Product Description

Greg Niemann, long-time Baja California journalist and author of Baja Fever, shares his extensive knowledge of the peninsula—its colorful past and booming present—in this easy-to-read reference book.

Get to know the “founding fathers” of Baja, the padres, pirates, and pioneers who scratched a living from the desert and the sea, plus the world-famous faces and still-famous places that keep this tiny finger of land in the international spotlight.

All of the pertinent history and lore, every one of the amazing Baja stories, fill the pages of Baja Legends to overflowing and make it a “must have” for seasoned Bajaphiles as well as those who are planning their first trip south of the border.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #383515 in Books
• Published on: 2002-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 260 pages

Review
...covers nearly all the bases of Baja... Baja Legends has as much as any four books put together. -- Vee Webber, Discover Baja

An easy-to-read contemporary history of the people and resorts that helped make Baja what it is today… -- Roberto Van Wormer Ruiz, State Tourism Coordinator, Baja California Sur

This vivid old timer’s story book must be considered required reading for all who fancy themselves as ‘Baja experts.’” -- Gene Kira, author, The Baja Catch; King of the Moon; and The Unforgettable Sea of Cortez; editor of www.bajadestinations.com

“What an amazing book of Baja lore and legends...an impressive collection of answers to those often-asked Baja questions..." -- Graham Mackintosh, author of Into a Desert Place and Journey With a Baja Burro

From the Publisher
IF IT HAPPENED IN BAJA CALIFORNIA YOU’LL READ ABOUT IT IN “BAJA LEGENDS”! Here's just a few of the intriguing things that happened in Baja California:

The top grossing movie of all time (“Titanic”) was filmed; a padre’s lottery winnings restored an historic mission; the most significant cave paintings in North America were created; a giant slab of solid onyx was mined especially to be made into a bathtub for a famous actress; the real “Robinson Crusoe” (along with fellow pirates) visited Cabo San Lucas; one restaurant hosted six different Mexican Presidents and dozens of American luminaries; a tourist industry was created around “petting” the “friendly” whales; a small town’s church was designed by the man who designed the Eiffel Tower…

Learn about the famous Hotel California, the many Hollywood celebrities who frequent the exclusive Rancho La Puerta Spa, Bing Crosby’s and Jack Dempsey’s former hotels, the Cabo San Lucas resort that was the background for a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition cover shot, the hotel where the Caesar salad was first concocted, and the Score Baja 1000—one of the world’s most challenging off-road races.

In Baja Legends: The Historic Characters, Events, and Locations That Put Baja California on the Map, Greg Niemann, long-time Baja traveler, journalist and author of Baja Fever, has given readers a thorough and easy-to-read reference to the colorful history and lore of this unique part of the world. Packed with fascinating stories, anecdotes, and little-known facts, Baja Legends is the result of the author’s years of research on Baja California and his many personal interviews with the living legends of Baja.

About the Author
Greg Niemann is a life-long Baja buff who has been traveling and camping all over the Baja California peninsula for over fifty years. He has shared his expertise and enthusiasm in stories, articles, and books, most recently Baja Legends: The Historic Characters, Events, and Locations That Put Baja California on the Map.

Niemann has been a newspaper columnist for several publications, including twelve years with the Baja Times, where he wrote a series on the Baja missions. He is currently on the staff of the San Clemente Journal, writing short features as well as his “Baja Beat” column. A former president of both the Los Angeles and Orange County chapters of the International Association of Business Communicators, he has also served on the board of the Outdoor Writers Association of California. His articles on fishing, traveling, and off-road racing in Baja have been published by Baja Life, The Baja Sun, Discover Baja, The Baja Traveler and many other publications.

While promoting his first book, the popular travel memoir Baja Fever, in Baja California, Niemann began looking into the history and lore of his favorite vacation and fishing spots, which led to more questions than answers. The result of his curiosity was the more than five years he spent researching and then writing Baja Legends.

Now retired from a long career with United Parcel Service, Niemann enjoys traveling, photography, and participating in fishing tournaments, but he continues to give lectures, slide shows, and write about his adventures in Baja. He and his wife divide their time between Palm Springs and San Clemente, California, and Cantamar, Baja California, Mexico.

Customer Reviews

Makes me want to go back!
I used to live down in Baja and this book sure makes me want to go back. The author has put a lot of information--history and the like--in his book, but what really comes across is the fun he's had traveling there, especially the people he's met. He writes about all the people I remember, like Mama Espinoza and the Reyes' family, but also about places I haven't been, like down in the East Cape. Can't take a vacation yet this year--guess I'll just reread the book!

Title sounds exciting
I have been going to Baja for almost 25 years and have a place near Loreto. I ordered Baja Legends the other day because of the title thinking it would be full of interesting characters and new information. It is more like an encyclopedia. Facts. Lots of them.

A good guide for the drive down.
While I found the writing style simplistic, fifth-grader-like, the book is a great guide to read as you are bumping along the Transpenisular. It highlights points of interest and trivia that make the traveler more aware of and in touch with the history of Baja. It also provides a brief overview of the pre-history and Mission history of the peninsula which are essential to an understanding how Baja evolved the way it has.