EL CAMPO SANTO CEMETERY (THE HOLY FIELD), OLD TOWN, SAN DIEGO

El Campo Santo Cemetery (2410 San Diego Avenue) is a historical site on the edge of Old Town, San Diego—often missed by those walking or driving by. It's small with very little signage, even though almost 500 bodies were interred here.

There are dozens of white wooden crosses and picket fences (characteristic of Catholic cemeteries in the 1800s), some are broken or vandalized. Most of the grave sites are unmarked and placed in a rather haphazard manner. Several are surrounded by a circle of rocks, others by delicate iron fences. The grounds are bare with no grass or flowers. An adobe wall surrounds it.

Between 1849 and 1897, this was an active Catholic cemetery and the final resting place for 477 of Old Town's citizens including gamblers, bandits and others that happened to be passing through. Today, 120 years since the last burial, there are about 40 actual marked grave sites on the cemetery grounds.

Through the years, much of the original grounds have been covered over to allow for the expansion of the city. In 1889, tracks for the Santa Fe Railroad were built through the center of the cemetery. At the time the grave markers were removed, but not the physical bodies. The electric trains continued to run through the grounds on a daily basis until the 1940s. Then, the they were replaced by the expansion of San Diego Avenue for an all-bus transit system.

In 1994, a plaque was placed here to remember the more than 20 men, women and children who lie buried beneath San Diego Avenue. In addition, small brass circles that say “Grave Site” were embedded in the nearby sidewalk and street. Another plaque, near Linwood Avenue, behind the cemetery honors another 13 burials below the street. The grave sites were discovered with ground-penetrating radar.

Some of the more notorious citizens that are buried here include: James Robinson “Yankee Jim” (?-1852), a French-Canadian outlaw, who was sentenced to death by hanging for stealing the only rowboat in San Diego; and Antonio Garra, a Cupeňo Indian chief, who was convicted in 1851 of inciting the local indigenous people to revolt against the Americans and to expel them from Southern California. His sentence, death by firing squad, took place at his grave site that still can be seen within the grounds. As he was shot, he fell backward into his grave and was covered over.

Not surprisingly, this cemetery and those interred here are frequently mentioned on the the popular San Diego ghost tours.

The center of Old Town, San Diego, is beautifully maintained as a State Historic Park. However, El Santo Campo Cemetery lies outside those boundaries and is owned and maintained by the City of San Diego. There have been many plans through the years to restore and protect the cemetery, however, to date, not much has been accomplished. It's just old and left alone on the edge of Old Town, one of San Diego's most popular tourist destinations. I find the old place intriguing and often return for a visit when I'm in the area. I expect that in time it will be restored, but for now, I like it the way it is.

2018 TRAVEL & ADVENTURE SHOW IN SANDIEGO--JANUARY 13-14

Travel & Adventure shows are the #1 series of travel shows in the U.S. They are held in eight separate locations throughout the country from January through March. The first show of 2018 was held in San Diego on January 13-14.

With over 140 exhibits, four stages, dance performances, and cooking presentations, deciding where to spend my time is always a challenge. However, since I enjoy hearing travel stories almost as much as I love to travel, I head for the travel theater to listen to travel stars like Samantha Brown, Peter Greenberg, Rudy Maxa, and Patricia Schultz share their adventures and expertise. 

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SamanthaBrown has always been one of the most popular speakers, and this year was no exception. She's been hosting television travel shows for over 15 years and recently launched her own public television series, Places to Love. The series of ten half-hour episodes feature places throughout the world, with the goal of getting to know the places directly from the people who live there and know it best. Samantha has the wonderful ability to make travel look fun and make the art of conversation look easy.

If the programs are not available in your viewing area, you can download the PBS app and watch them anytime for free. I just now signed up for the app and spent 30 enjoyable minutes with “Samantha Brown in Bern, Switzerland”—I couldn't recommend her show more highly. The next episode takes place in Brooklyn, NY, it should be good because that's where she currently hails from.

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RUDY MAXA

Rudy Maxa, travel expert, writer, and television personality, has produced 85 travel shows for public television. He is producer of the popular weekly radio program, Rudy Maxa's World with the Carey's.

As usual, he had some words of wisdom to share with the audience:

--If you want to go somewhere, set the date and work your schedule  around it—or it just won't happen.

--Engage with the locals more. A few suggested websites: are Eatwith.com, Mealsharing.com, and Travelingspoon.com.

        

--Every place can be discovered—it can also become your next favorite place.

--Travel in your own hometown.

Then, a few interesting facts: the average American takes 3.8 days of vacation per year; the first commercial jet air flight was in 1952; the Milestone Motel in San Luis Obispo, California, opened in 1925—it was the first motel in the world. At that time, you could rent a two-bedroom bungalow with a kitchen for $1.25 a night. It closed in 1991, however, you can still see part of the original structure if you are driving along Hwy 101 halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

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PeterGreenberg, an Emmy Award-winning journalist and CBS News Travel Editor, travels 420,000 miles a year. Of the many programs he has produced for public television, a favorite is The Royal Tour. In this series, he does one-on-one journeys through countries with their heads of state.

Here are his predictions for the most popular travel destinations of 2018:

Portugal with its a high standard of living at a low cost. TAP, the Portugal airlines, MM allows for free five-day layovers in Portugal before flying on to your final destination.

Malta, a southern European island country is also on the list. Only a two-hour flight from Rome—offering a warm climate, great food, historical monuments, and three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Valletta, the Megalithic Temples of Malta, and Hal Saflieni Hypogeum (underground cemetery).

Baja California, Mexico, is well known for its hundreds of miles of coastline, however, the hidden secret is a great wine. Wine tours have become popular and Baja now exports 75% of its wine to France.

The Faroe Islands, halfway between Iceland and Norway, are best visited in the summer when there are 22 hours of daylight. It consists of 18 islands and many are connected by underground tunnel roads.

Chile is another popular destination. A place of natural beauty with mountains, a coastline, national parks, forests, and lakes to enjoy.

Detroit, Michigan, the motor city, is making a comeback due to its restoration of buildings, parks, and restaurants along the riverfront.

York, Pennsylvania, is considered a good place to learn about American history while enjoying great food. It's also known as the factory tour capital of the world. It sounds like a great place for a family vacation.

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Just one last thing: I didn't spend my entire time at the travel theater. I also stopped to visit Eli the camel and took advantage of the free camel ride that is provided to all visitors at the Travel & Adventure show. I guess that qualifies me for a three-day camel safari ride.                                                                                               

PATRICIA SCHULTZ 

1,000 PLACES TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE