BajaRon
Well-known member
Thank you, Lamont, for filling in the holes I left in these stories. Between us, I think we covered things pretty well!
#13 - Boating Adventure!
Lamont and I (and others), used to go to Baja quite a bit. (This is how I got my handle of BajaRon) I had a 14' aluminum boat that I carried on top of my Chevy Suburban. And Lamont had a similar boat of his own (not the one he built)
We would go down through San Felipe. Then travel South another 55 miles of the roughest road you've ever endured to Puertecitos. (This stretch is part of the Baja 1000 race).
We always went together, except for one time when Lamont decided to go without us. He had a Jeep (a Cherokee I think). And I might get some of this wrong, but I wasn't there. So, as I remember the telling, this is how it went.
You have to be very careful on the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California), because just a very short time after the wind comes up, this otherwise very calm body of water develops a wicked chop, which will prevent you from traveling above a crawl while swamping and sinking your boat. Chop can be worse than waves. Believe me, it's serious. You have to Run for Home right away or risk total devastation.
But when you're engrossed in fishing, sometimes you don't pay close attention and things sneak up on you. Well, Lamont got caught out on the water and the chop was driving him in the wrong direction. After determining that he was not going to make it back to the cove where we camp and launch our boats, he decided to beach at the first place he could find. Which is also problematic because most of the coast line in that area is covered with, 'Put a Hole In Your Boat' jagged volcanic rocks. Fortunately, he did find a very small, sandy (though steep) beach just big enough to get his boat into. He then walked back to where his Jeep and trailer were parked.
He backed the Jeep down and got the boat loaded on the trailer, but buried his Jeep in the sand when he tried to pull out. At which point the next dangerous condition raised its ugly and unavoidable head. The tides at the upper end of the Sea of Cortez are extreme. 14 vertical feet between low and high tide swings. And this happens very quickly. That much vertical rise translates into a great deal more in horizontal distance. Now Lamont stood to lose both the boat and the Jeep.
During those days it was extremely rare to see anyone, ever. I think we saw maybe 1 or two other vehicles in all the time we spent there over several years. But on that day, there was a 'Road Crew' working not too far away. They had a truck, and Lamont set out to see if they would help. They agreed, but by the time they got back, the ocean was lapping at the rear wheels on his Jeep and rising fast. If they were not able to pull him out quickly, all would be lost.
They were successful, and the crisis was averted. Lamont certainly dogged a bullet that day. If things had not worked out perfectly, as they did, he could have lost everything and ended up having to walk the 55 miles in the red hot, scorching desert, all the way back to San Felipe to get help.
He never returned to Puertecitos alone again. Smart man!
#13 - Boating Adventure!
Lamont and I (and others), used to go to Baja quite a bit. (This is how I got my handle of BajaRon) I had a 14' aluminum boat that I carried on top of my Chevy Suburban. And Lamont had a similar boat of his own (not the one he built)
We would go down through San Felipe. Then travel South another 55 miles of the roughest road you've ever endured to Puertecitos. (This stretch is part of the Baja 1000 race).
We always went together, except for one time when Lamont decided to go without us. He had a Jeep (a Cherokee I think). And I might get some of this wrong, but I wasn't there. So, as I remember the telling, this is how it went.
You have to be very careful on the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California), because just a very short time after the wind comes up, this otherwise very calm body of water develops a wicked chop, which will prevent you from traveling above a crawl while swamping and sinking your boat. Chop can be worse than waves. Believe me, it's serious. You have to Run for Home right away or risk total devastation.
But when you're engrossed in fishing, sometimes you don't pay close attention and things sneak up on you. Well, Lamont got caught out on the water and the chop was driving him in the wrong direction. After determining that he was not going to make it back to the cove where we camp and launch our boats, he decided to beach at the first place he could find. Which is also problematic because most of the coast line in that area is covered with, 'Put a Hole In Your Boat' jagged volcanic rocks. Fortunately, he did find a very small, sandy (though steep) beach just big enough to get his boat into. He then walked back to where his Jeep and trailer were parked.
He backed the Jeep down and got the boat loaded on the trailer, but buried his Jeep in the sand when he tried to pull out. At which point the next dangerous condition raised its ugly and unavoidable head. The tides at the upper end of the Sea of Cortez are extreme. 14 vertical feet between low and high tide swings. And this happens very quickly. That much vertical rise translates into a great deal more in horizontal distance. Now Lamont stood to lose both the boat and the Jeep.
During those days it was extremely rare to see anyone, ever. I think we saw maybe 1 or two other vehicles in all the time we spent there over several years. But on that day, there was a 'Road Crew' working not too far away. They had a truck, and Lamont set out to see if they would help. They agreed, but by the time they got back, the ocean was lapping at the rear wheels on his Jeep and rising fast. If they were not able to pull him out quickly, all would be lost.
They were successful, and the crisis was averted. Lamont certainly dogged a bullet that day. If things had not worked out perfectly, as they did, he could have lost everything and ended up having to walk the 55 miles in the red hot, scorching desert, all the way back to San Felipe to get help.
He never returned to Puertecitos alone again. Smart man!
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