vanish under the construction of Highway 5... Read more
Pozo Alemán
Gold was discovered in the central region of Baja California at Calmallí in 1882. One pure gold nugget reportedly weighed fourteen ounces... Read more
The U.S. Occupation of Baja California - 1846-1848
In its desire to be a nation spanning the continent from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, American officials made efforts to purchase northern Mexico... Read more
Cuestas Of El Camino Real
In the Californias, El Camino Real was a road for people and pack animals that connected the missions with each other other and was the line of... Read more
Exploring La Gringa And El Toro
Punta La Gringa is the north end of the beautiful Bahía de los Angeles (Bay of the Angels). It is a popular camping, fishing, and shell viewing area... Read more
The Lost Missions Of Baja
The peninsula of California, that we call “Baja” today, is a place so infused with history that it is easy to see many ancient sites when traveling both... Read more
Matomi Falls
On one of my early childhood trips to Baja California with my folks, we stopped in at Arnold’s Del Mar Café in San Felipe. The year was 1966 or 1967... Read more
The Mystery At El Descanso
Baja California is home to the first eighteen Spanish California missions as well as nine more added while the Franciscan padres were... Read more
Loreto Mission History
The first successful California mission almost did not survive its first year or even get started on the then hostile peninsula... Read more
Choral Pepper
One of Baja California’s biggest promoters from the 1960s until her passing in 2002 was author Choral Pepper. Choral Pepper’s books... Read more
Searching For Melchior Diaz
Baja California is a land filled with history and mystery. The location of where Spanish explorer Melchior Díaz is buried is one of the... Read more
La Magdalena Revisited
The mission-era ruins of La Magdalena have been one of the many historic mysteries of Baja California, dating back to the 1700’s... Read more
Agua Dulce
Water sources in the desert are more valuable than gold when one is thirsty. In the not too distant past, traveling the Baja California peninsula... Read more
Jesus Flores and His Gold Mine
The subject of this story is an old time Baja California cowboy. He was first written about by none other than ‘Perry Mason’ creator... Read more
Exploring Pole Line Road
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, there was genuine fear that the Japanese would strike California next. In those years... Read more
Finding Petroglyph Park
The magic peninsula of Baja California never ceases to amaze with the fun and interesting sites to be seen and experienced... Read more
The Old Baja Road
To drive an automobile from Tijuana to Cabo San Lucas was once such a rare and amazing feat that the few who did it wrote books about it... Read more
Hovering Over Baja
To introduce his fellow off road racers to the beauty and history of Baja California, Cameron Steele created the ‘Trail of Missions 2014’ tour... Read more
Beyond San Felipe - Half a Century Ago
The magic peninsula of Baja California never ceases to amaze with the fun and interesting sites to be seen and experienced... Read more
Beyond San Felipe - Part Two
Just south of Okie Landing, there is a small water hole just off the road that made an interesting, brief side trip. Agua del Mezquitito... Read more
Real de Santa Ana
The Real de Santa Ana was California’s oldest mine and first secular/ non-mission town. Nearly 30 years earlier... Read more
Mission Santa Maria
One of Baja's most rugged roads is the four wheel drive trail to the oasis mission of Santa María de los Angeles... Read more
Las Flores Ghost Town
Ten miles south of the town of Bahia de los Angeles are the ruins of a gold and silver mill town that was once home to 400 people... Read more
Finding Fossils In Baja
Once upon a time, Baja’s desert was underwater! The prehistoric sea location is quite obvious when you see fossilized shells, coral... Read more
Exploring Calamajue
In 1746, Padre Fernando Consag explored the land north of San Ignacio to find new potential mission... Read more
A Sandy Beach And The Vanished Mission Of Ligui
Baja California has so many attractions and they are often coupled with beautiful surroundings. Such is the... Read more
The Painted Cave Of El Carmen
Located in the very center of the peninsula is a beautiful painted cave that is a great reward for the short, but steep hike... Read more
The Tropical Beach At San Pedrito
On the west cape coast, about 4 miles south of Todos Santos is a pretty beach at the end of a path through... Read more
The Spanish Missions Of Baja
One of history's greatest endeavors was the establishment of the mission system in Baja California. When it began in 1697, California... Read more
Mission San Borja
Located in the central desert of Baja California midway between the Pacific and Gulf of California, San Borja offers many sites to visit... Read more
The Bat Cave Of Santiago
California is constantly providing the traveler with fascinating sites to visit. A lifetime is not nearly enough to see all the wonders of this... Read more
Mystery At Las Animas
On a 2009 New Year's weekend trip south to Bahia de los Angeles and beyond, we had the great pleasure to... Read more
The Mysterious Magdalena Ruins
A Baja mystery is waiting to be examined by desert and history buffs, just a few miles from Highway... Read more
The Petrified Forest Of El Rosario
One of the many interesting sites near El Rosario is the small canyon containing petrified wood... Read more
Mission San Francisco Javier
The second California mission was originally founded 5 miles north, but moved to the current location in 1710. The church was built from... Read more
Guerrero Negro: What's in a Name?
What began as a salt mine camp called Salina Vizcaino in 1954 became the company town of Guerrero Negro in 1957, named after the... Read more
The Eiffel Church Of Santa Rosalia
While Baja California is a region of Mexico, one town in Baja started out as a little piece of France. The story... Read more
The Rich History Of Guadalupe Valley
Spanish missionary Felix Caballero established Californias last mission in 1834 as Nuestra Senora de... Read more
El Camino Real Of Baja
El Camino Real translates to "The Royal Road" or sometimes "The Kings Highway". In Spain, El Camino Real... Read more
The Lost Mission Of Santa Isabel
The thing that makes going to Baja California so appealing is the nearly endless amount of activities available there... Read more
The Onyx Of El Marmol
The abandoned onyx quarry and mine town of El Marmol near El Rosario makes for an interesting and unique... Read more
El Berrendo Canyon: Baja's Blue Palm Canyon
One canyon near San Felipe stands out as a Blue Palm paradise with the blues growing both in the arroyo sand and high up the cliff face... Read more
