We?ve all heard of David K?s favorite spot, his ?Shell Island?. Well now I?ll tell you about my first experience there.
It was the winter of 95 or early 96 and the days were short here on the east side of the Sierra San Pedro Matir. My girlfriend took her dune buggy
and headed out about noon to ?go shelling? as she was prone to do. I puttered around the place doing what I don?t remember but when the sunset I
began to wonder where she was. About 730, three hours after sundown, I headed into town, not really expecting to find her but just had to do
something. Lo and behold ? there she was, walking near the glorieta. ?What happened and where?s your buggy? I asked, relieved to find her, but
concerned about her walking. She told of going to shell beach south of town and finding wondrous shells. She got stuck once in the loose dry sand
but got out without much trouble. But as she started to leave for home about sundown, she got stuck again. She dug and dug and lowered tire pressure
and nothing worked so she walked the 3 or so miles to the highway and caught a ride to town, arriving about the same time I did. I was driving my VW
Bus so we went back home and got my Baja Bug ? better for the sand and getting someone un-stuck.
We headed back south past Percebu turnoff to the road to Shell Beach. When we got near the beach, I noticed where someone had been working building a
bridge. ?Why a bridge here?, I wondered but drove a little closer to the beach and parked. We walked the remaining 100 meters or so to her buggy.
Sitting with the rear wheels in a hole about 3 ft deep with the nose pointing up at a 45 deg. Angle. With a quick look at the situation, I decided
that daylight was needed as well as a looooong rope. We got back to my Baja Bug and like a fool I tried to turn around. Now I?m stuck also. Well
there?s construction material around, boards etc. so with my trusty jack, I started to try to get unstuck.
?Need any help? came a voice from the darkness toward the beach. We looked around and here are 5 Mexican men coming across the sand. Of course I
need help. The leader asked Trish why she had refused their help earlier in the day. She explained she got out of that problem OK but had gotten
stuck later. This was the crew that was building the bridge. We all went back to her buggy and with just manpower got it out of the hole and pushed
it out to solid ground (just west of where the bridge is now). Then we pushed mine out to the same area and was getting ready to head out when I
smelled gasoline. Looked at her buggy and found that the angle it had been at had let the gas tank drain into the crankcase and it was overflowing
with gasoline. Not driving this tonight.
So after offers to pay or buy cervasa or tequila which were all refused, we headed back home. About ? way to the highway ? boom ? the bonnet flew off
the Baja Bug and over the roof. Well, after putting it back on and this time latching it, we headed out again. Into San Felipe, get some comida and
head on home. The next day, with a tow-bar and my Bronco II I rescue the buggy and give it a oil change and the next day she was back ?shelling? at
one of the many beaches in the area.
May all your trips to the "island" be a little less bother.
Mexitron - 7-28-2004 at 11:08 AM
Another great Baja story....nice one Lou.tunaeater - 7-28-2004 at 01:27 PM
Right on Lou!! Thanks for the story.. I wonder how many times I've been stuck in Baja....probably close to my age of 35 or maybe more.....Paul
Pretty much
jrbaja - 7-28-2004 at 01:34 PM
standard procedure for those that travel in Baja.
We love hearing the stories though so keep em coming... Thanks Lou.
Great Story, Lou...
Herb - 7-28-2004 at 02:18 PM
I, too have been stuck there. Didn't air down before driving on it. "I've got 4-wheel drive with low range!" was my misguided thinking. That just
allowed me to dig all 4 wheels equally deep down to the axles!
After hearing you speak of the "bonnet" flying off, I've got to ask where you are from? The UK or Australia I would suspect.
[Edited on 7-28-2004 by Herb]
Bonnet
bajalou - 7-28-2004 at 02:32 PM
No Herb, I grew up in western Colorado which is also desert county 10 miles from Utah with Canyonland, Arches etc - my favorite world (besides Baja).
I got my first VW in 62, a 57 single cab for those of you that know VW's. Got rid of it when I got tired of all the trucks passing me on the
Grapevine. Bonnet is the word used for the front lid on a VW and I've had a few (9 right now counting dunebuggies and desert rails) so sometimes use
the official description.
David K - 7-28-2004 at 03:31 PM
Neal Johns calls it 'bottomless sand' and for good reason! It is all about air pressure. A 2WD can drive on it if the pressure in all 4 tires is
greatly reduced. Bob & Pat Hale regularly drive a big motorhome out onto the island (beach). I have driven it without letting air out, but the engine
really has to work. 10-15 psi is best for my 4 ply tires. My little Subarus did the best, with little 13" tires (aired down to 10 psi) on that sand.
Low range will bury you fast! You need momentum to stay on top. Never use brakes hard, turn sharp, or stop facing uphill (steep beach). The buldge of
the tire's sidewalls is what keeps you floating on the sand. If the image shows, here is Shell Island from the north point, looking south (Percebu is
to the right of the photo). David K - 7-28-2004 at 03:40 PM
Here is another overhead view... way overhead, from space! Just south of Shell Island, Bahia Santa Maria is easy to spot. It's back bay goes behind
Shell Island from the south, and Percebu's lagoon seperates the island from the north. At extreme high tides the two lagoons connect and seperate the
island from the mainland, flooding a large flat area west of the island. That is why I call it Shell Island and not Shell Beach. I also think 'Island'
is more exotic sounding!
What part of CO did you grow up in? I spent many years in western Colorado. Junction, Rifle, Glenwood springs...I also lived from 78-83 in Moab.
What a great place to be a kid. We just took a family trip 92 weeks ago) to Arches on our way to Fruita to see my bro.bajalou - 7-28-2004 at 03:56 PM
Fruita - born there,l lived in Loma till I was 10, then Fruita thru high school. G Jct for the next 6, then moved to Calif in 57. So Cal, Bay Area,
then Baja Calif. in 95.
That western Colo - eastern Utah is some of the greatest county. Dead Horse Point!!
Email me and we'll share some more.
bajalou@telnor.net
Dead Horse Point....
Mexray - 7-28-2004 at 09:20 PM
Now there's a name from years past...camping with family after driving from Nor-Calif in our small rig, towing a plastic VW buggy! We had driven
down a really STEEP, switch-back grade on the way...can't remember the name of that road, but it was an exciting experience in a 23 ft MoHo towing a
buggy!
At the DHP camp, we were entertained one afternoon by a couple of snakes, under a bush, embraced in an amorous 'dance', looking a lot like a 'barber
pole' withering on the ground!
We drove in our buggy down the White Rim Trail for miles, and stopped at a rock-bridge right on the rim...and walked across it's 3 foot wide ledge,
hundreds of feet above the canyon...really scary - one little stumble and one would be heading for a real quick look at the river below!
What great country there in Utah...we spend several years exploring SW Utah...ever been to Kodachrome park area, south of Cannonville? You used to be
able to 4WD all over the place down there...I hear it's all different now that the Clinton Administration made much of the area a 'National Monument'
and they closed thousands of acres to vehicles...sad indeed!
sorry to intrude on your thread with ramblings of UT & CO
bajapablo - 7-28-2004 at 09:43 PM
My youth (age9-14) was spent hiking in Arches, Dead Horse Point, Canyonlands and more. It was a great place to be a boy scout. I have fond memories
of jeep safaries, campouts, the La Sal mtns, and riding my stingray (with the banana seat AND sissy bar) on the slick rock trail before mtn. bikes
were even invented. My dad used to work at the uranium mill there...Kodachrome is cool. Mexray have you been to calf creek falls? I have done some
backpacking near escalante which is beautiful country also. Bryce Canyon NP, Zion NP, it is all near. I feel blessed to live in such close proximity
to it all (living in St. George) The problem is that it is a long drive to baja!
Ay Cavron !!!
jrbaja - 7-28-2004 at 09:45 PM
Any of you desert dudes been to Coyote Gulch out of Escalante ?
Unfortunately, it was b.c.. Before Camera.
[Edited on 7/29/2004 by jrbaja]
Now I know!
Sallysouth - 7-28-2004 at 10:14 PM
Thanks David! I've seen this view from the sky and never put it together until now with your" Shell Island". What a beautiful image and one that I
think we must explore, now that we have seen it!Ah, the beauty of Baja!
Hiked coyote gulch in '92 or '93
bajapablo - 7-28-2004 at 10:14 PM
Me and a collge friend when down one spring break while attending Utah State. we entered at hurricane wash and spent 3 nights down in the gulch. I
still remember jug handle arch and the arch/bridge that you hike under (that the stream runs under). We hiked to jacob hamblin arch and then turned
around and hiked out the way we came in. What an awesome hike! I took a camera but the pictures are somewhere in an unmarked shoebox. I did find a
couple on the web to help you rekindle the memories jrbaja.
Maybe I'll post a picture...
bajapablo - 7-28-2004 at 10:16 PM
then again, maybe not...
bajapablo - 7-28-2004 at 10:19 PM
screw it! 3 strikes I'm out on the picture post. Here's the link...
Bajapablo....great pic's...the escanlante area is something to behold, as are the other places you mentioned in SW Utah.
Can't remember if we made it to Calf Creek Falls or not...
About 25 or 30 years ago, my folks (also from Nor-Cal) happened upon Kodachrome...and befriended the guy that worked for the State that looked after
the area. His name is Shakespeare, and there is a small arch nearby named after him. Shakespeare and his family lived in Cannonville and became good
friends over the years. My dad was an old-time Ham Radio Operator, and made up a special tuning coil for them so they could pick up some distant AM
radio stations in the evenings, way out there in the back country. We made 2 or 3 visits there over the years. The State Park guy took us on several
trips in the out-back and showed us a couple of ancient indian rocked in caves with old pottery used to hold grain in the off-season, it's believed.
These sites were a guarded secret, for obvious reasons, and we always felt so privileged to have been able to see them! Wish I had some pic's!
Have you ever explored over by Topaz Mt., near the Nevada border? We stopped there one trip and spent the day chipping Topaz crystals from the
basalt-like rock that abounds in the area. It was a private claim, but the public was allowed to look for crystals with manual tools only. We still
have some of those gems around the house to remind us of those fun trips with our kids!
Also, just to the north of the Topaz diggin's there's a large area loaded with small egg-shaped Geodes, laying on the surface...we snagged a few, cut
em' open when back home for the kids to use as show-and-tell at school...just good fun family stuff for all!
BTW...if you've been to Kodachrome, you'll know of the prominent rock 'feature' there. It's called 'Chimney Rock', but most who first view it, tend
to refer to it as a part of the male anaotomy...it was always fun to watch the expressions of new visitors as they would approach this 'rock'!
the
bajapablo - 7-29-2004 at 09:53 AM
I think any male who has visited the area probably has a picture standing near the "feature"
Where exactly is Topaz mtn? It sounds like a good family adventure. All of my kids love looking for cool rocks. We even found a matate (sp?) when
we were out looking for arrowheads and pine nuts one fall. It is the rock that corn was ground on to make flour. I have never been to Cannonville
but your memories sound awesome. I really like exploring and my kids and wife fortunately do also. Sometimes I wonder why I am becoming so obsessed
with baja when I have all of this cool stuff so near, and then I go there again and realize that my obsession is not unfounded.bajalou - 7-29-2004 at 10:08 AM
Last summer my wife and I worked at a RV park in Hatch UT. Visited Kodachrome and Cannonville. Took our F250D down Cottonwood wash to hghy 89 near
Page AZ. Great trip - some of the road reminded me a lot of some of the Baja back roads. Topaz mtn is just west of Ely off hghy 50. I too have a few
I picked up therea few years ago. And the old mining towns - Hamilton - south off 50 in the same general area. In my time it was a ghost town,l
working mine, then a ghost town again. The petroglyphs in Thompsons canyon, and south of greenriver. A dinosour footprint in the rock. That a
place.
Wow Pablo
jrbaja - 7-29-2004 at 10:42 AM
That's friggen awesome.
Doug is workin on the posting pics. problem that we are all having.
Spent two weeks backpacking Escalante/ Coyote Gulch probably around 1973. There was a group of about 12 of us that went from Jackson Hole. Two had
been before so we had guides and the only other people we ran into the entire time was 4 German guys that were there for the climbing.
One of the best hamburgers I ever tasted was at the only cafe in Escalante when we got out of the canyon after backpacking food for two weeks.Bob H - 7-29-2004 at 12:16 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by jrbaja
One of the best hamburgers I ever tasted was at the only cafe in Escalante when we got out of the canyon after backpacking food for two weeks.
JR, isn't it amazing how you can remember things like that? I can remember the best breakfast I ever had, which was in the late 60's while passing
through Ocala Florida. Large black woman in the kitchen, white cloth rapped around her head and a cigarette hanging out of her mouth as she sang
Baptist hymns while she was cooking our breakfast. I'll never forget it.
Bob Helgatoloco - 7-29-2004 at 01:00 PM
bajapablo
Thanks for that link and story and photos!!
No problem mon
bajapablo - 7-29-2004 at 03:05 PM
it helped me dig out some good memories...
and back to Shell Island...
David K - 7-29-2004 at 06:02 PM
from the ground, looking north... it's low tide and a couple Nomads are looking for goodies in the distance (Feb.,04)...
[Edited on 7-30-2004 by David K]
New Year's Day 2001
David K - 7-29-2004 at 06:11 PM
Photo taken by Lorenzo de Baja of me and my almost new truck on Shell Island...
Topaz Mt Info...
Mexray - 7-29-2004 at 08:58 PM
I searched a bit and came up with this neat site that gives the low-down on topaz Mt, UT....
It describes the area just as I remember it some 25 years ago...hasn't changed much, it seems!Neal Johns - 7-29-2004 at 10:52 PM
jrbaja and bajapablo,
My current wife :-) Marian, who drove the length of Baja in 1967, hiked Coyote Gulch, UT also, her story:
In 1974 my then husband, Don, and our 3 year old son, David, plus our two Samoyeds (dogs) backpacked from the 50 Mile Road down Hurricane
Wash and Coyote Gulch to the Escalante River and Stevens Arch. Took three days and two nights. Little David was a real trooper and hiked the whole way
down and back (I think round-trip was about 21 miles) carrying a little pack of his own. The dogs also carried packs containing their dog food.
In 1978, I hiked down the Escalante River, starting at about mile 25 (on the 50 Mile Road), then up Coyote Gulch and back to the road. That
was a 7 day/ 55 mile backpack - in and out of the river countless times (wet feet; wet boots). My feet hurt for several months after that trip.
I'd like to see Coyote Gulch again if I could get Neal to go too, but we haven't done any backpacking in several years. Guess we're getting
too old. However, we do a lot of day hiking in Utah, especially around Bluff, Blanding and Moab.
We also lead free 4 wheel drive trips for the Desert Explorers (desertexplorers.org) all over the west and Baja, plus NW
mainland Mexico.
Topaz and beyond
bajapablo - 7-30-2004 at 12:28 PM
Thanks, mexray for the link to Topaz. I think we will make a weekend jaunt in the fall. Neal, thanks for the story. I am ready to do coyote again
after having the fire rekindled. DK sorry for intruding on your thread and thanks for the info on playa santa maria on calacowbows threadbajalou - 7-30-2004 at 12:50 PM
I apologies for my earlier post saying Topas Mt was W or Ely NV. Crossed up on different rocks - thinking of the Garnet field W or Ely. Sure glad
no one is silly enough to follow my directions.
David K - 7-30-2004 at 05:59 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by bajapablo
... DK sorry for intruding on your thread and thanks for the info on playa santa maria on calacowbows thread
Not a problem Paul, it is Bajalou's thread, anyway... sometimes things are mentioned that creates new conversations... and that is great!
De nada on the Playa Santa Maria thing... One of the new photos added to http://choralpepper.com shows Erle Stanley Garder at the Santa Maria Sky Ranch, which had clam shells covering the roof.bajalou - 8-6-2005 at 04:01 PM
Just bringing back a thread of my first trip to Shell Island
Baja Nomads have a lot in common-----
Barry A. - 8-6-2005 at 05:19 PM
I horse-packed down into Grand Gulch, west of Montecello, Ut for a week back in about 1975-----what a trip!!!! and what wonderful country.
For 4 years from 1968 to early 1973 I ran pontoon boats thru the canyons of the Green and Yampa rivers within Dinosaur National Monument----best 4
years of my life, and the best job I ever had----they payed me to do that. (-:
In 1987 my son and I canoed the Green River from Green River, Ut. to the confluence with the Colorado River, below Moab. Trip took us a week. Tex
McClachy came down river from Moab in his jet boat and hauled us back to Moab. More wonderful country.
Been back to that country so many times since, it is like a second home to me. Almost as wild as Baja.bajalou - 8-6-2005 at 05:58 PM
That it is Barry, I love to go thru that whole area - but the winters are a bit cool for me now.
