The Escapades of Captain Baja
Stories of Flying & Fishing in Mexico's Mysterious Peninsula
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Also available through Amazon.com. /B>
es-ca-pade (n.) 1. a reckless adventure or wild prank. 2. an escape from confinement or captivity.
Random House Dictionary
Born, reared and educated in a boring Middlewest environment, Harcourt Forrest Wood, MD, discovers Baja California in 1978 and is excited by its wild beauty and challenged by its bird shooting and game fishing. He finds Baja California the antithesis of his flatland heritage, a wild place where he can periodically escape the intensely heavy demands of his medical practice -- and his family. In Baja he also sees the opportunity to fulfill boyhood fantasies and become a “Rogue Male.”
At a remote fishing resort he meets a retired naval aviator, the cantankerous Commander Dante Tibernio (whom the Mexicans call Comandante Tiburon), who later invites him on a return flight into Baja in his twin-engine Piper Aztec. Dr. Wood is so impressed by this experience, he wrests time from his busy schedule and obtains his Private Pilot license, then buys an airplane; first a Cessna 172; then, the ultimate doctor’s flying machine; a "V" Tail Bonanza. At this point the stories of his zany adventures begin. Sometimes with Tiburon (who confers on him the sobriquet “Captain Baja" and who is often his bane), he encounters Chubascos, sharks, greedy developers, deceitful outdoor writers, incompetent Mexican pilots, flying drug smugglers, lobster restaurateurs and many, many other colorful Baja characters.
Although completely fiction, anyone who knows and loves the uniqueness of Baja California and its inhabitants and visitors will identify with many of the characters and situations in this book. This is Old Baja before the glitter, before the hype.
"If you like Baja, you´ll love CAPTAIN BAJA!"
Arnold Senterfitt, author of AIRPORTS OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
"Fasten you seat belts! Captain Baja is trolling the skies of Baja, and he ain´t takin´ no stinkin´ prisoners! A fine collection of stories with an authentic ´old Baja´ feel"
Gene Kira, author of KING OF THE MOON and king of www.Bajadestinations.com.
To read author´s biography, click on his underlined name in the heading or on Author Display in left margin.
About the Author
The author entered the new Aviation Officer Candidate Program in 1956 and flew the T-34, T-28, and the SNJ in Basic, and the AD-4 in Advance. In a fleet squadron, he flew four models of the AD-5. Leaving active duty in 1960, he worked for an insurance firm and spent seven years in Europe. He returned to Santa Barbara in 1973, got an ATP rating, and entered corporate aviation sales. Later, he became, and still is, a partner in small restaurant chain. For many years he flew throughout Baja California, Mexico, in pursuit of game fish. He has almost 5,000 flight hours. Now, he flies only gliders from Minden, NV. He also races his Wolseley and Moretti sports cars in vintage events. He and his wife, Cathy, divide their time between their home in La Jolla, CA, and their “Red House Ranch,” near Markleeville, CA.