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Went to Baja (Feb 2019) to make a TV show episode, America Unearthed, May 28 The Travel Channel!

Discussion in 'Trip Reports' started by David K, Feb 24, 2019.

  1. Feb 24, 2019 at 11:09 PM
    #1
    David K

    David K [OP] Well-Known Member

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    What a rush!
    Not just that it was exciting... but that it was go-go-go, too!

    A friend who writes about desert history and mysteries was contacted to help make part of a TV show episode about one of his interests. This friend knew I had some photos of a place in Baja related to this subject, so he told the producer about me. After a couple of months and getting the details worked out, it was time to film the episode.

    The Baja portion of the show is the final part of the three areas they visit in this one episode, so if we are lucky, it will make up about 15 minutes of air time. I can tell you that the host and crew LOVED Baja... and the food, of course. The photography and video opportunities were great, despite the on and off rain of the three days of shooting.

    I was a passenger but much of the time it was the host and I in one vehicle of the three plus the Mexican film liaison/ fixer with a security guard for us and the equipment (just in case?) and a third Mexican who made sure the cast and crew had water, snacks, etc. between the meals.

    Before you ask, no, I can't publish the name of the show or the host or photos of them until about a week before it airs and that is estimated to be in early summer. I can tell you that they loved Baja so much (and they have been all over the world) that they will push it to be near the top of the list, but the ultimate decision is up to the network.

    I will (naturally) announce the details when I can and I will add the photos that I can't right now. For your interest I am sharing now what I can, I hope you enjoy that much and will come back when I can share more.

    Here is my experiences and a few photos:

    On Saturday afternoon, they pick me up in the San Diego area at one of our kid's homes and we drive to Otay Border. I am wired for sound and the host and I are recorded talking about the site and they included some border crossing/ immigration issues (I did not want to get political so I try an be neutral but say I hope that the border remains open to all legal crossers always, or something to that idea... I hope they edit it out! The producer is giving us instructions over the two-way radio from another van since there are cameramen in the seats behind the host and I in our van.

    The Mexican 'fixer' leads us to the U.S. customs area for an export permit for all the media gear and then we cross into Mexico for the Mexican customs import permit. This takes a long time as there is a long wait to get in front of the officer. No inspection is made of our vehicles, as they trust the 'fixer' apparently. The fixer told us to just stay with the vans and that we did not need to get tourist cards since we were not leaving Baja Norte, and I did question her about that. It was about 5:00. [NOTE: all travel into Mexico for any distance or amount of time is supposed to be with a 'tourist card' or FMM (like a visa), obtained with your passport as the ID. Free for up to 7 days and about $30 for 180 days]

    We had rooms at the Marriott in Tijuana. I think it was close to 7 pm.
    After getting settled, we all met back up in the lounge and had drinks and got to know each other a bit more. Four of us (included the show's host and I) moved on to the restaurant in the hotel and a few went walking to a recommended place, around the block. The food was good, and the drinks were even better, lol. The Paloma (grapefruit juice and tequila) was a biggie.

    Early start the next morning (Sunday) and I recommended a stop at El Mirador (Salsipuedes area) with the view south from way up above the sea. The fixer agreed. I also suggested Mission San Vicente and Mi Ranchita restaurant at the turnoff if it was near lunchtime. I met resistance from the fixer on that but only because she wanted to take us to Parcela 12, south of San Quintín! I totally agreed to that plan! The producers really were focussed on the subject of the show and not add any extra mission stuff (ahh).

    Well, at El Mirador the host and media crew were blown away by the view... we had a sunny time and then a downpour, which we waited out, and then more shooting. The host and I had a few lines to say... There were scripts for us to follow but we could do them in our own style or make changes if the producer okayed them, lol.

    El Mirador Photos:

    IMG_20190217_100324237_83b219259179a73a133ca47f30f48366e577786e.jpg

    IMG_20190217_085527453_6586e57ed20de2d0821318fb2fd76ddb22bdcba4.jpg

    In Ensenada, we stop at a Starbucks (following the fixer) and then head on...

    IMG_20190217_135953677_f2e33e416a87ee1e2e06437ef31f658ed70e3423.jpg

    IMG_20190217_140040670_b0489c38b15e399b83aa3e52bdd770dfac5bf6b7.jpg

    As we spent so much time at El Mirador, we had lunch in Camalu at a place called Papa's (I think) on the east side of the highway. It was good. No Parcella 12 this time!

    The sun was getting low and they wanted to shoot it, so we pulled over south of El Socorro and before the highway swings inland for El Rosario.

    IMG_20190217_172030625_HDR_1b45e206e8bf2eb2aeedc9bebd32ddfcedd5344c.jpg
    The host offers takes my photo.

    IMG_20190217_172339107_HDR_a604599ef819bcf349c357e90f226001200ae424.jpg

    IMG_20190217_172406046_HDR_ab2b6df83d768f0d5940b0dfd6010b1f3347921c.jpg
    San Quintín volcanoes, in the distance.

    IMG_20190217_172615772_HDR_ff4da0e98b6d55b66686917b45f79394763794af.jpg

    IMG_20190217_173257498_b061b015fb16d2ef4f6f671a3bea30985b9a8990.jpg
    The drone camera is used a lot!

    We arrive at El Rosario about 6 pm and I talk to Antonio (Baja Cactus Motel owner) on the phone, he was expecting us earlier and finally left to get to San Quintín for a matter (I was hoping to show them the missions and museum, with Antonio getting on the show, too).

    The rooms are great and we walk next door to Mama Espinoza's Restaurant, which was a hit (they serve Margaritas and Palomas and shots). I had the crab soup (Caldo de Jaiba) recommended by 'Udo' (on Baja Nomad forums) and it was great. The show's host eyed it a lot and ordered that when we returned for lunch the following day.

    Monday (President's Day):
    We have an early start, a 6 am departure. Mama's doesn't open until 8 am and offered the night before to make burritos for the road. Nobody wants to do that so we have granola bars or just wait to eat until lunch.

    There was a lot of rain in Baja this month and one mud hole had to be charged through (all of the vehicles are 2WD). A big puddle between Hwy. 1 (KM. 121) and the mission had to be driven around with the head producer getting really uptight about scratching these rental cars!

    The gate to Mission San Fernando is locked now but I knew how to get the key and permission from the landowner. I will give those details when I can add to this report.

    IMG_20190218_074237674_5718dadd04abf07c5a0b160fdb2e701545cd3e6e.jpg

    IMG_20190218_074245074_HDR_a31e0dec01aa4aa49ca1a12dda1cf8cc47a20807.jpg
    This is the same cattle gate I came across in June 2017 but now has a chain and lock added sometime before November 2018. There was no gate in 2016 or all the years before, back to 1974 when I first visited this location. Some people lived at San Fernando on and off to 2005 or so.

    Past the mission, the road got overgrown enough that the producer did not want to drive any closer. It is just 3/4 mile from the mission to the petroglyphs, where they wanted to film. So we all walked the rest of the way. The giant cardón and boojum trees blew them away! We got filmed walking and taking... had to rewalk the same stretch at least four times doing the lines over as well as getting drone footage... all well before reaching the cliff. It is very very interesting to get a look at how these adventure shows are filmed and seeing all the things that you don't see on the show. The crew from the U.S. consisted of several people doing sound, camera, production, and the host. You only usually see the host and the guest (me in this case).

    IMG_20190218_092033647_4d2d3ca2a971cff48593d5e90e7077f7fc2d0d17.jpg
    The petroglyph cliff in full sun (that didn't last).

    IMG_20190218_103004706_b53e62cdcebf2bc69c1745980e9d3c6a183da70f.jpg
    I showed you all many good photos of this site in my 2017 TRIP #5 Report.

    The rain came and went before we were done. But, it was a wrap and they loved it all! Back to El Rosario we went and got there about noon. There were some driving scenes made and using the drone, too.

    IMG_20190218_122348754_d6dc88806466ab755e0323a69c4566da08f0e06e.jpg

    IMG_20190218_122356203_01e434bcd9200117720e02be619ad0eb8824c080.jpg

    IMG_20190218_122828626_BURST000_COVER_TO_a2075ef3da41f4773ad4bfe8918b7d07a85aa61f.jpg
    We didn't stop here, but this place (Loncheria El Faro) was really good for all three meals of the day when I ate there a few times in 2017.

    IMG_20190218_124855054_HDR_c21bdbc135a528037db62c332005fc1cf5473eb2.jpg
    Mama Espinoza's was back to being a well-run ship with fair pricing and good service and good food.

    IMG_20190218_124901717_0a29c1c6a167249532002a0079820a06d728c2df.jpg
    Looking towards Baja Cactus from Mama Espinoza's on Monday.

    Antonio came to Mama's to meet us. I also had dropped off ten copies of my book as a donation to help raise money for his Desert Hawks Emergency Rescue Service. Please buy my 'Baja California Land of Missions' book at his motel, front desk, to donate to Antonio's efforts. I believe he asks a reduced price for them. The drive was mostly wet, but the sun popped out after the construction zone in Santo Tomás for a great rainbow!

    IMG_20190218_162207027_6f07775879ddcf491e77f98a79878b7fb9e9ed4e.jpg

    IMG_20190218_163415476_746dd51e6559b7faff8d29dbe904fe3ec68859ae.jpg

    IMG_20190218_163427810_2eb48da7a9d7457f3745146f76c50d4a0f5a607d.jpg

    IMG_20190218_163431990_1ac74cb7c5fa04dfc7f37eeb604934c462518bcc.jpg

    IMG_20190218_163442285_aa3e19d4855e0445d927b029b42f86ecabb247e5.jpg

    IMG_20190218_174430527_2b8248673a70fe8b36b76a03e3c209fc605c34a3.jpg
    Price of gas in Ensenada at a Chevron station.

    The peso to dollar exchange ranged from a low of 18.00:1 to a high of 19.15:1. The bank at the border was about 18.50:1.

    OK, so we were back at the Marriott for Monday night and had a great time in the lounge and the host gave me a toast and I reciprocated with a toast to such a great and professional crew who were so much fun to work for and travel with! They want to return!

    We had a super easy border crossing at Otay, following the fixer into Mexican customs using a gated back way. She got the exit papers pretty quickly and we could get into the northbound U.S. line through a gate, just a couple car-lengths from the border booths. Only the one van full of equipment had to go to secondary (for paperwork) and the other two vehicles drove on across after presenting our passports and a look inside the back hatch of our van.

    We waited for the third van at a gas station and after saying goodbyes, I got on a Lyft to return to where my Tacoma was parked (my stepson's home). The crew had a flight to catch.

    I look forward to telling the rest of the story and showing the photos of the crew and host as soon as I can, perhaps mid-June?
     
  2. May 1, 2019 at 3:25 PM
    #2
    David K

    David K [OP] Well-Known Member

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    OK, so it was announced that this episode will be the first one for Season 4 and airs May 28th, 10 pm (check in your time zone) on the Travel Channel.

    The show is America Unearthed with Scott Wolter, back after an absence following the demise of H2 network.

    Here is Scott, and me, at the Viking Ship petroglyph in Baja. I will make a new post with the photos I couldn't show before the air date was announced.

    IMG_20190218_104725328_bc69d1584a5f8b0bbd3528305cf7b5a9d8849e6d.jpg
     
  3. May 21, 2019 at 1:17 PM
    #3
    Y2kbaja

    Y2kbaja Well-Known Member

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    dvr set
     
    David K[OP] likes this.
  4. May 21, 2019 at 10:15 PM
    #4
    BKinzey

    BKinzey Well-Known Member

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    Have an episode title?

    Travel Channel is running the show the whole day. The 10pm show is titled "Knights Templar Discoveries". Looked at most of the episodes that day and didn't see anything that mentioned Baja locations.

    ETA:

    Since your post mentions Vikings, the 9pm show is titled "Vikings in the Desert" so I picked that.
     
    Last edited: May 21, 2019
  5. May 21, 2019 at 11:08 PM
    #5
    David K

    David K [OP] Well-Known Member

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    For over a month the Travel Channel, America Unearthed, Vikings in the Desert episode is shown as 10 pm Pacific and Eastern, 9 pm Central. Look: https://www.travelchannel.com/shows...rT2j0GSOXlAeudPrjJ1aaL71ViGchMij2MmRapzZzWSNY

    Thank you for your interest. Yes, they will be showing many of Scott's previous shows leading up to the 10 pm premiere for Season 4, Vikings in the Desert. I am the third guest who helps Scott in Baja.

    Here are all the times for that episode:
    Upcoming Airings:

    Tuesday
    May 28
    10pm | 9c

    Wednesday
    May 29
    12am | 11c

    Tuesday
    Jun 11
    11pm | 10c

    Wednesday
    Jun 12
    2am | 1c

    Sunday
    Jun 16
    1pm | 12c
     
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  6. Jun 3, 2019 at 7:20 AM
    #6
    Y2kbaja

    Y2kbaja Well-Known Member

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    I enjoyed the show. I only realized after watching that I've watched his show before and he never really has the conclusion. I've heard of the Viking ship in the desert before so I was interested in the show. I was hoping for more Baja. lol.
     
  7. Jun 3, 2019 at 10:03 AM
    #7
    David K

    David K [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Me, too! LOL
     
  8. Jul 11, 2019 at 8:49 AM
    #8
    David K

    David K [OP] Well-Known Member

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    The Travel Channel has continued to show the episode Vikings in the Desert since the dates given. If you have On Demand, you can see it anytime as all of Season 4 of America Unearthed is available to watch. The Baja California portion is only a few minutes of the show, near the end. I hope to interest Scott to do more shows in Baja, as there are many mysteries of lost explorers and lost missions!
    Here are some of those, that I have written about:
    https://www.bajabound.com/bajaadventures/bajatravel/searching_for_melchior_diaz.php

    https://www.bajabound.com/bajaadventures/bajatravel/lost_mission_santa_isabel.php

    https://www.bajabound.com/bajaadventures/bajatravel/lost_jesuit_mission.php

    https://www.bajabound.com/bajaadventures/bajatravel/lost_missions_of_baja.php
     
  9. Jul 11, 2019 at 8:53 AM
    #9
    David K

    David K [OP] Well-Known Member

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    More photos of the TV filming in Baja:

    IMG_20190216_164430615_b198336726381ade1f0085c44e3b7ae83fbbc5a8.jpg

    IMG_20190217_100307332_3720aad198e245c34a2516f4db7e0c2a468f9977.jpg

    IMG_20190217_153200136_5d173616a195d7cf0fe373e2372096dcaee06b53.jpg

    IMG_20190218_070246195_eeeb3536917f0b4b4844e3c281cb879212e6b4a0.jpg

    IMG_20190218_092934483_3ca0d73f16bb0be16b1efc118cb2abd63c9952ab.jpg

    IMG_20190218_100336936_HDR_1b5bd56f37bdb81f190caf47aa942a983865bc48.jpg

    IMG_20190218_100344707_9b6a334b2668605d66d21e6cb4ddbe66cb708a23.jpg
     

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