With great sadness, I was just informed that our favorite 'aridologist', Neal Johns, has passed on to the great frontier.
We wish his wife, Marian, to have all the love we can pass on to her and that his many "wives in waiting (WIW)" as well as all his male friends share
warm wishes to her in this time of sadness.
Neal hasn't posted in a while as he became unable to use the keyboard easily. He last posted here three years ago and in 2016 posted photos of their
home that survived the fire in Lytle Creek.
In my book, I included a photo of Neal and Marian that they gave me from the cross rock on El Camino Real:
We met up with Neal and Marian near Mission San Borja in 2001:
Neal often joined along on our trips... such as the Lost Mission Search of 2001. He extracted a cholla cactus from David Eidell's leg on that one!
Our last trip with Neal was in 2010 on the Nomad trip to Mission Santa María...
The day before we go to the mission, having dinner at Baja's Best in El Rosario. That is Teddi ('Baja Bucko') next to Neal.
HB Murphy chats with Neal.
Neal Johns making the road better.
Neal was very responsible for my buying a Tacoma. Here he is taking a heavy pop up camper with his, to the mission.
Neal at Mission Santa María.
Vaya Con Dios mi amigo!
[Edited on 2-2-2020 by David K]Ken Cooke - 12-27-2019 at 04:40 PM
What a surprise! I am very sorry to hear this. Vaya con Dios amigo Neal. DEP! In 2004, Neal showed me the route that he called, The Pole Line
Road." I later visited his home and he showed me his Baja book collection,and we had some BBQ chicken with his wife Marian. Good times I will never
forget.
[Edited on 12-28-2019 by Ken Cooke]
A good friend...
John M - 12-27-2019 at 05:08 PM
Barbara and I are profoundly saddened by this. We've known Neal and Marian for thirty years, bummed around the Mojave more times than we can remember.
We learned early on that when Neal would caution us to "trust me" we did just that.
It was probably two months ago that we visited with Neal and Marian at their home. Neal wasn't too communicative but he had his sense of humor and the
twinkle in his eyes when he'd tell a story.
May he rest in peace.
John & Barbara MarnellGraham - 12-27-2019 at 06:07 PM
Thanks for passing on the sad news and the tribute David... echo all your thoughts. Neal was a great character, and what a sense of humor! Barry A. - 12-27-2019 at 06:11 PM
Very sad to hear this. Many thanks for the info, David. Neal was a rock, and a fountain of info on both Baja and the SW USA, and I admired him
greatly.
Barry
BajaBlanca - 12-27-2019 at 09:53 PM
RIP
Sorry I never got to meet you.Paulina - 12-28-2019 at 12:11 AM
I will always treasure my title of WIW#1, and miss my friend Kneal. Yes, I put the K there on purpose. Do yourself a favor and search out some of
Neal's past posts. What a sense of humor he had. I still look for Stick Lizards and try not to get caught up in northward Zard marches, all because of
that great man. Rest In Peace, Neal.
Marian, my thoughts are with you. Peace.
P>*)))>{BornFisher - 12-28-2019 at 08:07 AM
Very sorry to hear this. Although I never met him, through his posts and from what others have posted over the years, I feel like I knew him. He was a
treasure, I was a fan. RIP Neal.Paco Facullo - 12-28-2019 at 08:38 AM
Yes the passing of a great Man from the greatest generation ...
Sad that such a bundle of knowledge and experiences leaves us but happy that he sheared his life with so many.
Never had the fortune to me Neal bur sure wish I had..thebajarunner - 12-28-2019 at 10:21 AM
Always enjoyed his posts.
He had more "Wives in Waiting" than the entire LeBaron gang TMW - 12-28-2019 at 11:54 AM
Condolences to Marian. God speed Neal.David K - 12-28-2019 at 02:10 PM
One of Neal's favorite sayings was, "If you come to a fork in the road and don't take it, God will get you" as he was a serious Desert Explorer (and
belonged to a group by that name, often writing for their newsletter. Neal also wrote for Discover Baja Travel Club. It was one of these articles
about the 1942 Pole Line Road that got Ken Cooke interested in checking it out and has since organized several Jeep (and other 4x4) tours of it.
Neal Johns served on a Navy ship, a WWII veteran as far as I know, and after leaving the navy, never wanted to be on or near the ocean again! The
desert was just the place for him!
El Camote has some fun footage of Neal Johns during one of our group trips in 2001 and perhaps more? It was during my first search for a lost mission
south of L.A. Bay and was a great day for all of us. Paulina, Mike Humfreville, Desert Rat, David Eidell, plus other Amigos de Baja were all along on
that adventure.
A Neal Johns Trip Story from 1980, posted here in 2014
David K - 12-28-2019 at 03:09 PM
Neal replied to one of my Shell Island trip reports:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
posted on 1-5-2014 at 09:35 AM
Yes, DK, I remember Shell Island....
Baja's Shell Island Adventure (1980)
I had discovered the remote Baja beach (now named Shell Island by David K) poking around the area the year before in my Land Cruiser. The two-track
off the old road between San Felipe and Puertecitos had looked inviting, so I took it. My religion is simple, if you pass a desert side road without
taking it, God will get you! After a few miles, we (my girlfriend and I) arrived on the edge of a muddy lagoon separating some sand dunes from the
mainland. We had lunch while we tried to decide whether to drive through the mud or not. We could see that the two-track continued but my chicken
blood was running into my brain. Just then a Jeep passed us with a smirk, and drove on through to the dunes. That was it! No darn Jeep can show up a
Land Cruiser! We crossed with no problems even if our Tru-Traks (remember TruTraks? The BFGs of yesteryear) clogged up.
Surprise! There was a pristine beach on the other side of the dunes with no one in sight except way down south. Hundreds of shells littered the beach
and we had lots of time to look at them because for every revolution of the tires, we moved forward about two feet. Airing down the tire pressure
helped but there was still a lot of slippage. After camping the night, we went on to other things.
Move the clock up a year and I am poking around Baja with two buddies, one with a Jeep CJ-5 and the other in another Land Cruiser. Nightfall
approached and I declared "I know a great place to camp!". It took us a while to get there and it was dark with no moon. The lagoon was full and the
two-track disappeared under the water. Said I: " No problem, I have been here before and if you stay on the track, there won't be any problem, just
follow me". That's when things started to go terribly wrong.
I took off in low range with the two guys behind me and things went OK until the unseen underwater "road" bent right, and I didn't. I started to bog
down and screamed the infamous words "Pass me on the right!" just before I got stuck. The Jeep did so and went two more car lengths before he got
stuck. We heard on the CB the other Land Cruiser say he was stopping. There was a loud silence before they started cursing at me. The other Land
Cruiser was stuck also. The Jeep had a winch on the front bumper which was of little use because we were behind him. I had a small portable winch
which we hooked up to his trailer hitch on the Jeep to pull him backwards a ways. As the winch owner, they let me stand in the foot of brackish water
and operate the controls. What could go wrong, it was only 12 volts? My screams told the others that the kickback voltage from the motor windings was
more that 12 volts and that experiment quickly ended. Next, we broke out the Hi-Lift jacks and pushed some large jack boards down into the mud without
moving the Land Cruiser upward. By that time it was midnight and we decided to sleep in the vehicles until daylight. They didn't sleep too well
because they thought the rising tide would bury them alive. A few crabs in the water and mud did little to calm their fears.
The next day's vista was very informative. If we had continued straight the way we were going, we would have been in the unseen mud flat on the edge
of the dunes which was much worse that where we were. Guess we missed that right turn. We fooled around some more with the Hi-Lifts to no avail and
then turned our efforts to the Land Cruiser closest to the mainland. By burying the spare tire in the mud and using a come-along puller, we got him
out about noon. We drove back to San Felipe and tried to hire the large wheeled war-surplus boat launching vehicles to come and pull us out. No luck,
they had to remain there to pull the boats out. We then had to decide which would be better, a 400 foot rope, or some planks to serve as railroad
tracks. Eight foot long, two inch by twelve inch planks were decided upon and we went to the lumberyard on the main drag. They sawed them to length by
hand and we loaded six of them on the Land Cruiser fenders/running boards.
Back at the lagoon in the late afternoon, we set to work getting the Jeep out. For some reason, they vetoed getting my vehicle out first. We pounded
nails into the boards and bent them over to give more traction to the soon to be muddy "railroad tracks" and started to work. Using the boards as
giant jack boards for the Hi-Lift, we managed to get the wheels started up on four "tracks" and laid two more boards behind them. The plan was to go
like heck backwards until the Jeep ran out of track and then pray. We must not have prayed to the right Gods because as soon as the Jeep got off the
boards it would go only about 50 feet, and had no steering control whatever. Oh well, only 350 feet to go. The boards that we could manhandle and lift
so easily early on, took on a life of their own toward the second midnight. The suction from the mud on a heavy eight foot by 12 inch board was all we
could overcome toward the end. We got the Jeep out at midnight and my former friends camped on the warm, dry, sand and informed me that "if" they were
around the next morning, "maybe" they would help me out.
The next morning, the water had gone down a little and we started on my Land Cruiser. Around dark, we and our aching backs had it almost out so we
quit and they again camped in tents on the sand while I spent another night in the Land Cruiser. The next day after a little more work, we all headed
for San Felipe. We checked into Ruben's Camp where we proceeded to wash off the six inches of mud onto the gravel driveway. We got a few funny looks,
but it was a rustic campo at that time so we got away with it. When queried as to where we got the mud, we just shook our head and said "south". A few
months later, my former friends presented me with a tee shirt that said "Pass me on the right!"
Rumor has it that there is a causeway there now.
(Fact: The causeway bridge is high in the air and useless.)
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!Steve in Oro Valley - 12-29-2019 at 08:33 AM
Neal was my favorite, even though I never met him.. I am going into my 1000 yard stare. now...
Steve in Oro Valleypappy - 12-30-2019 at 08:24 AM
Ah man...RIP.always looked forward to his posts. Was thinking of him, and one photo in particular. I was questioning if I could take my pop up camper
into a certain area and I recalled the photo posted years ago of him in his taco with pop up handling a tough road. It’s the photo posted above...
Sad to hear of his passing..... David K - 12-30-2019 at 09:18 AM
Graham Mackintosh's burro 'Misión' at Jim Dandy's in La Purísima.
Petroglyphs near Mulegé.
Near San Borja
The original La Virgen shrine on the old main road.
Neal breaks his toy!
elgatoloco - 12-30-2019 at 12:53 PM
Sad news. We did not know him really well but always enjoyed his posts and travel stories. We crossed paths with Neal once in Baja at Santa Ines
because I recognized him and his truck from the interwebs and we had to go over and introduce ourselves. We had a Callen camper shell at the time and
he showed us the many benefits of his pop up camper and how quickly you could shut down camp and get to the next fork in the road. We ended up getting
our own. Later we visited his house in the states that was up the creek and met Marian. The house was like a museum and reflected both of their unique
interests and personalities. We had a great time that day. I joked how my wife would love the desert more if there was water. I still have the AAA map
that Neal marked up with 'secret' and not so 'secret' springs, tinajas and the like. It was all new to me and I am grateful that he shared.
Condolences to Marian and all his family, friends and WIW.
RIP Neal. David K - 1-5-2020 at 06:48 PM
The Desert Explorers Newsletter just came out with wonderful tributes to Neal Johns... his life history and many photos.
The Desert Explorers Newsletter just came out with wonderful tributes to Neal Johns... his life history and many photos.
I will try and see if I can post it here...
Do you know where I can get a copy of this newsletter?David K - 1-5-2020 at 09:06 PM
From any Desert Explorer member.
I was sent it from a Nomad member. I asked him about posting it here. I think all friends of Neal (and even those who didn't know him) will appreciate
seeing it.
Ken --
John M - 1-5-2020 at 09:40 PM
Ken, check your email. Please. JMKen Cooke - 1-5-2020 at 11:14 PM
Here is a small collage I made with the photos from the Desert Explorers Newsletter. Neal was a lot of fun.
Text from newsletter...
David K - 1-6-2020 at 09:38 AM
Neal Johns
by Marian Johns
December 27, 2019
This is a sad day for me; I lost Neal,
last night – actually he died early this
morning. Even though his death was
expected, it doesn’t make it any easier
for me now that he’s actually gone.
Looking back, I wish I had had more
empathy for Neal and the ordeal of
dementia and prostate cancer that he
endured. Dealing with someone who
was once so independent and selfsufficient
was frustrating and I was too
impatient at times because of his
limitations and need for help.
Neal’s last four
days were
peacefully spent
in a coma; he
appeared to be
comfortable and not
suffering when the
end finally came.
I read that hearing
is the last sense a
dying person
retains even though
they can’t answer,
so I talked to him a
lot and told him
how much I loved
him. We were
married almost 30
years and I have no
regrets that I picked
him to be my
partner. We had
many wonderful times and adventures
together and now I have some wonderful
memories. I will miss him terribly. The
house is so empty without him.
I have planned to have a memorial
get together for his family, for our
Desert Explorer friends and for our Lytle
Creek friends...
Richard Neal Johns
1/19/1931 – 12/27/2019
Neal was born in West Plains,
Missouri. He was only three when his
dad died and his mother remarried a
railroad employee. Neal hated his
step-father because he was a mean
drunk. Consequently Neal never drank
– nor did he ever smoke.
When Neal was about eleven, his
step-father was transferred to a godforsaken
place near the
Glamis sand dunes
in Imperial County.
His mother thought
she was in hell
because the summer
temperatures were
unbearable.
Even though he
wasn’t motivated to do well in high
school, Neal was no dummy. He found
his calling in the Navy which he joined
right after graduating from Palm Springs
High School in 1948. The electronic and
radar classes he took in the Navy peaked
his interest and provided the motivation
he needed to excel.
During the Korean War, he was sent
to Japan. Then, in 1954, he was sent to
the China Lake Naval Weapons Base
(north of Ridgecrest, California) where
he was a first class electronic technician.
He met and married his first wife,
Louise, while there. In 1955 he became
a Chief Petty Officer – the youngest
Chief in the Navy. In 1956 he was sent
to Boston where
he worked on
outfitting the
Navy’s first
guided missile
destroyer – the
Gyatt. He was
responsible for
the guidance
radar system on
that ship. He
went with the
ship when it
was sent on a
trial run down
to Guadalupe in
the Caribbean.
Unfortunately,
he was not a
happy sailor
– he was sea
sick and didn’t
swim well.
Luckily that
was the only
time he was on
a ship “at sea.”
In 1958,
after two stints
in the Navy, he
and Louise
moved back to California where he went
to work for General Dynamics as a
guidance radar systems engineer. And
although he had not gone to college, he
passed the graduate engineering exam
for professional engineers.
In 1977, Louise divorced him. He
once told me that he was devastated and
thought he might go
crazy. So in order to keep
his sanity he bought a
new Toyota Landcruiser
and began his love affair
with the desert and 4
wheeling.
From General
Dynamics, he went to
work for the Navy as a
civilian in Oxnard at Port
Hueneme’s Naval Nemesis facility; he
worked at the Naval Ordnance Test
Station on the Terrier (radar) Missile
System there.
When I met Neal on a Backroad
Explorer trip in 1988, I had an old CJ5
Jeep that was “locked” front and rear. I
guess that Jeep and its driver (me)
impressed him because he became rather
attentive, helping me (a damsel in
distress) when my
Jeep broke down. By
1988 he had traded
in his Landcruiser
(and sleeping in a
tent) for a Toyota
pick-up with a
camper shell – so he
could sleep in it out
of the weather.
So, in 1990, I
ditched the Jeep and married him - and
his cozy camper.
~ Marian
Neal
Neal Johns’ passing marks the end of
an era, a free and beautiful era on the
desert that will never be again, a time
when one could see a dirt road leading
off into the desert and follow it just to see
where it led. And Neal did that. I don’t
believe there was a road in the East
Mojave that Neal had not been on.
If only we could follow
Neal into the desert again.
Sue and I met Neal at the
“Friends of the Mojave
Road” gathering in Nipton
in 1985. Yikes, how did 35
years go by so fast?
Anyway, as fate would have
it Neal was the first person
we met after we arrived in
Nipton that day. Neal
wanted to introduce Sue to Dennis
Casebier so he took her into the
Nipton Schoolhouse, where Dennis
was holding court, and proclaimed,
“Dennis, look what I found on the
desert. Can I keep it?”
Originally Neal had a Toyota
Landcruiser that had been
extremely well used and he was
living and working in Oxnard, or as
he called it, the “West Edge of the
East Mojave.” His Landcruiser was
so well used that navigating it down the
road was a bit like navigating a very
large ship. It required a lot of anticipating
which direction you would like to go.
Fortunately though, it did quite well on
dirt roads as the ruts helped to keep it on
track. And… Neal’s Landcruiser
“cuisine” was
unique. Instead of
just eating cold food
straight out of
cans, Neal would
take the labels off
the cans and mix
them up before throwing them in the
cruiser. This seemed to add an element of
surprise to his meals.
Neal loved Baja. Our trips to Baja
were many. On those trips Neal would
get up early and have a “Mountain Dew”
for breakfast. Then he would drive circles
around us honking his horn
to get us moving. He even
did this one afternoon when
we were sipping beer in the
hot spring at Puertecitos.
Neal hated getting in water
and wanted to move on. We
were forced to abandon our
idyllic spot late in the day
and drive a torturous road to
Gonzaga Bay. Such was my
relationship with Neal in
Baja that we almost always
came home at extreme odds
with each other. Time and
the desert would soothe the
nerves and our friendship
would survive, but we
always joked that when
things between us were
going too swimmingly, it
was time for a Baja trip.
When Neal met Marian his life moved
beyond “Hope” and his “Indian Guide”
(campfire stories). Though he still
maintained a list of “wives in waiting”,
he had been totally smitten. I believe it
all started on a 1987 trip in the when Marian’s Jeep lost
its rear driveshaft and
yet she still continued
on, using only the front
wheel drive. At one
point she even backed
her Jeep up a steep,
rutted hill rather than
allowing herself to be
towed. On a subsequent
trip into the Panamint
Mountains, the same
Jeep’s chassis broke and
the engine fan
chewed up the
radiator. After
field repairs to
the radiator
and using a come-along to hold the
chassis together, she managed to drive
the Jeep out and became Neal’s “woman
of considerable will.”
Aw Neal, we will miss your
outrageous and risqué
sense of humor. We will
miss your voice on the
CB and your unique way
with words. We will miss
your desert wisdom. We
will miss what made you
Neal. You can “Trust me”
on this. ~ Bob Jaussaud
I Miss Neal, But I Will
Never Forget Him
There is so much to say about Neal
Johns that it is difficult to know even
where to begin. He was one of the
founding members of our club and
throughout the years he has been the
voice of the Desert Explorers. I think our
club membership will be writing and
talking about Neal for a long time. He
was that unique.
I would just like to share with you a
couple of my observations regarding
Neal and my direct experience and
interaction with him. The first thing that
comes to mind is that Neal was a
teacher. For instance, he took the time
on several occasions to teach me the
proper use of a GPS device. This might
not sound like a big deal but it required
considerable time on Neal’s part. He also
tutored me in other areas also. Neal was
willing to take the time to help so many
other people as well.
Another aspect of Neal that comes to
mind immediately for me is his sense of
humor. You probably all experienced
this. He was one of the funniest people I
have ever encountered. Neal was the
kind of a guy that as soon as you laid
eyes on him, you started laughing. Mr.
Johns could get away with stuff that was
outrageously funny. He was quite unique
in that regard.
One other thing I would like to
mention right now regarding Neal was
his outstanding book collection. I thought
I had a good collection of books on
Western History but it pales by
comparison to Neal’s collection. I can
only remember one time when I was able
to share a book that Neal didn’t have!
One final thing about Neal that also
needs to be said was his ability to find a
great wife, namely Marian Johns. Her
devotion to Neal and his devotion to her
was very touching over the years.
I could write about Neal for a long,
long time. There is so much to say.
However, I think others can do it more
eloquently than I. Nevertheless, I would
like to close by saying that the heart and
soul of the Desert Explorers is Neal
Johns. ~ Bob Jacoby
I always enjoyed listening to him and
following him on his “This will be easy”
4WD trips in the Backroad Explorer
days. ~ Bob Pelzman
Please extend my condolences to
Marian — And well said, he truly was
one of a kind and will be remembered by
all who knew him around the campfires
to come. ~ Dan Messersmith
So sorry to hear of Neal’s passing.
He will be sorely missed. We treasure
our memories of traveling all over the
desert and beyond with Neal and Marian
over a period of almost 30 years. Neal
was both knowledgeable and
entertaining. Always looked forward to
his antics. ~ Ted and Joan Berger
At dawn on my first outing with the
Backroad Explorers, I woke to the sound
of a revving engine and a honking horn
— inches from the door of my tent.
Neal Johns was ready to hit the trail and
he wanted to make sure nobody would
be holding up the trip.
He loved to be exploring, and going
with him was a pleasure and a wonder
and always an adventure. Sure, there
were breakdowns, some time spent lost
and chasing down sketchy directions,
fixing damaged trails so we could
continue on, but those were hardly a blip
on Neal’s radar. He had to go there, see
the place, walk the trails, know the story.
And he did this with an uncommon
grace, unassuming, and with a fun kind
of craziness that was completely
infectious. As fellow Desert Explorer
Stan Sholik put it, “Neat guy. Never led
us anyplace he was sure we could return
from. I admire that.” I agree.
After all these years, Neal is in my
thoughts and memories on every trip and
every trail. I will remember him when
things go sideways and when new vistas
and formerly hidden pieces of history
and natural beauty unfold unexpectedly.
He never let a dragon pass by without
pulling its tail. What a great guy. He will
be missed by all who knew him.
~ Jay LawrenceDanO - 1-6-2020 at 12:05 PM
A man of great wit and humor. He will be missed. DEP.TacoFeliz - 1-8-2020 at 10:29 AM
The newsletter with photos and tributes to Neal will be posted soon at the DesertExplorers.org website. There is an archive of all of our newsletters
going back over thirty years for viewing and downloading.
One more photo
David K - 1-29-2020 at 10:59 AM
Neal and Marian Johns met with us at the Erle Stanley Gardner museum exhibit in Temecula, in Nov. 2005... Neal and Baja Angel.
This weekend is the memorial service... Very sad day for us who knew this man who was always happy.
2-1-2020
David K - 2-1-2020 at 07:56 PM
Today we had a memorial to attend.
It was for one very fine human being.
He was loved by everyone who knew him.
There will never be another Neal Johns... at least in my life!
I first met Neal and Marian at a Graham Mackintosh slide show (at Discover Baja Travel Club) about the year 2000, I think? Since then, it was a lot of
fun comparing notes on our Baja book collections (Neal had the best I had ever seen) and maps of Baja. We would meet up in Baja (on the trail) or
attend functions. I spent a weekend at their home, after Baja Bucko had visited, and Neal showed me a Mexico West newsletter (1970s) he found, that
both Teddi (Bucko) and I had written something in. He liked bringing people together... and getting them to go where he wanted to go, lol!
My last trip with Neal (and I think Neal's final Baja 4x4 trip?) was the Mission Santa María trip in 2010 that many of us Nomads were on. Sadly,
Neal's trusted Tacoma's custom built differential gave out on the day we were heading home from the overnight at the mission.
In the end, it all worked out with Baja Cactus (Antonio's) assistance and Nomads that stayed behind, when others had to leave.
The service today was deeply heartwarming hearing all who came up to share their Neal story (some from hundreds of miles away). I think at least 4 or
5 'Wives in Waiting' confessed too (this was a joke of Neal's that he bestowed on all women he befriended). [Paulina claims the top honor of being
W.i.W. #1].
Neal and Marian often made their home a welcoming retreat for us, over the years. My daughter would love to go and visit their huskies. Neal and
Marian had several big, blue-eyed pups. When the 'Bajo California' film came out, egl and Barb came to my place and we caravaned up to Neal and
Marian's, bringing Ken Cooke along, too.
Today, I think there were close to 200 in attendance at the Lytle Creek Community Center and everyone had strong loving memories of Mr. Neal Johns,
the Aridologist. Some tears flowed, but mostly laughs and smiles from the wonderful stories told.
There is so much love for this man and so much appreciation for Marian's love and strength during Neal's final, trying year on this earth.
A wonderful spread of delicious food was served and Doug and I had the opportunity to visit with Nomads including John M, Taco Felix, and Ken Cooke,
which continued out into the parking area where we had to admire Ken's new Gladiator Jeep Truck...
Ken Cooke and John M
BajaNomad (Doug), Leidy Laura Cooke, David KBob H - 2-1-2020 at 10:17 PM
RIP Neal. Your Baja adventures touched us all!
Photos from Ken Cooke's camera...
David K - 2-2-2020 at 09:13 AM
Doug took this photo, includes Leidy (Ken's wife), John M & Barbara, and me.
Leidy took this nice photo of BajaNomad (Doug), David K, Ken Cooke, John M, and Ken's 2020 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon.
While Neal Johns would not approve of anyone buying a Jeep over a Toyota, I think he would be happy for Ken.
The day was beautiful, with many people getting together all for the wonderful way Neal Johns inspired us to explore Baja and the desert.
Adios Mr. Aridologist!Paulina - 2-5-2020 at 08:44 PM
Thank you David for posting.
WIW#1 >*)))><
A huge loss...
El Camote - 2-5-2020 at 09:55 PM
So sad to read about Neal. He was one of the good ones. He had a kind heart and incredible sense of humor which was always gentle and often
self-deprecating. I regret never visiting him in Lytle Creek, I know his invitation was genuine. My heart goes out to Marian.
Can't recall if I've ever posted this crowd-pleaser before but here's a few brief glimpses of Neal. Unless you're waiting for paint to dry or
medication to take effect, skip to 10 minutes in for the Neal sightings to begin.
(I'll be damned if I can figure out how to embed it!)David K - 2-6-2020 at 09:13 AM
Thanks Mike!
Fun to see again but sad so many of us Amigos de Baja (before we were Nomads) are no longer here. In addition to losing Neal Johns, we also lost
Bedman, Debra, Brandi, Mike Humfreville, and we don't see M, jeans, and others lately.
We are only here for a short time. Let's make the best of it, see all we can see, help each other, too.
Neal Johns was a real treat to know! That you put his slapping the monument scene in at the very end was terrific. Thank you, El Camote!Paulina - 2-6-2020 at 10:00 PM
El Camote,
What a blast from the past. That was 19 years ago, crazy!
Thank you for posting.
