David K
Honored Nomad
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Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Happy 50th Birthday Highway One: Dec. 1, 1973
December 1, 1973, President Luis Echeverría officially opens Mexico’s completed Highway #1.
The above event at the newly built eagle monument, was less than three months after construction crews, working north and south met:
The original plaque at San Ignacito (Km. 191.5) commemorating the meeting of the road building crew working north with the crew working south. Paving
came just two months later and was officially opened by the president at the newly built Eagle Monument, near Guerrero Negro.
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Homer Aschmann made this map to show the route changes with the paving advances from the previous roads used:
Here is the paper he wrote:
https://vivabaja.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/History-of-t...
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Before 1973 and especially before 1970, it was a big deal to drive the length of the peninsula. Dick Cepek created this patch:
Photo by David Woodward: In 1965, the blacktopped highway was greeted with joyous ‘pavement kissing’ by these northbound Baja travelers, at Arroyo
Seco. Today, this is at Km. 120, 74 miles south of Ensenada and 5 miles north of Colonet.
[Photo from Barbara Rainey]
Between San Quintín and San Ignacio (the section built in 1973), the budget allowed the bare minimum of asphalt, so here it was only 19 feet wide,
and very thin. The government promised that soon this section would be widened.
In less than 10 years, the thin paving turned into miserable potholes between El Rosario and Eagle near Guerrero Negro. Better paving would come...
About 35 years later, some sections have been widened for 10-20 kms.
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Marc
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I wish just for bragging rights I was one of the first on the new road. Those narrow lanes gave me white knuckles. The old road was true adventure.
Exercise regularly. Eat sensibly. Die anyway.
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David K
Honored Nomad
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I turned 16 just before the this event, in 1973. I had wanted to drive the original dirt road before it got paved, having experienced it as a kid in
1966.
Spring Break 1974 was my first trip driving into Baja. Using a Meyers Manx, a school friend and I drove it south of Laguna Chapala, then turned to go
into Calamajué Canyon and on north to Gonzaga Bay and San Felipe and the border. A one week trip... that allowed me to drive the worst main road and
what would be Hwy. 5 from Gonzaga to Puertecitos. I repeated the trip with a different friend in '75. The final time was in 1979, before the road was
graded (1986) or paved (2013) between Puertecitos and Gonzaga Bay.
1974, north of Gonzaga on one of the several steep grades, I ask my friend to run down and take a photo:
The paved road was built across the canyon from this long grade.
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StuckSucks
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A fun read, thanks. We first drove to Cabo San Lucas in 1978 -- that experience was a big difference compared to today. I remember sections where we'd
drive 30 mins or more between seeing another vehicle. Highway 1 was definitely more challenging then, compared to today.
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JZ
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Would have loved to see it back in the day.
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KurtG
Super Nomad
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Location: California Central Coast
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My first Baja trip was in Oct 1974. I had a new Honda CB750 and a AAA map. It was a great ride, the asphalt was still new and sticky and there was
almost no traffic. I was 30 years old and had been riding for 15 or so years but had never enjoyed a road more. I was from Minnesota so the terrain
and environment was all new to me. I rode to La Paz and then the dirt road on to Cabo which was a bit of a challenge.
I had planned to take the ferry to the mainland but on my way south I had spent a couple of nights in Mulege staying at the Hotel Hacienda. I was
very impressed by that little town so returned north and settled into the hotel for a couple of weeks and got to know the town a little more. Almost
50 years later I keep returning there and still stay at the Hacienda when not camping. Owner Alfonso Cuesta is gone now but his son still runs the
place and I feel very at home and comfortable there.
The town felt much more remote in those days and the Gringo community was very small but it was a great time for private pilots and the strip at
Serenidad was very busy on weekends. In 1975 I rented a small house on the street behind Las Casitas from Alan Gorosave and brought my 2 pre-school
age kids down there for a few months. It was a wonderful time and my kids feel it was a great time in their childhood.
These have been great years and there are many great memories and in 2024 I will be visiting again. I had to give up motorcycling a couple of years
ago so its 4 wheels now but I have never tired of that road after dozens of trips.
[Edited on 12-2-2023 by KurtG]
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4x4abc
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4203
Registered: 4-24-2009
Location: La Paz, BCS
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Mood: happy - always
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Quote: Originally posted by KurtG  | My first Baja trip was in Oct 1974. I had a new Honda CB750 and a AAA map. It was a great ride, the asphalt was still new and sticky and there was
almost no traffic. I was 30 years old and had been riding for 15 or so years but had never enjoyed a road more. I was from Minnesota so the terrain
and environment was all new to me. I rode to La Paz and then the dirt road on to Cabo which was a bit of a challenge.
I had planned to take the ferry to the mainland but on my way south I had spent a couple of nights in Mulege staying at the Hotel Hacienda. I was
very impressed by that little town so returned north and settled into the hotel for a couple of weeks and got to know the town a little more. Almost
50 years later I keep returning there and still stay at the Hacienda when not camping. Owner Alfonso Cuesta is gone now but his son still runs the
place and I feel very at home and comfortable there.
The town felt much more remote in those days and the Gringo community was very small but it was a great time for private pilots and the strip at
Serenidad was very busy on weekends. In 1975 I rented a small house on the street behind Las Casitas from Alan Gorosave and brought my 2 pre-school
age kids down there for a few months. It was a wonderful time and my kids feel it was a great time in their childhood.
These have been great years and there are many great memories and in 2024 I will be visiting again. I had to give motorcycling a couple of years ago
so its 4 wheels now but I have never tired of that road after dozens of trips. |
love your insight!
Harald Pietschmann
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AKgringo
Elite Nomad
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Registered: 9-20-2014
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I had spent quite a bit of time on Mainland Mexico since trips with my parents in the late 50s, and a few trips on my own. My first Baja run wasn't
until late 1986.
On the 86 trip with my family, Mulege was my favorite town on the peninsula. It still is!
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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