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Baja Journey: Reveries of a Sea-Kayaker
Baja California has elements of both the sublime and the grotesque. Raw blue skies, dainty mollusks, the solemn whistle of the wind over the sand--these are balanced by sea monsters with exotic defense mechanisms, by shearing wind storms, by the middens left over from human endeavor. Robin Carey set out in a kayak to explore Baja's east coast. His descriptions of discovery are poetic and revelatory, as he travels first with his twentyoneyearold son, then with his wife, and finally solo. Scenes and events, encounters with Baja villagers, fishermen, and gringo tourists all elicit diverse memories, from those of timefogged college antics to the forces at work in a Shakespearean drama. Selfdiscovery is the product of selftesting and of success in outwitting danger or unexpected spearing a fish, rolling a kayak, assembling a coherent phrase of words foreign to the tongue. Carey paddled between solitude and society, thinking of others who had visited these remote
175 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 1989
About the author
Robin Carey
6 books2 followers BA, Beloit; MFA,Yale; PhD,U. Washington. Married, two children.
English Prof, author, and river Guide.
English Prof, author, and river Guide.
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
January 27, 2014
I read this in preparation for an upcoming sea kayaking trip to Baja. Carey is both poetic and practical, which he blends exceptionally well. Since there is no description listed here on Goodreads, here is the one on the back cover.
From the publisher:
LITERARY ARTS WINNER - OREGON BOOK AWARD
Viewed from a kayak on the Sea of Cortez, Baja California has elements of both the sublime and the grotesque. Raw blue skies, dainty mollusks, the solemn whistle of the wind over the sand and of whales in the Pacific that you almost think you can hear - these are balanced by sea monsters with exotic defense mechanisms, by shearing wind storms, by the middens left over from human endeavor.
Robin Carey set out in a kayak on his own version of the Odyssey - to explore the waves and beaches on Baja's east coast. His descriptions of discovery are poetic and revelatory, as he travels first with his twenty-one-year-old son, then with his wife, and finally solo. Scenes and events, encounters with Baja villagers, fishermen, and gringo tourists all elicit diverse memories, from those of time-fogged college antics to the forces at work in a Shakespearean drama. Self-discovery is the products of self-testing and of success in outwitting danger or unexpected events: spearing a fish, rolling a kayak, assembling a coherent phrase of words foreign to the tongue.
Afloat in the uniquely precarious craft, Carey paddled between solitued and soceity, thinking of others who had visited before him, when these shores were as they still are - remote yet inhabited. He relates the legends that the Spaniards learned during their stay, as well as the myths that these explorers left behind. There have been other visitors, such as hunters of pearls, otter pelts, and vitamin-rich shark livers, and now there are yanquis who come to Baja seeking an escape from one reality to another, one not quite so "real" to them. With grace and insight, Carey makes the kayak his cathedra - a seat of knowledge that is available to those with unveiled respect for nature and its phenomena.
From the publisher:
LITERARY ARTS WINNER - OREGON BOOK AWARD
Viewed from a kayak on the Sea of Cortez, Baja California has elements of both the sublime and the grotesque. Raw blue skies, dainty mollusks, the solemn whistle of the wind over the sand and of whales in the Pacific that you almost think you can hear - these are balanced by sea monsters with exotic defense mechanisms, by shearing wind storms, by the middens left over from human endeavor.
Robin Carey set out in a kayak on his own version of the Odyssey - to explore the waves and beaches on Baja's east coast. His descriptions of discovery are poetic and revelatory, as he travels first with his twenty-one-year-old son, then with his wife, and finally solo. Scenes and events, encounters with Baja villagers, fishermen, and gringo tourists all elicit diverse memories, from those of time-fogged college antics to the forces at work in a Shakespearean drama. Self-discovery is the products of self-testing and of success in outwitting danger or unexpected events: spearing a fish, rolling a kayak, assembling a coherent phrase of words foreign to the tongue.
Afloat in the uniquely precarious craft, Carey paddled between solitued and soceity, thinking of others who had visited before him, when these shores were as they still are - remote yet inhabited. He relates the legends that the Spaniards learned during their stay, as well as the myths that these explorers left behind. There have been other visitors, such as hunters of pearls, otter pelts, and vitamin-rich shark livers, and now there are yanquis who come to Baja seeking an escape from one reality to another, one not quite so "real" to them. With grace and insight, Carey makes the kayak his cathedra - a seat of knowledge that is available to those with unveiled respect for nature and its phenomena.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review