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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
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Mood: optimistic
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Neal Johns
I think I saw some of you kids there back in the late seventies when I was middle aged.  |
Boy, that sure triggers my mind. I do recall there was a wild hermit with a lot of babes (WIW?) hanging around in one of the coves between the
"grades" in a little driftwood shack. He was not to pleased when we pulled in with an ambulance full of wild beer-soaked "kids" in there early
20's-----and he made it clear that we should "move on" if we knew what was good for us. Of course we could not as our vehicle was plumb tuckered
out, so we camped at the other end of the little beach, only sneaking down there to the shack after dark looking for prospects, but to no avail, as I
recall----the hermit had a short leash on those gals (WIW?). In those days, Neal (?) was a hostile guy---------he has mellowed since, I hear.
All these years I have wondered just WHO that hermit was----------------now I know.
Barry
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64848
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Granville King (aka Desert Fox) lived just north of Puertecitos in the late 1970's, and 1980's... beyond pavement's evil grip.
Before then...
Maybe Neal hid out in a shack at OKIE LANDING?
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Desertbull
Senior Nomad
Posts: 558
Registered: 8-27-2003
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bufeo
| Quote: | Originally posted by Desertbull... always took him 3 days from San Felipe to Gonzaga...and he's almost as old as Bufeo! 
DB |
Okay, okay. Enough of that or I'll post pix of kids getting stuck in Punta Bufeo driveways. 
Saw a local vehicle (2wd) making that final southern grade by negotiating it in reverse.
Ken, your photos and description are delightful. Too bad someone had to do the "Well-I-remember-when" bit, but that's the internet. In one of those
pics (Puertecitos) if you'd angled the camera just a bit more to the right we'd be looking at the casita of another Baja Nomad.
Allen R |
Haha Seņor Grider....so true!
DREAM IT! PLAN IT! LIVE IT!
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Bug
Junior Nomad
Posts: 62
Registered: 11-12-2005
Location: San Felipe, Baja
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Mood: Life can not get better than this!
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In March..I left Coco places and drove to San Felipe in two and half hours..
Where usually it takes me at least 5 to 6 hours to get to San Felipe.
In April when I seen coco he was filling out some goverment papers to have
them pave a section to his place off the new highway.
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bigboy
Nomad
Posts: 239
Registered: 12-28-2003
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I remember there was a man that filled in the holes in the road in the area of the grades. He had a small camp just off of the road and he had a tin
can set up on the road for donations! A tough way to make a living!
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dean miller
Nomad
Posts: 456
Registered: 1-28-2004
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Barry A.
I first "tried" to go over the grades south of PCitos in 1958 in a WW II 4x4 Army Ambulance--------we did not have enough power to get over the second
grade, gave up, and camped for a week in one of the coves at the bottom (N end) of Grade II, as I recall. While camped, a jeep with two guys came by,
tried the second grade above our camp (it may have been grade 3, can't remember exactly), rolled the jeep on the grade and one sustained severe
injuries---their trip was over.
The next time in 1963 was in a VW bus, and it took many runs at it to finally make it over the worst part. The vehicle was never the same. I was not
the driver, that time, and the driver was insane IMO.
Then again in about 1976 in an Ford F-100 2X4 with HUGE tires. I tore the motor-mounts out in Compound low coming north on the first grade south of
Huerfanitos. We had to chain the motor to the frame, and limped on after that.
After that, I had a Ford F-250 stick-shift 5-speed tranny 460 engine 4x4 and it was a slow slog, but no real problems. Still have that vehicle, as
well as the old F-100 Ford.
The grade was a terror (horror?), to me, and I remember it well. It was an adventure, for sure, but not pleasant for any of us. Gonzaga Bay was the
magnet that kept us coming over "that road".
Barry
[Edited on 5-16-2012 by Barry A.] |
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Brothers in Automotive...
After Korea I had a 1942 4X4 1/2 ton Dodge Ambulance..my Baja companion at the time had a 1943 4X4 1/2 ton Dodge Ambulance.. which we traveled the
wilds of Baja making our own roads.
In 1960to 1980 a VW Kombi
Then Toyota trucks , Now 4x4 Toyota...
Memories!
SDM
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64848
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Online
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bigboy
I remember there was a man that filled in the holes in the road in the area of the grades. He had a small camp just off of the road and he had a tin
can set up on the road for donations! A tough way to make a living! |
In the 60's we didn't see him, but a sign in his wheel barrel asked for donations. Photo from Cliff Cross' 1970 Baja Guide.
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thebajarunner
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3718
Registered: 9-8-2003
Location: Arizona....."Free at last from crumbling Cali
Member Is Offline
Mood: muy amable
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He was there in the early 70's
| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
| Quote: | Originally posted by bigboy
I remember there was a man that filled in the holes in the road in the area of the grades. He had a small camp just off of the road and he had a tin
can set up on the road for donations! A tough way to make a living! |
In the 60's we didn't see him, but a sign in his wheel barrel asked for donations. Photo from Cliff Cross' 1970 Baja Guide. |
He had, at best, a quarter mile of road somewhat improved.
At least once we came up on him while he was sitting in the shade, he saw (or heard) us coming and jumped up and "got to work"
Maybe he is reincarnated at Catavina as the "PesoMan"
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: optimistic
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bigboy
I remember there was a man that filled in the holes in the road in the area of the grades. He had a small camp just off of the road and he had a tin
can set up on the road for donations! A tough way to make a living! |
We too saw his equipment (wheel barrow and shovels, pick, etc) on the "grades" but never actually saw him in person. We had the impression that he
actually helped the road quite a bit. (It needed all the help it could get).
Dean Baker---------our WW II Army Ambulance was owned by a guy from Coronado named Chips Everette, but Chips did know how to drive back then (or so he
indicated), so he always recruited somebody to drive, sometimes me, to make these Baja trips. Chips made a living trading and buying Military Surplus
(I think) and that is how he acquired the Ambulance. It was powered by a 6 cyl engine, with a 4 speed tranny, but I don't believe it had a 'transfer
case' so was lacking in the gearing for real power to the wheels on the steep grades. Still, I loved that tough old vehicle, and we went a lot of
places in N. Baja in it. It was built like a tank!!!
Barry
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