David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64865
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
"Save Me, Baja" by Mike Humfreville, Nov 20, 2005
Stories by Mike Humfreville
Save Me, Baja ( Posted November 20, 2005 )
We crossed the border into the United States of America after a 2-month visit to our house in Bahia de Los Angeles. We took the Tecate turnoff just
north of Ensenada. We opted to avoid the constant confrontation of forced lane changes and people who know the route better than we do cutting in
front of others less knowledgeable. The kindness we had been living in the remote small-village environs of the Bay is certainly not located at the
Tijuana crossing. Tecate took us just a few moments; it can be much longer but it is more policed and structured. The smaller town folks are more
giving and considerate. Seems like that might just be true regardless of the part of the world we're in.
We got home to Ventura, California. Michael and Kevin helped us unload. Hugs passed as freely as the duffels filled with soiled clothes. Our first
several nights were a little noisier and filled with less friendly sounds. In the bay we're caressed daily and nightly with natural sounds of whales,
dolphin, sea birds, sea lions, and waves, small fragile sparkling tinkles in the night reflect off the distant stars and moon. Our moon.
While we live in Ventura in a relatively remote small orchard of avocado and lemon trees, our rented house is located between the 126 freeway and
another major thoroughfare connecting Valencia and the coast. The noise from traffic, particularly in the evenings and early morning hours, is too
much. I fall asleep dreaming of Bahia de Los Angeles.
We're heading there soon. I have a list of supplies we need. Mary Ann has met a neighbor at our house on the Sea of Cortez who does the ancient art
fabric Locker Hooking. We set off to the local Wal-Mart to buy what she needs to perform this art. I was completely unprepared.
In Bahia the definition of a crowd is several people gathered somewhere. The Ventura Wal-Mart is huge and there must have been many thousands of
shoppers, all speaking different languages, pushing shopping carts filled to the brim and not watching where they were going and grabbing at more
STUFF! What has America taught us? I do not mean this disrespectfully as I am very much an American.
All my life I have spent money as a form of uplifting entertainment. Now, retired, I have to stop. But I've been thinking about it for some time. It's
something I need to fix in myself. I really don't think it'll be too hard. It's a matter of my understanding my own form of demented logic.
The bulging crowd continues on their quest for new stuff. We enter the checkout line, one of twenty, and it takes us 20 minutes. We only have several
purchases. The rush of humanity is incredible and overpowering. I can't wait to get out of the building.
Cars in the parking lot are zooming around looking for open slots. People are everywhere. I'm overwhelmed once again. This is the society I grew up in
but it has grown. I long to be back in Bahia de Los Angeles or elsewhere in Baja, in Mexico, where I also grew up.
"Come save me, Baja."
"I'm right there with you, Michael. I'm in your head." She said.
Copyright 2003-2006 Mike Humfreville
|
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64865
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
All of Mike's 2003-2006 Internet stories are still online, here:
https://math.ucr.edu/~ftm/bajaPages/Correspondents/BajaWithM...
|
|
|
pauldavidmena
Super Nomad
Posts: 1717
Registered: 5-23-2013
Location: Centerville, MA, USA
Member Is Offline
|
|
Haunting stuff, particularly in light of recent events. Thank you for sharing.
|
|
|
BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13200
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
Member Is Offline
|
|
Mike definitely had Baja Fever. His descriptions are vivid. One can imagine the dolphins whispering and waves lapping. And then the chaos of a
Ventura Walmart.
|
|
|
bajaric
Senior Nomad
Posts: 638
Registered: 2-2-2015
Member Is Offline
|
|
For me it is always a jarring transition from traffic-free Baja desert highways to the freeways of Southern California; from rural two lane highways
where biggest danger is pothole or a cow in the road to ten lane concrete monstrosities where thousands of stressed out drivers jockey for position,
trying to make it to the next traffic jam a few car lengths ahead of the next guy.
|
|
|
AKgringo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6035
Registered: 9-20-2014
Location: Anchorage, AK (no mas!)
Member Is Offline
Mood: Retireded
|
|
Amen bajaric!
That is precisely why I cross over Donner Summit to the east side of the Sierra's and head south through Nevada to get to Mexicali. It takes longer,
but I enjoy the drive, rather than white knuckling through SoCal.
[Edited on 12-31-2020 by AKgringo]
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
|
|
|
JZ
Select Nomad
Posts: 10651
Registered: 10-3-2003
Member Is Offline
|
|
Quote: Originally posted by bajaric  | | For me it is always a jarring transition from traffic-free Baja desert highways to the freeways of Southern California; from rural two lane highways
where biggest danger is pothole or a cow in the road to ten lane concrete monstrosities where thousands of stressed out drivers jockey for position,
trying to make it to the next traffic jam a few car lengths ahead of the next guy. |
Spend two weeks in Baja, then fly into an airport like Phoenix (often much more crowded than LAX). Feels like a million little ants running around.
[Edited on 12-31-2020 by JZ]
|
|
|
CaboMagic
Super Nomad
Posts: 1109
Registered: 4-30-2005
Member Is Offline
|
|
Thanks DK - his writing was and is amazing …
Mike Humfreville RIP
MaryAnn if you are gone from this world, I pray you have been reunited.
Ending 2020 feeling grateful for what we have .. not cheated for what we thought we deserved.
We are thankful for good health, friendship, compassion and for strength and understanding. Thankful for those on the front line taking care of loved
ones.
We are present and accounted for.
Blessings to all here and there .. wherever ye may be.
Lori and Tommy
|
|
|
Mother of Dragons
Nomad
Posts: 313
Registered: 4-30-2019
Location: California
Member Is Offline
Mood: Waiting
|
|
Thanks David, looks like some good stories to get lost in.
|
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64865
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
De nada, ladies!
Any author who writes about Baja should be kept available for new readers.
Bernie Swaim (Baja Bernie) was another prolific writer and Doug (BajaNomad) has his stories preserved here on Nomad in a special forum: http://forums.bajanomad.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=53
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xmbforum/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
