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JOURNAL OF THE FIRST EXPEDITION TO BAJA’S SIERRA DE JUAREZ:

THE PINE FOREST 
 
THE NIGHT BEFORE DEPARTURE, NOVEMBER 13TH

It is late now as I write this entry.  All riders have arrived at La Bellota and have spent the day preparing their gear and horses for an early start tomorrow.  We loaded the truck with hay and grain for the horses along with our tents, sleeping bags and othervarying items of luggage.  The trailer is packed solid with food items for the days I will be cooking.  It was quite a process fitting everything in but we did it.  Everyone helped and even though it was a long work day, getting ready, we are all hyped up in eager anticipation of the journey ahead.  I don’t think I will sleep much tonight, which is why I volunteered to ring the wake up bell at 3:30am.  Breakfast at 4 and the trail by 5! 

DAY 1 NOVEMBER 14TH, FRIDAY

As I suspected I didn’t sleep.  When the alarm went off at 3am I flew out of bed.

Time to get this show on the road!  Lupe was in the kitchen by 4pm and she had plenty of hot coffee to wake us up.   She also had breakfast burritos and sweet bread waiting for us but coffee was the only thing I could get down that early in the morning.  We didn’t waste anytime with idle chit chat over coffee either.  Mundo, our ranch hand, fed the horses at 3am so at 4:30 we were already saddling and preparing to depart.  Lupe had our individual burrito packs ready which she gave to us as we held out our coffee cups for last minute refills.  Today we rode 10 hours with not much time in between.   We had to make it to our destination for the day  Rancho La Chiripa in the Sierras of Real Del Castillo before dark.

Rumor was there would be a fabulous Carne Asada dinner waiting for us when we got there which was even more reason to get a move on!

     We actually left La Bellota at 5:30am and headed up and out of the canyon through the middle trail which pointed us right in the direction of Las Palmitas “the hot springs”.  Usually it takes three hours to get there but we held a quick pace and made it in 2 hours.  The horses and their riders were feeling good.  We got to see the sun come up with only the sound of our horses hooves to break the stillness of the morning landscape.

    We passed the hot springs and entered Valle Seco which means, the Dry Valley and dry it was!

There wasn’t much there except dry barren mountains.  We did see a deer which I thought was unusual considering the terrain.  Raul chased after her, a doe, but she got away and I was sure glad.  It was 8:30 or so and really starting to heat up.  Unfortunately the Santana winds were predicted for this week.   It was hot!  It wasn’t long before we crossed into the territory of Real Del Castillo.  We traveled over the hillside and soon found ourselves on the old road that was used 100 years ago, still visible, by covered wagons coming from Real Del Castillo full of gold.  These wagons were headed for a nearby town called Descanso (not Descanso, CA.) where the gold was imported and sold in San Diego, CA.

     Legend has it that somewhere along the road some American outlaws robbed one of the wagons and buried the gold in the mountains but it has never been found. 

     As we made our way up into the mountains of Real Del Castillo the landscape began to change.  We entered a land of huge manzanitas, chaparral, sage brush, oaks and juniper trees.  Large

white, granite boulders covered the earth and in some places they were so big or long they looked

like great walls or floors.

     We stopped at Whiskey’s Springs (our dog Whiskey just happened to find the spring on a previous occasion) to water the horses.  They were thirsty and so were we.  The actual spring is about 8 ft down into a granite cavern with a small opening that runs out forming a pool on the other side.  When I laid down on my stomach and put my face just above the opening, a refreshing breeze from the cool water below relieved me from the dry, heat outside.  Raul then proceeded

to lower himself down into the cavern with a bucket of course so we could hoist water out for the horses.  Between, Jim, Mike, Raul, Mundo and John who formed quite an assembly line all the horses had a good long drink.

   I knew we had about 3 more hours to go until we reached La Chiripa but Raul kept telling everyone, 15 more minutes.  Pretty soon everyone caught on to the joke and they quit asking.  We enjoyed the ride and thought about dinner of course.  Carne Asada.  Well, at least I did.  We made good time though.  After we left Whiskey’s Springs it was only 1pm.  Three hours later we made it to our camp for the night.  At Rancho La Chiripa we were greeted with cold beers, water, plenty of Coca cola, which I drank about 6 glasses of with ice ( I think I got a little dehydrated) and a superb Carne Asada dinner with guacamole, rice, beans, Nopal salad and fresh flour tortillas.  It was so good!

I had been practicing my tent skills and managed to have the thing up and ready, complete with sleeping bags and gear inside in 10 minutes flat.  I was quite proud of myself!  We spent the rest of the evening reminiscing over the days events next to a roaring campfire and by 8pm we were all exhausted and ready for bed. What a first day it had been! 
 
  DAY 2- NOVEMBER 15TH, SATURDAY 

One thing about sleeping in a tent……waking up at first light is no joke.  My eyes popped open about 5am.  Raul was already up and drinking coffee.  I knew we had a shorter ride today, about 5-6 hours so I wasn’t in that big of a hurry to get moving.

In fact, I think Raul was preparing me for what would come down the line because he actually brought coffee to me at the tent.  What a gentleman!

    Today was much more relaxed.  We were fairly close to our destination which was Rancho Real Del Castillo Viejo where we would be staying with the Munoz family for the night.   Rancho La Chiripa filled us up with another fabulous meal of scrambled eggs with Chorizo, beans, nopal salad and more delicious flour tortillas. 

Plenty of coffee too!

     We thanked them kindly for all their hospitality and headed out about 9am.  The plan was to arrive at Real Del Castillo by 2pm and rest for the remainder of the day.  The word was, the following day (day 3)was going to be the killer.  Another 10 hour ride but with Santana’s predicted we were preparing for a long, dusty and windy ride through the river beds.  I’m glad we had time to rest up for it.

    The ride to Rancho Real Del Castillo Viejo was relaxing and beautiful.  We rode through more Chaparral and saw more Juniper trees.  There was one point where we stood on top of the Real Del Castillo  mountains overlooking the entire valley of Ojos Negros.  I thought it would go on forever!  Everyone was commenting on how big it was when Raul said, “Oh, you think that’s big?  Well, tomorrow we are crossing that entire valley in one day.”

We all looked at each, then back at the valley.   It was a long way but the only way to get to the Sierra de Juarez and to the pine forest. 

     Without another word we began our decent into the valley of Ojos Negros.  Our horses carefully made their way down the 600 ft mountain, carefully placing each hoof as they stepped over rocks and maneuvered on the narrow trail.   During this entire trip the horses proved again and again how sure footed they are, how agile and in what good condition they were too.  I was very proud of all of them!

     By 3pm we made it to Rancho Munoz where we were once again greeted warmly. 

The Munoz family opened up their home to us as if we were old friends.  They had sacrificed one of their lambs and we dined on lamb chops, rice, fresh cheese made right there in Real Del Castillo, homemade salsa, flour tortillas and delicious refried beans.  We also got to meet our guide for the rest of the trip, Sr. Pedro Quinones and his son Pedro Jr.

     Don Pedro, a Cochimi Indian, was raised in the Sierra de Juarez and knew every inch of the mountain range better then anyone.  He was a big, heavy set man with a dark complection and stern eyes.   He was rugged and rough but after having a few lengthy conversations with him, I discovered he was kind and very interesting to talk to.  His historical knowledge of the area was astounding.

     That night after a little Tequila to top off our wonderful dinner, the guys met out at the barn and started singing while Beto, the guitar player strummed some wonderful tunes.  The perfect ending to a perfect day! 

DAY 3- NOVEMBER 16TH, SUNDAY 

   Day 3 began at 4am or possibly before that.  All I know is I was awake long before day light.  As I stumbled out of my tent I saw Sra. Munoz warming tortillas by the fire and making coffee.  Her three daughters were not far away already preparing breakfast.

    I didn’t bother to wake Raul.  He promptly did so as soon as he heard me unzip our tent.  We had a ten hour ride that day across the valley of Ojos Negros and the sooner we got moving the better.  It was freezing cold that morning.  My fingers and toes were numb.  The whole time I was packing I kept eyeing the coffee pot and waiting for Sra. Munoz to give me a signal that it was done.  I needed to warm up!

     Along with delicious coffee, Sra. Munoz and her daughters prepared Chiliquiles, beans, tortillas eggs and potatoes.  It was so good!  After breakfast we prepared our saddle bags for the days ride, loaded up with water, the horses had already been fed, watered and saddled.  By 5:30 we were ready to leave.  We thanked our gracious hosts and left Real Del Castillo by 6am.  Don Pedro was in the lead and the rest of us not far behind as we began our journey across the vast valley of Ojos Negros.    Don Pedro kept his horse in at a steady jog and it didn’t take long before we had advanced a good distance and it was only 8am. I looked at the mountains in the distance, our destination for the day and thought to myself, it wasn’t that far.  At the rate we were going we’d be at La Huerta Indian Reservation by 1pm.

    Fortunately for us, those Santana winds that were predicted never came so it was an easy ride across the valley.  Beto our guitar player was unable to play and ride at the same time but that didn’t keep him from singing.  Pretty soon everyone joined in!  We got into some thick brush, a willow tree forest, and as we lost sight of each other among the trees we called out Marco Polo in order to keep track of each other.  Just a few scrapes and scratches, no big deal.   But that’s what chaps and long sleeve shirts are for!

     By 1pm we reached the reservation.  We stopped under a huge pepper tree and rested.  We stayed there for about an hour and that was when Raul came up with a brilliant idea.

    The original plan was to spend the night at the reservation and then the next morning ride to Rancho Bachicha in the Sierra de Juarez.  We had made excellent time and it was still early.  Raul proposed the idea that we continue on to Rancho Bachicha, sleep there and then the next morning we would have the whole day to rest.  The horses too.  It would do us all a lot of good.  So in a sense if we continued on we would gain an entire day.  The horses were tired but not so much that it would wear them out if we kept going.  Quite the contrary.  They still had plenty of energy.  It was the people I wondered about.  I have to admit, I was pooped but I knew Rancho Bachicha was beautiful and the idea of a free day looked pretty good!  I think everyone else felt the same.  We took a vote and it was unanimous; we pushed on.

     Before we headed out, A man named El Topo, who was the chief of the Cochimi Indian tribe there came to greet us.  El Topo means, the mole and I must say he certainly looked like one.  Raul talked with him and told him we were going to push on to Rancho Bachicha.  We had planned to take the round and about route along the base of the mountains but he said there was a short cut we could take which would get us to Bachicha within 3 hours.  When Don Pedro heard that, he immediately asked, “What trail?”  Not even Don Pedro knew of this trail!  Now that was something!

     El Topo hopped in his truck and we followed him through the village and out onto the dirt road until he stopped at the base of a huge mountain. I looked up to the top and wondered, well it’s either straight up or around.  So where was the trail?  He walked towards the mountain about 8 ft and parted his hands through some sage and buckwheat until he located the faded trail.  He pointed and ran his finger along the ground, my eyes followed his knarled hand as he swept his arm along the ground and continued pointing until his hand was straight up in the sky.  That meant, we were going up!

    Raul and Don Pedro thanked him, Don Pedro shook his head in disbelief.  He was probably wondering why he didn’t know about that trail before, and up we went.  As  we climbed higher and higher the brush become more and more dense.  Once on top of the ridge we looked down into a beautiful valley filled with Junipers and small pines.  This was the door to our destination.  The pine forest!   The ground was dotted with white quartz and granite.  Big boulders and rocks tried to block the trail but it was no problem for the horses who either jumped over them, went around or scaled across.   Their agility on the trail, regardless of the obstacle in front of them was amazing.   Not once did a horse balk or refuse where their rider directed them.  Usually there was quite a bit chit chat on the trail but not this time.  I think everyone was taking in the beauty of their surroundings and wishing it would never end.

     We reached Rancho La Bachicha by 4pm and set up camp next to the small lake.  It was my night to cook so I quickly set up the kitchen and got to work.  I made chili beans in the dutch oven with corn bread on the side.  It must have been very good because everything disappeared! 

DAY 4- NOVEMBER 17TH, MONDAY 

The first thing we noticed that morning was the privacy tent “the shower” was in the lake, thanks to all the wind last night.  Raul ran to the lake in his long johns and braved the cold water as he waded into the lake trying to retrieve the tent. Don Pedro’s son, Pedro Jr. grabbed his rope and lassoed the tent instead which saved Raul from wading into the water up to his chest.  They quickly pulled it out and set it in the sun to dry.  So much for our privacy tent! Today was our designated rest day.  I woke up early, got the coffee started and made breakfast.

     Raul left early this morning in the truck.  He was going to drive back to La Bellota (some 80 miles) to pick up two ladies who would be joining the group.  We didn’t expect Raul and the ladies back at the camp site until early evening.  I was going to make sure we had a hearty beef stew dinner ready and waiting for them when they got there.  No doubt they would be hungry.

    The rest of us kind of did our own thing today.  Gypsy and I (my dog) went for a hike in the morning.  Others sat around and talked or wrote in their journals.  The guy of course huddled together and talked about whatever cowboys talk about.  Beto, our guitar player and singer strummed up a few tunes to pass the time.  When the sun started to go down we made a campfire and I got to work cooking beef stew.  Raul and the ladies arrived around 6pm, just in time for beef stew and biscuits all made in the Dutch Oven.  I was so happy I didn’t burn the biscuits and I made 40 of them too. 

    The ladies were very happy when they arrived at camp. They quickly set up their tents and melted into the crowd quite nicely.  Now we were 15 riders all together.  A good group and ready to push on tomorrow! 

DAY 5, NOVEMBER 18TH,  TUESDAY 

   Today was a mad scramble to pack up camp and get moving.  I was up really early making breakfast and coffee.  It took us about 3 hours to get everything packed up again, tents bed rolls, kitchen stuff, horses saddled, fed, boy it was a job but with everyone’s help it went pretty quick.

     La Bachicha is a 6,000 acre ranch and as we headed out on another 8 hr. ride, I was astonished by it’s beauty.  What was so interesting were the changes in vegetation as we climbed higher and higher into the Sierras.  As usual, Don Pedro kept his horse at a steady jog and so did we.  We climbed higher today and the brush became very thick.  There were Manzanita bushes everywhere and in some places we had to stop and wait for Raul to break a trail.  The views were endless!  I could see for miles and miles all around us, nothing but mountains.  It seemed to go on forever.  We stopped on a ridge and Raul pointed out where La Bellota was, in the distance and how far we had come.  Wow!  We were really covering some territory!

     At around 11am we saw our first pine tree.  Hurray!  We passed through Rancho Aseradero Viejo and watered the horses and had lunch ourselves.  I couldn’t stop looking around me, it felt like I was in Lake Tahoe or somewhere like that.  Pine trees were everywhere, green meadow and streams.  What caught my attention most was the change in temperature and the different sounds I heard.  The wind blew in the pines and there was this constant sound of rustling branches and whispering winds that seemed to echo all around us. 

     By 2pm we had arrived at Rancho Las Cuevitas and we camped next to another lake, more gorgeous than the first!  There was time to walk before dinner and again Gypsy and I headed out for a short hike.  Later that evening I made Tuna casserole, which was excellent and we sat around the campfire after dinner talking and planning for the next day,  I went to bed as soon as the dishes were done.  It was pretty cold that night but Raul made sure we had lots of blankets and good sleeping bags.  Some of the guys laughed at all our stuff we had but boy did we sleep warm!  Good thing because the higher we climbed, the colder the nights were. 

DAY 6, NOVEMBER 19TH, WEDNESDAY 

     Today we left Las Cuevitas bright and early.  Everyone was now used to the get up early routine.  Everyone had their job and knew how to help so we could get moving quickly.  Team effort!  We left Las Cuevitas by 9am and were not too concerned with time since we had only a 6 hour ride today.  Now we were in the heart of the pine forest and it was amazing.  We rode along hidden pine needled trails for hours until it was time to stop for lunch.  Don Pedro took us to a very special spot where there were Indian cave paintings!  We arrived at the base of a huge mountain.  It looked as if the huge boulders were the only thing holding it up.  Oak trees sprouted out from under and around the gigantic rocks.  At the base of the mountain was a worn trail which lead to a cave opening.  We walked up the trail and once inside we were inside a cavern where the walls were filled with different paintings.  There were stars, suns and people painted on the walls.  There were some hand prints and pictures of animals too.  We also found many “metates” or grinding stones were most likely the indians from that area ground their acorns and seeds into powder in order for cooking.  The story goes that matrimonial rituals were done there but by whom and when no one is sure. It was very obvious that at one time the cave had been used quite a lot.  I immediately took off on my own to explore and on the other side of the cave I found another slab rock with 8 metate indentions in it.  Someone had done a lot of work there.

    We had lunch next to the cave and rested, some took naps.  I was exploring!  In the afternoon we headed out again and arrived at Rancho Bandido.   Tonight was Machaca night with beans and rice.  Sure was good! 

DAY 7, NOVEMBER 20TH, THURSDAY 

     Today after a superb breakfast of homemade tortillas, chorizo, eggs and fried potatoes we headed out again and this time our destination was Rancho El Alamar.  Our final destination for the trip.  This I think was the most spectacular ride of the whole trip.  We gradually made our way out of the pine forest and suddenly the terrain began to change.  What amazed me was the massive rocks that were like carpets on the ground, so white and untouched probably for years by anyone.  There was white sand and water holes, nopales and more Manzanita.  Yucca and a few oaks.  The terrain was rugged rough but yet so beautiful and so quiet.  I was again amazed at how well our horses went up and down the rocks and across anything we pointed them at.  As we neared Rancho Alamar we found a quiet spring seeping out of the rocks where we stopped to water the horses.  We were close now and in the distance I could see smoke rising from one of the chimneys of the cabins. We were here and we all cheered but secretly I wished it wouldn’t end. 

     At Rancho Alamar, they provided cabins for us and hot meals.  We had showers, hurray, and real toilets!  It’s amazing what we take for granted and how nice it is to be able to turn on the hot water and take a nice, long shower!  We would be spending two nights at Rancho Alamar before heading back to La Bellota on Saturday.  The food was superb.  We ate tamales, champurrado to warm us up at night, and a wonderful hearty breakfast every morning too.   

DAY 8, NOVEMBER 21ST, FRIDAY 

    Today there was a trail ride out to the desert but I chose to stay behind.  I figured since we had a Thanksgiving group coming next Thursday I’d start resting up for the work week ahead.  There will be no resting so I have to get in my rest time while I can.  I spent the afternoon hiking again.  I wandered far away from the ranch this time and I suddenly remembered stories of cougars who frequented the area. Maybe it was my imagination but I started to feel like I was being watched so I quickly made a bee-line back to the ranch.  The group returned from their trail ride, happy and tired around 4pm.  We had dinner and a few tequila’s while we talked about the trip and how much we didn’t want it to end! 

DAY 9, NOVEMBER 22, SATURDAY 

     There is a bit of nostalgia in air this morning.  I think it has hit everyone but no one is willing to admit it.  Raul and the guys are busy packing up saddles and gear.  I’ve got our bags packed and ready to go.  It’s just a matter of waiting and organizing everything.  Mundo, Don Pedro and Pedro jr. have already left with six horses in the trailer.  Tomorrow they will be back for the others. 

     I have heard some of the riders refer to going home as going back to reality.  The Monday morning rush awaits us.  I try to look at it with a different perspective.  I think being out in the open country side, riding my horse and exploring areas where no one has been for years in the company of good friends is more of a reality for me.  Maybe the rest of the group would agree with me.  It’s all something that we love and have in common or else we wouldn’t have come together as a group like we did,. 

     The Monday morning reality some have referred to I call the “Square world”.  The world of schedules, pressures and restrictions but what we take with us in our hearts are our memories.  Those memories will help us survive the pressures of the square world until we can come back to the “natural world” where once again, horse and rider are fused together with the land and all it’s beauty.  This is the reality that I believe, truly calls to our hearts.