142 episodes

Tequila, Tacos, and Tranquilo! Sharing the beauty of Baja one conversation at a time. Hop in and ride with us as we head south-of-the-border to raise a glass, taste local fare, and explore the people and the place in our vintage Toyota Land Cruiser.

Slow Baja slow baja

    • Leisure
    • 4.9 • 117 Ratings

Tequila, Tacos, and Tranquilo! Sharing the beauty of Baja one conversation at a time. Hop in and ride with us as we head south-of-the-border to raise a glass, taste local fare, and explore the people and the place in our vintage Toyota Land Cruiser.

    Steve Poltz Has A Baja Story To Tell

    Steve Poltz Has A Baja Story To Tell

    Troubadour Steve Poltz has a legendary Baja tale involving a whale-watching excursion that went comically awry. As he infers, it might not have been as comical as it sounds today in today’s Slow Baja conversation.

    In the early 90’s, Poltz was a singer-songwriter with a massive cult following in his adopted home of San Diego. He and his girlfriend at the time, a little-known folk singer named Jewel, decided to go on a getaway to write some songs for a few days. Without much of a plan, they headed South and found themselves on a dark and lonely road late at night somewhere south of San Felipe.

    Finding a few dim lights down a washboard stretch that doubles as an airstrip, the duo broke into a semi-derelict motel room to crash for the night. They awoke to a glorious day on a gorgeous bay; Jewel, taking in the scene, decided they needed to find a boat to go whale watching. The only boat they could find belonged to a group of Federal Police. Poltz surmises that months of boredom AND seeing Jewel in her bikini may have motivated the Federalies to become tour guides.

    A high-speed nautical chase ensued; Poltz and Jewel were given bullet-proof vests and offered automatic weapons for their protection. They ran the boats hard onto an island beach. A short foot pursuit led to the apprehension of the slowest drug smuggler; after a brief beating, he revealed where they had hidden a massive stash of marijuana.

    Poltz tells the harrowing and hilarious story and the after-bust-party antics that led to their writing Jewel’s 1996 smash single “You Were Meant For Me,” which reached number 2 in the US.

    Listen to Jewel tell the story here:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hBXcpGHPVA

    And here:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHNKgze6ERc

    Check out Steve Poltz here:

    https://poltz.com/

    For more information about Slow Baja:

    ⁠https://www.slowbaja.com/⁠

    Get your Baja insurance here: 

    ⁠https://www.bajabound.com/quote/?r=fl9vypdv2t⁠

    More information on Slow Baja Adventures:

    ⁠https://www.slowbaja.com/adventures

    • 1 hr 7 min
    Surf Baja And Sungodz With Sasha Eisenman

    Surf Baja And Sungodz With Sasha Eisenman

    Sungodz California is the creation of Surfer, turned Fashion Photographer, turned Designer Sasha Eisenman. Sasha grew up in Huntington Beach and began surfing in the Newport River Jetties in the mid-1980s. He traveled camping and Surfing all throughout Baja back in those days, and many of the experiences of this time would later become a foundational part of Sungodz California style. An esthetic that was further shaped during his time working at the legendary Frog House surf shop in Newport Beach in the early 90’s. --from about Sungodz

    Check out Sungodz here:

    https://sungodz.com/

    For more information about Slow Baja:

    ⁠https://www.slowbaja.com/⁠

    Get your Baja insurance here: 

    ⁠https://www.bajabound.com/quote/?r=fl9vypdv2t⁠

    More information on Slow Baja Adventures:

    ⁠https://www.slowbaja.com/adventures

    • 1 hr 20 min
    Lance Gillies EarthCruiser EVs And The Future Of Overlanding

    Lance Gillies EarthCruiser EVs And The Future Of Overlanding

    In today’s Slow Baja Podcast, we discuss the future of Overlanding with Lance Gillies, the Founder and CEO of EarthCruiser Overland Vehicles. We recorded our conversation at the Chicago Auto Show while sitting inside the new EV Hummer EarthCruiser Upfit built by EarthCruiser Innovation. 

    ECI is a new division of EarthCruiser that draws from decades of Overlanding experience, bringing together people and resources to nurture a culture of innovation. Their first project was collaborating with GMC to design and build an upfit solution for the all-electric GMC HUMMER EV. The future of Overlanding is here. I’ve seen it and sat in it. Enjoy our discussion about its past, present, and robust future on today’s Slow Baja.

    “EarthCruiser is a company of designers, engineers, technicians, and, most of all, adventurers with millions of miles of collective, real-world Overlanding experience. With its EarthCruiser EXP, FX, and EC Terranova models, EarthCruiser designs and manufactures the ultimate self-contained, 4×4 off-road, world exploration vehicles in Bend, Oregon.”



    Learn more about EarthCruiser:

    https://earthcruiser.com/

    Get your Baja insurance here: 

    https://www.bajabound.com/quote/?r=fl9vypdv2t

    More information on Slow Baja Adventures:

    https://www.slowbaja.com/adventures

    • 1 hr 4 min
    The Slow Baja Story

    The Slow Baja Story

    In today's Slow Baja conversation, we turned the tables, and my good friend, Wilson Craig, interviewed me about the origins of Slow Baja. I discuss my childhood, becoming a photographer in high school, and attending San Diego State University. 

    In the Summer of 1984, I made my first trip to Tijuana --to shop for a laundry basket and to drink, of course. Soon, we were venturing down to Puerto Nuevo for lobster and, eventually, to Ensenada for a weekend on the beach. The true origins of Slow Baja were born in my Junior year when we left Spring Break in San Felipe to explore points south. 

    Enjoy this look behind the curtain of Slow Baja—huge Thanks to Wilson for pushing me to sit down for this conversation. 

    For more information about Slow Baja:

    https://www.slowbaja.com/

    Get your Baja insurance here: 

    https://www.bajabound.com/quote/?r=fl9vypdv2t

    More information on Slow Baja Adventures:

    https://www.slowbaja.com/adventures

    • 1 hr 26 min
    Goodbye Wisconsin Hello San Juanico The Ashley’s Make The Move

    Goodbye Wisconsin Hello San Juanico The Ashley’s Make The Move

    In today's Slow Baja Podcast Conversation, I feel like I need to start adding a disclaimer to my recordings. "Slow Baja is not responsible for your desires to blow up your life and move to Baja. Please listen to these shows at your peril; Slow Baja LLC and Slow Baja Adventures are not responsible for feelings of irrational exuberance for living near cacti or an irrepressible desire to surf regularly or fish from a kayak daily."

    Or consider the version sent by my legal team:
    No part of the Slow Baja Podcast shall inspire you, your family, or your heirs to sell all your worldly possessions and move to Baja. The views expressed in the Slow Baja Podcast are mine, and mine alone, not necessarily those of my sponsors, their agents, Slow Baja Adventures, Slow Baja LLC, its directors, officers, or employees. I make no representation or accept any liability for the accuracy or completeness of the information provided herein regarding the quality of tacos, adobado, birria, queso birria, al pastor, carne asada, or fried fish and or shrimp. Unless expressly stated, the quesadillas are routinely regarded as excellent. Seafood tostadas in Ensenada may be the finest street food in the world. This message is not intended to be relied upon without subsequent written confirmation of its contents. Slow Baja LLC, therefore, shall not accept any liability of any kind that may arise from any person acting upon the contents of this Podcast without having had, at a minimum, two tequilas and two Tecates and driven at least seventy miles of dirt road in the preceding week.

    All humor aside, listen to Hallie and Austin tell their incredible story, and for the record, I only take the tiniest morsel of credit for what happened. Enjoy this Slow Baja Conversation recorded initially in February 2023. 

    • 39 min
    An ADV Ride For The Ages Chris Gardner And Dom O'Mahoney On The 2023 BajaXL Rally

    An ADV Ride For The Ages Chris Gardner And Dom O'Mahoney On The 2023 BajaXL Rally

    Longtime riding buddies Chris Gardner and Dom O'Mahoney share a harrowing tale from a Baja ADV ride gone wrong. "When it's time to shut it down --when you are on your last redundant backup plan --it's not time to keep carrying on and bombing down these roads. Our ride was over, but we were just overwhelmed with fun, and we lost sight of that." -Chris Gardner on an ADV Ride For The Ages.



    Strap in as these two highly experienced riders talk about how they were having too much fun to shut it down when everything went wrong. Dom was lucky that the fire he experienced on the first night --that burned almost everything he had with him --spared his Garmin In-Reach and waterproof tent cover. Those two items probably saved his life. He used the tent cover for warmth and shelter as he weathered the cold and rain on the night he spent exposed to the elements.



    Coincidentally, he had just gotten his Garmin In-Reach charged the day he broke down. He chose his out-of-country communications contact wisely, as that fellow (Matt) a former Navy Seal --remained very calm, all things considered. Ultimately, we were lucky that we only had a modest story of endurance while exposed to the elements in Dom's case --and a harrowing tale of devotion to one's mission in the face of extreme adversity in Chris' case.



    Happy New Year, and thank you to all who tuned in in 2023 and are still listening today. Please watch this conversation on YouTube. And as always, subscribe, post, tag, and r--emember to enjoy the ride.

    • 1 hr

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
117 Ratings

117 Ratings

CoachDCSCS ,

Great interviewer

I absolutely love Michael’s interviewing style. He asks opened questions giving each guest the opportunity to tell their story without interruptions. There is a free flowing nature to the conversation that makes each episode unique. I hope you enjoy his podcast as much as I do.

greyhairedcjowner ,

Great content!

Mike Emery has a verity of topics and guests related to Baja California. Laid back conversational style and varied backgrounds of the guests keeps it interesting. “ Ask your Doctor if Baja is right for you “

Heyrr ,

Michael es numero uno on how to travel Baja

Seriously, Michael es numero uno on how to travel Baja

Top Podcasts In Leisure

Critical Role
Critical Role
THIS CAR POD! With Doug DeMuro & Friends!
Doug DeMuro
The Big Three by Donut Media
Donut
Dig, Plant, Water, Repeat
Caloroga Shark Media
Duck Call Room
Si Robertson & Justin Martin
ClutterBug - Organize, Clean and Transform your Home
Clutterbug

You Might Also Like

The Overland Journal Podcast
Scott Brady, Ashley Giordano, and Matt Scott
Tales From Baja
Adriana & Dominic
The Ezra Klein Show
New York Times Opinion
Adventure Sports Podcast
Mason Gravley
Desert Oracle Radio
Ken Layne
The Surfer’s Journal presents Soundings with Jamie Brisick
The Surfer’s Journal