Baja 4000

You can find yourself in some funny places in life, but driving the Baja 1000 route during prerunning -- in the wrong direction -- has got to be one of the funniest. The road was horrendous. The rocks and washboard were so bad, I'd barely taken the truck out of 2nd gear for two days. I had to do nearly 100 miles at about 15mph. My brain was rattled. At the point when the super-lujo, souped up Baja 1000 trucks and buggies, driven by guys in full gear, helmets, headsets and body suits started screaming past me at god knows what speed, I finally started laughing hysterically. Loudly. And whooping. Bouncing up and down in my fucking seat! Too much time alone in the middle of nowhere. Too many insane roads, cliff edges, washouts. Too many miles of nothing and no one. Tire pressure at 20 pounds and my teeth are still gonna fall out. When it's just washboard I can zip over it at 40mph and I'm happy with the heavy buzz, hanging on and trying not to lose control. Otherwise it's hell. The good stuff, when you get off the main rocky road, onto the laterales, the parallel tracks in the sand and dirt, that's what saves me from insanity. But the places out there – they're so lonely and spectacular they'll make you cry. Four thousand miles and counting.