Bruce Davis, a participant in the 2021 Four Wheeler Overland Adventure, mentioned to us a 1971 Baja trip he and his cousin took in a ’65 GMC 4x4 truck. Bruce’s story is a fascinating look back at his GMC, what it was like to wheel Baja decades ago, and it culminates with a sunken vehicle ferry that took the GMC with it. We asked Bruce if he’d write a piece on the experience, and here it is in his own words. -Ken Brubaker
My cousin Jeff Leonard and I had an uncle (Earl) with an independent spirit who decided, with eight of his buddies, to leave the wives and kids at home and drive the length of the Baja peninsula in 1955. They accomplished this with an early ’50s Willys 4x4 Wagon; an early ’50s Chevy ½-ton pickup; and a brand-spanking-new ’55 Chevy ½-ton pickup, the first with a V-8 engine.
That adventure was related just enough times that Jeff and I decided we needed to try it ourselves in December 1971. Never mind that we were young and still struggling to grow facial hair. This could be done in nine days, no problema. Enough food and water for a week: Check. One hundred dollars in cash: Check. One hundred dollars in traveler’s checks: Check. Assorted camp gear: Check. Borrowed 35mm camera and lenses: Check. A guide to Baja from Dick Cepek: Check. Top off all fluids in my (new to me) ’65 GMC 4x4 ½-ton truck. Check. Mexican insurance at Oscar Padilla’s drive-through insurance stand in San Ysidro (“We’ll have the bonus policy with the secret clause, please”): Check.
Passing through the border checkpoints at (little) for the stated purpose of reaching La Paz. Our Spanish vocabulary just increased by 25 percent. We were losing time from the start. Parnelli Jones did the Baja 1000 that year in just under 14 hours.
