Paso Corto, Vista Larga: The Anchor and the Rope
Since June 15, 2025, the Every Picture a Poem (EPAP) 4Runner has patrolled over 30,000 miles. We’ve moved from the mosquito heavy heat of the Arctic Circle to the freezing red rocks of Utah, eventually finding a temporary sanctuary in Baja California Sur. Our mission is to document Indigenous culture through the lens of "Every Picture a Poem, Every Poem a Purpose". But in February 2026, the purpose wasn't found in a viewfinder; it was found at the end of a recovery rope.
A yellow rope and a 4Runner acting as a lifeline for Paul in the middle of a Cabo flash flood.
The Deluge
One moment, I was recording a dancer in a light drizzle. Five minutes later, the air was filled with incessant honking and a low roar. I looked out my window to see I was surrounded by rushing brown water and debris. I quickly jumped into the driver’s seat and navigated the rig to a safe pull-out.
But my mind went immediately to Paul. Days earlier at El Tule, Paul was the one who helped me. He shared his Wi-Fi so I could download an app to unlock my 4Runner. Now, he was trapped in his built-out Promaster in the middle of a torrent.
Through Paul's windshield, the road vanishes. A view of the debris and mountain runoff that nearly claimed a home on wheels.
The Rescue
With my broken Spanglish, I convinced a gate guard to let me through: "Ayuda mi amigo!". I found Paul’s van being hammered by the current. We knew the mountain runoff was coming next, and he needed to exit before the water surged.
I didn’t have a winch. Just a recovery rope and prior Combat Search and Rescue experience in Afghanistan. I threw the rope to him to act as an anchor. He thought it was unnecessary until the force of the water took his feet out from under him. Without that line, he would have been swept past the Cabo Arch and into the ocean.
The "Short Step": Preparing the 4Runner to serve as an anchor against the flood.
The Purpose
The flood was strong enough to level 10-foot sandbars and bury SUVs to their hoods in mud, but it couldn't break the circle of gratitude. Paul and I have since shared many more beaches, and he even watched my dog, Atlas, while I sat for a tattoo from a local artist to mark the moment: Paso Corto, Vista Larga.
The Vista Larga: The force of the flash flood moving toward the Cabo Arch, highlighting the scale of the rescue and the power of the landscape.
Closing Mantra
Paso Corto, Vista Larga (Short Step, Long Vision) is the new mantra for this mission. We focus on the ground right in front of us so we can help the person in need (the short step), while never losing sight of the systemic stories we are here to tell (the long vision).
Paso Corto, Vista Larga Tattoo by Bryan Chavez IG: bloceer_arte