It was a shock to hear when we lost Debra almost years ago. Her final post on Nomad was in November 2015 and she left this planet on Feb. 22, 2017.
From Port Orchard, Washington, she discovered Amigos de Baja and our group (which became Baja Nomads soon after) around 2001 and joined the Viva Baja
Van tour to get a taste for our kind of fun... From that trip, she became close with Paulina, the Humfreville's, and soon became a regular at Camp
Gecko. Her humor was the best and the fun debates with Mike Humfreville were endless... calling each other 'Putz'.
Here first handle, 'travelpearl' came from the agency she worked at, Pearl Travel... as I recall.
Here are my photos of Debra...
2001:
Travelpearl (aka Debra) finally relaxes after traveling nearly 1,500 miles to Cielito Lindo
Travelpearl (Debra) relaxes before the day's adventure begins from Cielito Lindo.
Travelpearl's cell phone is useless in this remote desert. Perhaps the well placed Viva Baja sticker will bring assistance! Very funny Debra! That is
Mike Humfreville on the right, on our return hike from Tinaja de Yubay.
Desert Rat, Travelpearl, Sarah, and David Eidell pose with Coco at Coco's Corner.
Travelpearl and Mary Ann Humfrville chat, while the guys figure how to keep Mike Humfreville's Poor Old Truck ('POT') from losing any more parts on
the rocky road south of Puertecitos!
2002:
Travelpearl (aka Debra) and Paulina ride over to our camp to visit Sarah and me at Camp Gecko.
Debra (Travelpearl) at Montevideo.
At Las Hamacas Restaurant, L.A. Bay:
Top Row: Bedman, Baja Nana, David K, Travelpearl, Kathy, Jim, Mary Ann Humfreville
Center: Sarah K, Cody, Katie
Bottom: Emma, Miguelito, Paulina
Linda presents Juanita (Rancho Cielito Lindo) with a new addition for the Wet Buzzard Bar at Gypsy's RV Park. Travelpearl is seated with dark glasses
on.
2004:
Yvonne, Debra, and David A enjoying the sea view at Camp Gecko as I say goodbye and head home.
2007:
'Debra' (formerly known as 'travelpearl') talking with another guest at the Pyramid Resort (he was once TV's Lone Ranger).
Adios Travelpearl!fishbuck - 1-31-2019 at 03:29 PM
I remember her from the Book signing and her posts.
Go with God, mi amiga.Paulina - 1-31-2019 at 05:01 PM
Today, January 31st, is her birthday.
One fun story to share, one summer Debra was staying with me in Bahia. There was a large group camping next door. They had gone out clamming,
returning with two milk crates full of clams. Too much. She went for a swim, casually making passes over the spot where the clams had been put in the
water. When she was sure she could easily locate them she got out and returned to our camp. A few hours later she put on her one piece suit and went
for a swim again. When she returned this time she looked like a lumpy pufferfish. If you knew Debra, she was as thin as a rail. This wasn't so when
her swim suit was stuffed full of clams, front and back. We didn't eat the clams, she was rescuing them, swimming them back out to deeper water and
letting them fall from her leg holes a few at a time.
Another time she and I had a mock wedding, wrapped in full length gowns made from mosquito netting. We made a lovely couple in the glow of tiki
torches at twilight. The campers next door didn't bother us after that. (Yes, there are photos)
Happy memories, happy birthday.
P>*)))>{David K - 1-31-2019 at 05:29 PM
Thanks Paulina for sharing that!
You helped remind me of one more trip that Debra was with us on! This photo is from August 2001, at Punta Cabras, when we all met Dern, who helped her
with pain reliever after she hurt her back badly... I believe it was Debra who introduced you to Dern? She was a great amiga de Baja!
GROUP PHOTO
In here is Desert Bull, Travelpearl, Beth, 4Baja, and other friends, including Fishin' Rich, on the right.willardguy - 1-31-2019 at 10:31 PM
I remember Debra calling out Eidell as a lying, cheating, thieving POS....I notice that conversation has disappeared...imagine that55steve - 2-1-2019 at 08:47 AM
I used to enjoy hanging out with Debra at Gecko - good times! David K - 2-1-2019 at 12:17 PM
Some of my best Baja memories are sitting around the campfire at Camp Gecko with the Humfreville's, Bedman (Steve and Emma), Debra, TW, Paulina,
Packoderm, and others... passing around the Mike Humfreville's cheap beehive bottle tequila, tossing "magic rocks" into the fire (to turn it funny
colors), and telling great stories... until MoonDown!
Of course, we have Doc Abraham to thank for building Camp Gecko on the site where Mike and Mary Ann Humfreville built their first L.A. Bay "summer
home" (as told in the book: In the Shadow of the Volcano)...
Well, there was an incident but it was finally resolved. I think you may have Debra confused with jeans, however?
nope.....I can post it from another site, she was pretty adamant!elgatoloco - 2-1-2019 at 02:48 PM
Debra was a character. Only got to hang out with her a few times but I remember lots of laughs and good times. David K - 2-1-2019 at 03:06 PM
10-4 Matt. That's a great thing too, to remember the laughs!
Willard, that is accurate about Mazatlan and the rest of Debra's post. Jeans' post was far harsher. David even ended up in Bahia Asuncion more
recently, and well, let's not get too far sidebar but you can private message our Nomad their if you need to hear more but his M.O. was not changed. I
deleted a couple of my replies above since you quoted them and no need to see stuff twice that is not about Debra memories.
