Slow Baja

Raul Aguiar and Caroline Kane are the affable owners of Rancho La Bellota, a 2800-acre guest ranch located in Tecate Baja, California. Rancho La Bellota is a portal to another era. Free from cell service and wifi, guests quickly adapt to the rhythms of ranch life. The coffee is ready at 6:30 AM, and after a cup on the porch, the guests gather in the sun-washed dining room for a hearty breakfast. Following breakfast, it's time for a ride. I select a cowboy hat from the rack and make my way to the saddled horses. Jan, a La Bellota regular, knows the hat's owner (he leaves it at the ranch) and says it looks good on me. It's been forty years since I've ridden a horse, so I'll take the compliment. The horses at Rancho La Bellota are retired from a life of working cattle. Hence, as I mount my handsome palomino, Raul gestures to the horse and says, "it's an automatic with power steering and power brakes," letting me know with a wry smile that it's an easy horse to ride. In addition to being an expert horseman, Raul is a devoted overlander and drives a pop-top 1969 Chevrolet Suburban that he designed. He regularly hosts overlanders on their way up and down the Baja peninsula. He's quick to stress that he's not running a free campground; he's a proud native of Baja California who gladly shares his knowledge and experience to help travelers enjoy their time in Baja. Rancho La Bellota is Slow Baja Approved Learn more about Rancho La Bellota here. Follow Rancho La Bellota on Facebook Follow Baja Peninsular on Instagram

Sandra Dibble is a veteran reporter who worked as a Tijuana-based foreign correspondent for the San Diego Union-Tribune for 28 years. She earned a master's degree in Journalism from Columbia University and worked at The Miami Herald for nearly a decade. Dibble was part of a team awarded the Pulitzer Prize in national reporting for uncovering the Reagan administration's clandestine support of the Nicaraguan Contras. She wrote about Oaxaca, Mexico, for The National Geographic. She hosts the Border City Podcast for the Union-Tribune. "Border City: A podcast about beauty, violence and belonging in Tijuana from a journalist who spent more than 25 years reporting at the border. In this eight-part podcast, Dibble introduces listeners to Tijuana the way she was introduced to it — through the news stories she covered but also through her personal connections in the city's cultural community and her friendships with ordinary Tijuanenses." -The San Diego Union-Tribune Border City is available wherever you find podcasts. Follow Sandra Dibble on Twitter Follow Sandra Dibble on Instagram  Follow Sandra Dibble on Facebook

On Earth Day, I am delighted to share this Slow Baja conversation with Paula Pijoan. Paula is a native plant expert and a fierce advocate for the land and nature. She is a certified practitioner of shinrin-yoku, the Japanese art of forest bathing, also known as forest therapy. We met at Vinos Pijoan, her family vineyard in the Valle de Guadalupe. When I arrived, Paula was transferring native plants, so I sat down on the ample patio and ordered a cheese plate and a glass of Pink Convertible -- a dry rosé of Zinfandel + Grenache. "My relationship with wine is that I drink it --I don't get so involved in the production of it!" Paula said as she joined me in this conversation.  Enjoy! Vinos Pijoan is Slow Baja Approved!  Follow Paula Pijoan on Instagram   Follow Vinos Pijoan on Instagram Learn more about Forest Bathing at Respire Bosque   Follow Respire Bosque on Instagram   Learn more about the native plants of Baja here 

Agave Expeditions Gabe Erivez is an adventure tourism outfitter who leads with his heart. With over a decade of professional guiding experience in Patagonia, Iceland, and Baja California, Erivez brings a lifelong passion for the outdoors to his work. He strives to be mindful in his travel, and "Be Here Now" is his mantra. "The human and cultural element gives exploring these wild places their richness, and I believe when we unite cultural heritage with adventure travel, we begin to have a more meaningful connection with the places we explore. Utilizing 4x4 overland vehicles as our mobile basecamps, we aim to explore the diverse culture and eco-regions of Baja California. We shift between remote desert camps, generational sierra ranches, locally owned eco-lodges, and coastal outposts. We work exclusively with local guides and outfitters, the true peninsula experts." -Gabe Erivez. Learn more about Agave Expeditions here. Follow Agave Expeditions on Instagram. Follow Gabe Erivez on Facebook.

Natalia Badan has spent her life on Rancho El Mogor, the vineyard and organic farm her Swiss-French parents built nearly seven decades ago. "We are romantics and have always been a little eccentric. We were always organic, since my father's time. They called it biological agricultural, and everybody thought we were completely crazy. My father studied a lot; he had all the books from the University of California at Davis. These are my childhood memories --seeing him marking the books. Now it's common, but at the time, it seemed a little eccentric, but we were absolutely doing the right thing." When I ask her about the current state of Rancho El Mogor, she warmly tells me about all of their diversified activities. "We have the project of the vineyard; we have the winery; they go together. We have the organic garden that went for 24 years with the market, and now that goes to the restaurant. We have sheep and some cows which we need to improve the land. We move the animals from one place to another so they don't overgraze. Where they go, the soil becomes better with time. This is a very long-term project --improving soil and making a ranch like this more fertile takes many, many years --many more than I will live. But I think it is worth it, and this way, we don't put all our eggs in one basket." In addition to the winery, the farm and the animals, El Mogor is home to Deckman's Restaurant. Michelin-starred Chef, Drew Deckman, prepares hyper-locally sourced fare in an open kitchen. "Authentic, sustainable, and seasonal." Reservations required. Rancho El Mogor is Slow Baja Approved! Please email the winery to make a reservation. Follow Rancho El Mogor on Facebook Follow Rancho El Mogor on Instagram

Travel Talk With Slow Baja Meet Javier Martinez, owner of Boules Restaurant. Today's Travel Talk with Slow Baja has me chatting with Javier Martinez, owner of Boules Restaurant in Ensenada. I wanted to sit down with Javi to learn why everybody is raving about Boules and its gregarious owner? I loved the food and the atmosphere. #SlowBajaApproved  Boules Av Moctezuma 623, Zona Centro, 22800 Ensenada, Baja California +52 646 175 8769 Visit the Boules Restaurant Website Read Boules reviews on TripAdvisor Follow Boules Restaurant on Instagram Follow Boules Restaurant on Facebook

Brook Elgen is an illustrator, artist, and maker-of-things who splits her time between Mendocino, California, and Zacatitos, Baja California Sur. She specializes in handmade goods in a diverse array of mediums. Humor and wit are constants in her illustrations, books, and found object assemblages. She carries a notebook (chock full of lists,) has an antique pocket knife, sometimes drives a Baja Bug, and is never in resort wear. One of my favorite works is an apology card for an ex-pat neighbor who got wasted at a local establishment and may or may not have removed his pants. He wanted a custom work to give to the business owner to say "Lo Siento," I'm sorry. The card's cover features hand-carved rubber-stamped artwork; a cactus, a donkey with a couple of empty bottles at his feet, and the words "LO SIENTO" Inside, a sizeable hand-stamped bottle with the phrase "SORRY FOR BEING A JACKASS." See her work at the_evil_scrunchies on Instagram And TheEvilScrunchies on Esty

81-year-old Pete Springer has been a frequent visitor to Baja for over 60 years. He watched the 1969 Baja 1000 and raced a home built-single-seat buggy in 1970. He continued building and running his designs until 1973 when he teamed up with Four Wheeler Magazine Editor Bill Sanders in a Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40. The duo won Class 3 in the stout Toyota that Springer had built in one month with a scant budget of $300. "Luck beats good!" has been his mantra ever since. In today's show, he shares some of the stories that illustrate his unique philosophy. I am indebted to Pete Springer as he was one of the two podcasts I recorded on my first day of podcasting in 2020. I love his stories and hope we get to talk again soon. To hear the first show, click here. Check out Pete Springer's writings here. Follow Pete Springer on Facebook

Today's Travel Talk with Slow Baja has me chatting with Collin Corrigan, the owner of Cerveceria Transpeninsular in Ensenada, Baja, California. I sat down with Collin to learn more about the craft beer scene in Baja, and he was delighted to educate me. Cerveceria Transpeninsular is the official beer sponsor of the National Off-Road Racing Association (NORRA) "The Happiest Race on Earth," and Corrigan hosted the awards ceremony for the NORRA 500 last October. We recorded this podcast in his office as the party was in full swing below. We had a few interruptions and worked through it all to bring you this fun and friendly conversation. Cerveceria Transpeninsular is located just off HWY1, on the North end of Ensenada, immediately following the Hotel Coral & Marina. Look for the road signs, and be ready to pull over after the turn. There's ample parking in front. Cerveceria Transpeninsular is family-friendly, and well-behaved dogs are welcome. 107+240 Carretera Tijuana-Ensenada 22870 Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico Visit Cerveceria Transpeninsular's Website Follow Cerveceria Transpeninsular on Instagram Follow Cerveceria Transpeninsular on Facebook

Benito Ortega Vargas was born in Mexico City in 1951. At an early age, he displayed a penchant for making art. He felt that art was his calling and eventually chose sculpture as his method of expression. He studied at the San Carlos Academy, the National Institute of Fine Arts, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and the Casa de Cultura de Oaxaca. He began showing his work in 1979. In 1981, with other artists, he founded the Taller de Grafica Libre Oaxaca. In 1983, he co-founded the Institute of Visual Arts of Taxco and began teaching. In 2008 he moved to Todos Santos, in Baja California Sur, where his beautiful studio and gallery showcases his work. "Inside the depths of human unconsciousness, there is a call of harmony." He says his work is an exploration of that theme. Learn more about Benito Ortega Vargas here Follow Benito Ortega Vargas on Instagram Follow Benito Ortega Vargas on Facebook