Graham Mackintosh on Nomad

I agree with Osprey!

Perhaps some 'specialty' articles... like "The little scorpion that got away"
or "Rattlesnake, it's not just for breakfast anymore"

Thanks for posting the link Graham!

Right on, bro!!!

I guess you forgave the "rattlers" here. That was a nice plug ya got in there Graham for us guys.
Since I've never been to one of your slide shows could you tell me, do you actually use "slides" in your presentations?

Hope you can sell some tales. Then go make some more, we need the fodder.

Graham------It seems ironic that you are labeled a "junior nomad" under your name here------------boy is that a mis-nomer

Something has GOT to be done about that------------perhaps some honorary name besides "junior"????

Again, great to have you with us.

barry

She's probably right Graham. But I'd say you earned your Bachelor's of Bola at the Collegio Isla Angel De La Guarda the hard way.
You really sank your fangs into that place. Really killed it. Really had the place rattled.

Graham, I haven't heard much from my tocayo lately (We came to hear you in Blythe and later you took a trip up the river with us on his boat when you came to Yuma), but I sit on a board of directors with Don Shoening of AWC. I'll ask him about setting something up at the college. Unfortunately, Ian went belly up and the Monarch's Rest sat vacant a couple years. The Quechan bought it then sold and stripped out all the brewing equipment. It's still vacant, waiting to become a restaurant, but will probably never be a micro-brewery again.

Well said, Graham.

It certainly would be great to be able to have this sort of 'quiet time' every year to recharge oneself. I can see how walking the desert would do that about as well as can be done in baja. Perhaps I should do it. Slowing dowwwwwwn. Slow down and live. It's kind of different than what we currently value: fast and exciting.

I think I will purchase your book. I'll buy it for just the 5 sentences written in this post. Well, all except the part about being a "gentleman" - too Brit for me.

Thanks Barry,

You are right to be wary of running to the big island. A large chunk of my "Marooned With Very Little Beer" documents the stories of several boating and kayaking tragedies that occured in the waters between LA Bay and Guardian Angel, and some of the tales of suffering of those who found themselves washed up on the island with no food or water.

Then again, I also recount the stories of hardy souls who visit regularly in 12 foot aluminum boats and sea kayaks.

The great danger of course is the wind, especially those sudden vicious west winds that can seemingly come out of nowhere and be gusting 50-60 mph before you know what's happening. Particularly dangerous when you're relying on paddle power. Such winds combined with sweeping currents and deep upwellings of cold water have taken many lives.

I recall one perfect flat calm day on the island when I was paddling south from my campsite on a glassy, flat calm sea, exploring under cliffs and drifting into coves without a care in the world... imagining it would be a piece of cake to paddle the 15 miles back to LA Bay... but within an hour or two a blasting wind was threatening to send my tent to Sonora and kicking up a roaring Pacific style surf.

Beachcombing and exploring on a perfect day...

And here's a picture from the color spread in my book. Makes me want to be there right now.

OK,

Another picture or two from Guardian Angel Island.

This is me clearly suffering beneath my shade palapa of agave poles and fishing net. Note the small tarp which I could roll out if the February sun felt too warm.

And this is the sunset view that I had to look at every evening. Looking to Las Animas on the peninsula. I'm in the beautiful cove of Este Ton.

One more.

The front of my sit-on-top kayak loaded with useful beachcombing finds. After a couple of weeks alone, I started to talk to that stack.

That kayak weighed 60 lbs and could carry 600 lbs. Hard to beat a sit-on-top in those circumstances. I could jump off and climb back on in about five seconds. Really important with water temp about 60 degrees.

Graham,

Sitting under the shade reading a book...............How did you keep your socks so white?

You look like you're resting up for another set at Wimbleton!



Cheers

Quote:

Originally posted by tripledigitken Graham, Sitting under the shade reading a book...............How did you keep your socks so white? You look like you're resting up for another set at Wimbleton! Cheers

I want to know how many seconds it took Graham to set the timer on his camera and run to the chair and pick up the book as if he'd been sitting there all day.

Fantastic photos!

Great Photos! Thanks.

Surf is up on the big Island!

I have watched the boat launch jetty at camp Gecko with the wind howling and thinking if I was 15 years younger It would make a great Photo. (surfing gecko).

Just time for a quick reply – getting ready to head south to the Pyramid Resort for the author’s book signing.

So for a hasty run-together reply to all the recent questions and comments… hope this makes sense.

The white socks. The socks are deceptively white I’m sure… they’d probably been washed a few times in the sea by that point.

I’ve got pretty good at putting myself in the picture. Had years or practice… close to two years with the Into a Desert Place “Walk around Baja” trip. I’ve learned to put the camera on the ground, on a rock, or a backpack, and run back into frame. Oddly enough, such positioning has often given me my most interesting photos.

I used to use a three or five second timer, but as I’ve got older I find it takes me ten seconds to shuffle back, look poised and natural, or suitably posed and grimacing.

And I have to confess with that palapa picture, not only did it look like I’d been sitting there all day. I HAD been sitting there all day.

That was my bird field guide I was consulting. After befriending a belted kingfisher and an orange-crowned warbler, I wrote in my new "Marooned" book:

“I identified with and felt protective of both of these birds. They were part of my growing family. I had my family and my mansion. God, how little we really need to be happy.”

I’ve never enjoyed hurrying too much… walking and slow paddling are my preferred pace. I usually get there in the end. So, I guess its better late than never with making an appearance on Nomad. But as I writer in the middle of a book, I do prefer to isolate myself from too many contrary opinions to let my own opinions emerge and have the courage to state them no matter how un-pc or far out they may be.

That’s the only courage I aspire to. Anyone who knows me or reads my books knows that my normal state is to be pretty courage-challenged. Actually pretty wimpish. My wife can’t believe I did any of my Baja trips.

I credit having a great respect for the sea and the desert, even to the point of paranoia, with always bringing me home safely.

God help the clan if I’m the foremost representative in Baja. But as a Mackintosh, I do like our family motto: “Touch Not the Cat Without a Glove.”

A lesson I took very much to heart after seeing all those scary vampire cats on the island.

Thanks for all the interest and encouragement. Means a lot to this very over-the-hill, weird, wimpish, writer.

Graham. (And BBBait, Beercan, Hopper et al)
You may not be home as I'm writing this but watch for an email. Yuma County Library is definitely interested in a slide show etc. At the moment the main library is housed in somewhat cramped temporary quarters (across the street from Monarch's Rest) while the big new main is under construction. The old main library is being renovated, will become the "Heritage" library and is scheduled for completion in August (when the weather here in Yuma is just delightful) Actually, although I would hate to put it off so long, a bigger audience would probably be available when the winter visitors come back to town next Fall. Whatever fits well with your tour schedule can probably be arranged.

There ya go -- I'll come out for that date. Then we can head on down to San Felipe or El Golfo.

"Crusties"

Bonnie

Until Graham gets back from all that tequila tasting Saturday night... if it's okay with me to say, Bonny the white burro from Graham's first book was sold in Cabo San Lucas at the end of Graham's journey... a photo is in the book of Graham saying goodbye to Bonny... Jan. 1985.

Not to be confusing, but Graham's American born wife is named Bonni... they met between book 1 and book 2.

Book 2 is 'Journey With a Baja Burro', and that burro was named 'Mision' and that adventure began in 1997 as a trip down the center (mostly) of Baja from Tecate to Loreto.

At the end of that adventure, Graham gave Mision to Jim Dandy of La Purisima...




Photo of Mision by Neal Johns 9-02


[Edited on 5-7-2008 by David K]

Ya know I was just starting to forget about it too.
I'm afraid to watch!

Very funny clip! But also a good plug. Kudos.