By Trudi Angell
Sept. 4, 2025
Having grown up in Alta California (and in Baja California), Steinbeck’s writings, particularly The Log from the Sea of Cortez, have been a part of my literary education. When reading Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, and the Tortilla Flats novels, a true sense of early 20th-century history was brought to life. The stories were reflections of a California that had been in the recent past of my parents and grandparents: an awakening to the plight and resilience of the migrations, and the populating of a great agricultural calling. Harsh and humbling human visions remain from reading Steinbeck’s works as a young person.
When I began to travel to Baja California Sur in the mid 70’s and to take to the Sea of Cortez in small boats… very small, they were kayaks…. the Log and the story of the journey of the Western Flyer hit a chord. There were still a few “vagabundos” in old sailing canoes. There was still a supply boat chugging slowly up and down the coast from La Paz to Loreto, delivering sacks of flour, rice, fresh foods, and even medicines to the ranches and fishing villages tucked into every cove on the 200-mile route. And there were many Steinbeck-esque characters scraping a living there, without road access, patiently awaiting the boat that would trade goods for their dried and salted fish. Thirty-five years earlier, John and Ed and the crew of the Flyer would have bought goods from that same floating supply vessel and met some of those hardy people living on the land and sea, and been inspired by them.
I have had the wonderful good fortune to carve out a lifestyle connected to the descendants of the old vagabundos and coastal families. In 1978, I began to lead sea-kayak tours that offered a link to the remote coastal cultures of Baja. But more than that, my connection expanded into the mountains too, as I began to explore and learn about old mission trails, supply trails, and the history of BCS … the original California.
Traveling by mule with local vaqueros. Packing a string of donkeys to carry what we needed to live for a week or two in the backcountry, I’ve been leading cultural tours on old El Camino Real trails in Baja since the 80s. The urge to explore, ride, learn, and share just doesn’t quit!
My favorite chapter in the Log from the Sea of Cortez is chapter 16. The Western Flyer is anchored in Puerto Escondido, about 15 miles south of Loreto. Steinbeck and Ricketts are invited by Leopoldo Pérpuli and profe’ Valdivio to ride mules and head into the mountains on an old packer-trail. Right up an old trail that connected the Sierra de la Giganta backcountry ranches to the coastline. Right up my alley.
I know the sons and daughters of Leopoldo Pérpuli. Because I have lived in Loreto since 1984, I remember stories of profe’ Valdivio, I know a few elders who had him as an elementary school teacher. So here was a fun opportunity to help the Western Flyer of today make a connection to a living part of Chapter 16. A few phone calls and an inspiring meeting with Talí Pérpuli and his son (who is the current official historian for Loreto), and it was arranged. We gathered the local Loretano family members and made a plan with the WF 2025 crew for a special invitation to visit the vessel that their father had stepped aboard 85 years earlier. What an exciting full-circle experience!
Listen to the interview from the Crew’s Log. Check out the entry from May 11th and see the fun photos taken and comments from captain and crew. And the Pérpuli family? They are all so grateful for the experience, the tour of the ship, and a connection to the stories from their family’s past. Mil Gracias to the Western Flyer. We look forward to more stories and a reunion in 2027!
Photo credit: Esther Lev
Trudi Angell has led tours on land and sea for over 45 years in Baja California Sur. See SaddlingSouth.com and contact Sea Trek, new owners of PaddlingSouth.com for special adventures into BCS cultural and natural history. Coming Soon: Where is that trail? More insights to the Chapter 16 story of the “big-horn sheep hunt”.
A big thanks to Trudi for sharing her story! Do you have a story to share? Whether it’s a memory, a feeling, a reflection, or a favorite moment, big or small, we’d love to hear from you.
Posted in Baja 2025, Blog, Stories from the Community