Slow Baja

Inducted in the 2020 Off-Road Motorsports Hall Of Fame, Roger Mears is the eldest son of racer Bill Mears and the older brother of four-time Indianapolis 500 Champion Rick Mears. Roger drove buggies, midgets, stock cars, sprint cars and competed in the Indy 500 twice in his long career. He made his mark in offroad racing and was a constant threat in both short course and desert racing.  Mears built and raced the Nissan trucks and won twenty World Off-Road Championships at Riverside International Raceway. Think motocross meets Baja in front of 60,000 fans. It was wheel-to-wheel-racing, with great sponsors, factory support, and the sport's best drivers. His first Baja race was in 1973, "my brother Rick and I showed up with a couple of spare tires and gas cans and just fell in love with the place." Mears went on to win four Baja 1000's, five Pikes Peak Hill Climbs, two HDRA/SCORE series titles, and the Mickey Thompson Stadium Series Truck title.  We stopped to see Roger when we were driving through Bahia de Los Angeles on the 2021 BajaXL Rally. He and his wife Carol have been living in BOLA for years. The conversation flowed easily; he was humble about his successes and honest about his struggles. His deep reverence for his family -his father Bill, younger brother Rick, and his sons Casey and Roger Jr were genuine and refreshing. I only called him Rick once, and we laughed about it! Enjoy the conversation with Roger Mears.

In today's Travel Talk with Slow Baja, we sit down for a quick chat with Marlen Ahumada, Sales Director of the Tesoro Resorts Los Cabos. On the 2021 BajaXL Rally, we stayed at the Tesoro, and we were amazed by our accommodations, the hospitality, and the entire Tesoro experience. An adult beverage greeted us upon arrival as we booked the all-inclusive plan. After dropping our bags in our marina-view Junior Suite, we dined on surf and turf tacos at the Lighthouse Restaurant. One of four restaurants on the hotel grounds, the Lighthouse, is located on the marina walk. The food was tasty, the drinks plentiful, and the view and people-watching were terrific. We took a walk around the marina and downtown after dinner and would love to come back to take in the legendary Cabo bar scene -only a short walk away. The breakfast buffet at the Sky Pool had all the options that one would want, and Ted and I enjoyed watching the sport-fishing boats head out. After breakfast, we sought out Marlen to talk to her about the Tesoro Los Cabos Resort and the current promotional offerings. All good things must come to an end, and we had to get on our way, too. Reluctantly, we packed up Slow Baja, vowing that we would return soon. The Tesoro Los Cabos is Slow Baja approved! You can find the latest promotion and book your room directly at the Tesoro Los Cabos website. You can find them at Calle Cabo San Lucas 4304, Centro, San Lucas, Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S. USA/CAN 1 877 674 6706 Visit Tesoro Los Cabos  Website Visit Tesoro Los Cabos on Facebook Visit Tesoro Los Cabos on Instagram

Miguel Ángel de la Cueva is a profoundly thoughtful photographer who focuses on Mexico’s natural beauty, wildlife, and remote ranch-dwelling people. National Geographic, Geo magazine, Mexico Desconocido, and environmental organizations like The Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, Wildcoast, and Niparajá-WWF have published his images. He has photographed two books: Oasis de Piedra, which won a Silver Medal Award at BookExpo America NY 2006 in the Nature Category, and La Giganta y Guadalupe, which advanced the creation of a Biosphere Reserve in Baja California Sur, México. He is an Associate Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers. “It is in the desert that we can find meaning in the simplest things of life. It is in the desert that we can rediscover our sense of awe. And, it is in the deserts of Baja California Sur that geography and hope become one.” -Miguel Ángel de la Cueva Enjoy the conversation with photographer Miguel Ángel de la Cueva Visit Miguel Ángel de la Cueva's Instagram Visit Miguel Ángel de la Cueva's Facebook Buy his book Oasis in Stone from Sunbelt Publications

In today's Travel Talk with Slow Baja, we sit down with Jesse Atkinson, massage therapist, and owner of Ensenada Massage and Valle de Guadalupe Mobile Spa. Jesse shares his life story. From growing up in Wisconsin, to his work in Central America as a consultant, to surviving cancer and making life changes that led him to become a certified massage therapist. As we were ping-ponging back and forth trying to coordinate our schedules to record this conversation, Jesse knowing we were on the last day of the BajaXL Rally booked one-hour, hot stone, deep-tissue massages for Ted and me. After ten days behind the wheel of my 50-year-old Land Cruiser and 3000 miles of brutal Baja backroads, we were delighted to receive one hour of healing care. Ensenada Massage was clean and quiet, and our massages were top-notch! The hot stones were an unexpected delight. They melted the pain and tension away from my abused back. You can find more information and book your massage at Ensenada Massage or Valle de Guadalupe Mobile Spa. You can find them at: 1278 Avenida Ruiz Ensenada, B.C., 22800, Mexico. Ensenada Massage is Slow Baja approved! Visit Ensenada Massage's Website Visit Ensenada Massage on Facebook Visit Ensenada Massage on Instagram Visit Ensenada Massage on WhatsApp

Curt LeDuc is a salt-of-the-earth Baja racer with an impressive record of DIY accomplishments in off-road racing. When asked about his approach to building winning racers, LeDuc said, “I’m not an engineer, I’m an imagineer” He’s built and raced his own vehicles at the highest levels of desert racing for decades. He’s won championships in desert class 8 five years in a row, and has two Short Course Off-Road Drivers Association titles. He's won the Governor’s Cup, a rare and valuable Borg Warner Cup, and has driven -and won at Crandon, Pike’s Peak, the Dakar Rally, and Baja. Inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall Of Fame in 2015, LeDuc, through all his successes, is revered for doing it, achieving it all, with his own hands. He is a blue-collar racer who earned a reputation for fixing anything with almost nothing. His mad fab skills got him hired by racing icon Walker Evans. LeDuc is the guy you want with you in Baja for his mechanical aptitude, but more importantly, he knows every mechanic, welder, and taco shop on the entire peninsula. Enjoy this Slow Baja conversation with Curt Leduc. Visit Curt LeDuc’s Baja Legends Website Visit Curt LeDuc’s Instagram Visit Curt LeDuc’s Facebook Visit the NORRA Instagram Visit the NORRA Facebook Visit the NORRA Website

Today’s podcast guest is life-long cyclist Herb Bool. In 2018, at 55 years old, Bool rode the 1,700 mile Baja Divide in 35 days. Conceived by ultra-endurance bicycle racer Lael Wilcox and Nicholas Carman, the Baja Divide is: “A rugged 1,700-mile off-pavement bikepacking route down the Baja California peninsula, from San Diego to San José del Cabo. This route connects the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez, historic Spanish mission sites rich with shade and water, remote ranchos and fishing villages, bustling highway towns, and every major mountain range in Baja California on miles and miles of beautiful backcountry desert tracks.” Bool met up with a group of a dozen riders massed to make the trek on New Year’s Eve on the San Diego waterfront. They rode East and spent the first night together camped at a ranch just North of the Border as a group. They crossed into Tecate the next day and stuck together until they cleared the border town. As the group sorted themselves out, Bool settled in with a fast trio to ride the rest of the route. “We were on our bikes when the sun came up every day, and we would ride pretty much until the sun was starting to sink. It was an all-day ride every day.” The group averaged 55 miles a day for just over a month. Enjoy this warm recollection of 35 days in the saddle, pumping out 1700 miles on the Baja Divide -with the affable Herb Bool. Follow Herb Bool on Instagram Follow Herb Bool on Facebook Learn more about the Baja Divide 

In today's Travel Talk with Slow Baja, we sit down with Sheila, the gregarious owner of Zopilotes Ice Cream in San Bartolo BCS. Originally from Salmon Arm, BC, Canada, Sheila, and her husband first visited Baja Sur in 2008. They returned with a fifth-wheel camper in 2009 and bought a house, sight-unseen in 2010. How was the experience of fixing up a home in a country where you don't speak the language? -"there was a lot of swearing and a lot of drinking!" she says with a smile. We stopped by on a sunny afternoon as we drove South from El Triunfo through San Bartolo on our way down to Cabo San Lucas. I let Sheila pick the flavors for me, she returned with a scoop of creamy lime and a scoop of coconut on a beautiful handmade waffle cone. The ice cream was lovely; the creamy lime was just that, a little tang to start followed by a smooth dollop of sweetness, the coconut was a rich and creamy delight. Zopilotes has won Best Ice Cream of the East Cape Competition and is a must-stop destination for ice cream lovers in Baja Sur. Located at Km 128 Carretera Transpeninsular in San Bartolo Baja California Sur and Zopilotes is Slow Baja approved! Enjoy the podcast with Sheila and her 16-year-old employee Kaira, and if you are ever close to San Bartolo, I hope you stop for an ice cream! Visit Zopilotes on Facebook Visit Zopilotes on Instagram

In today’s Travel Talk with Slow Baja, we sit down with guide and outfitter Steve Hayward of Paddling South in Loreto, Baja California Sur. Hayward has traveled extensively and has paddled in Chile, Alaska, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Ireland, Wales, BC, and Baja. He has guided and developed programs for Sea Trek for over 25 years. For the last 15 years, he’s run the Baja operation in Loreto -a beautiful and historic town with the coveted Pueblo Mágico designation. With the advent of SUP, Steve has focused on developing exciting inter-island adventures on paddleboards, utilizing Sea Treks’ traditional kayaking routes in Baja. He’s committed to “downwind” paddling during the “El Norte” blows -that occur in the mid-winter on the Sea of Cortez. He enjoys free diving and sharing the unforgettable desert and marine environment of this unique part of Mexico. In this rambling conversation, Steve takes a deep dive into why you need to get down to Loreto and let Paddling South get you out on the water! Visit Paddling South Visit Paddling South on Facebook Follow Paddling South on Instagram

Marshall Kramer, Jamie Wolgemguth, and Craig Dieffenbach are The Desert Dutchmen; on today's Slow Baja Podcast, they break down their drive of the 2019 Baja XL Rally. The trio from Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania, began building a 2000 Jeep bought on the cheap from a relative. The build progressed at a glacial pace, and the trio moved to Plan-B. They booked a modern Toyota 4Runner from California Baja Rent-a-car in San Diego. In preparation for the 3000-mile drive, they shipped a ton of spares and specialized off-road equipment to the rental agency office. The folks at CABaja became quite concerned about their intentions for the vehicle. After an hour of tense discussion, the team put down a $5000 deposit and were on their way. Kramer designed a stunning logo and applied a complete (removable) graphics package to the truck, which set them apart from the other BajaXL Rally teams. They sported matching team garb and, at least in my mind, earned multiple gold stars for their efforts. Follow The Desert Dutchmen on Instagram Follow The Desert Dutchmen on Facebook

David Kier is a historian, cartographer, and expert on the Missions of Baja. As a young boy in the early ’60s, he began traveling to Baja with his parents. Wedged between his parents in their Jeep Wagoneer, a copy of Gerhard and Gulick’s Lower California Guide Book in hand, Kier provided turn-by-turn navigation. The experience burned the dirt roads and landmarks into his young mind and created a love of maps and Baja that has lasted a lifetime. Kier published his first Baja guidebook as a high schooler in 1973, followed by an updated edition in 1974. The Old Missions of Baja & Alta California, 1697-1834, co-authored with Max Kurillo, was published in 2012. Kier wrote his detailed tome Baja California Land of Missions in 2016, now in its tenth printing. In 2020, Kier and Max Kurillo co-authored Old Missions of the Californias with updated information. In this conversation, Kier takes us on a fun and energetic dive into the Missions’ rise and fall in Baja. Visit David Kier’s website here. Follow on Instagram Follow on Facebook