Corky1
Nomad
Posts: 416
Registered: 11-22-2003
Member Is Offline
|
|
1972 NORRA 500 Baja pre-run story
Dead Battery Story
Hope I'm not boring you with the stories ?? 
Here's another one. Blackie says everybody likes these Baja funny stories.
This another Baja pre run tale, 1972- 500.
Please keep in mind, no paved highway, last Pemex station is Camalu, the rest of the gas is purchased out of barrels at restaurants and small
ranchos along the way.
This trip I have a new race partner. Wore out my last one.
He is riding an early Honda XL350, converted to dirt.
I am riding a 1972 DKW, (2 stroke with large tank)
No trick pack packs like we have now or camelbacks for water.
We use Army surplus stuff.
Army web belts with old metal canteens.
Army knapsacks with a multitude of straps hanging off of it, so you can attach about any thing you feel like carrying.
The jackets we used back then were Army field jackets with a bazzillion big pockets. The emergency food I carried back then was usually hard candy and
tootsie rolls. This trip I was also carrying some little cans of Vienna sausages and Denny Moore stew.
Sat. AM leave Ensenada, down the pavement to Camalu, end of pavement. Then on to El Rosario.
We ate at El Rosario and headed towards Rancho Santa Yenez.
En route my partner had a flat front. That repaired we continued on.
Just before Santa Yen he gets another flat. This ones on the rear and takes a bit longer to repair.
If you are familiar with motorcycles you will understand changing a 6 ply BARUM tire out in the dirt. Not fun!!!
Now the time is getting to late afternoon, maybe 4 PM. We still have about another 100 miles to Papa Fernandez.
Just west of Laguna Chapala dry lake he gets another flat. Another front, easier to fix, after you find something to put the bike up on.
Just as we were stopping to fix this flat we come upon a Mexican trucker and his family that have stopped for the night.
I made the decision to spend the night here , as after fixing the tire we would not make Papas before dark
Now we get to the real story!!
Back in these days the whole family traveled the "camio" together. Dad, mom, and the kids. As I remember this family was , dad, mom and 3 kids. About
9, 6 and a baby.
While my partner was fixing his tire I went over to the family and practiced my limited Spanish with dad.
They had an old flatbed, stake sided truck and as usual it was loaded to the top. I didn't matter if they were carrying rocks or feathers they would
be loaded to the top of the stake sides.
Mom was starting a fire to cook their dinner. I could see it wasn't much but sure did smell great.
I asked if we could stay the night with them and share dinner. "no problema"
With the OK from Papa I gave mama several cans of Vienna sausage and a big can of Denny Moore beef stew.
Needless to say one of my memorable meals in Baja.
We all bed down by the fire and go to sleep.
Early the next morning I am awakened by a loud click, click, click sound.
I look up and see Papa jacking up the truck. I think, a tire went flat during the night.
Always thinking of my stomach I think , go help change the tire and maybe be offered some warm tortillas and coffee to start the day.
I go over to the truck and I don't see any flat tires???
I ask Papa what's the problem?? He tells me the battery is dead.
I look around, truck fully loaded, sitting on the side of the road in medium soft sand with a dead battery.
We sure can't push it to bump start it. No other truck or vehicle with jumper cables to give him a start.
WHY IS HE JACKING THE REAR OF THE TRUCK OFF THE GROUND????
The answer tomorrow.
Part 2
As he was jacking up the truck he tell the oldest boy to climb up on to the top of the loaded truck and get something??
I watch as Papa starts to remove the outer rear dual tire.
Still thinking of breakfast, I give him a hand removing the tire and wheel.
The oldest boy throws down a long rope. He is still up on the truck still getting something else.
I watch, and he is rolling a rim with no tire on it off the side of the loaded truck.
During all this mama is build up the fire and starting breakfast with no concern at all.
Now Papa gets the empty wheel rim and starts to put it on the truck where we just removed a perfectly good tire and wheel.. I'm thinking what the heck
is he doing.
The oldest boy gets down off the truck and starts winding the rope on the empty wheel rim. As he does this, Papa goes to the fire and gets a cup of
coffee, a warm tortllia filled with beans and some leftover dinner, wraps it up and starts eating his breakfast.
Mama makes another tortilla and beans and gives it to me and one for my partner with a cup of coffee.
After eating Papa puts the younger son other son in the cab of the truck behind the steering wheel.
He turns the key on and puts the gear shift in third or fourth gear and gives the boy some instructions on what to do.
I'm still in the dark. How are they going to start this truck???
By this time mama has fed the kids and put all their stuff away. Already to travel down the road.
Now Papa gives everyone instructions what he wants them to do.
I WATCH!!!
The rope is wound around the wheel, Papa, mama, and the oldest son grab ahold of the rope and start pulling on the rope and unwinding it from the
wheel.
The wheel starts turning faster and faster as they pull the rope off the wheel.
Just as the rope is about to unwind from the wheel, Papa yells to the son in the cab and he lets the clutch out. The engine pops a couple of times and
dies.
NOW I GET IT!!!
Papa goes to the cab puts transmission in neutral and oldest son starts to rewind the rope on the rim.
Buy this time my partner and I realize the drill and on the next try, papa, myself and my partner pull on the rope spinning it easier and faster and
the truck starts.
Papa runs up to the cab, puts transmission in neutral, letting the engine idle. We all pitch in, do the reverse process with the empty wheel and put
on the good tire and wheel.
We all say our goodbuys and off they head towards Santa Ynez and we are off to Papa Fernandez.
Just another Baja story.
Corky 
KEEP THE RUBBER SIDE DOWN
 
\"Keep The Rubberside Down\" |
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64698
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
Awesome. Good to see you posting your Baja adventures!
|
|
|
TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Member Is Offline
|
|
That's a great story Corky, thanks. It is really amazing what people could do in situations like that.
|
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64698
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
James Garner and a fan before the 1972 Baja 500:
|
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64698
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
1969 to 1972 NORRA BAJA 500
Pavement ended near Camalu in '71/'72, but had reached El Rosario in 1973 with the amp'ed up building of Hwy. 1 that year. The 1973 Baja 500 turned
east at San Quintin using a little known mountain road that bypassed El Rosario and popped out near El Arenoso avoiding the newest section of pavement
by that June.
|
|
|
thebajarunner
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3707
Registered: 9-8-2003
Location: Arizona....."Free at last from crumbling Cali
Member Is Offline
Mood: muy amable
|
|
That race was my first official pre run
We borrowed a brand new set of takeoff tires from Jack McCoy for our pre runner
Going up TheSisters with a stick shift pickup we spun all the tread off the rears
Took back a set of slicks to Jack
He just shook his head
|
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64698
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by thebajarunner
That race was my first official pre run
We borrowed a brand new set of takeoff tires from Jack McCoy for our pre runner
Going up TheSisters with a stick shift pickup we spun all the tread off the rears
Took back a set of slicks to Jack
He just shook his head |
For those unfamiliar: "The sisters" were the outrageously steep, rocky, volcanic grades in the road between Puertecitos and Gonzaga Bay
(~1958-1986)... Seems everyone who made it over them gave them a name... My parents just called it "The Gonzaga Grades". I drove them when I was 16
(1974) in my dune buggy, and I just called them "fun"!
There were crosses along the edge where the less than lucky went over (brakes failed?) and crashed below... many wrecks were seen in the canyon.
I did the same trip again when I was 17... some photos of those two times on the Gonzaga Grades + one last time photo in 1979 with my 4x4 Subaru:
1974:
1975:
1979:
[Edited on 5-22-2024 by David K]
|
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64698
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
Watermark-free James Garner photos from the 1972 Baja 500, pre race day impound parking. From the 1974 book, Off-Road Racing by Engel.
|
|
|
Don Jorge
Senior Nomad
Posts: 645
Registered: 8-29-2003
Member Is Offline
|
|
Thanks for sharing
Your glimpse into the way it used to be in Baja "back in the day".
I had a friend in Guadalupe back in the day who powered his irrigation pump by jacking up his Pinto, pulling a rear wheel and tire off, and putting on
a bare rim as you described.
He then ran a belt from the rim to the gear box on the pump.
It worked beautifully .
And of course Dinty Moore beef stew was always in the campfire supper bag of tricks!!
Thanks again.
�And it never failed that during the dry years the people forgot about the rich years, and during the wet years they lost all memory of the dry
years. It was always that way.�― John Steinbeck
"All models are wrong, but some are useful." George E.P. Box
"Nature bats last." Doug "Hayduke" Peac-ck
|
|
|
thebajarunner
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3707
Registered: 9-8-2003
Location: Arizona....."Free at last from crumbling Cali
Member Is Offline
Mood: muy amable
|
|
James Garner..... a guy who our whole family loved as kids when Brett Maverick would be featured on Sunday night.
So, when I walked up to him in pre-race impound and introduced myself as a fellow pickup class racer I was pretty disappointed at the way he blew me
off.... OH well..... show biz I guess.
Anyway, we sort of ignored Mr Hollywood from that point on......until we discovered him buried deep in sand, had overrun a turn just north of The
Sisters and he already had a tow rope installed and waved us down.
"Motor on!"I yelled at my partner, but oh no, we were too nice and backed up, hooked him up and had him back on solid ground real quickly.
I was mumbling and grumbling about how he did not deserve the help when....OOOPSSSS, we were overcooked and off in deep sand. And, your guessed it,
who is first rig along? None other than our new best friend Jim. He didn't even ask, just backed up, we grabbed a rope and now we were the rescued
ones and grateful that eventually Baja seems to level out all the classes and the elite from us regular folks.
I think that there is a lesson int there somewhere about life, fate and "fish Tacos"
|
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64698
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
Great story, Dick!
|
|
|
bajaric
Senior Nomad
Posts: 629
Registered: 2-2-2015
Member Is Offline
|
|
That is a cool story about starting the truck by wrapping a rope around the rim, have to remember that one. One has to wonder, though, did no one had
a set of jumper cables?
I drove the grades south of Puertecitos in the mid 1980's. I think by then a little dozer work had been done on them. What I remember was worse was
the dirt road south of Gonzaga to Chapala. It was a long bone jarring stretch of rocks and ruts, seemed like it went on forever until you lost all
sense of time and direction, zoned out, just following the ruts in the road.
The evening before we had stopped somewhere along the shoreline and drove down a short steep grade to camp on the beach. Two guys drove up and parked
on the cliff above us. They were a couple of rough looking Mexican guys, swigging off a bottle of beer. They just sat there staring at me and my
blond girlfriend. So after a while I clambered up there and greeted them in a friendly manner. The guy scowled and said something in Spanish, but
all I heard was "Peligroso".
I retreated back to the truck. They kept sitting there, staring. I started to get the creeps. It was getting late in the day, soon we would be
sitting there in the dark. So I said, honey, we are out of here! We tossed all the gear in the truck and took off, wheels spinning on the grade up
away from the beach and past the two guys. Then I drove like a bat out of hell away from there until it was dark and we saw some lights at a house by
Huerfanito and parked near the house.
Some guy came out of the house and yelled at us in English, you can't park there! So I yelled back we are just trying to escape from the banditos!
The guy came over and we introduced ourselves. He was an old gringo that lived down there. I think he was called "The colonel" because he had been
an officer in the military. Anyways we got to be friends and he let us stay there.
That was our bandito experience. Many years later it occurred to me that those Mexican guys were probably concerned that we were parked on the beach
and the tide was coming in!
|
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xmbforum/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
