Coco's corner is well-marked and if you drive by and miss it, well then you must have had your eyes closed or you were arguing with the misses. This old 1930's refridgerator was turned into a sign 1 kilometer north of the famed location. It's been said that NASA astronauts have been able to see Coco's compound from space when he has all his lights going.

In early May 2002, staffers and friends from Off-Road.Com paid the Baja Legend Coco, a visit at his famous compound located in the middle of the Baja desert between Gonzaga and Bahia de los Angeles. It was during that visit that Coco let us in on few little secrets, one of them that he had finally got his race. Early in the year he had been paid visits by various Pit Service teams vying for spots at the famous three-corners location. The bottom line was who was going to pay the premium price for the locations at Coco's Baja resort. Coco smiled and rubbed his fingers together laughing slightly, as it was finally a decent payday for him.

BF Goodrich was inked. Arriving to Coco's in the mid-morning the temperatures were moving upwards to the mid-80's. Coco served up the road sodas and ice water for the entire crew of 20+ riders and support personnel we guided to his paradise. We spotted Coco's legendary 1969 Ford F150 race vehicle that he had just rebuilt. We saw that he had glued plastic black widows on the ceiling and he even had an old worn out Nokia cellular telephone mounted on the dash. The transmission floor shifter was manufactured out of a piece of plywood found on the road between Puertocitos and Gonzaga last year. With his master craftmanship and a bit of paint, his shifter was set up over the hump on the floorboard and configured the same as most trophy trucks.

Coco was in his heyday at Gonzaga Bay at Alphonsina's holding court and explaining the ways of the Baja life. A long time Baja legend, he has saved more people than he's willing to count.

While viewing the property, I saw the old familiar BFGoodrich race tape strewn to the northside of Coco's resort. In the Baja Almanac map book, the merging of the roads is affectionately named Coco's Corner after this legendary Baja icon. A short walk away and I noticed the BFG race tape was new and in good condition. Coco later informed me the BFG crew had been by several days prior and "reserved" the taped off area as a possible pit location for the November SCORE Baja 1000. He smiled and said, "I finally got my big race."

Since 1967, the Baja 1000 race has traversed the Baja Peninsula and for many of those races Coco has been a small part of those races, that is until this year when he get's his race. The 1034 miles of race course is set to take off on November 20, 2002 from Ensenada heading over the top of the Baja mountains at Mike's Sky Ranch and down towards the seaside village of San Felipe. And then down south all the way to Bahia de Los Angeles and onto La Paz for the finish. The activity in and around Coco's Corner will be happening several days prior to the event.

Race trucks by Coco. This 1969 Ford F150 fire-engine red truck was just rebuilt by Coco and his crew. They completed the rebuild at his engine repair shop on the south end of his property near the campers. Coco runs a complete vehicle repair shop from his property.

If you're a Baja traveler and you haven't had the chance to vsit Coco's Corner, take the time to do so. Sit at the covered picnic table and view the photos of yesteryear, the business cards, the famous racers and even Hollywood moviestars. Take the time and read his famous signature book and then sign it yourself with colorful commentary. Listen to his Baja world of wisdom and if you have questions about a beach camp, a road, a trail or need some mechanical repair, Coco will help you out.

So, after many years of hanging around the pheriphy of the SCORE Baja off-road desert racing scene, Coco scored the big one and has his race. Recently, Coco was heard to have been working double time on the Coco's Corner properties preparing for the onslaught of pit crews, racer's chase teams and the Baja race crowds that will no doubt invade his little part of the Baja world named Coco's Corner. If you're looking for a great spectator location, Coco's Corner would be the place. Look for Racer Don and others from the Off-Road.Com staff.

The chain-saw powered blender named, "The Tailgator," kept Coco excited once he saw what this blender could do. Filled with ice and mix, the blender roars to life and completes the icy refreshments in just seconds.	The gathering spot at the picnic table at the infamous "Coco's Corner." You can say colorful and eccentric, but it's Baja and part of the legend. Stop by for a refreshment and you won't be disappointed.