Mucho Catchup

Sorry, but haven't had internet much and still don't have it well enough to post pictures. Here's a draft update:

Wed 20 Dec Mazatlan

Well, it started out a very nice day in Maz and then went downhill. Daniele can only get a 30 day supply of her pain meds from Pain Management and there are a ton of DEA rules concerning her meds about not post dating prescriptions, calling then in to pharmacy, yada yada. It seems that every trip we are on we have to go through a goat rope to get meds. Well, being in Mexico adds to that drama. I check we a pharmacy and they said they carried what she needed. We then saw a clinic and went in. No problem…just be a minute. She saw a Dr and he said he could only give 20 pills at a time but could write several more scrips that could be filled later. The clinic also switched between dollars and pesos in prices. They said $65US for the office visit plus the cost of the meds that the pharmacy would deliver. Okay, it’s a tourist area so $65 is high but not unexpected. Then the Visa card rejected…hmmm…Oh, he was trying to charges us $800US not $800 Pesos (rate is about 10 pesos to the US dollar)! We then found he was trying to charge us $65 for EACH of the scrips that he was writing! We raised hell and told them to stuff it and they then said charge for only one office visit and 2 boxes of the meds for a total of about $130 US. We didn’t like it but at least she had some Meds until we could get out of a tourist area. Back at Destino we found he was lying when he said her Med wasn’t available in Mexico and what he provided was a substitute. A simple Google search proved that. So we're out $130 for meds that won't work.

After that exercise we did nothing else but develop a plan for how to get meds in Lo e Marcus. Friends on an RV forum gave us some leads.

Thur 21 Dec Leave Mazatlan for Lo de Marcos

We did a 1030 start for the 5 hour drive to Lo de Marcus (50 miles North of Puerto Vallarta in the State of Nayarit). The roads here were not as good as we have seen but not too bad either. There was a lot of traffic with people rushing home for Christmas. The landscape is BEAUTIFUL! Reminds us of Thailand with palm, mango, and coconut trees growing everywhere. We took a shortcut which wound through the jungle and through some very nice towns with the usual villagers waving at us. Made us forget the tourist trap quack in Maz. We made one wrong turn and ended up on really small and rough dirt streets in a village. No problem though. With the traffic, the trip ended up being about 7 hours but at least it was enjoyable.

The town is quaint. Cobblestone (and rough) street with nice little shops throughout. They still have Topes on the street but they are hardly noticeable with the cobble stones! The Town Plaza is very neat and had villagers sitting around it chatting when we passed through. We arrived at our RV Park and love it. It is small and family operated. The beach here is out of a post card. Fantastic!!!

Fri 22 December 2006 Lo de Marcos

The mission is to get meds! Went to an internet café and found that a lead provided by a member of the RV forum paid off and a Dr had sent us an email setting everything up. They have many of the same restrictions here so the bad news is that the meds won’t be here until Tue or Wed. This means Daniele will be having to cut her dosage in half to make it until then….will not be fun for her. That solved we didn’t do much. Did get a pay as you go cell phone especially so that we can be contacted for an emergency and in case Claire and family have a problem on a connection on their flight here Sunday. Steve will have to drive about 5 hours, one way, to Guadalajara to meet them and would not be reachable without a phone. The phone and $10 of air time was only $35US so that wasn’t bad. We called Claire for a quick hello and 1 minute ate up $3!!!!. Within Mexico it won’t be too bad.

Sat 23 Dec 2006

Daniele decided that the pain was there rather she sat around or did something and doing something might make her forget it a little. So, we took off for Puerto Vallarta (aka PV) and shopping. Before we got out of Lo de Marcos we saw a shop where several ladies were making Piñatas…they were creative and gorgeous!!! Not sure it was a shop or a group of ladies making some money but their work was amazing.


PV is about an hour away over a very good road. We mumbled something about having to drive an hour for a big shop and remembered that is what we have to do on Cedar Island! Soon we were entering a Sam’s Club along with a million other people on this the last Saturday before Christmas. If you did not know better, you’d never know this Sam’s was in Mexico. Same stuff, laid out the same way. Exception that Sam’s (and Wal-Mart) sell booze of all kinds! We got what we wanted and hit a line that wasn’t too long and then went next door to Wal-Mart. Again, same things for the most part although this one had a huge fish market and deli. We finished that off and headed home. Nothing exciting.

Sun 24 Dec 2006 Lo de Marcos

The Deane’s Arrive! Claire et al fly into Guadalajara (aka Guad) today about 1300. We’ve gotten different estimates on the drive time ranging from 3.5 to 5 hours. Plus there is a time change and we lose an hour. By the way the reason for Guad instead of PV is the flights were significantly cheaper and there were none to PV that did not require an overnight stay.

Steve launched out at 0530 because he wanted to be sure and be there. The road quality is very good except that about half of it winds up down and around several mountain chains so the going can be slow. Well, Steve made it to Guad in about 3.75 hours and had lots of time to spare. The airport was very nice and modern: dining option included Burger King and Starbucks. The Deane’s arrived almost on time and we were on our way back to Lo de Marcos and arrived just before sunset so they got to see the place in daylight. We had a sort of traditional Christmas Eve dinner while Eli ran himself crazy trying to burn off energy form almost 12 hours in a car seat!!

Christmas Day, Lo de Marcos

We had a Merry Christmas although it seemed strange not to be at least cool or to see some of the things we see back at home. We missed being In Dade City, for sure. They had a nice Mass in the little town church with one man playing guitar and about 6 villagers singing songs. After that the mission was to find Dinkus fishing opportunities. For that, we drove over to Sayulita. It is a very touristy town that was teeming with people swimming or just walking around. We signed up for 2 different charters on Thursday and Friday. Both were about $150 for the boat (not per person) for 4 hours. Since the deep water and big fish are close to shore, there is almost no travel time and it is all 4 hours of fishing! We asked one guide where we could buy a surf casting rod so that Dinkus could surf fish and the fellow went somewhere, came back with one and said bring it back before you go home! He doesn’t know us or where we are staying! Dinkus fished a bit…caught some Moray Eels and lost a lot of tackle because the fish dive into rocks when caught. Rest of us played with Eli including him splashing in the Pacific. We had a traditional, at least for Mexico, dinner and enjoyed watch that old favorite: A Christmas Story. We got a camera to use for SkyPE so now you can see us! A nice Mexico Christmas Day.

Tue, 26 Dec, Lo de Marcos

Dinkus and Steve found a ponga (sp?) fisherman down the beach from us and using sign language etc asked about taking Dinkus fishing. No problem so tomorrow Dinkus has a 0600 rendezvous with fish. Later Dinkus did some surf fishing in front of the park and impressed the natives by catching a very nice fish. Eli played in the ocean and had a ball.

Relief! The Dr from Puerto Vallarta called and said Daniele’s meds were in! We went there in heavy traffic in the afternoon…took an hour each way. Dr Suarez was fantastic!!! He took a very thorough history (entering it in his Palm P:ilot) and amazed us with several of his comments. He easily recognized some of the more obscure meds that Daniele takes and identified her esophagus problem which no other Dr, anywhere, has done except for the one at Bethesda who originally figured out what was wrong. He had some very interesting ideas on how to back off on some of the pain meds…ideas that we have sought but never got at home. Will be interesting to see what they say at home. This was medicine at its best! By the way an interesting comment he made. Daniele asked what Mexicans took for pain since it seemed like her meds were rare here. It turns out they use an med that we did not recognize…if a Caucasian takes it, it attacks bone marrow but it has no adverse impact on Hispanics!

After the Dr we went to Wal-Mart and did a quick shopping. Then we came back to Lo de Marcos for a very nice meal at a local restaurant. Remember the complaints about the cost of restaurants? The 4.25 of us at for $50 including margaritas and beers! Really good!

Wed, 27 December 2006 Lo de Marcos

Dinkus joined the fishermen at 0600 and did a launch through surf. They trolled for awhile for Dorado but no luck. They did see a lot of porpoises and, even better, had a close up encounter with hump backed whales!!! They were right next to the huge mother and a baby. Dinkus says the blow hole on the adult was as big as a basketball and the geyser of mist went up in the air 50’ or more. Again, this was in a 16’ workboat with zero life jackets etc. One of the crew turned to Dinkus and said “Dios Mio”! They later caught a couple of very nice trigger fish but the whale sightings made the day. On the return they did the high speed run to shore and beached the boat about 30 yards from the water’s edge with the prop spinning! The stopped exactly where Steve had been standing seconds earlier!!! Total cost for about 4+ hours of fishing (and whale sightings) was $70US…Dinkus tipped generously because the guys had been so very nice and a whale sighting tourist boat would have been 2 or 3 times that much.

In the afternoon, Daniele and Claire went to Sayulita for shopping and whatever and had a blast. They did the town and walked everywhere so Daniele’s meds are really helping. For dinner we had the fish that Dinkus caught.

Thur, 28 December 2006 Lo de Marcos

Steve was going fishing with Dinkus this morning but after the whale story gave up his seat to Claire so she could have a chance of seeing the whales too (Steve and Dinkus will go out Fri AM.) They’re back! Dinkus got a nice Dorado (Mahi Mahi) and they got to see a whale. They’re delighted.

Fri, 29 Dec 2006 Lo de Marcos

Dinkus and Steve did the fishing trip today. We went Fidel, a Captain who was born and raised here. He has a great reputation and is all business. Great anticipation because yesterday he caught a lot of big Mahi. The Ponga is about 18’ long with a high bow and broad beam. It is powered by a 70HP Yamaha…no electric start and no power tilt. He keeps the boat very nice and it rides very dry in spite of a through the surf launch and fairly good swells. We rode for about 20 minutes and saw whales off to one side…not real close but you could see a lot of them. Out of no where we see a few coke bottles tied to a cord that goes WAY down to the bottom. This is a substitute for an artificial reef since marine life grows on the rope and attracts bait fish which attract the mahi. The amazing thing is that there are several of these way out and Fidel and the others find them without GPS or ANY electronics of any kind on the boat. Well, long story short: no mahi anywhere. Fidel was getting agitated so he decided we’d go for Rooster Fish (called that because their spines look like a rooster. They are his ace in the hole when Mahi are gone. His way of fishing for them is to troll just behind the wave before it breaks into surf. So here we are coasting down the back sides of waves hoping that the Yamaha would keep running because the shore was a beautiful rocky hillside. For about an hour all that was caught was a big pin fish and a pelican (he was freed). Then Dinkus got caught on a rock because his huge rod and huge reel bent double and line paid out like crazy. Fidel knew it wasn’t a rock. 3 or 4 times Dinkus got the fish near the boat and then it took off again and was unstoppable. Finally he got him at the boat and it was a HUGE Rooster Fish…at least 50 pounds. Just as Fidel tried to gaff him the leader broke at the swivel and the fish was gone. Dinkus was still happy because he said he had never caught a fish that fought like that one.

The rest of the day we just began packing and some final beach time.

Sat 30 Dec 2006 Lo de Marcos to Guadalajara.

At 0930 we left Lo de Marcos and headed across some huge mountains to Guadalajara. Beautiful scenery but a good portion of the road was 2 lane and wound all around the mountains…slow going but Destino handled it fine. US interstates are limited to a 6% grade…we can tell you that Mexican highways are not! Went by Tequila, the town, and many many agave fields….gorgeous. Got into the RV park at about 1430. Nice park and hardly anyone here. It is on the outskirts of Guadalajara and convenient to the airport. Had a quiet evening letting Eli run and burn off energy. Chilly compared to Lo de Marcos: got down to 45 deg.

171 miles today but we think all of that was uphill!!

Sun 31 Dec 2006, Guadalajara

Steve took the Deane gang to the airport and got there ate 0710. Small airport he said and small plane so 2 hours is more than enough. It was a zoo and was packed. They ended up barely making the flight!

Catch up

Sat 16 Dec

Bye Sonora

We left Mirador at about 0830 and resumed our journey south. For the first time we leave the State of Sonora and enter the State of Sinaloa. As we did so, the desert landscape began giving away to vegetation and we now see a lot of agriculture. We also see herds of cattle ranging near the highway, usually watched by a cowboy on horseback...and, the number of people that wave at us with a big smile continues to amaze us.

We were on Mexico 15, much of which is toll, and it is not cheap. Today we went 298 miles and the tolls were $60! By practice, if there is a toll segment there is usually a free segment very near by. But, that free side goes through towns and you really lose a lot of time. So, what happens is that you’ll speed along at about 55mph on the toll segment and then all of a sudden you enter a town and the dreaded Topes (speed bumps) that slow everything down. Then a bit later, you’re back on the toll segment. All this means that the best we have averaged in Destino is about 40-45 miles/hour. The roads remain very good. They (and we’re also talking about side roads here) are smoother than many of our interstates and wide enough. More and more we’re seeing better shoulders so that eliminates the only negative we had before. So far, including going through busy cities, we’ve not felt uncomfortable driving Destino and pulling the jeep.



By the way, gas is about $2.40/gallon. The price is the same everywhere and it is always pumped by an attendant. I hear that some Pemex’s take credit cards but have not seen any yet. We also continue to see Wal-Mart’s, Sam’s, AutoZone’s, Sherman-Williams, etc. We’ve not been in any big store yet since we’ve been in small towns. We will soon need to because we’re running low on dog food and a couple of other things. They have Pedigree dog food in the little shops but only in small bags and is pricy.

One other observation on this Sat before Christmas: half, maybe two-thirds, of the autos on this highway (the main route down the West cost of Mexico) were vans and SUV’s with California plates and were loaded with Mexican men and treasures from the US. Presume they are legal workers who are bringing presents home for Christmas. The things we saw most often were bicycles, washers and dryers, and toys. We left the main highway at about 1500 and headed east to Las Glorias. Nice 2 lane road through the beautiful countryside. Lots of cattle munching the grass on the shoulders under the watch of a herder on horseback. The little village has lots of restaurants on the water…don’t know how they are supported. We proceeded to our RV Park and WOW! While it is not fancy, the facilities are very nice and we are right next to the beach! If we were any closer, we’d be in the water! We will post pictures when the site lets us. Had a nice dinner in the restaurant here and then read listening to the surf. This place is fantastic and it will be hard to leave here. There are only about 4 other RV’s here so we have this huge beach almost to ourselves.





We did have a moment of home sickness yesterday when we remembered that Anne was doing her Christmas cookie decorating event for the grandkids. That has been a traditional thing during our many years of Christmas in Dade City and it reminds us that we won’t be there, at least not in person.

There is no internet near the Park so we’ll be out of touch except when we find a café. You have the info on the park and the cell says we have a good signal but don’t know if it works. Don’t call the cell unless it is an emergency because it is very expensive.

Until we get internet again…..

Sunday 17 Dec

Internet, sort of.
Went to the office to say hello and lo and behold there was a PC. The owner was proud that he had it up and running and invited me to use it. It is an old PC on a marginal dial up going through Prodigy. After about 45 minutes was able to send a quick “we are safe” email to Claire and Frank. Other than that, we did not do much except walk on the beach. Did go to a local tiny store for some small things. They were making tortillas for the village…quite good, we might add. Our plan now is to leave here (sadly) on Tue and stay 2 nights in Mazatlan. It is a bigger city with stores for some Christmas shopping.

Monday 18 December 2006
Woke up to a light fog. Most of the day was overcast so we just chilled out. RVpark did laundry for us: $6 for 3 kilos (6.5 lbs). Not cheap but neither was it exorbitant. On that subject, at least so far, things are not what you would call very cheap. Dinner at a normal place is about $40 for 2. Fresh shrimp (we watch the boats here every night) average $12 for 2.3 pounds. Yes that is cheaper than big cities but we pay about $2-3 on Cedar Island. We were surprised at how much we spent in a little 7-11 type store. So far, things are not expensive but they are also not “cheap”. There’s not much competition where we’ve been so far so that may change as we head on south tomorrow.

But, then tonight our meal was $25 for both of us….go figure.

Tuesday 19 December 2006
Woke up to a cloudy day but the temp is good. A skiff type oat with 4 fishermen sped towards the shore and beached the boat at full throttle. They were streaming out a long gill net that we realized was connected to the beach about 200 yards away and manned their by 4 fishermen. They then started pulling the net in and walked towards each other. After about a half hour of hard work they got the net in and had about 100 fair size fish.


We headed out towards Mazatlan. The area is now very much agriculture with huge fields with rows covered with plastic and in some cases tents of a fiber material of some type to keep varmints out. The road is now almost US Interstate standard (and better than some we have been on) with shoulders and dividers in most areas. Speed limit is 70mph. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the toll for about 100 miles was $68!!!!! The alternative was a slow road and we would have probably burned that in extra gas. Saw our first genuine Sombrero today and not in a tourist area. A chap was talking to his friend out in the fields a long way from anywhere and had one on. His friend was wearing a white cowboy hat…the usual attire that is very prevalent everywhere.

We arrived Mazatlan about 1400 and got a place in the only RV park on the water. Excellent facilities and view from the front row but it is tight! It is fun being in a town after several weeks of country with only tiny convenience stores. We went to a huge store last nigh that was like a Wal-Mart but has excellent selections in food and veggies. Their bakery and deli had stuff that is usually only found in Europe. We had a fantastic time there and will do another one today: we’re stocking up for the kid’s arrival and for Santa.



The cat’s back….well, he’s been seen at the RV park that is now 15 hours away! They can’t catch him. So now, we’ll have to figure out what to do…probably have them board him and we go back through the same route rather than through Texas.

We miss Pepito

A bit of sadness. Late Wed afternoon, our kitty, Pepito, darted out of Destino while we had our hands full. He and his brother, Minou, have done this before but Pepito has always been the daring one. We almost lost him at the Homeland Security checkpoint before Hoover Dam when he dove out. The guard grabbed him just in time. He did not come back so we decided to stay another day to see if he would. Sadly, he did not. We finally left Fri morning but new friends at Kino have our contact info if he returns. We pray that he is with a nice home on Kino Bay.

We left Kino at about 1000. Steve missed the turn off for the shortcut and we had to go back through Hermilsino. Not all bad since we got to see a Mexican city. Yes, we also saw: Walmart, Sams, Home Depot, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Sherman Williams’s Paints, and someone else that we are forgetting. We arrived at San Carlos (Guyamas) at about 1400. We didn’t care for the 1st RV park so we back tracked to Mirador. It is a first class facility with pool, hot tubs, full services, etc. But it is a bit sterile so we’ll only stay one night, rather than two. We thought it was on the water. That said, the views are great.



We did enjoy our visit into town. Charlie’s Rock had fantastic views at very low prices.



We then ventured to a very nice Mexican restaurant. We found out later that it is part of the university system that trains young people for the restaurant trade. In Mexican restaurants everywhere you get chips and salsa. But here, Alma made the Salsa to order!!!


A nice gentleman played very nice guitar music during our dinner.

Our primary waiter was Gonzalo, a very personable young man who has great dreams for his future. He will do very well…look for him in the high end tourist resorts. Daniele drove home because the Margaritas were VERY good. While we did not care for the RV park, we loved our visit to town. Still, all the people we meet are so very nice.

Bye Kino

Wed 13 December 2006

Another Sonora day. Wifi was great today so logged some time on SkyPE with family, Pop, and Wes. Amazing to hold a “conference” call with Claire and my brother from the Sonora desert for free! Most of the day was spent looking at the Bay. A nice fisherman came by and sold us a kilo of freshly caught skinned and filleted flounder for $8. He had beautiful shrimp also but we had that last night. Ernesto came with his wife and daughter and did a fantastic job. They washed and waxed the Jeep and washed Destino (including polishing the windows) for $45. He was supposed to wax it but felt that it needed to be compounded first and that would take a whole day and he did not want to take our money for less than a perfect job! We’ll get that done down the road.

We finished the day on the beach where the dogs had a great time being free. Bruno stayed in the water and swam like he hadn’t for years.

Tue 12 December 2006

Hummm, Ernesto didn’t show to wash and wax Destino….perhaps mañana? Can’t complain though since even back home folks don’t show when expected. There are Ernesto’s in every RV Park we hear.

A laid back day. The excitement was a “parade” of shrimp boats and smaller boats with many townspeople aboard. The lead boat carried a replica of the Virgin Mary and the procession went to a shrine on the other part of Kino. We couldn’t see much since they did not come very close to shore. We understand that all of the towns will be having such processions between now and Christmas day. Nice to have the religious aspects of the season emphasized!


Played with the internet a bit but wifi is spotty and we now know why. Went to the office and saw that the Linksys router (probably like you have in your house with 2 antennas sticking up) is sitting on the roof with a rock holding it down . Hey, but there is wifi here very deep in the Sonora desert, a long way from civilization. By the way, check into SkyPE for phone service on the road! We just got hooked on it and are amazed…essentially free…all you need is internet access. We’ve talked daily with family. Danièle chatted with her parents in France for about 20 minutes and the cost was 34 cents!

We drove and walked around the dirt street village a bit and noted that the people are very poor yet they are all doing something and very friendly to us even when they are just passers by and not merchants. We also made an observation: even though we are right on the sea, there is no humidity. The Sonora desert keeps things dry, even on the sea.

Just another day :-)

Mon 11 Dec

We had a quiet day getting into the Mexico vacation state of mind. Daniele did a lot of house cleaning and several big pots of delicious stew. We’re trying to figure out our schedule: we’re not ready to leave here but there’s 600 miles between here and where we need to be on the 22nd and there are several other places that we want to see and stay at,

Met more of our neighbors and found them all very interesting from all walks of life. At least here, there’s no evidence of snobbery. A couple (she from Switzerland and her husband from Indonesia) and their 2 young children are in a tent. They participate in the sunset gathering along with all the others. We’re all passing DVDs around for viewing.

There must be 20 shrimp boats working right off from where we are. A lady came through selling fresh shrimp and of course we bought some. Fellows also came through selling carvings…we passed. The propane truck came through and filled our tanks….a very efficient system they had. A fun thing: our Canadian neighbor came over and said…he’s coming…you’ll want this! We heard a truck with a loud PA speaker and a cute little song as he rode through the neighborhood outside the campground. Sure enough he pulled in and here was a small pickup with a burner, a vat of hot oil sloshing around, and a device that extruded dough into the oil. The result was a cinnamon doughnut thing that was fantastic! Think they are call churros…Daniele got mad at me because I ate most of them.

Hola!!!!

Sat, 9 Dec. Go South!!!

Got an early start (0655) in 15 degree weather. Proceeded back to I-40 and then East until I-15 in Flagstaff where we then headed south. Very nice road through the desert with fantastic views. Warmed up as we came down from Grand Canyon’s 7,000 feet to around 1,000 in Phoenix. As we approached Phoenix, started seeing the Suargo cactus (the one’s that look like a person…probably spelling it wrong.) On past Tucson and to Nogales on the border.

Here’s where it gets exciting (for us anyway). We pulled into a campground that was mentioned in one of our books at 1430. We planned to do a little shopping and then study all the info we had on the border crossing, etc. Well, we were parked for about 10 minutes in this “trailer park” and Daniéle says: why don’t we just cross the border? Well, that is not the plan I thought….for about 30 seconds and then the Mexican attitude struck and we started the engine! We proceeded to the Mariposa crossing (designed for trucks and big rigs) and before we knew it, we were in Mexico!!!

The procedure is you proceed for about 21 KMs to the place where you get your visa and car import papers. As we neared what we thought was the place, we were waved off the highway into an area with huge tents and a zillion cars. The sign said this was the place for foreign cars. Well when we pulled to the entrance, the boss was in shock! We should not have been directed here…this was a temporary place for cars only. Our first encounter with the wonderful people of Mexico: the boss was apologetic and turned out several helpers to clear a path through the area so that we could get out. All the while he was apologizing. We got back on the highway and proceeded a few more km to the real place. Again, very nice people guided us to a parking place. Inside we went through a bureaucracy that was typical of all governments yet less onerous than our own. Without exception, all of the people were very nice, professional and anxious to help. Mexican nationals were going through the same maze as we. All told, it took an hour and forty-five minutes and we were back on the road. Not bad at all (the traffic at the north bound side going into the US was miles!!!

It is now dark. You’re not supposed to drive at night because the trucks are speeding and sometimes animals are on the road. Well, we were not going far and since there was so much traffic, it would not be bad. And that was true. We had a nice drive and saw some neat things. Several times we saw warning signs for Topes, which are speed bumps…and this was on a major highway. Well, you’d better pay attention and slow down. We found that these were in an area where there were lots of food stands and shops on both sides of the highway. Whereas we would have chain fast food places, they had these mom & pop stands. We wanted to stop but the day had been long so we pressed on.

Near Magdelena we saw a big Pemex station with lots of parking. Pemex is THE gas station all over Mexico…the only one. We pulled in and asked of we could stay overnight and the lady was shocked that we even asked. Big smile and “sure, sure… Buenos Noches” So we pulled to the side, cranked the generator and settled in. There was a neat little mom & pop food concession so we had a fantastic stew for dinner.



We’re excited! We’re about 4 hours ahead of where we would be if we had stayed in Nogales and have already had a great day of Mexico. Today: about 12 hours; 405 miles.

Sunday, 10 Dec Bye Pemex

Awoke after one of the bests sleeps ever. Lo and behold in front of us was another motor home that came in during the night and we chatted with the owner. They had just bought it because they were in an accident (in Mexico) and had turned over and totaled their 5th wheeler and car (they were not hurt). He said they decided they could go back to the US and mope or just proceed on. So they rented a car, drove to Tucson, bought a motor home, and were proceeding on. What a great spirit! Steve wandered around the Pemex and chatted with the staff…well, not really chatted; he smiled a lot and communicated in sign language, hand gestures, and Spanglish. Again, everyone was friendly and interesting…one of the staff chided his buddy for not being able to speak English after having been in DC for a little while.

About 0930 we left the Pemex for Bahia Keno via Hermosillo. To Hermosillo the road was all a divided highway with some parts toll and the other open. This road was pretty good. Smoother than many interstates, but what is missing is a paved shoulder and in may cases, a severe drop off from the paved part to the dirt….you have to stay alert. Tolls are not cheap…one stretch was about $14 and the other $5…this for a total distance of a little over 200 miles. Now, we do pay more for Destino’s 2 axles and the 2 on the Jeep.

Hermosillo seemed like a nice small town…saw a lot of our familiar chains: Walmart, Radio Shack, McD’s, and others we forget now. We then headed west for Bahia Kino on a free 2 lane road. We should say 2.75 lane road because in both directions there was a huge shoulder that almost made it 4 lanes. Very good road through the Sonora desert. The town on Kino is not much but the beach is fantastic. We left Destino at a Pemex station and the reconnoitered Kino for an RV park. We loved the very first one we saw but looked anyway. We came back and chatted with the manager, a very friendly and personable Mexican lady. She told us to take what whatever site we wanted. We asked about paying and she said just do it before we left! Have no clue how much it is but it won’t be much. Our site has a beautiful view of the Bay, nice paved patio and palm trees. The beach is 40 yards away. The dogs had a ball plaing in the water and running on the beach after over a month of being restricted to a leash. No one cares about leashes here of the dogs are behaved and picked up after. Even the kitties roamed. Our neighbors are fantastic. Canadians and Americans from all walks of life. One couple came here planning to stay for 4 days….that was 2 years ago. Those that want to participate gather under a palapa to chat and view the gorgeous sunset. Very interesting people. We finished the day as the only clients in a nice little mom and pop restaurant. Everything was cooked from scratch and delicious. Little pricy though ($30). The owners were very personable even though their English was almost non-existent…hand gestures and smiles come through again.





Already we have a problem: our plans are to work our way down the coast and be near Guadalajara for Christmas. We don’t want to leave here!

Oh and a new challenge: Ernesto just stopped by and wants to wash and wax the motorhome for $50. I think we'll say yes :-)

That’s a Mighty Big Hole in the Ground!!!

Thursday, 7 Dec.
After more than a month, we departed Vegas. Had a short drive to the Hoover Dam and then on to our old Friend, I-40. Remember comments about the head on winds wind we drove to here? Well, naturally, they’re still head on even though we’re going in the opposite direction. About 4 hours later we left I-40 and went cross country to the South Entrance of the Grand Canyon. When we made reservations for the Trailer Village inside the Park, they said they were crowded. Hmmmm out of what must be 150 sites, we see maybe 5 RV’s!. We walked along the trails for a little and watched the sun go down. Very Impressive!!! Today: 281 miles; 5hr38min.

Bye Vegas

Well, our work is done and we're out of Vegas tommorow morning. This has been a long month. Great RV park and the work was interesting but DJ was stranded a long way from anything. But, all said, it was not bad. That said, we're looking forward to tomorrow! We spent the day reorganizing Destino since we've been on the road so much that we've tended to stuff stuff wherever. We also wanted to get some special things for Mexico.

The great news is that Claire and DJ found a great spot to spend Christmas and that uncertainty is all taken care of. Claire et al fly in to Guadalahara on the 24th so Santa will find Eli in Lo De Marcos...just a bit north of Puerto Vallarta. Next mission is to find a fishing charter for Dinkus...when Steve is around, he catches no fish.

The other thing we found that is fantastic is SkyPE, the "phone" system obver the computer. This is great and almost free. DJ called her parents in France and talked for about 20 minutes for 34 cents! A new friend from the RV forum chated with us today and she had a camera...really neat! Gotta get one so we can see Eli. We've called several folks and the system is great!

Ok. Off to Grand Canyon in the AM. Weatherunderground says that the temps (hi/lo) are: Thur: 49/16; Fri 47/20!!!! Ouch!!!!!

Hugs to all

Gobble Gobble

We had a nice, quiet Thanksgiving and remembered all the many things that we are thankful for...too many to list here.

Casinos have fantastic buffets at very cheap prices...not because they are great humanitarians...they suspect you will drop a few coins on your way in/out. We had a very nice traditional meal at at near by buffet. Was VERY good. But, when we called our dear friend on Cedar Island we were reminded that we had not had collards so our meal was lacking! You're right Pop! But we did miss a massive NorEaster on Cedar Island that stayed around for 3 days. We've been here since 31 Oct and have seen not a drop of rain.

Steve mentioned earlier a problem of what show to see since Barbara Streisand and Larry the Cable Guy are here. Now, it got worse: the Dixie Chicks are here too. Steve keeps saying: "Get er done!!!!"

As nice as this RV park is, we're anxious to move on the the Grand Canyon and SOB.

Hugs to all

We Have A Date!

Finally we know when we'll head SOB! The task finishes here on the 6th so we'll head for Grand Canyon and stay there 2 nights and then on to the Border.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Sunday in Vegas...these sure are different Cathedrals!!

Yesterday was our 1st Blog and overnight realize that we left some things out. Again, this is for family and close friends who care what we're up to; most will find it boring, Maybe it will get more exciting when we head SOB (I wonder if there will be "Pedro" signs every mile or so as we get close...like on I-95?)

If you're new to blogs, they generally show the newest post on top...you can change that but for now you should read from the bottom. Check back periodically and see when we've updated...probably won't be much until we head South.

If you double click on a picture, it will show a bigger size.

Some answers for those that we haven't seen in awhile:

Destino? Destino is what we call the Motor Home. It is a 2001 Itasca Sunflyer 35U (made by Winnebago). 35' long; 10 tons; Ford V10 gas engine; 5.5 KW generator, We bought it in Feb when it had 10,000 miles on it; it now, 9 months later, has 23,000!). Until this trip we used it for other proposal efforts at Eglin AFB (Destin/Fort Walton Beach FL), visiting Steve's brother and his wife Anne near Tampa, and seeing Eli in Richmond...oh yes...we saw Claire and Dinkus too. We also had a neat trip in the mountains with all the Deane clan. We've really enjoyed Destino. We can take it almost anywhere and have all our stuff with us. Including the beasts! Yes, the Bouvier, Lab, Newfie, and 2 kittens are always with us.

Who RV's? This has been interesting. For the most part they are folks like all of us. Amazed at the number who full-time (sold their house and live in the RV). They come from all walks of life. We've seen retired factory workers with huge mega rigs costing $300,000+ and bankers with old ones. Neat also is their attitude. Have not seen one of living in the past...telling war stories, etc. What we see is folks that worked hard, saved their money, retired, and now are going to see things. The topic of conversation is almost always where they "might" go next. We say "might" because most do not know until a day or so before they launch.

Mexico?? Aren't you afraid?? If we were afraid, we wouldn't be staying in North Las Vegas or have travelled through some of the cities we did to get here. And many of you live in REAL crime zones (DC, Richmond, Tampa, Norfolk...). Most of the stories you read are about Border Towns. We read RV and Mexico forums a lot and have never read of much crime...and the question is asked all the time. One thread asked folks to list what had happened to them: a huge number reported no incidents and there were a couple of bicycle thefts. Of course, you're careful about where you go and when. Just like in the US or anywhere else.

OK! Big plans today: go find a new buffet; watch folks lose their money; come home at about 2000.

Vegas Baby

In the first post we indicated that we were going to be in Vegas for about 2-3 weeks. Well, that ain't gonna happen. As of 18 Nov, the government document we need still has not been released. So, we expect to be here until about 10 Dec when we will then head SOB. Plan now is to twist the arms of Dinkus, Claire, and Eli and Frank and Anne and have them join us for Christmas in Mexico. Dinkus is on a movie so it is unknown how much time he will have...but we need our Eli fix!!

This Nellis FAMCAMP is great! Very nice facility with lots of room between rigs. It is near the Nellis Flight Line so there is an air show everyday with every plane imagionable real low over head...even the new F-22 Raptor. We had fantastic "seats" for last week's Air Show since they came directly over us. Steve's company had a chalet at the Air Show so we got to see the Thunder Birds up close.

Oh, and The Strip? We've been in town twice to dine at Paris...the Buffet. This is a high cuisine (really!) buffet...hey, Daniele loves it! After that, we invest $20 in a slot machine and so far, Daniele is still ahead...or rather, she hasn't lost her $20. After a wild evening on The Strip, we're back at Destino by 2000 (8 PM for you civilians). The place is amazing though: Steve watched the roulette table one night and in about 30 minutes, the casino raked in at least $30,000. There were so many chips on the table that it was taking 10-15 minutes between spins to clear the table and stack the chips. Shows? Well we see that Barbara Strisand and Larry the Cable Guy are in town...Steve cannot make up his mind as to which one he'd rather see so we'll pass :-))))).

Go West Young Man

This is a report to family and friends on our trip to Mexico. As most of you know, we've been quite anxious to visit Mexico and the opportunity arose. Steve was asked to go to Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, Nevada, to help with a proposal that his company was working on. We thought we were pressed for time since release of the "request for proposal" by the government was supposed to hit on 1 Nov. As of this writing (18 Nov), it still has not arrived. Adding to the complexity of doing this was that Steve had just returned from another proposal effort in Norfolk and San Diego and we only had about 4 days on Cedar Island to get the Motor Home (we call it "Destino", Spanish for Destiny) and us ready.

Our original plan: Be in Vegas by 1 Nov; leave Vegas o/a 20 Nov and spend 2 nights at the Grand Canyon; leave the Grand Canyon and go to Tuscon, Arizona for or border crossing; roam down the west coast of Mexico to about Guadalajara and then go north east and enter the US at Brownsville, Texas; proceed to Dade City (Tampa), Florida and join Steve's brother and Anne and Claire and her family for Christmas; return to Cedar Island in early January.

Wed, 25 Oct 2006: We departed Cedar Island and drove on US 70 to the Raleigh area where we got on I-40. This is significant because navigation for this trip is very easy: stay on I-40 West until near Vegas and then turn right! We drove for about 6 hours, 221 miles, and stayed near Hickory, North Carolina at the Lake Myers Campground in Mocksville, NC. A nice CG with a family next to us that had a little granddaughter that was a talker...reminded us of Claire when she was that age.

Thur, 26 Oct 2006: we got back on 40 and went through Ashville, NC and across the Blue Ridge. The leaves were in full color so it was a beautiful trip. (Editorial note: We did not get to see much on this trip since we needed to be in Vegas by the 31st...our commentary is really based on what you can see from the Interstate.) We drove for about 7.5 hours (400 miles) and stayed in the Nashville KOA. Didn't see much because it poured rain all night!. An interesting thing was about a dozen European RV'ers in neat Class C type RV's. They were all shipped over and the owners from Germany, Austria, Netherlands, and Italy were touring the US and Mexico until Spring!

Fri, 27 Oct 2006: We got back on 40 and crossed into Arkansas. Surprised us to see a lot of rice paddies! We drove for about 7 hours (432 miles) and stayed near Little Rock at the Lake Dardenelle State Park in Russellville, Arkansas. The lake is huge! There was a bass tournament that attracted hundreds. An amazing number of very expensive boats and SUV's. When they launched in the morning, it sounded like an airport.

Sat, 28 Oct 2006: We crossed through Oklahoma and were amazed to see a lot of windmills generating electricity near Oklahoma City. Saw a lot of oil wells. Did see a vineyard: had a sign that said (about their wine) "Like California But Less Fruity"! We then went into Texas. We drove for about 7 hours (431 miles) and stayed near Amarillo. This is the real West....miles and miles of prairie with no sign of human life. Our RV park was on the famous Route 66! What a change from back East: wide open spaces. Daniele and the pets relaxed outside for awhile.














Sun, 29 Oct 2006: Out of Texas and into New Mexico. Beautiful desert scenary that changes with the elevation. Lots of mountain climbing getting into Albuquerque but Destino handled it fine. Lots of windmills again. We drove for about 6.5 hours (387 miles) and ended up in the Kirtland Air Force Base Family Camp. Ate in old Albuquerque, but not very special. By the way, when I say "we" drove, it is true! Daniele had her maiden turn at the wheel and did fantastic.













Mon, 30 Oct 2006: Neat side trip today as we crossed New Mexico: Petrified Forest! It is right on I-40 so we were able to drive through without losing too much time.

We drove for about 7 hours (355 miles) and ended up in the Flagstaff, Arizona KOA. Lots of headwinds and climbing since Flagstaff is a little over 7,000 feet elevation.


Tue, 31 Oct 2006: Off to Vegas Baby!!! We finally leave I-40 and head North across the Hoover Dam and into Vegas. Since 9/11 traffic across the Dam must go through a check point. Pays to have an 82nd Airborne plate on the front and a Cherry Point MCAS sticker since the inspectors consisted of a former 82nd Master Sgt and a Marine Master Gunny...we got through REAL quick!!!


Only 5 hours today (262 Miles). We reached our destination of the Desert Eagle Family Camp on Nellis AFB. The Strip is easily visable and beautiful at night.

So, here we are at our way point before our Mexican venture. Some facts re our trip West:
2595 Miles
346 gallons of gas (about 7.5 MPG for a 35', 10 ton house!)
Gas cost: $759 (most places it was about $2.25/gal)
Campground fees $155.81
Almost zero cost for food since we ate in Destino almost every night