We
had suspected that perhaps Reno was an outlaw who had gone south. But
no, he was the son of bajacaliforniado's. Perhaps his parents had been
outlaws? Perhaps the grandparents? It didn't seem to matter, because in
Baja, records are erased.
I
asked Reno about the road from Chapala to Puertocitas. He said, "Stop
by a tire store first." I said, "Even with clearance?" He drank Tecate,
and said, "I've known guys who've lost three tires on that route." "Cars?"
"Careful drivers. Monster four-by-fours." When the sun went down, I paddled
to Bahìa de Los Angeles with a headlamp for light.
I
passed grounded Pangas, and people grilling fish or drinking beer under
Palapas. Everything was scattered, each giving space to the other, the
way it should be. Some people would get up from their chairs and wave,
or tell me to catch a fish, or "look at the guy out there!" Fish were
jumping, I couldn't tell what kind, only that they were relatively large,
and making my trip rather wet.
Since
I was paddling just three or four feet from shore, I was protected against
the violent winds howling through the canyons of Bahìa de Los Angeles
and out into the windswept islands of Baja's most picturesque bay. But
I learned quickly that if I paddled on the edge of the wind line, and
lifted the hull wind-side, my kayak would jet five miles per hour faster.
Since
a Naval architect designed Sonora, her entire hull is like a centerboard,
and she holds a line steady. There was no wind to my right, and blaring
to my left. I traveled on a line so smooth and silent that the only noise
was the hum of the wind, the rattling of the water against my bow, and
the fish jumping.
From
here I could see the white lights and flickering neon of Bahìa de Los
Angeles - reportedly named for the white islands in the distance which
resemble angels, but the city itself hasn't grown since Steinbeck griped
about too many new buildings in 1940. A thousand people, if that. The
Angel Islands; fifty-mile long Isla de la Guarda, for example, is one
of the most pristine and untouched islands in the world; but sparse and
void of little other than reptiles and scrub.
