Mission San José de Comondú
Full name: San José de Comondú Founding date: 1708 (relocated 22 miles south in 1736) Mission #5 Catholic Order: Jesuit Founded by: Padre Julián de Mayorga Condition: Stone foundation outline of an adobe church, completed in 1716, and stone ruins of missionary’s home, is at the first site. A cut stone church was constructed from 1751 to 1761 at the […]
Peveril Meigs Mission Site Plans
From his explorations in the mid-1920s
2-17 Javier-Purisima (incl. Comondú & Comondú Viejo)
Baja Story Book
A collection of 121 stories and articles by David Kier from the past to present. My Personal stories (15) [the number in brackets indicates the order the articles were written, between 2010 & 2025] Catching the Baja Bug (1960s)[104] *Driving to Cabo in 1966[74] *The Old Baja Road (pre-1973)[28] A Passion for Baja Maps (1967-Today)[96] […]
1975 Score Baja 1000
The first Score Baja 1000 was run on October 30-31 of 1975. It w as the final Score race of that year. The Parker 400, Baja Internacional, and Score World Championship of Off Road Racing (at Riverside Raceway), preceded the 1000. For this first Score 1000, rather than a peninsula-long race to La Paz, a […]
El Volcán
Four miles northeast of the El Mármol onyx schoolhouse, the process by which onyx is made can be seen, at El Volcán. Mineral springs, where onyx is created (about an inch every thousand years), are in the arroyo. The biggest spring is on top of a thirty foot dome, which erupts once a month. This […]
San Miguel in photos (1936-2025)
Full name: San Miguel Arcángel Founding date: March 28, 1787 (moved 7 miles west in 1788, then north 8 miles in 1810, then back circa 1814) Mission #22 Catholic Order: Dominican Founded by: Padre Luis Sales Condition: Adobe ruins at the second site. Closing date: Abandoned in 1834 GPS: 32.094279, -116.854331 Access: Mex. #1, Km. 65.5, south of Tijuana, next to school in La […]
Baja 525: Missions & More
May 2025 Baja California Tour (5/25) One of my friends, who I met through association with Baja Bound Insurance, is Dave W. Dave created the ‘Toyotas in Baja’ Facebook group, he owns a Tundra and 4Runner. Dave likes the kind of places I also like to visit (history and geology sites). On the weekend of […]
Pozo San Francisquito
Named originally ‘San Francisco’ this natural water source was an important stop for travelers on El Camino Real, the mission road. Junípero Serra gave its name in his diary of the expedition from Loreto to San Diego, on May 4, 1769: The 1773 diary of the trip north from Loreto by Dominican Padre Mora […]
El Descanso in photos (1927-2025)
Full name: El Descanso Founding date: 1830 (near the 1810 relocated San Miguel mission site) Mission #26 Catholic Order: Dominican Founded by: Padre Felix Caballero (well after Mexico’s independence from Spain) Condition: Floor and footings exposed and protected, next to the modern church. Closing date: Abandoned in 1834 GPS: 32.205433, -116.905558 Access: Mex. #1, Km. 49, south of Tijuana, 1/2 mile east. Read more: […]
Topographic Maps
Popular locations at the 1:39375 scale (approx. 1″ = 1 km.), these maps are arranged from north to south and west to east. Click map name (in blue) to copy link for your use. Maps are either vertical or horizontal, depending on region. Field data is circa 2011. Puerto Nuevo El Descanso La Misión Guadalupe […]
2024 Crossing South Festival
On Saturday, August 24, Baja Bound Insurance and KPBS TV’s Crossing South had a festival at Liberty Station in San Diego, from noon to four o’clock. https://www.facebook.com/crossingsouthwinefoodfest Baja Bound provided a sun canopy, table and chairs for myself and others to share or sell their Baja related businesses. Before the event began, I took some […]
Okie Landing on maps
Okie Landing, originally Miramar Landing, was founded in 1959 and was operating as a tourist fish camp for about 10 years. Today it is seen from Highway #5 at Km. 117 (about 25 miles south of Puertecitos). See more details at bottom of page. On the 1962 Howard Gulick/ Lower California Guidebook Map On the […]
Dolores Apaté 2014 by ‘ashek’
Hiking down the Camino Real to Los Dolores Apaté Mission (by ‘ashek’) Here are the notes and photos from ‘ashek’ upon his return from hiking down the mountain to the 9th California mission, Nuestra Señora de los Dolores Apaté (founded in 1721). Received on Feb. 19, 2014: Alright, We went, we saw, and we were […]
Baja Weekend of November 2002
Here is a repost, with edits, of a 5 part trip report covering Agua Dulce, San Juan de Dios and almost to Sal Si Puedes Canyon! Baja Weekend Part 1: Do you know the way… to Agua Dulce? This was a rare trip for me, as I almost always have a friend or a child […]