What a sad story Fernando. Thank you for sharing it with us. You and Simone were wonderful. You guys did everything possible for these poor
unfortunate souls. As indicated by the mother of the young woman she was grateful for your intervention. I’m positive the young man was grateful too.
God bless you guys for being there and helping.
It is so sad for some one to die like that. I also think is is very good of you and your family to help even when things could be touchy with the
Federales.
There is one other survival technique that sometimes works before walking away from a dead vehicle (for instance, a broken axle or blown tranny) in a
hostile environment:
Light the vehicle on fire. The smoke/flames/explosions can attract attention.
I am not kidding. I was taught that at survival school. If you're worried about your boss/insurance/whoever, drain the radiator and leave the motor
running with a rock on the gas pedal. It'll blow big time.
I'm so saddened to hear stories of unnecessary deaths, like the teenager who drowned within twenty feet of help at the hot spring dam in El Chorro
this spring.
Yikes! I had forgotten when I was at the canyon a few years ago alone and man came walking up---walking up----to the campgrounds with a woman and a
VERY young baby. I think I was at Paloma. I hailed him to ask if all was ok and he said he had gotten stuck in the sand. I started getting my truck
ready as he went up to the host to tell him what was going on. As it turned out they went to get his truck while I stayed with the Japanese wife and
the infant. It was one of those things where you wonder was he crazy to do that with such a young kid but on the other hand, giving him credit for
adventuring and making the adventure a part of the kid's soul whether he knows it or not. Since I don't have kids I'll never have to take on this
battle.
A great article mentioned earlier. Who knows, this thread may save someone's life?
On the other hand there is Sr. Rios that walks from Mexicali to Tijuana and back. He does'nt know it's hot so he's fine. When offered a ride he
declined saying he was almost there.
A well informed Baja California traveler is a smart Baja California traveler!
It can happen anywhere. Article in the paper this morning of an older couple in their 80s near Barstow, CA. They were on a road detour and got stuck
in the sand. Left the car walking for help and some people found him and about 400 yards behind was his wife, she died at the hospital.
According to the investigation, the last to die was the little boy, i can imagine a young kid by him self in the middle of the Salada, very tragic
ending.Im surprise how with so many tragic deaths in the Salada, that this place is not haunted, please don't forget the Mexican soldiers that die,
while doing a survival training in the Salada.
BAJA IS WHAT YOU WANTED TO BE, FUN,DANGEROUS,INCREDIBLE, REMOTE, EXOTIC..JUST GO AND HAVE FUN.....
Extra water sounds like a good idea. Been back in the Baja boonies a time or two. Would have been in deep doo-doo if the rig broke down. Cell phones
might not work. Let someone know where you're going and when you'll be back. Pretty simple. Might save your burro.
Ferna, that is just a really sad, sad story and one I am sure your whole family will never forget. And they were so close to safety---so easy to get
disoriented in the forest or the desert.
I know we have made some mistakes in travel, but fortunate to the results were not tragic.
New signs are now install in the two main entrances to laguna Salada, in the new future water for the vehicles will be available in barrels and also
drinking water will be suply to prevente more deaths, all this a result of the 3 people that loss their lives when their vehicle got stuck in soft
sand. Its a shame that it took so many lives to come to this point, but late is better that never.The signs tells you of the precautions and dangers
of entering into this desolated place if you are not prepare, the link is i9n spanish i couldn't find it in english sorry. http://www.mexicowebcast.com.mx/index.php?loc=4&inner=ar...
BAJA IS WHAT YOU WANTED TO BE, FUN,DANGEROUS,INCREDIBLE, REMOTE, EXOTIC..JUST GO AND HAVE FUN.....
HERE IS THE ABOVE LINK IN ENGLISH .MEXICALI, BC .- This Tuesday began installing a sign at the entrance to the area known as the "Pavarotti" at the
Laguna Salada, as part of a preventive program to disseminate minimum for survival and to avoid incidents that endanger life. The Deputy Juan Manuel
Garcia Molina, chairman of the Committee of Public Safety, together with the Citizen Council for Public Security José Carlos Vizcarra presiding and
the City of Mexicali, performed this action. In this desert area, where the a temperature above 50 degrees centigrade in summer, placed signs and
other drums of drinking water. The recommendations of the signs are to survive in the wilderness of the Directorate for Civil Protection and groups of
hikers. Among other things, it is suggested not only carry water but also contain electrolytes, lemon and salt to prevent dehydration and to avoid
risking the lives of families. It is also recommended that the car is the suspension or wheel drive because the road ahead is sandy and there are many
stone carry spare tires, tools, fuel reserve, first aid kit, food and clothing. After nearly a month of being missing, was located the body of the
officer of the Preventive Police in Mexicali, Miriam Yaneth Jaimes Rodriguez, his son, Jose de Jesus, and Arnoldo López Acevedo, apparently was his
sentimental partner. The bodies were found approximately 20 miles from the Mexicali-Tijuana Bundesstrasse within the glass of the Laguna Salada desert
afntijuana.info
[Edited on 8-6-2009 by BAJACAT]
[Edited on 8-6-2009 by BAJACAT]
[Edited on 8-6-2009 by BAJACAT]
BAJA IS WHAT YOU WANTED TO BE, FUN,DANGEROUS,INCREDIBLE, REMOTE, EXOTIC..JUST GO AND HAVE FUN.....
Laguna Salada claims lives even when it is full of water. In the mid '70's or a bit later, a young male student pilot was coming back to San Diego
from a cross country to the desert, Yuma, I think. He knew he had to keep the Salton Sea to the north of his path coming home, but unfortunatly the
recent heavy rains filled up Laguna Salada. He confused Laguna Salada with the Salton Sea and flew south of it instead. That took him very far south
out of his way and he ran out of fuel in the rugged country on his way to the coast. He started walking from his aircraft and died on the way never
encountering another soul. Baja can be tough and unforgiving of mistakes.
Also available nowdays are some lightwieght sun shades that pack up in a small nylon sleeve. All differernt sizes are available. Kelty makes some
really nice ones. Just bieng able to get out of the direct sunlight at temps over 100 degrees is essential to survival.++C++
Thank God you guys were able to save the man. How sad that the girl had to die. I am now crying.
Quote:
Originally posted by fdt
I posted this some years ago about a trip we made to Cañon de Guadalupe and how we saved one life but lost another who died in Simone's arms.
On May 04 2004 we took a trip to Cañon de Guadalupe, fdt, Mrs. ferna, and the kids in one Saturn VUE and James and his daughter in another Saturn VUE,
we wanted to try them out, both brand new, the plan was to leave Tijuana early, but ended up leaving till about 10, we reached the Ca?on de Guadalupe
exit at about noon or so and into the Salada we went, there was some pavement then, maybe for about a few miles in and then the dirt started, about 4
miles in we see at a distance a man walking, as we get closer he starts waving at us but not very energetic as if his arm weighed a ton, remember it's
around 12:30 and it's 109 farenheit according to our thermometer in the mirror and this guy is just walking twards us. Were all what the? and we stop
and the guy is foaming in the mouth and sais ayudenme por favor, immediatly we start asking what is he doing walking in the dessert (he had a digital
camera hanging from his neck and was well dressed but dusty). As we continue asking and giving him gatorade / water / soda, we sat him in front of the
air conditioner (the guy was dying when we found him), he starts to compose himself and starts telling us that they thought they whent to far and in
turning bak got stuck in the sand and that they waited and waited and no one would drive by so they decided to walk to the hwy and that his friend was
back there cause she couldn't make it any further. I'm all what do you mean back there, there is someone else? So we get back in our cars and there we
go full speed and after quite a way we spot someone laying on the middle of the road. Were all Oh my God! Oh poop! En la madre! We get there, get out
of the car and it's a young laidy just laying there navy blue skirt, white shirt, navy blue sport coat. I start moving her in desperation, Simone
tells me get out of the way and starts mouth to mouth, listens to her heart, sais she still has a heart beat, I say lets get her in the car fast!
Rapido, rapido! I start emptying the back of our VUE of fire wood, ice chests, transfer the tents, sleeping bags etc from the back of my friends VUE
and we get her into the back of his vahicle and off they go to the hwy, James his daughter the guy, and my wife with the lady trying to resucitate
her. I stayed with the kids, loaded up some stuff, left behind some other stuff and followed them. when we got to the hwy I'm all now what? so I head
twards Mexicali. I spot them on the side of the road by one of the emergency phones and there is a white pick p truck aproaching them, the ones that
work on the roads. kids stay in the car, I go to the other car, my wife is crying, the girl's dead. The road guys call the caseta de cobro and 2 more
trucks arrive and they call an ambulance. By this time Simone (Mrs. ferna) is getting really peeed off at these people that work on the roads and
don't even have a first aid kit, or nothing and are just staring at the dead girl and she's all but the guy needs help he's all dehidrated. The
ambulance arrives and the same story, they go to the dead girl and pay no attention to the guy. Finaly they cover up the girl w/a white sheet and tend
to the guy. Remember the dead girl is inside the back of my friends car. so now they say that they have to wait for the federal because of the dead
girl. When the federalde caminos arrives we realize the hole thing that happened and all of the possible complications (dead girl in car? Who done
it). We start explaning to the federal and tell him the whole story. he gets on his cellular and is talking to someone, he goes to his patrol car and
radios, then another cellular call and then another and another. He comes back to were we are by the ambulance and then to my friends car, uncovers
the girs face and sais to the ambulance guys I don't think she's dead, he orders us all to follow him, that we were going to the hospital in Mexicali
to get an electrocardiograma to verify that the girl was dead. So here we go caravaning, the federal, my friend, with dead girl in back, the
ambulance, me and the kids, the three hwy trucks. Boy it seemed like a long way, we whent all the way downtown MXL to the Hospital General, drove into
the emergency drive, we all get out, it looked like they were already expecting us, a young doctor goes to the back of my friends car and verifies
that the girl is dead, the federal orders them to get her out of the car and get an electrocardiograma for verification. They all look at him like
he's wierd or something but obey and get the girl out and place her in a wheelchair, and could'nt get her straight enough to sit (she was stiff) and
they rolled her into the hospital. the federal callls us and sais give me your information so we do that and then he sais "You need to hurry and move
your cars because they are blocking the emergency driveway".
My friend and I realized tat that was our queue, out get out of jail card, our ticket to leave. We now knew what all those call were for back in the
hwy.
So there we go back to Cañon de Guadalupe, this time we took distances, from the road to were we found the guy, from the guy to the girl's location
and pick up our stuff and then we whent for 9.8 miles and found the truck stuck in the sand, brand new, with a sign on the sides that said CESPM. They
were both engineers for the water company on theire way to do a survey at a ranch and they realized that they had gone to far, stoped and tried to
return and the truck got stuck, they had no radio, no water and no cel phone(it wouldnt have worked anyway). Anyway we got out of our cars and we all
whent to the truck like something was calling us to look at it, it was the missing link to the story, our experience, the kid's real live dead person,
it was reality, lessons to be learned, time, meditation, prayer, thankfulness, and reality. Ok now so we went on our way, by this time the sun has
gone down so we want to hurry so Arturo is still awake when we get there. Here is were it really got weird half a mile in tward the canyon the road
bends to the right slightly and as you finish that bend ther was a ranch with trees, windmill, water sprinklers, people. Now that was wierd, if theyd
only gone the other direction.when we got back home, I started going into the la cronica's (Mexicali's newspaper) web page and found out that her name
was Rosario, she was 26 years old, etc.l My wife was reading all the stories they wrote about the incident and she, against all logic wrote to one of
the reporters to tell our story, and they even printed it. I was kind of nervouse that they might find us but nothing happened, the girls mother ended
up emailing mi wife and thanking her for all she did for her daughter.
I remember reading about some Arabs who had survived quite a long time by getting underneath their broken down truck during the midday heat in the
Sahara.
If possible don't try to hike out in the heat of the day--night and early morning is a lot easier on the human body...perhaps at night the folks
could have seen the lights from the nearby rancho. If stuck like they were dig the sand out from under the car by hand if you have to, or find some
other shade and wait until it cools down. So sorry for those people...RIP.
Almost identical incident in california a few days ago. A las vegas woman and her 11 year old sun were camping in Death valley and got high centered
in sand off the beaten path. A park ranger found her in time but her 11 year old son sadly didn't make it. She blamed a faulty GPS for getting lost.
Didn't have any maps or compass with her.
Originally posted by LancairDriver
She blamed a faulty GPS for getting lost. Didn't have any maps or compass with her.
More likely a faulty user. I have only had my GPS fail me once. I was in the middle of Santa Catalina Island, and my GPS told me I was someplace in
the desert west of Las Vegas...and the estimated position error was 20 feet.
Always carry a shovel and a pick, if you plan on traveling off road. You'll probably need it some day.
Truth generally lies in the coordination of antagonistic opinions
-Herbert Spencer
"If it were lush and rich, one could understand the pull, but it is fierce and hostile and sullen.
The stone mountains pile up to the sky and there is little fresh water. But we know we must go back
if we live, and we don't know why." - Steinbeck, Log from the Sea of Cortez
"People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." - Theodore Roosevelt
"You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them or to them." - Malcolm Forbes
"Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others
cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else's hands, but not you." - Jim Rohn
"The best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question; it's to post the wrong answer." - Cunningham's Law
Thankyou to Baja Bound
Mexico InsuranceServices for your long-term support of the BajaNomad.com Forums site.
Emergency Baja Contacts Include:
Desert Hawks;
El Rosario-based ambulance transport; Emergency #: (616) 103-0262
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