A Tipi for the Treks

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

 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!

Environmentalists find opportunities in Baja California

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

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

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

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

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!

animals from Douglas Burgdorff on Vimeo.

Baja Revisited

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!