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Off the Beaten Track: Rancho Meling (Meling Ranch), Where the Old West Never Died

Rancho Meling, where the old west never dies!

By Carla White Rancho Meling, where the old west never dies! For me, Thanksgiving has always been a time to wrap myself in the comfortable blanket of tradition. Someone’s tradition, anyway. To explain, I grew up all over the world — I really don’t have my own family holiday customs and patterns. So, my idea of tradition easily morphs from a vision of Waterford crystal and bone china in Connecticut, to a pit-roasted wild boar in Australia, to kebabs and tabouli in Lebanon. Luckily, there are always friends and loved ones to share the ‘comfortable blanket’ with me, and 2012 was no different …

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El Marmol in San Quintin: A Unique Piece of Baja History

El Marmol students and their teacher, about 1953. Photo by Ralph Hancock.

El Marmol in San Quintin is off the beaten track, a short side-trip from the highway into Baja’s past. By David Kier, author of The Old Missions of Baja & Alta California 1697-1834 The abandoned onyx quarry and mine town of El Marmol in the San Quintin region (about 100 miles from the town of San Quintin, and near Cataviña) makes an interesting Baja excursion. The site is famous for being the location of the world’s only onyx schoolhouse. Mining the stone began soon after the deposit was discovered around 1900. The location was first called ‘El Tule’ then ‘Onyx’ on old maps …

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Kayak Fishing in San Quintin

Kayak Fishing in San Quintin 2

Kayak Fishing in San Quintin by Taylor Abeel,  Taylor Abeel Photography Last week I followed a semi-professional kayak fisherman who is also a 2nd grade teacher, Jon Schwartz (www.bluewaterjon.com) on a two day excursion down to San Quintin , in northern Baja to take take some pictures for a few sport fishing magazines that he is working with. It was an interesting experience to say the least… Jon was quite a character but a very friendly, fun travel companion nonetheless. I even got a few nice steaks of white seabass and yellowtail out of the deal which made some great fish tacos the next day for …

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Magical Cataviña

Photo by RedondoEnBaja (at RedondoEnBaja.com)

by Meghan Fitzpatrick Nestled in the desert, right in the middle of Baja and just south of El Rosario , lies Cataviña, referred to by many as “Magical Cataviña.” Why? What is known is that Cataviña is the point where the north and south portions of Highway 1 — the Transpeninsular Highway –finally met during its epic construction back in 1973. However, this special place is also the home to numerous cave paintings, giant cacti that look as though they were plucked from Dr. Seuss’ imagination, boulders the size of SUV’s, prehistoric blue palm trees, and beautiful and rare breeds of mixed …

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San Quintin Museum: An Interesting Stop on Highway 1

museu san quintin

by Meghan Fitzpatrick On August 27, 2011, the town of San Quintin, Baja California, opened its first-ever museum, “Museo de San Quintín, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo,” named for the famous Portuguese explorer who was the first to navigate the coast of what is now California. The museum is dedicated not to Cabrillo, however, but to the memory of Don Luis Rodrigues Avina (1914-1992), who moved to the San Quintin Valley with his family from Michoacan, itself a major farming region. In 1952, he founded Pinos Produce, still owned and operated by his family, which now directs massive tomato and produce shipping …

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Lobster Burritos? Mama Espinoza’s South of San Quintin!

mama's

By Meghan Fitzpatrick  Mama Espinoza’s restaurant is the famous landmark that puts the small agricultural town of El Rosario on the map for tourists and travelers. Born in 1908, Mama Espinoza has been serving her famous lobster tacos and burritos to people passing through El Rosario since 1930. Before 1973, the town of El Rosario was known as “the end of the line,” because, if you were driving south down the Baja peninsula, it was the last town with a paved road. After El Rosario, the roads were treacherous and the journey south could be perilous. However in 1973, the completion of …

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California Condors, the Devils Peak, and More…All in One Day!

Valeria Rivas Hamilton's Day Trip

By Valeria Rivas Hamilton A day trip from Ensenada to San Pedro Martir?   The idea seemed strange to me as I’d always thought of the Park as a remote place, but when Alain Preisser from Baja Wine and Sun Tours offered such an experience, I had no option but to say yes. I had heard stories about close encounters with California Condors, a world class observatory and contrasting landscapes that can only be found in Baja California. I wanted to experience them! The park is such an unknown treasure that even Ensenada locals rarely visit it. So if your idea of fun is having a …

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Driving Safely in Baja – Important Rules of Driving your RV in Baja

Donkey On The Road To Bahia De Los Angeles

Baja Amigos: Dan & Lisa Goy *Please note: Although the following rules are written in regards to driving RV’s, they can also certainly be applied to anyone driving in Baja, regardless of they type of vehicle they are driving! (1)   Never, never drive at night! You are not familiar with the road and there are no street lights. More importantly there is very little livestock fencing outside of towns and villages. Many animals gravitate to the highway at night and you will never see them in time. Having a cow in your grill will ruin your Snowbird experience for sure. In the …

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