"The Devil's Road" Main Expedition, Day 19

March 24, 2017

Bahia de los Angeles

Jose Mercade was, once again, a host that continues to give and provide. He offered his boat to us for a late morning and early afternoon cruise of the bay. The time between when he opened up the garage door to launch was about 20 minutes. His house sits on the bay and he has his own launch ramp.

His panga was perfect for our tour and soon we found a small pod of bottlenose dolphins. They played about the bow of our boat for nearly 15 minutes and JT got some great footage of them. They soon tired and fell back to do their thing.

We were on the outside of the first row of islands, just east of Horsehead Island, when we shut down the motor just to soak up the tranquil, windless, and glassy conditions of the water. Suddenly we heard the unmistakable sound of a whale's exhale. We were blessed to experience a single finback whale in a series of feeding dives. After each dive the whale would swim a circle near us with between 10 and 15 surface breaths before diving deep.

In the afternoon, we were lucky to have two great interviews. The first was the great grandson of Dick Dagget Sr. at his RV and fishing camp just north of town. He had invited his mother, Doña Trina Dagget. Dick Dagget was an Englishman that had jumped ship in the 1880s and had made a name for himself in this part of Baja. Nelson and Goldman had negotiated with him in San Quintin to purchase supplies when they arrived at his mine (The King Richard Mine) near Calamajue. When they arrived, the mine was empty and boarded up. Being skilled trackers, they found tracks leading away from the mine and found the party on the beach of a small bay. Their own supplies had run out and a misunderstanding about the timing of the new supply ship caused them to survive on turtle meat, fish, and wild honey for over a month.

Dick Dagget saved the lives of Nelson and Goldman. The younger Dagget was impressed by the story and was happy to connect with us. Doña Trina was a lively and energetic interviewee. She spoke only in Spanish and most of what she said went over our heads. She was missing most of her front teeth so her speach was off a little too. We will have to wait until the translation is complete to really know what she had to say. I can't wait!

"The Devil's Road" Main Expedition, Day 12

March 17, 2017

San Quintin to El Rosario

Without a room for the night, we were forced to sleep in the parking lot. The three hotels in the area were full for the night and as it was near dark when we arrived, we were not going to head back into town to find lodging. We woke with all of our gear soaked in dew and commotion about the area. Our only salvation was to quickly pack up and head south (without coffee or breakfast).

We arrived at Mama Espinoza's Restaurant an hour later and were immediately greeted by Elvira Espinoza (Doña Anita's daughter) who now runs the restaurant. She was very gracious and invited us to stay and enjoy the festivities with "This is your house, too!" We were told there was a benefit motorcycle ride the day before and today was an opportunity to give the town’s children beans, rice, and a toy. Many of the children and their parents showed up to receive a gift.

We were able to interview Elvira with interpretation help from her grand daughter, Michele. This is a wonderful and big family that does so much for the community. We met many family members that travelled from as far away as Ensenada and Tijuana to participate in the communal event.

Shortly after, we headed out of town with the hopes of following the Nelson-Goldman route up the arroyo to find the camping spot they called "the cave." It was a popular spot where the "teamsters" would stop while delivering supplies to the local mines. We were thwarted by cultivated farmland that seemed to not allow us to get to the road into the arroyo. So, we changed course and went to a known campsite our family has always referred to as "Crash Dummy Car." When JT and Bri were young, we would always camp here. It was well off the highway, secluded, and the side road ended at an old overturned car. They loved to throw rocks at it, for the sounds they made were enjoyable.

We had a great evening to film and camp under a full moon.

Interview with Elvira and Michele Espinoza of Mama Espinoza's Restaurant.

"The Devil's Road" Main Expedition, Day 11

March 13, 2017

Sierra San Pedro Martir to San Quintin

It was cold last night. Sleeping among the snow patches at 9,000-foot elevation usually is not considered to be a warm and pleasant experience.

The moon was nearly full and at this altitude it looked bigger than ever. It was brighter, too. The giant log we threw on the fire had completely burned up and left a perfect bed of coals to restart the fire when I woke. I really did not want to get out of my sleeping bag. I grabbed the camera and went for a walk as the sun was rising over the mountains and spreading across the snowy landscape. It was quiet, the air crisp, and if I closed my eyes I would swear that I was in the Sierra Nevada.

This range is a separate island extension of the Sierra Nevada that broke off hundreds of thousands of years ago. The Jeffery pine, granite rocks, juniper, and other shrubs are all the same. Camping next to us were three young biologists and photographers that were there to photograph and study the environment. So we took full advantage to grab an interview and get to know these three men. One was a marine biologist, the other was a guide, and the third was a herpetologist that specializes in animal rescue where roads are being built. All were very knowledgable about the fauna of Baja California.

As we were organizing and getting our riding gear on, I noticed a nail sticking out of my rear tire. With a 60-km drive to the nearest town, I was weary about pulling the nail out. My mind quickly went back to the repair seminar that JT and I received from Bob Davis of Davis Moto Works back home in Santa Cruz. How to fix a flat tire in the desert was highlighted, and eventually all the tricks came flooding back into my head. A swift pull with the pliers revealed only a flesh wound. Lucky for us, no air was leaking and we were on our way.

After a quick stop to drive to the top of the mountain to see the observatory (it was closed and no tours were being conducted) we took a few photos and pointed the front tires down hill. JT and I enjoyed a family tradition of a snow cone! This time it was Baja style: Margarita!

The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to finding a California condor to film. We think we got film of four soaring out over the edge of the mountain range, but they were too far away to confirm. Either way, with only 30 condors here in Baja, the odds were against us in getting a glimpse of them.

We closed out the day at the Old Mill Hotel and Restaurant in San Quintin.

Looking for California Condors in the Sierra San Pedro Martir mountain range.

Day 12, Preliminary Expedition: May 27, 2016

May 31, 2016

May 27, 2016 (Day 12)

We planned for an early launch so we could follow one of the pangas out of the bay. Bahia San Quintin is very shallow in places and there are no channel markers. While we were preparing to launch, only two boats took off, and we missed them. So, we headed out on our own. We had all eyes looking out in order to navigate through the maze of shallow areas to get to the mouth of the bay. JT was in charge of the GPS, Greg had the binoculars, and I was driving blindly. I could feel every time the motor would bounce off the bottom.

It was about a twenty-mile run out of the bay and up to Isla San Martin. It is a beautiful volcanic cone island with a spit of rocks that harbors a sandy beach. Again, I had to let the film crew off and stay on the boat. Nelson and Goldman took the “motor launch” called Todo Santos to this island during their expedition.

JT and Greg were almost immediately met by two Mexican biologists that were studying the island’s unique flora and fauna. A request for an interview was granted and they graciously escorted them around for a short tour. They caught and tagged a gopher snake during their walk. When Nelson and Goldman were here, they noted that gopher snakes and “alligator” lizards were found on the island in 1903.

The island is covered with a unique plant with velvety leaves commonly called a Live Forever, or Dudleya anthonyi. JT and Greg also came across an elephant seal hauled up onto the shore. In 1906, Nelson noted that “the island was once a breeding resort for the sea elephant and is now extinct there.” The elephant seal was once on the brink of extinction, being hunted for their rich blubber. Nelson also noted that they saw a few “leopard seals.” Either that was a miss-identification of a harbor seal or in 1905 the harbor seal was called referred to as a “leopard seal.” We did see a large group of harbor seals that took to the water as soon as we arrived on the island.

We arrived back at The Old Mill Restaurant and Hotel early in the afternoon, packed up our gear, and headed for the States.

Day 11, Preliminary Expedition: May 26, 2016

May 30, 2016

May 26, 2016 (Day 11)

We had one of the coldest nights any of us had ever spent in the Baja desert. We woke to significant dew and it was still windy. While trying to get warm, we had a sluggish morning getting our things in order and heading off to San Quintin.

We stopped in Catavina to film the arroyo and a stand of palm trees. We found a natural tinaja (or water tank). The water was low and full of green slime, most likely due to the frequent deposits of cattle feces and urine.

The sandy wash of a dried riverbed in Catavina's arroyo. — The sandy wash of a dried riverbed in Catavina's *arroyo*.

We stopped a few times to get some footage of the natural surroundings and events. Hector is somewhat of a legend in this part of the peninsula. He lost his life on this road and a magnificent shrine memorializes him. We also found a number of Nelson’s century plants in full bloom.

We landed at The Old Mill Restaurant and Hotel on the bay of San Quintin. The wind is blowing hard again tonight and may be an issue in the morning. But as JT’s friend Mark Watson says, “When life gives you wind, just fly kites and drink margaritas.” I think we need to go and build a few kites!

On to Isla San Martin in the morning.