RTG AlMex Daily Dispatch - FINAL - Flipbook - Page 45
27 August to
26 September 2023
Day 26 Puerto Peñasco to San Felipe (410km)
22 September 2023
photos: Gerard Brown - gerardbrown.co.uk
Worse for wear, the Cadillac of Jim Gately and Rob Dance
willie nelson and the Highwaymen could have been
singing about us today, as we witnessed that the
road really does go on forever, and the party never
ends. from last night’s dinner on the beach in puerto
peñasco, we segued effortlessly to a poolside taco
buffet in San felipe via a serious chunk of tarmac.
The Sea of Cortez and its salt flats set the route for us today.
we traversed from the east coast to the west coast of the
Vermilion Sea, through the Sonoran desert and onwards to
the Baja peninsula. It was an epic day given the geography
and climate, but there was only space in the schedule for one
regularity and, due to recent rains, this had to be shortened.
However, Sarah’s Salty Sabkha, despite being a little muddy
around the edges, didn’t disappoint.
This section was 70km from the hotel and ran through a
lunar-like landscape of low-lying dunes on a friable and crusty
mixture of sand and sodium chloride. It was blisteringly hot
and the sun bounced straight from the white piste directly
into our windscreens. with just enough time for our eyes
to adjust, we hit the tarmac for a long trek towards a Time
Control in la Ventana.
At the night halt in San felipe the car park of the el Cortez
Hotel was a busy place. Jim Gately’s Cadillac needed attention
again. Jamie and owen Turner, along with russ Smith, were
looking to replace the head gasket. Meanwhile, Andy Inskip
Otakar Chládek and Jindřiška Žemličková, 350 SL
and Charlie neale were underneath Stephen partridge’s big
ford Galaxie, sorting a leaking exhaust manifold and a faulty
power steering system. david roberts was wiring in another
trip meter, looking to isolate the electrical interference
and lack of accuracy that has plagued the Chrysler since
Anchorage. Sadly we learned roy and rachel Stephenson’s
Mustang can’t be repaired in time. The crew will take a few
days of well-earned rest in Tucson and then fly to Cabo to
join us for the grand finale and prize-giving.
Tonight we sat down to a simple, but memorable, meal
under the stars, metres from the sea. Juan, a local music
teacher, entertained us by playing a medley of popular
tunes on his saxophone.
Ean and Alison Lewin, 1973 Ford Escort RS1600
www.rallytheglobe.com