Special Section: Baja
INTRODUCTION
Each winter, hundreds of gray whales stop at Baja’s Laguna San Ignacio to give birth—and invite humans to meet their calves.
John Steinbeck’s Log from the Sea of Cortez captured his voyage to Baja, Mexico, and presaged many of today’s environmental concerns. The journey also provided temporary respite from his growing fame and failing marriage. By Joy Lanzendorfer • Photos by Penni Gladstone
When France came to Mexico. By Rex Weiner • Photos by Tod Seelie
TIJUANA’S MERCADO HIDALGO IS A WORLD UNTO ITSELF
A writer who’s shopped at the beloved open-air market since childhood returns—and wonders how long it can hold on amid a changing border town. By Gustavo Arellano • Photos by Charlie Neuman
YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO OLD OR HAVE TOO MANY FRIENDS
The Modern Elder Academy, a mental-wellness retreat, offers support for those looking for a second act in their middle age and beyond. By Monica Corcoran Harel • Photos by Christina Gandolfo
A desert oasis with an ocean view. By Rex Weiner • Photos by Tod Seelie
THE LOST MISSION OF SANTA ISABEL
In the mid-1700s, Jesuit priests hid untold riches in a Baja cave, planning to return one day and recover them. Or so the legend goes. By Geoffrey Gray • Illustration by Gran Om
THE PROBLEM WITH VALLE DE GUADALUPE
An early champion of Mexico’s popular wine country explores its growing pains—and the role he played in its expansion. By Bill Esparza • Photos by John Lok
ASK AN EXPERT
Where to find the best eats, drinks, and places to stay in Mexican wine country. (And, if you must, how to party in Ensenada.) By Bill Esparza • Photos by John Lok
The heart of the sea. By Rex Weiner • Photos by Tod Seelie
Is celebrity tequila worth the hype? By Anna Archibald • Photo by Andrea D'Agosto
OUT IN THE COUNTRY
Life on the rugged East Cape is not for everyone. And locals wouldn’t have it any other way. By Cindy Ray • Photos by Gordon Wiltsie
A beer-brewing town that whets curiosity. By Jesse Katz • Photos by Tod Seelie
FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES
A culinary tour of the best seafood in Baja. By Bill Esparza • Illustration by Zoe Matthiessen
Features
WHEN DEMOCRACY FAILS
The counties of eastern Oregon are tired of the big liberal cities setting state policy. Their solution: secede and join Idaho. By Julian Smith • Photos by Penni Gladstone
THE MISSING MOUSEKETEER
An original member of Disney’s breakout television show went missing, and eight months later his body was found. Beneath the macabre details lies a sad saga of fleeting fame, economic hardship, and a performing artist’s determination to be true to himself. By Ruby McConnell • Illustrations by Mark Smith
THE NEVER-ENDING STORY
Former Manson family member Bruce Davis is one of more than a hundred high-profile California lifers who face repeated parole denials and gubernatorial reversals. By Joe Garcia and Kate McQueen • Illustrations by Joe Ciardiello
PORTRAITS OF THE ARTISTS
A set of Polaroids found at McKee’s Indian Store reveals a larger story of Indigenous artists in Oklahoma during the 1960s and ’70s. By Jason Asenap • Photos by Joseph Rushmore
Dispatches
The Coming War on Grizzly Bears
Last year’s shameful slaughter in Alaska may be repeated soon in Montana. By Doug Peacock
Line Dancing Is Life
Cowboy boots and Stetsons are suddenly chic in the Big Apple. By Blythe Roberson • Photos by Idris Solomon
Books
WHY I WRITE: Why? I Write.
By D. J. Waldie
WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS: “HOLY LAND”
By David L. Ulin
Q&A: A Conversation with Dave Eggers
By David L. Ulin
WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS: “THE EVERY”
By David L. Ulin
WHY I WRITE: The Line Between Belonging and Unbelonging
By Laila Lalami
WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS: “THE OTHER AMERICANS”
By David L. Ulin
BLOND AMBITION
Marguerite Higgins was the first woman to win a Pulitzer for her wartime dispatches. Seventy years later, female reporters are still fighting to be recognized. By Jennet Conant • Illustration by Melinda Beck
Culture
POETRY: “Self-Portrait in Parked Red Camaro, Modesto, California”
By Cynthia Cruz
An Oakland Made of Legos
Muzae Sesay’s colorful, geometric murals and paintings decorate the Bay Area’s walls and hang in its galleries—while also making room for other local artists. By Jessica Klein • Photo by Carolyn Fong
ALTA PICKS: WINTER ART SHOWS
Escape the winter weather and spend a day wandering the vibrant art museums and galleries of California and the West. We suggest that you check out these six exhibitions that showcase community, resilience, and living histories—before many of them move on to their next destination. By Jessica Blough, Elizabeth Casillas, and Lydia Horne
POETRY: “California Villanelle”
By Dean Rader
FICTION: “PRIMA”
By Dagoberto Gilb • Illustrations by Victor Juhasz
In Every Issue
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Slouching Towards a Mission Statement
By Will Hearst
PUZZLES: CROSSWORD AND POP QUIZ
By Rebecca Goldstein and Rafael Musa
