capt. mike - 11-30-2003 at 02:07 PM
The pre-trip banter building for days was plenty exciting enough what with all the chatter all over the web and elsewhere, I couldn't wait to escape
my office thursday late morning and head out to Brown Field to load up and take off for Ensenada. In the air by shortly after 12:00, and in great VFR
conditions, I knew a landing to clear customs at MMES would be a no-brainer (frequently it's fogged or low overcast requiring an instument approach).
20 or so minutes after crossing overhead TJ's runway southbound I was over the city and bay of Ensenada and looking down on all the action at the
contingency events. Right before contacting the tower for an advisory I hear a chopper call in that he was 15 north, inbound for landing, and that he
was "lead call" for a group of 5 helicopters! I was maybe 8 or 9 miles north so no factor, but I was hoping to see them come in for a formation
landing.
I soon landed and saw 4 other obviously baja team's choppers on the ramp, 2 getting fuel. Went in and was closed by one of the friendliest desk
attendants I'd experienced in a while. He did my next hop planner and took my landing fee payment in record time - no customs nor migracion
inspections - nada. Only had to stop in the comandante's office and have him look at my enforce one year's General Declaration (in and out pass) and
sign my plan de vuelo. We chatted a bit about the work of the Samaritanos and then I was off.
Climbing south bound for San Quintin I decided to hug the coast as it had been a few years since I'd surveyed that area, most of my baja flying
involves the Sea of Cortez side. As is typical, the vistas were breathtaking. Too bad there just aren't many places to land along the Pacific side as
I'd go there more often.
It took all of 45 minutes and I was in a slow descent for the landing at Cielito Lindo's newly improved runway. They have lengthened and widened it so
bigger planes should be able to safely get in and out. Great job by the lessors Dave and Juanita Peterson!
Taxied in to park and a resident from Parker, "Gino", who flies his nice V tailed Bonanza in, gave me a ride to the bar/office with all my "stuff" in
tow. He then left, and I found that there were no more rooms available, so I trekked/schlepped the 1/4 mile back to the strip to throw everything back
into the plane. It was time to hike up to the wet buzzard and check the temp of the draft beer. I needed to start the pounding of the brews - it was
time....
It's ice cold, and best by the pitcher! Met some folks headed to Mulege area from Oregon and enjoyed hearing their road adventures while quaffing
pacifico draft, puffing on a fresh puro and watching the excellent view of the beach from the 2nd floor veranda at Gypsies!
4:00 and still no sign of the crew I'm hooking up with - plus i'm already getting 1/2 in the bag! I walk back to the main bar at CL, order a marg and
overhear new amiga "Paulina" say, "they're here!" so I walk out to the patio and run smack dab in to a smiling group of baja 1000 pros ready to party!
We greet and all head in for more drinks and dinner. I had eaten several tacos earlier at Gypsies as a late lunch/dinner filler so was by then not
wanting to eat much, but I was pouring copious amounts of vino down the gullet. Soon however I was fading into mental obscurity and retreated (read
disappeared!) to my primitive "campsite", a sleeping bag beneath the wing of my Piper. I missed the late night partying by the crew at
Gypsies...that's ok though, I made up for it the next night at Gonzaga. See part 2....
I'm up early as usual scouting for coffee, and run into 2 friends who slept little as a function of a fiesta that went until well past 4:00 A.M. in
the parking lot by their rooms! Oh, well - time to get things in motion, starting with the "motosat" which needed some cable surgery or the famous
"real-time" reporting on www.off-road.com would not be happening. But 1st we needed a soldering iron - Dave Peterson to the rescue! Soon but with a lot of degree of
difficulity repairs are made to his connection ables and Voila! it works. A bonus - we find a Mexican cell phone laying in the dirt lot next to the
remnants of the past night's fiesta, and it works! I call mi esposa in Scottsdale using the 001 starter like you do with Latadel pre-paid cards - no
problem! Before long everyone who wants to is racking up the LD minutes on this poor person's lost phone....perhaps a kharma'd payback to those who
kept our people up??...
A coupla breakfast burros (and no, they weren't that great, contrary to what some on nomad's boards tout!) and some coffee later, DB says to me,
"Let's roll, we're waitin' on ya!" Now I'm in the Dodge diesel Baja ready truck with DB and his pretty daughter barreling down the dirt roads like no
body's biz! What a ride! His engine and suspension package allow him to run at full-on race speed over the bumpiest roads and you just have to hang
on! But it's incredibly smooth in the cab! Most impressive, he also sports a powered refridgerator as a console. Talk about taking along a few
"roadies"! Now this is living off-road style!
Soon we're blowin' down mex HW 1 headed to RM 205 to set up for DP racing's 101x moto team when this bunch of kid's in a micro truck toyota or
something are on the right side road shoulder and they're trying to race us! He (other driver) almost crashes as we aren't going to let him pass us to
get on the pavement! Infrickincredible! We continue towards the pits and arrive all the while keeping the travel chatter up on the vehicles race
radios with all the others, all in their own rigs headed over with us. Some are out in search of places to get quality pictures for uploading later to
the 000's of armchair racers living it via the internet. I was a part of that crowd last year, out with a hurt back so I know how important it is to
get the blow by blows when you can't be there watching it!
We're pretty early on the arrival and get set up for team 101x as well as for the trophy rig of Scott Steinberger who's pit DB wants to assist with as
well before they all head south to chapala.
By 11:30 or so the 1st motos are coming thru! Very exciting now as a general buzz throughout the throngs of people develops as to who's leading what
class, who is out of the race already, and when are which racers/teams expected to hit the RM 205 pits. We hear from race radio relays that our man
with 101x has spilled the bike somewhere on the 1st stretch, taking with it the headlights, as well as his ability to take a future leg. He's shaken
and injured but nothing life threatening. Joe "Hauler" is ready to take the helm as soon as 101x comes through, but 1st some planning...they know that
with out the elec load of the lights the regulator will over heat and eventually cook the elec system. But, to disconnect the leads and check the reg,
they would have to 1st pull the tank and then do some other tricks - and it all needed to happen fast to preserve the lead which they had of about 9
minutes time at the check! And fast it was, the team with Joe, DB, Homey, Bob and others worked like a well organized machine to effect the changes in
what seemed like only 2 or 3 minutes.
Joe is off like a rocket! Headed out to cover what may well be the toughest and hardest to ride parts of the course. DB advises me that these (101x
riders) are some of the best professional riders on the circuit. I understand now more of what it takes and am totally impressed. I am sore after
riding my street bike on pavement after 6 hours! To do this type of riding you have to be bulletproof!
Now we have to wait for the big dogs, the Trophy trucks to come though. We move to be closer to the PCI no. 7 pit area, a great place to watch 'cause
its right past a slight turn and they'll be powering their way through it and then over-correcting at full power. We soon had the fortune of seeing 5
Trophys come blaring through all within a few minutes or even seconds apart from each other. 1st was Pflueger and he pitted. The others didn't pit as
far as I could tell, but to see them that close raging by was pure adrenaline! Nothing except unlimited class air racing at Reno comes close to the
display of raw brute power of these trucks.
Unfortunately Steinberger is stuck in silt so he's digging out and will be late through, so we have to go. DB needs to drop me off at CL and then he's
going to continue to Chapala. It's about 4:30 pm, just enough time to get back to the airstrip and launch for gonzaga before the sun sets behind the
mountains there. It's takes about 40 minutes to hop across the peninsula and I want to get there with at least some daylight for safety and also be
able to spot some action from the air enroute. The "Weatherman" and all the race planes are on 122.75 mhz so I can follow it all while traveling over
to Gonzaga. As I cruise southwesterly watching the plumes of rising dust from the racers below heading to Santa ynez and the turn west I think to
myself, "you're in the air again over baja.....headed towards more cold beer, friendly faces and whatever else you might find...live is so goooooood!!
part 2 coming later - race night in Gonzaga! dark skies, bright lights, loud engines and mas gentes locos!!