The Daily Gusketeer

Another Whale Shark Beach Express Trek in the Books

2013-08-28T14:23:00.002-07:00

Another Whale Shark Beach Express Trek in the Books

Welp, we did it again. It's been 6 years since our first Whale Shark Beach Express. Six years of adventure. Six years of new friends from all over the world. And, six good years of happiness.

This year was amazing. A one of kind if you will. For the first time ever the Whale Sharks swam to us. That's right. Those huge living freight trains of living flesh came so close to the campsite on the beach that you could actually swim out and ride them. Never saw that before. They're kind of like puppies don't ya know. If they like you they'll follow you around and even let you ride them.

Something that you can tell your grand kids about for sure.

Of course we also did other things. It's not all serious business on a Baja Trek like swimming with Whale Sharks and Dolphins all day long. You have to have some fun, too. Ever go Scorpion Wranglin'? We did. They're fun to play with. And, it doesn't take a genius to do it either. In fact, it helps if you're slightly stupid. At least for us it does. Now don't go out and do this unless your past slightly stupid and well on your way to really stupid. That works for us too. Why? Cause you just might get hurted. And, no one is going to dare kiss your lil' boo boo. So, for the sake of safety (Safety is Job 2 on a Baja Trek. Fun is Job 1) I'm not going to tell you how to wrangle a scorpion.

In other words "Don't try this at home kids"

I know what you're thinking. That's effin' crazzzzzzy!!! Yup, it sure is. Your probably saying something like "I want to go on a Baja Trek and experience wildlife up close. BUT, not this close"

There are other options also ya know. You can go clamming, coyote watching, swim with the Dolphins in the bay or even go Crab hunting. We like to do that too. It's fun. And the little buggers are quick. Want to train for a Triathlon? Just chase a crab around for a few minutes. You'll get in shape real real quick. But, please folks practice catch and release. It's more fun like that. The Baja Trek Crew likes to catch em', tattoo em' and then release em' back into the wild. Why? So they can spread the Baja Trek Love of course. Can you imagine the look on the next person's face who catches one that has a "Gus the Bus" tattoo on his shell? Priceless I bet. At the very least worth a little itty bitty grin I think.

I could go on and on about things we do on a Baja Trek and the awesome places we go. But, that really isn't the important thing. What's important? It's making new friends, understanding new cultures and having unique experiences that create great memories that last a life time. Baja is just the canvas. The amazing people and places are the paint. Love Love

Thanks! We Love you all (Thanks Chase and Tamara for the great pics)

Baja Trek Annual Holiday Toy Trot

2012-12-17T13:48:00.001-08:00

It's that magical time of year again. The time of year where you get that warm fuzzy feeling and everyone else has it too. It's contagious I tell you. We're doing the annual Baja Trek Holiday Toy Trot again this year.
It's so much fun. Just seeing the looks on those little kids faces when they get a Teddy Bear or toy for the holidays is priceless. There is nothing really like it anywhere.

The idea came about when I was a kid. Just a little itty bitty niggler if you will sporting nothing but my coolest pair of Batman feety pajamas. It was Christmas eve in our apartment complex and everything was not as quiet as a mouse.

Our apartment was joined by other apartments on two sides and faced out to a small park area where all the kids would play on the grass. Not a bad place to play. Or see Santa! Anyway, it was Christmas eve and out of nowhere this monster station wagon jumps the street curb, drives into the park and stops right in front of my apartment. I in my feety pajamas just stared out the window while trying to hide behind the couch at the same time. It didn't work. I think I almost wet myself when the fat guy in the passenger seat got out of the station wagon and walked up to my door and knocked with a booming Ho, Ho, Ho.

Holy Bat Crap Batman it really is Santa. I opened the door. He patted me on the head and handed me something. I don't remember what it was. It doesn't matter. It was awesome because it was from Santa. And that's all I need to remember.

Thanks you Mr. Santa Clause. It's in your spirit that we do these annual Baja Trek Toy Trots. Love Love

It's Weird Being Different.

2012-10-30T19:59:00.000-07:00

So, we're going on almost 6 years now doing Baja Trek. We've met some of the best people on the planet and have experienced some of the greatest things Mother Nature has to offer. For that we are very thankful.

It's the little pleasures in life that make these kind of Treks so important. A Shooting Orange Sunset, maybe it's a cresting over a valley that shows the next beautiful peak, or a sly coy smile from a person in the rear view mirror who has traveled continents to get on a Baja Trek.

These things are things that money will never be able to express on it's best day. There is no tip. There is no thanks.

There is no satisfaction on the planet that can reward you like the look on someone's face after you know that they are having the time of their life.

Maybe it's swimming with a Whale Shark, or seeing people see their first shooting star.

Maybe it's their reaction when they hear their first Coyote howl at a full moon. I don't know, but I love it. It's energy! It's Love!

Baja California is like that. It doesn't take you long to get back to Mother Nature here. You don't have to look far.

She finds you.

Baja is over two and half times longer than the state of Florida. She boasts just a little over 1/8th of Florida's entire population. All mostly along the boarder with Alta California.Y ou can imagine Mother Nature can be found around almost every corner.

You really have to see it to believe it.

Of course, being what it is isn't for everyone. No Domino's Pizza or AAA here. This is the outback.

This is Adventure.

It's not for everyone and we like it that way. We're thankful that places that are so close to the U.S.A. are like this. We're thankful that the great people of Mexico and Baja California have stuck to their pride of identity. We Love you for it.

Just cross the Border and see for yourself.

Baja Boogie

2012-10-04T09:22:00.001-07:00

Every once in a while the phone rings or we get an email from someone on the other end who has stars in their eyes and aww in their voice. The kind of person who can't wait to visit new destinations and experience new cultures. Most folks who do that travel half way around the the world and end up smack dab in the middle of all the culture and people they tried to leave back home.

Often, some of the best secrets are right out side your backdoor. And., Baja California is no exception. We'd like to think that the Trek Crew is pretty well traveled. So, we're always amazed how you can go just a few miles from the good ol' U.S. of A. and feel like you're a million miles from home. Unique food, great people and, best of all, no foolish little exit signs that say things like 'Biggest Ball of String" or "Drive through Tree". Because, what they really mean is "Stop! Get ripped off and leave as fast as you can, Thanks for your Money". Baja California isn't like that. You don't have to go far to find it, either. Just down the street, around the next corner or in that small pueblo is a place that has been undiscovered. Maybe you're the first one there?

The best way to experience this amazing feat is through the eyes of friends and fellow travelers. At least to me it is. To see someone see something truly amazing for the first time, and really appreciate it is what it's really all about. It makes the dirt roads, the busted knuckles turning wrenches and the long hours soooooooo worth every second of the adventure. And, that's exactly what it is. An Adventure.

Thanks great people who still have the spirit of adventure and are willing to act on it. We Love you.

Love Love!

Got to Love Ma' Nature!

2012-09-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

The adventures just keep coming. This is Baja California after all and there really is no place like it. In fact, you can go to the same place down here almost every week and it's different. Different in a good way. I mean the kind of different where you don't get bored. You get more accustomed to change in small and large things here. Unlike many places, each day south of the border is different. Colors are different. Smells are different. Things are moving.

Just last week we breezed into the Hot Springs down here with a small group of Trekkers. I guess "breeze" is an exaggeration. Ol' Gus the Baja Adventure Bus did his best to get up the rugged road that leads to these desolate gems of beauty. We purred through the rock gardens, up toward the cactus strewn low lands and then up the craggy road that marks the entrance to the hot springs. That 's when the real adventure began.

Now we've been doing the hot spring thing for, geez, going on our 6th season. At this point we think we have things pretty well figured out. You know, chest out and ego bulging figured out. Ma' Nature was going to have none of that. The road into the springs was so torn up by the recent down pours of rain that it wasn't even close to drivable. What did we do? We do what all Trekkers do. We saddled up the backpacks and hiked into the hot springs. Not a long walk. Maybe about a mile or so. The hike was the most beautiful one we have ever encountered. Fresh from the rain the palm trees were at their finest. Nature was out everywhere. Cactus in bloom and the smell of desert grasses filled the air. And! an awesome all natural hot spring waiting for us under the shade of the area's most beautiful trees made it even more spectacular. All thanks to Ma' Nature's wrath if you will? Without all that rain I doubt it would have been so awe inspiring. Thanks Ma' Nature. Keep doing what you're doing and making our lives interesting. Love ya!

A Tipi for the Treks

2012-08-07T16:00:00.001-07:00

We started by sitting around the campfire listening to the sweet sound of a Coyote howl dance on the wind. The breeze came in off the Sea of Cortez cool and gentle. And, just like that an idea was formed. Why not bring Tipi's on the Treks? A Tipi is nothing like a tent. If you have ever slept in one you know what I mean.

A Tipi is solid, easy to set up and, best of all, it stands up to a good breeze really well. Once the decision was made we contacted one of those funky companies that sell such things and talked to one of the guys who makes them for a living. All he kept saying was "You're going to Love it" "You're going to Love it" - Just like a broken record. He said it so much that we got caught up in his exuberance, too. Before we know it we we're saying " We're going to Love it" " We're going to Love it" This soon became our new mantra. So without haste that pesky 3x5 plastic card came out and we purchased one on the spot.

The thing arrived. In a big box. All the Trek Elves stood around in amazement when it showed itself for the first time. It was Love at first site. We didn't know why but just looking at that Tipi laying there like a new born baby was a thing to behold. Now, I'd like to tell you that we heard angels singing and all that jazz but that's simply not true. The newborn didn't look like a Tipi but we could see the possibilities once it "grew up" if you will?

We had a Trek in two days to visit the Whale Sharks in Bahia de Los Angeles. The Trek Elves got the paint out and started painting. The baby was to be yellow and green. Why? That's what we had on hand at Trek Hq so why not? After half the paint was on the Tipi and half on us we set it out to dry.

On the beach for the first time we set the baby up. We had no idea what we were doing. After some practice it went up pretty easy. Or maybe it was the beer. I don't remember, but it was standing and our chests were out with pride.

The first night it blew like stink and people's tents were flipping over like tumble weeds in the wind. That little Tipi stood tall and proud and didn't move an inch. After that we were sold. The Tipi is the way to go.

Thanks nice man up in Montana for you exuberance. You were right. "We Love it"

Another Year of Whale Shark Adventures

2012-07-31T10:37:00.001-07:00

Another Year of Whale Shark Adventures

It's that time of year again! The time of year of racing heart beats, road trips and adventure. Every year for the last 5 years Baja Trek has made the pilgrimage in August to swim with the gentle Whale Shark. The Whale Shark makes it's summer home in and around the islands of Bahia de Los Angeles in sunny Baja California. This year about 17 intrepid trekkers will be donning snorkel gear, loading up panagas and kayaks to follow these docile giants as the feed on plankton at a slow rate of about 2 miles per hour. It's an adventure anyone can do. To see and swim with one is an exhilarating experience to say the least. Here 's a video by our friends at National Geographic about what it's like-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQrBwN39LJI

FREEDOM!

2012-05-15T16:18:00.001-07:00

Environmentalists find opportunities in Baja California

2012-03-02T10:36:00.003-08:00

The Great Recession halted many projects on the Baja Peninsula. Conservation groups used it to protect more open space, the Fronteras Project reports.

This is a tiny fishing village on the Pacific coast, about 400 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border. There’s not much going on here as night falls on a recent weekday evening — just a few dirt bikers roaring around, and surfers catching the day’s final waves.

But only five years ago, this town was bustling with construction.

Santa Rosalillita was slated as the first step in the Escalera Naútica, or Nautical Staircase — a string of marinas that the Mexican federal government planned to build along the coast of Baja California and the Sea of Cortez.

Now, this marina is a giant sandpit. The main, three-story building that was supposed to greet boaters with a restaurant and Internet service, sits empty, rusting in the salty breeze.

The failed Nautical Staircase project has become the poster child for over-ambitious development dreams in Baja California.

“It was planned with the expectation that the real estate was going to continue growing," said Saúl Alarcón, executive director of the Mexican conservation group, Terra Peninsular. "They said: 'Well, let’s put some marinas in key places because we’re developing the entire coast. So eventually we’ll have thousands of people with yachts coming to Baja California.'”

During the recent boom years, many Mexican developers, and Americans in search of a plot of paradise, invested in Baja California's miles and miles of unspoiled, breathtaking coastline. Now, many are saddled with half-finished condos and acres of remote land with no electricity or water.

But some people aren’t all that upset about the development freeze.

“Definitely the downturn of the economy has been a positive boon for (Baja California's) natural resources," said Serge Dedina, executive director of WiLDCOAST, based in Imperial Beach.

“When the Baja Boom was happening, it seemed like environmentalists were fighting all kinds of projects," Dedina said. "From a plethora of liquid natural gas terminals to marina development projects, high-rise development projects and mega-resorts."

A lot of that has come to a halt. And thanks to the slowdown, WiLDCOAST and other conservation groups have been able to buy up discounted coastal land from speculators who once hoped to make a fortune selling beachfront real estate. They are establishing conservation easements on private land, and working with the Mexican government to form new protected areas.

“So in places like San Ignacio Lagoon, Magdalena Bay, the corridor between Loreto and La Paz and in the central Pacific coast, we’ve been able to preserve some really world-class coastal biodiversity areas," Dedina said. "Areas where grey whales go, and where you see whale sharks. Real world class, Africa-style wildlife destinations. So that’s really exciting.”

About four hours north of Santa Rosalillita is San Quintín Bay, an internationally recognized wetlands area. Tens of thousands of migratory waterbirds hibernate here. Clams and oysters are abundant.

“It’s one of the last (coastal) wetlands in North America," said Alarcón from Terra Peninsular. "I’d say, 80 to 90 percent of the habitat is still in good shape."

The local government had hoped this fragile bay would also house a marina. A mega resort and golf course were also once on the drawing board. But now, Terra Peninsular is coordinating with the government to establish a Federal Biosphere Reserve on nearly 300,000 acres here. It’s also working with local farmers to establish land use plans and sustainable agricultural practices.

Of course, development brought much needed money into this region. And with that money gone, conservationists are hurting, too.

“I mean, non-profits too, depend on grants and donations to do their work," Alarcón said. "When the development pressure goes down, the money for conservation also goes down.”

Back in Santa Rosalillita, locals say the jobs and income promised by the marina could have been good for the town. Even though it’s not likely to ever be operational, the marina project did bring electricity and a paved road. And a few surfing tourists: the marina’s break wall created a nice new wave.

Now, local fishermen are brainstorming ideas for what to do with this sandy corral.

"Some kind of farm," mused Javier Maclish, a local fisherman. "It would be really special if we could do that kind of work there. For example, an abalone or fish farm. Why not? I think we have a very interesting place to do it.

Transform a failed marina into fish farm? Indeed, why not? Baja's isolated residents are used to making something out of what appears to be to others to be a waste.

By Jill Repogle Reprinted from scrp.org

Sweat Lodge Ceremony, Full Moon Drumming & Hot Springs Soaking Trek

2011-12-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

A traditional Lakota Inipi ceremony will be lead by Veteran Sun Dancer and Tokala Warrior, Joshua Mack. If you are being called to come together in a good way, to purify, lift up your prayers and intentions, share and heal, then answer the call.

The ceremony will be followed with a Full Moon drumming circle!

This will be a drug and alcohol free event, as to honor the Lakota tradition, the Canyon and ourselves in being totally present in our experience. Sweat, surrender, soak and sing! A’ho Mitakuya Oyasin! (We Are All Related).

This experience is a combination celebration, ceremony and Baja Trek.

If you have never been to Guadalupe Canyon Oasis it is truly amazing.

Day 1- Trek & Soak

We'll meet at the border if you are coming on the Gus the Beach Bus and drive east through the back country into northern Baja California.

On the way, we'll stop for supplies and a few tasty tacos in one of the smaller towns we meet on our journey. Then we'll head east on through the high desert chaparral and through some of the most awe inspiring rock gardens found on the west coast. The beauty alone will be enough to make us stop and gaze out over the majestic valley floor thousands of feet below before descending into what appears to be a whole other world.

Our experience continues as we turn from the pavement onto the road-less-traveled. The mid afternoon's warm sun will find us driving over the ancient dry lake bed of Laguna Salada. The dry lake bed is cradled for 60 miles to the west by the Pine tree-covered Sierra de Juarez mountains and the craggy peaks of the Sierra de Los Cucapah range to the east. After a final slow crawl up the rugged dirt road that leads to the hot springs, we'll sit down to a great dinner next to the campfire and soak our weary bones in the geo thermal hot springs.

Day 2- Drum, Sweat and Soak

December 10th is a full moon so bring your drum and celebrate with us while we beat to the earth's glory.

The new sweat lodge at the hot springs has not been used yet. This seems like the perfect opportunity to celebrate, purify, share and heal the energies that have come together to create such a unique place on this planet that we share.

We will greet our beautiful morning in the Canyon with breakfast and a soak. We will then gather at the Lodge to prepare the Sacred Circle and Fire, dress the Lodge and sit around the Fire for teachings, sharing and intentions, and making of prayer ties. We will crawl into Lodge before dark and come out into the evening, re-birthed, to share in a Wopila Feast, followed by a Full Moon Drumming Circle to launch our Love, Joy and Gratitude to Canyon de Guadalupe and her Ancestors!

Afterward, the hot springs will be patiently awaiting our presence to assist us in processing and integrating all of the beautiful gifts and experiences that we have shared.

Please understand that this will take a group effort to accomplish all that needs to be done for this ceremony to take place, and that each one of us will get out of the experience precisely what we put into it. In giving is receiving. It is also traditional to bring a small gift for the Fire Tender and anyone else you may care to share with. A pouch of Tobacco wrapped in a red cloth is traditional, but anything that comes from the heart is a beautiful way to show your gratitude to the Fire Tender for their hard work and focus.

There is no charge for the ceremony itself. Any Love-Donations will go toward to the costs of firewood, tools, blankets, and all that is needed to facilitate ceremony.

What to bring:
Loose tobacco for prayer ties and gifting
Two towels
Clothing must be 100% cotton
Men - sweat shorts
Women - a sarong or sundress
A great attitude, open heart, desire to help and willingness to surrender.

***If you have any surplus blankets to donate to the Lodge it would be greatly appreciated!***

Day 3- Mud Baths?

After a morning soak and a big Baja breakfast we'll begin our slow crawl back to civilization. We'll take our time and slide through a few smaller villages to sample the food and experience a bit of local culture.

Back at the border, we'll wave goodbye to our new friends, swap contact info and long for the next adventure. See you soon, amigos!

"My favourite thing is to go where I've never been." ~ Diane Arbus

Recycled Cooking Oil Powers UD Bus Fleet

2011-10-26T11:11:00.000-07:00

Transportation at the University of Delaware recently became more environmentally friendly. That’s because the campus bus fleet is now using biodiesel to fuel its buses.

Biodiesel is a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from renewable resources such as vegetable oil or soy oil.

In this case, the homegrown biodiesel is made by undergraduate engineering students who recycle used cooking oil with a donated biodiesel processor.

The processor is capable of recycling 130-150 gallons of cooking oil per batch to produce 100 gallons of biodiesel fuel.

Trekkers to Swim with Whale Sharks on the upcoming Beach Express Trek

2011-08-15T14:28:00.000-07:00

Trekkers to Swim with Whale Sharks on the upcoming Beach Express Trek

It's that special time of year when Baja Trekkers gather from around the world to visit and swim with the gentle Whale Shark. Only in the area for a certain time each year, this years adventure finds us in Bahia de Los Angeles camping on the beach under the stars anticipating this once in a lifetime experience .

Although measuring up to 41 feet, the Whale Shark poses no threat to swimmers and often allows people to hitch a ride on their massive backs. Known as "Pez Dama" in Baja California because it looks like a large domino it is , in fact, more like a whale than a shark due to it's ability to eat plankton It is currently listed as a threatened species.

Our Beach Express Trek is August 20th. Get on!

Adventures of The Love Bucket a 1966 VW Bus & the Baja Trek scout crew

2011-07-05T17:34:00.000-07:00

It was that time of year again, Independence Day or so we were told. Well you're probably thinking what does that have to do with much of anything in the land of Baja Trek. You see, everyone else was out grilling and watching fireworks while we were out working. It wasn't a bad job. Searching for new cool spots in Baja California never is unless you are subjected to breakdowns, being stuck in the sand or lost for hours on roads that are not even on the map.

We took the opportunity of the long weekend to boogie down the Pacific coast
in search of cool new camping spots. We found many including a wind surfer's mecca and some pretty friendly folk in a remote fishing village 100 miles from the nearest town.

In any case, you don't want to read my blah blah. Here's the video that Steve made of the ride in.

Costa Rica's Fauna Up Close!

2011-06-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

animals from Douglas Burgdorff on Vimeo.

Baja Revisited

2011-06-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

By Brandon Walter | Published Thursday, June 2, 2011

Reposted from The San Diego Reader

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2011/jun/02/travel-baja-revisited/

Baja beach camp

Recently a close friend and I embarked on a two-week road trip that took us from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, the tip of Baja California, Mexico.

We’d been discussing such a trip for weeks on end. We fantasized about the uncrowded waves we would score and delicious seafood we would eat in abundance. The two of us recounted several stories from past trips we had taken in Mexico and about how great those experiences had been. Stories about friendly, laid-back locals, fun, uncrowded surf, and hanging out on the beach sipping on cold cervezas.

Despite all the good times we’d had in the past visiting Baja, we were still quite apprehensive to take such a trip and visit our infamous neighbors to the south. After all, living in San Diego, there’s no shortage of horror stories about what happens in Mexico: everything from tales of bribery and drugs being planted on tourists to stories about decapitations and how children's freshly killed carcasses are used to smuggle drugs across the border.

These days the stories are predominantly linked to the recent activity with the drug cartels. You read these stories and hear them on the local news, but mostly you hear seemingly exaggerated accounts of what goes on – through acquaintances, whose sources are unknown. Regardless of your level of skepticism, it’s difficult to not feel a little "sketched out" when thinking about traveling across the border these days.

So after serious consideration on driving into Baja, which neither of us had done in at least four years, I began to do some research. Mostly reading articles and threads on online forums. What I found out did not surprise me; however, it did enlighten the subject. Here are a few key points that I found reassuring:

First, the majority of cartel-related crime takes place in the border cities. This meant as soon as we were out of T.J we would be fine.

Second, among those crimes, those involved almost always were either members of the cartels or government officials or family members of either. Good for us we don’t fall into any of those groups.

Third, and probably the most astonishing (or not), is that the American media over-dramatizes what’s taking place in Mexico. The stretching of facts and the lack of journalistic integrity do not portray an accurate picture of the situation there. Furthermore, both the L.A Times and the Union-Tribune are notorious for re-printing old stories and embellishing the truth about cartel-related news. Presumably their reason could be competition over tourist dollars – cause if they're not spending that money in Mexico, they're spending it here.

So after much thought we decided to go for it. We loaded up my buddy’s old Volkswagen Vanagon with surfboards and camping supplies. We bought our Mexican insurance and picked up our recommended tourist visas.

The trip was nothing short of awesome – aside from some pretty brutal "topes" and the starter dying in the van, we encountered no problems. We did not even have to bribe any cops. I can honestly say I felt totally safe the whole trip. Our van was searched several times (pretty much at every checkpoint). This is simply protocol, as the government is actually trying to do something about the cartels. The federales were kind, happy people to deal with and it was actually a nice break to get out, stretch your legs and talk to someone else.

The roads were not perfect but really not bad at all. They’re currently being upgraded to a four-lane system. Completion is expected sometime in 2013, and the progress can be seen best between La Paz and Todos Santos – that highway is as good as anything in the states.

We had a great trip and did exactly what we planned. We surfed uncrowded waves, ate plenty of amazing seafood, and of course drank a few cervezas. We were happy to spend our tourist dollars in a well-deserving place. Businesses are struggling down there; where most of them depend on tourists, this was sad to see.

Mexico is not the horrible place the media makes it out to be. Travel there is still safe regardless of the current "threat level color."

But this article isn’t about how you should go to Baja and spend a little time and money – even though you should. The point is that anywhere you go in the world, whether it be Mexico, Paris or just down the street, you should always keep your head on a swivel, always be mindful of possible dangers. And second, learn to think critically – don’t always take someone else's word as the end-all truth.

Go out and find your own truth!

Landscape Photographer Steve Sieren shoots Gus Adventures!

2011-05-20T14:11:00.000-07:00

Check out some of the latest pics from our newest friend Steve Sieren, who came on board Gus through one of our shuttle trips to the best Baja hot springs up at Guadalupe Canyon Oasis!

We're honored to have Steve on board. His photos make us all melt inside. We're looking forward to having him come on a few more trips to help us document our madcap adventures and the beautiful wilderness landscapes of northern Baja California.

Also don't miss out on his feel-good video of some quality Baja Trek-style bus-surfing action.

And you can visit Steve's photography website to see more beautiful shots of Western landscapes in Calfornia, Baja and beyond!

Historical Wanderlust

2011-05-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

Check out this cool interactive map depicting 23 epic journeys from times now past!

Especially check out Jack Kerouac trail where he veers South into Mexico:

"Behind us lay the whole of America and everything Dean and I had previously known about life, and life on the road. We had finally found the magic land at the end of the road and we never dreamed the extent of the magic."

Todos Santos is an artsy oasis in Mexico's Baja California

2011-05-02T14:02:00.000-07:00

Most travel guidebooks, and many been-there-done-that travelers, will tell you that Todos Santos, a little artist enclave on the Pacific Coast of lower Baja, is "a lot like Taos."

On a spring-break visit, I chatted with artist Margaret Woodall, who was lazily daubing at a canvas in the shaded courtyard of a Todos Santos gallery during the town's second annual artist-studio tour.

"I came to Todos Santos 15 years ago from Taos, because Todos Santos reminded me of Taos back then," said Woodall, a slim, tanned grandmother who lived a good while in the famed New Mexican art colony, although she's originally from Kentucky.

She's a confirmed convert to Todos Santos, a town of about 5,000 people 45 miles north of Cabo San Lucas. "I like the ocean here. The mountains are the same, but there's no snow!"

And this sun-warmed courtyard, with its coral-pink wall festooned with longhorn cattle horns and framed by banana-tree leaves and cactus, was just the kind of place to get creative juices flowing.

Woodall's works on the gallery wall included a painting of pangas — the local fishing skiffs — on a beach at nearby Point Lobos. It's a subject we saw repeated at Galeria de Todos Santos, a short walk away through quiet, narrow streets of historical adobe buildings draped in purple bougainvillea.

There we met Erick Ochoa, a young Mexico City native, educated as an architect, who makes his living as an artist here.

He showed off a painting in progress, focused on the figure of a Mexican fisherman next to his beached panga. Ochoa's Edward Hopper-style use of light and shadow brought the subject to vivid life.

Taos is known for the quality of its high-desert light — the town's website devotes a whole link to the topic — and fans give Todos Santos similar plaudits.

"In summer, when it can be very hot, there are amazing cloud formations, and everything is bright — in Technicolor!" Ochoa said. "For an artist, there's everything you need here."

The same is true for art lovers. Twenty-seven local artists — about an even mix of Latino and Anglo names — welcomed visitors during the studio tour, which happens in March. A weeklong annual arts festival is in February. Galleries are everywhere, especially in the old-town blocks just uphill from the oasis ravine that cradled our little hotel, Casa Bentley.

Welcoming the Casa Bentley's guests are elaborately carved wooden gates, with sun and moon figures commemorating a 1991 solar eclipse, by artist Charles Stewart, another Taos expatriate who is credited as a founder of the Todos Santos artist community in the 1980s. (He died in April.)

Through the gates we met the hotel's builder and proprietor, Bob Bentley, a retired professor of geology from Central Washington University and a walking, breathing combination of Papa Hemingway (he has the white beard and straw hat) and John Steinbeck (he has the big poodle and the storytelling gene).

With a cup of coffee at a table beneath his wide-spreading rubber tree, "Doc" Bentley, 77, told us of the town's growing reputation among what he calls the "woo-woo" crowd, which fancies this a center of everything from magnetic healing to magical powers. "Lots of folks from Sedona find their way here," he said, referencing Arizona's center of New Age spiritualism.

That aura was encouraged by Mexican tourism authorities' official designation in 2006 of Todos Santos as a "Pueblo Magico," or "magical village," a designation given to some 40 towns across Mexico based on their natural beauty, cultural riches or historical significance.

But Bentley says it's the climate that makes the place perfect.

Nearby mountains, the Sierra de la Laguna ("essentially a fragment of uptilted rocks from out in the Sea of Cortez," our ever-the-geologist host explained), shield the area from summer's superheated weather systems that feed northward up Baja to as far as California's Death Valley.

"We have a little microclimate here — it's really pleasant, day after day. And there isn't any rain," said Bentley, noting that the last bad hurricane was in 1996.

The climate drew him to retire here after spending 15 years of off-and-on visits overseeing the construction of his hotel, which started with an adobe farmhouse dating to the mid-19th century. Additional structures are of local red amphibolite rock, along with polished inlays from Bentley's father's trove of 30,000 agates, jaspers, turquoise and other semiprecious stones collected during a lifetime in eastern Oregon, where Bentley grew up.

Modeled in part after a castle in Portugal, the hotel has a tiled pool fed by a waterfall, multilevel patios, an elaborate fountain, a grove of century-old mango trees and quirky touches such as the large palm tree growing up through the roof of our bathroom.

The town gets an occasional tour bus up from Cabo San Lucas. There are one or two tacky T-shirt shops and a Coldwell Banker real-estate office. But unlike more populous parts of Baja, Walmart has yet to make its way here, and drunken college students on spring break tend to stay in Cabo.

You'll find a dozen decent restaurants and cafes within walking distance around downtown. A local fish shop and an open-air kitchen at Casa Bentley let us concoct our own delectable shrimp tacos one night, a reminder that this is a coastal town.

But Todos Santos isn't right on the ocean. From our inn, my daughter and I walked 25 minutes to the beach, along a narrow, dusty track past horse pastures and a pen of friendly goats who poked their heads through wire to get scratched (yes, that spot, just at the base of the horn). A temperature in the 70s and cooling breezes made it a fun outing rather than a hot trudge.

The town's setback from the ocean, a small interceding lagoon, and an abrupt seafloor drop-off that creates treacherous surf unsuitable for swimming add up to a mostly undeveloped and beautifully wild beach. Blue water thunders ashore on a broad swath of caramel sand. A sign says it's a turtle-nesting area.

Only a few local families dotted the beach. A man played bucking bronco with his kids. Someone flew a kite. Wide expanses of empty beach beckoned the footloose.

It was the kind of scene that would inspire artists, no matter where they came from.

And, oh, by the way: I've never been to Taos. Maybe I'll visit someday.

I hear it's a bit like Todos Santos.

———

IF YOU GO:

Todos Santos (meaning "all saints") is on the Pacific shore, about 45 miles north of Cabo San Lucas on the southern Baja California peninsula, considered one of the safest places to travel in Mexico these days. Established as a part-time religious mission and farming community in the early 1700s, Todos Santos evolved by the 1990s into a colony for artists from across Mexico and the Southwestern U.S.

GETTING THERE: Most visitors fly into Los Cabos International Airport near San Jose del Cabo, about a 90-minute drive by rental car from Todos Santos. Or you can take a taxi from the airport to the Aguila bus station in San Jose del Cabo (about $17 U.S. for up to four) and catch an intercity bus to Todos Santos (about $12.50 U.S. per person). Intercity buses are modern, clean and efficient, with service about once an hour between towns on the southern peninsula.

LODGING: We stayed at Casa Bentley, one of Baja's better bargains. Get past the dusty, unprepossessing street out front and you'll find a lovingly nurtured compound resembling a small stone castle, built by a retired geology professor. Five suites range from $80 to $130 per night, April to December, and $110 to $170, January to April. www.casabentleybaja.com.

Hotel California, on the town's main drag, is the best-known lodging, thanks to the thoroughly debunked (see www.todossantos-baja.com/todos-santos/eagles/hotel-california.htm) yet persistent urban legend that it inspired the Eagles song of the same name — a rumor that helped make Todos Santos famous. It's a beautiful, 1950s-era hotel in its own right, lavishly renovated in the early 2000s. Spring prices range from $80 to $150. hotelcaliforniabaja.com.

The year-old Hotel Guaycura is the newest on the boutique hotel scene, in a 19th-century brick building in the center of the old-town gallery district. Spring rates from $195 to $500 per night. guaycura.com.mx.

MORE INFORMATION: www.todossantos.cc or www.todossantos.com

———

Helping the Homeless in San Diego

2011-04-16T13:52:00.000-07:00

Helping the Homeless in San Diego

Helping the homeless in San Diego, 1stSaturdays.org, is an organization based in the San Diego area. Comprised of a group of friends, and friends of friends, they get together on the 1st Saturday of every month. Together they distribute clothes, supplies, personal items, and food and drinks to the homeless in San Diego. The group is not associated or affiliated with any groups or organizations. Just friends and neighbors helping friends and neighbors!

Isn't that the way it's suppose to be?

According to 1stSaturdays.org the 1st goal of the organization is to help the homeless community in San Diego. The 2nd goal is to add positive energy and love into the world and into our lives at the same time. So give a shout if you have something that can help out another.

You can check them out here:
http://www.1stsaturdays.org/

“A beautiful bowl of glory”: Rancho Gordo’s Steve Sando on beans, trade, and the tortilla project

2011-04-09T09:54:00.000-07:00

(via The Ethicurian)

Steve Sando (right) with Félix Martinez Gomez and his family, near Cuicatlan, Oaxaca. They grow chilhuacle chiles, essential to so many Oaxacan dishes but rare now thanks to several years of disturbed weather patterns.

International trade can wreak havoc on small farmers and the global food culture: impoverishing peasants, destroying old ways of cooking, and reducing biodiversity. Now and then, however, international trade can have the opposite effect, building up farmers instead of rolling over them, preserving heritage foods instead of flooding the fields with a few varieties from big agribusiness.

Rancho Gordo's Xoxoc Project (pronounced 'sho-shoc,' a word derived from the prickly pear cactus called xoconostle) is one of these rare positive stories about how trade can help small farmers and food artisans. (Grist writer Tom Philpott has some excellent pieces, such as this one, about the negative effects of trade on Mexican farmers and Mexican society.)

Gabriel Cortés Garcia and Yunuén Carrillo Quiroz, founders of Xoxoc

The collaboration with the already established Xoxoc company started when Steve Sando, the founder and owner of the Rancho Gordo New World Specialty Food company, was on one of his frequent trips to Mexico. Always looking for interesting heirloom beans to plant in California and sell to his devoted customers (who include me), one of his contacts told him that he should meet with the Xoxoc collaborative. Sando’s contact was right: Xoxoc led him to interesting beans like Zarco, from Quanajuato, and Ayocote Morado, from Hildago. But he realized that his plan to bring beans back as seed for planting in California wasn’t the best approach — importing beans directly from the Mexican farmers would be better. That way, the farmers could get a good price for their crop and continue to plant heirloom varieties, and his company would get a reliable supply of the beans in the near term. As the project matured, Rancho Gordo added new products to the Xoxoc Project line, including omega-3 rich chia seeds, a Mexican oregano that he calls “oregano indio.” (Although it is probably not related to European oregano, as I explained in a post for Mental Masala.)

The most recent initiative from Rancho Gordo is the tortilla project. Rancho Gordo buys dried heirloom corn from the bean farmers involved in the Xoxoc project, imports it, then has the La Palma tortillaria in San Francisco’s Mission District make fresh tortillas to sell at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and the Rancho Gordo store in Napa. I've tried them several times and they are delicious -- full of corn flavor, lacking that unappetizing chemical aroma emitted by so many commercial brands. And it feels good to be supporting small farmers and heirloom corn varieties.

I first met Steve a few years ago during the infamous Carlo Petrini dust-up in San Francisco (covered by Bonnie at the Ethicurean) and I run into him here and there in the Bay Area at farmers markets, the Eat Real Festival in Oakland, and at his store in Napa. I wanted to learn more about the Xoxoc Project, so I asked Steve some questions via email.

Where do your Mexican farmer-partners live, and what's the terrain like there?

They live in an ex-hacienda in the state of Hidalgo. The closest town is called Chapantongo, not too far from Ixmiquilpan. The land has been ruined by hundreds of years of cattle grazing, and the only thing that seems to grow now are the cactus paddles and their fruit. The locals have a long tradition of making things out of the fruit. Xoxoc took it a step further and made a commercial venture.

The xoconostle look like prickly pears (or tunas) but the seeds are all in the center instead of throughout and the 'meat' is very sour; you wouldn't eat it raw. But it's an essential ingredient in dishes like mole de olla [a spicy meat stew] and certain salsas.

. . . Read more . . .

Carless Los Angeles

2011-04-04T16:54:00.001-07:00

A dreamy, photoshopped Los Angeles devoid of cars -- a beautiful and impossible fantasy:

Running on Empty from Ross Ching on Vimeo.

New "Artificial Leaf": Next Step In a New Energy Source

2011-03-29T14:35:00.000-07:00

One of the most exciting new sources of energy that scientists are developing is based on nature's own process of photosynthesis. All plants store energy by using the sun's rays to change certain molecules into other forms. This is (very loosely speaking) like splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen: when oxygen and hydrogen are put back together, they release energy. The problem is, most methods of splitting water are expensive and slow.

But Scientists all over the place have been working on catalysts that can split water using sunlight for a while now, but until recently, they've all been using expensive elements like platinum. Now, MIT claims that they've created a paper-thing solar cell that uses a cheap catalyst to split water. The genius of this setup is:

It is cheap and efficient
The catalyst is stable and lasts far longer than earlier attempts
It can be used in any type of water, and would produce clean drinking water once the hydrogen and oxygen are put back together

In other words, this kind of energy source could be used anywhere in the world, by anybody. Any time I've read about it, the topic of using it in third-world scenarios always comes up, but it can also be scaled up for wider use.

The team haven't released their findings in a peer-reviewed journal yet, so the full story is still unknown. And there's still one major problem: no-one has yet built a safe, cheap hydrogen fuel cell to make use of all that hydrogen. But it's still an exciting step forwards!

If you want to get more pumped about what this technology could do for the world, check out this video featuring Dan Nocera, one of the lead researchers on this project at MIT.

Bill Gates on the Future of Energy

2011-03-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

TED Talks always give you something to think about, but today we wanted to share this one featuring Bill Gates discussing his work on new energy sources.

"And so, we need energy miracles. Now, when I use the term miracle, I don't mean something that's impossible. The microprocessor is a miracle. The personal computer is a miracle. The internet and its services are a miracle. So, the people here have participated in the creation of many miracles. Usually, we don't have a deadline, where you have to get the miracle by a certain date. Usually, you just kind of stand by, and some come along, some don't. This is a case where we actually have to drive full speed and get a miracle in a pretty tight timeline."

We at Baja Trek tend to feel that the most urgent problem is to reduce energy usage rather than find new energy sources, but realistically, we'll need to do both. So it was exciting when he spoke about the work being done to use the dangerous and, at the moment, useless waste materials put out by nuclear power plants to create even more power. The machine that would accomplish this is called a traveling-wave reactor, and it sounds pretty swell.

We're particularly excited about this idea after having watched Into Eternity, a fascinating, sad, bizarre, Kubrick-esque documentary about a Finnish project to bury spent nuclear waste miles below ground and keep it there for the 100,000 years it takes for such materials to become non-radioactive. Watch the trailer below!

Government by the People!

2011-03-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

Most of the time, we try not to get too political, but you'll have to bear with this exception cause it's something we really care about!

Baja adventurer and burro near end of journey

2011-03-07T10:22:00.000-08:00

Baja adventurer and burro near end of journey

Reposted from the San Diego Union - Tribune

By Ed Zieralski, UNION-TRIBUNE

Friday, March 4, 2011 at 5:23 p.m.

Publish Post

Burro explorer

- Graham Mackintosh

El Cajon's Mike Youghusband, his burro, Don-Kay, and stray dog, Solo, take a break during their long trek of the Baja Peninsula. Photo by Graham Mackintosh.

El Cajon’s Mike Younghusband is nearing the end of his incredible walk of the Baja Peninsula with his burro named Don-Kay.

Younghusband, 61 and a former El Cajon police officer, has walked over 1,000 miles and has less than 50 miles remaining to reach Cabo San Lucas, his final destination. He left Hernan Ibanez Bracamontes’ Rancho Ojai in Tecate on Oct. 1 with Don-Kay, a 4-year-old burro he purchased from Bracamontes, and his two pet dogs, Rusty and Max. But the road proved to be too dangerous for his pets and he sent them home with legendary Baja traveler Graham Mackintosh.

“I can hardly believe I passed the 1,000-mile mark,” Younghusband said in a recent e-mail prior to reaching Todos Santos. “I’m still healthy and excited to get there.”

Younghusband plans to check in at the police station in Cabo to document his arrival in Cabo San Lucas. Mackintosh said he hopes to join his friend at Cabo. Mackintosh said some of Younghusband’s family members are going to take a cruise to Cabo San Lucas and plan to be there when the adventurer arrives in mid-March.

Part-way through his trip, Younghusband picked up a stray dog he called Solo, a female dog who has stayed with him and Don-Kay through some tough going.

“I have a lot of stories that will blow you away and can’t wait to share them,” he said. “They had a parade for me when I got to Lopez Mateos, talk about humbling.”

Mackintosh has stayed in touch with Younghusband throughout his journey. He has visited him on a couple of occasions when he was in Baja doing lectures or delivering books that chronicled his own adventures on the Peninsula and its islands. Mackintosh followed his progress from Younghusband’s daily reports via his SPOT device. Also, the members of BajaNomad.com have been instrumental in Younghusband’s safe journey to this point. At one stage members of the Website’s forum page helped rescue Younghusband, Don-Kay and Solo from death’s door when they ran out of water. At other times, BajaNomad members met up with Younghusband and shared food and drink with him.

Mackintosh isn’t surprised his friend stuck out his hike to the end.

“I was pretty convinced it was do or die for him,” Mackintosh said. “He spent a lot of time and money and made a big commitment to this. He met so many great people on Bajanomad.com., many wonderful people who helped him and continue to help him.”

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/mar/04/baja-adventurer-and-burro-near-end-their-journey/