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The Adventures of Driving Baja
Baja Is for Everyone Essay Entry
Mrs. Joanne Nelson
Every time is a ‘favorite’ time when we are on the Baja.
The challenges and experiences have been many with such memorable moments from adrenaline rushes to complete solitude. My husband and I have traveled the Baja since 1996 and driven down and back 6 times.
Our first experience, although their presence appeared intimidating, wearing military fatigues, machine guns, spike belts across roads, camouflaged bunkers, gave us the utmost respect for the Federal Military throughout the Baja and compassion for the many hours they endure in very intense heat. 
Many an occasion, we have supplied water to these weary boys especially when they have no shade to relax under, while they attempt to stay cordial, inspecting hundreds of vehicles when some people are extremely difficult to deal with.
We enjoy our second home in San Jose and all the people we have befriended over the years including the local Entrepreneurs who tease us about buying “tourist” junk! Fabulous memories stopping at roadside stands, enjoying local delicacies such as soft fish tacos, corn on the cob dipped in cheese, pickled nopales (cactus), fresh fruit cups, to delicious hot tamales and soup, made by Joni and her friend at the local weekend Market. Our dear friends Carlos and Linda, who have lived in San Jose for 20 plus years, have been our saving grace so many times especially when we try to speak and understand Spanish.
Following the Baja 1000 in 2007 was exciting especially when we met some fans in San Quinten, found them again when we stayed at Hotel Serendidad in Mulege where the setting is very quaint with a small Airstrip, then again at the end of the race in the grand City of La Paz. The changing landscapes are phenomenal, from miles of flat lands, assorted cacti, vivid flowers of red, orange, yellow, white, fuschia and more, boulders the side of high rises, bottomless canyons, salt flats in Guerro Negro, horses, donkeys, iguana, road runners and much more.
After hurricanes, we have driven by sheared off hydro towers, craters in the road with barely enough room to manipulate around and a silent fear of dropping into them, thunderous rain impeding visibility, rounding ‘peligrossas’ and crossing ‘vados’, floods with muddy water seeping into the floor boards, landing in holes, flat tires, bent rims, and changing so many tires we lost count. We bought gasoline out of the back of a pick up in Catavinia, saw a semi-trailer miss a corner before Santa Rosalia and sail off road into a canyon when the driver got out and walked away. Within minutes, from nowhere, multitudes of people were rummaging through spilled contents.
We had the pleasure of meeting 5 fellas who stopped to help us when our car had a fried battery then took us into Cuidad Constitucion, directly to a battery shop—what heroes! We stayed in places with parts of the roof missing to staying at km92 on a lengthy sand spit with ocean on both sides, barely high enough to cover ones knees and multitudes of tiny clams in the ocean floor which were absolutely delicious, steamed in the shell on a barbecue at the ocean’s shore, while the sun disappeared on the horizon, laying in a tent with a netted top, watching shooting stars and sleeping in tranquility with the perfect end to a day.
We are eternally grateful for all the fabulous people we have met and those who have helped us over the years while we blindly found our way through our challenging experiences on the Baja. 