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 and I co-manage the ‘Toyotas in Baja’ Facebook group, he owns a Tundra and 4Runner (and I own a Tacoma). Dave likes the kind of places I also like to visit (history […]
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. See more details at bottom of page. On the 1962 Howard Gulick/ Lower California Guidebook Map On the 1967 Automobile Club of Southern California Map On the 1970 Map by Cliff Cross (listed as […]
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 […]
Emerson 2014 ECR
Emerson Rodriguez of Mexicali, with his amigos, hiked the Camino Real mission trail west from Punta Final, Bahía San Luis Gonzaga. They hoped to reach Mission Santa María in one day. Unfortunately, they ran out of daylight. The same thing happened when my son and I attempted, in 2003: https://vivabaja.com/p1103/ Thank you Emerson! Emerson’s Facebook […]
Roamlndr Creative 2WD Van Episodes
Alex and Megan of Canada have produced some outstanding YouTube videos of their 2024 Baja California travels in a 2WD van/motorhome. Alex has not let the absence of 4WD prevent them from going places that most would think impossible without ‘double-traction’. This webpage is my creation to help the VivaBaja reader find these Baja California […]
The Atondo-Kino 1684 Route
Plotting the Atondo-Kino 1684 Expedition (San Bruno to the Pacific) on Satellite imagery, using Admiral Atondo’s diary published by Dawson Book Shop in 1969 as First from the Gulf to the Pacific (#16 of the Baja California Travels Series of 51 volumes), translated by W. Michael Mathes. The 1960 Ronald L. Ives drawn route map: […]
World War 2 in Baja California
Interest in this period of history comes from our exploring the Pole Line Road, northwest of San Felipe. Read more in this article: HERE Here are some details off the Internet, with links to read more: 1) From History of San Diego by Richard Pourade While United States Cavalry patrolled the border and guarded nearby […]
Baja Travel Adventures
116 Baja Bound Travel Adventure Stories, by David Kier Interactive map of most story locations Personal stories (14): Catching the Baja Bug A Passion for Baja Maps The Books That Brought Us to Baja, Part 1 The Books That Brought Us to Baja, Part 2 Spring Break 1974 Returning to Mission Santa María 1967 Baja […]