MX Trip # 15 To Mazatlan ( Friday )

We left our Truck Stop camping spot ( near Los Mochas ) around 8 AM which our usual launch time and headed to Mazatlan to met our long time traveling companions, Otto and Edna. This leg of the trip , according to the GPS should take about 4 hours. However, Mr GPS never actually traveled on these "god for saking road" in MX or they never would had suggested a travel time. I , liking this stretch of road to mimmic a plowed field. There is so much broken and patched asphalt that you can not avoid the bumps and pot holes. The Mexicans seem to think if you drive real fast you will skim the tops of the bumps because they were flying past us.

We arrived at our camp site in the early afternoon and the owner was waiting for us just inside the gate so Otto must have told him about our arrival time. Otto and Edna had gone to check out a town about 50 KM away that was disseminated  by  the  hurricane in Nov. The camp site is situated on a boulevarded 4 lane street therefore I had to pass the camp site and go to a "Returno" which is a legal U-Turn to be able to enter the gate. The owner said you missed the Returno and said no I didn't;  I needed a different Returno with more room but the owner has never had a MH so doesn't understand how much room we need. 

Then after I signed in I got a real shocker when he hit me with the price, 48.00 CDN  for 1 night and the wifi is the shits, the grounds are poorly maintain and the property is  either construction or destruction on all 3 sides. They start at 6 AM and work to dark. One lady said it was so loud that they had to wear ear plugs. Furthermore, you have to walk at least a block to the beach. 

I can assure you that I will never return to this shit box of a place.

We did get to visit with Otto and Edna for a few hour so we got caught on their happening for the past 3 years. We don't think Mazatlan is the place for as we prefer to have a waterfront park and there a many better places in MX. cheers

We are all mature, until someone pulls out some bubble wrap

 

MX Trip #14 Heading for Mazatlan ( Thursday )

We left San Carlos and headed for Mazatlan, since  it is a good 12 hour drive to Maz and 12 hours on the MX roads are not in our driving budget so we knew we would have to stop at a truck stop along the way. Our friends, Otto and Edna where already in Mazatlan so they advised us to stop at a "Smart Gas" truck stop just a few KM out of Los Mochas. However we were looking for a Number ( all gas station/truck stops have a 4 digit number )  but we missed it so now we had to find another further down the road. Since these are toll roads you can,t exit for miles so onward we went. 
Note: MX now allows other Oil companies to built gas station to compete with Pemex. We seen Gulf , Conoco and Shell.

About an hour down the road, near Guasave we found a brand new Pemex truck stop and it was so new tthat only the gas pumps were operating, as the Diesel pumps were not ready yet. No diesel, no trucks,  so after we filled up I ask about parking overnight and he pointed to the entire lot as if to say help yourself. We were the only ones there all night but all Pemex that  close during the evening have a guard on duty during the quiet hours so we always feel safe.

The MX government is really spending money to upgrade their toll roads and most roads are concrete as apposed to asphalt. As a result we end up driving on some really bad roads and occasionally we get shifted to the new roads which is great. Cheers  

I think there is something missing in my life: like 2 or 3 million dollars

MX Trip # 13 Nogales to San Carlos ( Wed )

We got up around 7 AM and I scanned the Home Depot parking lot to see if Jackson had arrived during the night. No Luck. Being a bit of a skeptic I assumed he had gone without us. 

Since we did not want to cross the border in the darkness we waited until 8 AM and then headed to the border. There are two border crossing in Nogales . One is for cars only, however small RV's can get thru and the others crossing is for truck and RVs although anyone can use this entrance. Of course we took the truck crossing, however about 1/2 KM from the border you have the choice of two lanes and they are not mark in any fashion. But once you enter a lane you are "barricaded" in until you reached the actual border.  I chose the lane with several trucks and they take forever to get checked thru. After 20 minutes I finally got to an opening in the barricade and a truck driver directed me to the other lane. 

When I got to the inspection Kisok, which barely provides enough room for a Class A MH, I clipped a camera and turned  my Mirror so I could not see from it. Nobody said anything so I kept on going. Then we were pulled over to have our documents verify. A young lady who spoke English verified the  documents and that the vehicle VIN numbers matched and then  sent us on our way. It is unlikely that we will be stopped again because the Federal Police can see that we have the stickers on the windshield. 

We had seen two RVs behind us at the border so we knew that we would be playing leap frog with them all day. We actually seen they fueling up so we stopped to say hello and as it turns out we are all going the same camp site in San Carlos tonight. 

When we got close to the city of Hermosillo we recalled there was a  bypass ( perifico ) and if you don't get in the proper lane you are in "dodo". We both remembered it was a left turn but was there a sign and if so should we be in the left lane or the outside left lane. Just a we approached the city the 2 RVers following us passed us so we said great, we'll just watch what they do. They got in the outside left lane so we followed suite. As we approached the intersection the lead guy ran a caution light and the 2 nd guy ran a red light but there was no way I was going to run a red in MX. Since we stopped and  we never seen them again until we got to San Carlos. While on the bypass I hit two really, really bad bumps or dips ( wherever ) and when I stopped 1/2 hour later to check what was left of the car I noticed that I had bend a bar on the tow bar. However, thinking back on it, I may have bent it  coming thru the border inspection station because I did have to make 2 very sharp turns. However it is still bent and it doesn't seem to be a problem yet but will I be able to hook up the car once I disconnect it? That's a problem I will try to solve once I get to Quayabitos.

Just as you exit Herosillo you again have to get on to the Freeway ( of a sort ) or toll road from the right lane and I knew this. However a Truck without his trailer was ahead of us but he was having engine trouble and was traveling at a very low speed so I decided to go around him but before I could ( safely ) move into the right lane 3 Mexican had pulled in so I could not move over. Mexican drivers are not known to be courteous. Since my entrance to the toll road was fast approaching I just turn on my right signal and a lady let me in. Thank you Lady.  From here on it was clear sailing right to San Carlos.

The  RV park  at San Carlos are back in only and I knew that. However, I also knew that  the main road into the park  is extra wide so RVers like us who are only staying overnight can  park in the lane way, with full hookups  and  not interfere with people coming and going.  ( Not my first Rodeo )  The power cable, water hose and sewer lines are on the sidewalk, but, hell this is MX, who cares. When I went to connect the water line there was no water so I went to the owners and he said , sorry but we haven't had water for 3 days because the city has a problem. So I paid for power, water, sewer and wifi and I get water: hell of a deal

So a resident seen my water hose and came over to explain the water problem and said they get water about 3 days a week so they have to top up whenever it is on. So I thinking : OK, its' about 20 C during the day, its' windy, its' cool at night , there is limited water supply and the wifi is hit and miss; What the hell are doing spending a winter here. I did ask around and the reason is that you don't have to get the Import Stickers for your vehicle because this state of Sonora is considered a Free Zone. People  i spoke to think it is too much hassle  to get the Stickers but it is not . They just need your insurance, vehicle registration, drivers licence and of course you "wallet". Cash or Visa will do. 

The camper across from me noticed my Veteran plate and said I see you are Vet. Yeh, how about you and he said yes, Air Force and as I got closer, I said " we know each other and he said yes I think so ". I ask his trade and as soon as he said Fire Fighter I said Edmonton in 1970 and Comox in 1986.  "Game On}. He later invite us over for a beer and we swapped stories for an hour. Small World. 

Now about Jackson: We finally got wifi around 8 PM so we pulled up FB and there was a message from Jackson. On his way to meet with us he got hit by a 18 wheeler near Tucson and it demolition his trailer.  Luckily he survived the crash but our only means of communication was thru FB and I'm not a real fan of FB but luckily Carroll checked with FB. He send pictures of what is left of his trailer. I'm glad he contacted us because was thinking he left us.cheers

MX Trip #12 Yuma to Nogales ( Tuesday )

We left Yuma on schedule at 9 AM and we expected to be in Nogales around 3 PM since our GPS said it would take 5 hours. When you throw in couple of Pit stops and a lunch break 6 hours was a good guess. Well, we arrived at 3:15 PM and headed to the Home  Depot which was our meeting place with our traveling companion, I W  Jackson. Jackson was the guy we met only thru Messenger on FB. Our plan was to stay at the Home Depot parking lot overnight and Jackson was going to Bar-B-Q chicken and we would provide the sides.
When we arrived at the Home Depot; No Jackson. 

Well maybe we were early so we waited until 5 PM and then went to Wal-mart, which is about 100 M away, to pick up a few items that we decided we needed before getting to MX. By 7 PM still no Jackson so it was obvious he would not be coming and  we thought that we driven  6 hours for nothing. If we were traveling alone we  would not have come to Nogales. 

First we thought he stood us up, but why would. They we send of two messages and he did not answer. Then we thought he might have had an accident and could not answer. But I really thought that he met another Rig going to MX and went a day early. 

No sense losing any sleep over it as we have travel around MX alone before and we have done this particular trip several times. Beside we knew we would meet several RVers on the road and if nec we would tag along. So we went to bed knowing we would be traveling alone. cheers

MX Trip # 11 Horse Races

Yes, we went to the Horse Races but more about that later. We are leaving Tuesday for Nogales to meet our Travel Buddies so we had to do some last minute grocery shopping. Since we had the morning to kill  we dropped in to pay a visit to friend we met years ago on our travel. As it turns , at about the same time they had dropped into see us so we missed each other. Then Carroll suggested we visit her favorite clothing store ( Bon Worth ) just to look and see what’s on sale. Apparently 4 items were on sale and 75.00 later we headed home.
I like to have most things done the day before we leave, like top of the water, drain the tanks and put away the chairs but that seldom happens. Why, because it is now 1:30 and the horse races start at 3:30 ( cocktails at 3:00 ) and our friends that were here earlier dropped in for a visit which lasted an hour. Hence nothing got done and it will be dark after horse races.

Now for the Horse Races which are held in the Club House. There are 6 horse in each race and the club house floor is laid out 1 ft tiles. There are 2 dice thrown, one for the horse number and one for the numbers that horse can move. You can bet but you draw a blind horse number and the limit is 2 horse per races. The cost is 25 cents per horse so as not to contravene the gambling law. Carroll and I broke even.
After the race there is steak Bar-B-Q with all the trimmings, including a bake potato. It was a fun night with our friends but all the work I was going to do in the afternoon will be done in the morning before we leave for Nogales . Cheers

MX Trip # 10 Driving around the area

Sunday was not a busy day so we joined our friends, Vince and Lynda from Sask and Barb and Dick from Minnesota as we  took a driving trip around the area as we have done before. This area is basically a dessert but some places kind of resemble a moonscape. There are miles of hills that kind of remind one of volcano ash. Because of the hills there are many gun/shooting range because these hills are ready made so there is no need to built any shooting Butts. 

Our friend Dick is a gun enthusiast and he goes shooting several days a week, much like some folks go golfing. There are many different Ranges in this area , depending on the type of gun you prefer. There is one range for the Police, another for the Border Patrol because they are too proud to share a Range. There is also another for " cowboy  shooting " which is a 25 yard range where they have competitions.   First you  fire a pistol, then move to a rifle and then a shotgun.  This is a timing game and the fastest person get to be cowboy champion ( I guess ). The rifles  cost over 1000.00 and when we ask one shooter the price of his rifle he said he was ashamed to admit the cost. Oh yes; they also dress up like Wyatt Earp and Annie Oakley. I believe there were 6 different ranges include an Archery range.

 Then  we continued on our journey and  drove by the military training base when they do Sky Diving, Tank Training and a Bombing Range. Also they have  mock ups of 2 small towns that resemble a typical town in Afaganastan so the troop will be able to train so then can have some idea of what they will face when they get to these places. 

We then continued to  Martinez Lake which is located on the Lower Colorado River. This area has a subdivision built on the  lake near the Colorado  river. This a summer home for people who like to boat or fish in this lake. Most of the housing is trailer type home however in one area the house are built homes that probably reach several 100,000.00. We are told that one house is valved at over 1 Million dollars and the owner only frequent it 2 or 3 times a year. Apparently she has had many offers but will not sell it. 

Finally, on the route home we dropped into a place for an ice cream. The young  guy that served us  was quite interested in Canada and our politic and we were surprised how much he knew about Canada and our politics. It not often the an American has a clue about Canada.    Cheers















tank training and a Bombing Range. 

MX Trip # 9 Parade of Lights

Saturday's are  breakfast at the Rec Hall and our Sask friends insisted that we join them.  The menu was scrambled eggs, sausage, juice, coffee and crepes for 5.00 which we thought was a bargain and it was great. Before breakfast we threw our laundry into the washers, so when breakfast was done so was our laundry. 

 

    It doesn't matter how many times you go shopping there is always something you need and since we are going to MX we must make sure we have all the nec items because they may have our needs in MX  but it doesn't mean we can find them where we camp. 

Our first stop was the dollar store( where else ) because we needed a shoe horn. With the MH  we seem to removing or putting on our shoe more often then at home. Of course, once in the dollar store there is no end to items that you feel need. Wouldn't you know it; they never had a shoe horn but it still cost us 15.00.

Then it was off to Wal-Mart where we plan to buy a small vacuum that I could store in the MH because storage is at a premium. And surely Wal-Mart would have a shoe horn. Wrong, they are on back order. Really, do you thing that shoe horns are that big of demand.

We did get a vacuum  for 39.00 that suited us but the bill was 65.00 before we got out of the store.

Our friends were going to the Yuma City Light Parade ( Christmas Parade ) and convinced us it was the parade of the century so we joined them. Although the Parade started at 6 PM we had to set up along the street by shortly after 5 PM or we would not get a good advantage point. I was skeptical but I was wrong. The streets were lined with thongs of people so we ended up in the 2 nd row which was ideal.

I'm not sure what I expected because I have not frequented many, if any Christmas Parade but this was definite not a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  There were High School Marching Bands which were great,  but the majority were funny cars, dental, doctor, car dealers  and farm floats which number over 100 floats. We lasted until number 95 and we where cold and hungry so we left. However, the Yuma area is known for growing vegetables and Lettuce is the main vegetable, so most of the floats theme  was

Lettuce put a smile your face; Lettuce provide your  health care; Lettuce be your home care provider and Lettuce show you the best deal on a vehicle.

Suffice to say I/we have been at this Parade twice; first and last. cheers

"There are no short cuts to any place worth going"