La Paz, Part 4
While I'm out at Coco's Corner waiting for his return, I meet Bill, a friend of
Coco's who lives in San Felipe, and his buddy Jim. Bill and Jim are watching
his place while he's gone. Also there is a couple from Switzerland, Heinz and
Leha. These folks rented an Avis car at LAX and purchased Mexican insurance and
drove down to Guerrero Negro to see the whales at Scammon's Lagoon. While whale
watching, they met a Mexican family who lived in Mexicali and who suggested that
they drive back to the US via the Cortez side of Baja. Unfortunately, the map
didn't show details of this particular road (remember the lost tailpipe and flat
tire on our way down?). It seems that Heinz hit a sharply pointed rock that was
firmly lodged in the road bed and punctured his oil pan with a hole about the
size of a silver dollar. Well, there isn't a whole lot of stuff to do when
you're stuck out in the middle of the desert, so we all had a fiesta that night
and drank cold beer and had trail mix, beef jerky, snickers/baby ruth candy
bars, and whatever else I could easily dredge out of the back seat of my truck.
The night sky out here is fantastic, and I spent the night sleeping outside.
There are no towns within about 25 or 30 miles, so there is no ambient lighting
to obscure the view. About 8 AM the next morning in drives Coco. He couldn't
leave Guerrero Negro to come back because there was no gas in town to buy at any
of the 3 Pemex stations (well, it IS Mexico). Finally he was able to fill up
and he left about 6 AM that morning to come back home. He had brought lumber,
supplies, and 28 CASES OF BEER. Bill, Jim, Heinz, and Leha all help to offload
his truck while Coco and I begin to work on fitting his prostheses. A couple of
hours later he's up and walking using axillary crutches. Bill and Jim head back
to San Felipe and Heinz and Leha decide to leave the rental car at Coco's and
ride back with me. Several people stop by while we're still at Coco's, asking
him for directions/road conditions and buying a cold beer or two.
---------On a side note, while Coco was gone from his corner having
surgery, some scum bags came in and stole his solar panels, all of the
electrical wiring (to strip out the copper and sell it), 4 tires and the engine
out of his (old) truck, all of his beer, and tried to drag out his panga
(without a trailer), but abandoned it at the roadside. They took a lot of other
stuff too, including his "Guest Book" where the famous and not so famous have
been signing for years. I'm hoping that some of the folks who are off road
enthusiasts can start some kind of PayPal or similar account to help him out.
He now has 2 electric wheelchairs, both in very good condition, but has no way
of charging the batteries.--------
Heinz, Leha, and myself leave around noonish and get as far as San Quintin,
spending the night at the Cielito Lindo and having their famous crab dinner.
We couldn't find an Avis Agency south of the border, so we drove back to the US
via Tecate to keep away from some of the nonsense occurring along the
Rosarito/TJ corridor. We went to the Avis Agency at the San Diego airport, but
Avis wouldn't give them another car until they had the current one in their
hands, so I took them up to their relatives in Burbank. The next morning we get
them a rental from another agency and I head back home, arriving in
Margaritaville by mid afternoon. Heinz and Leha drop by the next morning on
their way to Hearst Castle and meet Shelley, leaving gifts of wine and Swiss
chocolate. It's good to be home!
Two dirt roads diverged in Baja and I, I took the one less graveled by......
Soy ignorante, apático y ambivalente. No lo sé y no me importa, ni modo.
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