November 2001 -- A month before the Baja/Tecate 1000, friends and amigos of Off-Road.com visited El Pariso for the Pete's Camp Poker Run. Of course, it was only an excuse to get across the border. We managed to round up a group of 25 old and new friends for wild times down the back roads of the San Felipe area. The Pete's Camp Poker Run was a great event, but lots of people and off-road cars lead to Southern California-style crowds.

We were in Baja looking for that desolate, all-alone and on your own adventure type of thing. Hence, the next few days we spent in the hills. With the SCORE Baja/Tecate 1000 less than a month away, a small group of off roaders banded together and planned a trip up to Mike's Sky Ranch.

This group of off-road enthusiasts, included the legendary MikieBaja, Doc, Amo Pescar, Georgie, and his sidekick Joel. According to a very reliable "Wild" source, we found the Baja/Tecate 1000 course. It criss-crossed the area we were headed toward.

On Monday morning, after most weekend racers blasted out of town and El Pariso was quiet again, we began the checklist of extra fuel and parts, tow ropes, cold cerveza, aired down tires and fluid levels (did we mention cerveza?). After we all loaded up with helmets buckled, we were off. The stragglers were chasing the inevitable dust trail of the long line of vehicles.

Hauling ass up Las Cuevitas Canyon, we encountered the deep sand washes that are brutal on off-road cars. We slowed as we saw the bright pink race markers, indicating we were now on the Baja/Tecate 1000.

MikieBaja's car, "The Little One That Could," led the way as we took the wash that branched right, along the base of the hill. Leading us to La Salada (dry lake bed) and into Santa Clara Valley, we stopped to decide which route to take, either the dry lakebed, (well it was suppose to be dry) or the road at the base of the hill. Everyone looked around and agreed the fast dry lakebed was the choice. Speeding along, everyone was spread out along the dry lakebed as the pink 1000 markers flew by at lightening speed.

Soon, The Little One That Could, a Baja Bug with an 1835 cc VW powered and a tricked-out gearbox, was slipping sideways through the deep mud. I yelled out to Mikie, "Go left! Go right!"

MikieBaja was shifting and turning, trying to get some dry dirt. No luck! Quickly, we decelerated from 60 mph to 30 mph. It was looking ugly, with muck flying past the windows. We were doomed. Finally with second gear wound out at 4000 RPM, we caught some solid ground and launched the Baja Bug to the right and out of the muck…Lucky we thought! Hell, we didn't stop; god knows another bowl of muck was around the corner.

Trying to catch up with the group, who didn't hit the soft stuff, we raced ahead with nasty ass mud flinging in all directions. "Whoa baby," MikieBaja says quietly. He saw what I saw, a Hummer heading across the desert floor.

Now this was no ordinary Hummer. This one was all military green loaded with youngsters and HK-91 military assault rifles. We've been through this before, I thought.

Slowly, we approached the group; the Captain of the Patrol Group was waving us up to the Hummer. They looked at us hard and then searched the cars, at which time I offered ice-cold beverages. All smiles now, the boyz in green were happy. They stopped searching and began to drink the ice cold drinks.

Passing around the sunflower seeds and pouring them into their uniforms for later; the youngsters were like young happy Marines. Of course, we know they're not Marines, because Marines are the baddest actors around. Just ask our ORC Managing Editor Fidel Gonzales about the United States Marines. Well, these Mexican Army boyz were off, and we were again on our way.

Passing the Baja 1000 course markings, we dreamt of a month away, when we'll be throttling that gas-powered blender, serving up ice-cold Margaritas and watching the epic race.

In the distance, we saw another trail of dust. Other explorers we thought. Strange how that happens in Baja. We came to find out later that it was the SCORE Official Course Marking Crew.

The next twenty miles proved brutal on several of our vehicles, a disengrated pulley on one motor, fuel and electrical problems on another and the most important driver in our group, Doc (a real medical doctor), was lost driving on his own in the Baja Desert.

As veteran Baja travelers, we got it together and The Little One That Could towed two vehicles on the hook at once. Traveling through the desert, we passed many course markers and slowed to see some deep rain ruts that will surely pose a threat to some of the smaller race trucks and cars, not to mention the quads.

After an hour on the hook, we arrived at El Oasis. We all piled out for cold drinks and waited for the rest of our boyz to arrive.

Where the hell are they? The stragglers? We see dust and then a couple of matching off-road vehicles. Nope, these are stickered Mitsubishi Montero Sport 4x4 vehicles, dark tinted windows, SCORE stickers.

And then, the door opens on the passenger side. Out steps a tired looking man. Immediately, I recognize him. It's Sal Fish, El Jefe of SCORE, the man behind the legendary Baja races. I yell out, "Hey Sal, What's up?"

He remarked, saying they are out surveying problem areas on the course and correcting course markers. He looked beat up, like he'd driven 1000 miles of bad road, but he was still showing us that good-old Sal Fish spirit, highlighted by that super hero smile.

He said they'd been out for three days checking the course and that they were ready for a warm shower and a real bed. As we talk with Sal near their vehicles, a couple of his guys are blabbering on in Italian, and I don't mean they smelled Italian; they were speaking Italian. One fellow was on his sat phone, barking out some type of Italian orders. It's hectic in the weeks prior to the race, and Sal is out on the front lines, busting his ass to make this Baja/Tecate 1000 a success.

I look over and see MikieBaja talking with Sr. Fish. Snooping on their conversation, I hear them reminiscing about the days of old, when they were both involved in racing the Lion's Drag Strip in the mid 1960's. I think, wow, these guys are going back in time.
The mid-1960's is almost fifty years ago…Yikes!

Well, it just goes to show you that anywhere you are, you could run into racing and off-road icons. Not only do they work their tails off for us spectators so that we can enjoy the sport, they are real people and take the time to do what is right, BS with fellow off-roaders in the middle of nowhere - Baja!

As an avid off-roader for many years, I would not expect to see the Director of SCORE out in the middle of the Baja Desert, on the course, a month before the race. But this is different. There's different kind of people at hand here. They're off roaders. And Sal Fish, being the class act that he is, is one of them - one of us! Our hats are off to one of the guys who always seem to make it happen. Thanks Sal!