March 5 to 11, 2009 ; Las Glorias, Sinaloa to Puerto Peñasco, Sonora
Thursday ; Las Glorias, Sinaloa to Playa Huatabampito, Sonora
Today was sunny and hot, until we arrived at Playa Huatabampito, where there was a cool breeze blowing in off the Sea of Cortez. We left Mr. Moro Hotel & RV Resort in Las Glorias and headed back towards the main highway, Mex 15 at Guasave. At the first village we reached after leaving Las Glorias there was a vulcanizadora. I stopped to get the truck tire fixed. Well, if there is one thing the Mexicans know how to do really well, it's fix tires. They make tires last forever. They don't treat them as disposable items like we Norteamericanos / gringos do. The repair took about 15 minutes. And cost cinquenta ( 50 ) pesos / $3.75 ! ! ! And they did an old fashioned vulcanization repair, using heat and pressure to squeeze a melting rubber patch into the puncture from inside the tire. Not a cold glue patch like in the United States and Canada. I don't think they do vulcanization repairs any more in the U.S. and Canada, do they ? The large screw that they pulled out of the tire looked suspiciously familiar. Sure enough, when I looked under the front wheel well, the screw that they had pulled out of the tire matched the screws mounting the mud flap ... and there was one screw missing !
Next door to the vulcanizadora was a school. While I was waiting for the tire to be repaired the children came out for recess. A group of teenaged boys gathered near the fence, and seeing a gringo, practiced their English by shouting "Hey, Mister, give us some candy". Well, at least they didn't ask me to give them money, as Mexican children have done before. I responded to them in Spanish, saying "Sorry, I don't understand, I don't speak English". HA HA HA ... they thought that was very funny !
Bo spent the day sleeping in the truck as we drove. We spend days on the beaches getting rested from the tiring days of driving. Bo spends days of driving getting rested from the tiring days on the beaches. HA HA HA ! As we crossed from the state of Sinaloa into the state of Sonora we were stopped and inspected again at a food inspection station. Again, they were concerned about our fruit. All we had were the little BOnanas, which they allowed us to keep. Our planned destination for today was the inland city of Navojoa, but as we arrived there Joanne thought it was early enough in the day to head west out to a beach campground about 50 km. / 30 miles away. So, once again, we're camped on the beach. We drove out to the little coastal town of Huatabampo, and then a bit beyond to the little beach village of Playa Huatabampito, where we stopped for the night at El Mirador Restaurant, Hotel, & RV Park.
As we drove out to the coast we passed farm fields. Having been raised in Manitoba, I found it very odd to see fields of flax almost ready for harvest ... in early March !
We got set up in a site, then I remounted the repaired tire as the spare underneath the truck. We went for a long walk along the beach. Bo obviously wanted to play in the surf with his beach doughnut, but we thought it was a bit too late in the afternoon to allow him to get soaking wet then covered in sand. Maybe tomorrow, Bo. The El Mirador management was offering a free margarita to the guests of the RV park tonight, so we went to the hotel bar / restaurant where we joined a table of five other gringos from the RV park. There was a total of 15 people in the restaurant. Seven gringos from the RV park, 3 Mexicans, and 5 members of a mariachi band that were performing. We listened to the music briefly, took a few sips of our very strong margaritas, then returned to the trailer to barbecue supper. There was free Wi-Fi, and it reached the trailer, so I got online, retrieved e-mail, and verified an electronic funds transfer from our investment broker to our bank account. Great ... now we have money in the bank again and can withdraw from an ATM. We're almost out of pesos.
Friday ; Playa Huatabampito to San Carlos, Sonora
Today was lightly overcast and warm. It's definitely getting cooler as we drive north each day. This morning before departing I did the 114,000 km. inspection on the truck, and replaced the screw that came out of the mud flap and ended up in the tire. We departed Playa Huatabampito, returned through Huatabampo, where we stopped to replenish groceries at a Ley Supermarket, and headed for the small city of Navojoa where we stopped to refill a water jug at an agua purificado refill place. We headed north on Mex 15 towards Ciudad Obregon. When we came to a split between the "free" road and the toll road, we turned onto the "free" road, but it was in such atrocious condition we turned back after a few miles and returned to the toll road.
We passed from farm lands into desert. Mesquite trees, Cardon and Saguaro cacti with big yellow blooms on top. We drove through Ciudad Obregon, and through Guaymas on our way to San Carlos. We were disappointed in San Carlos.
Our destination was Totonaka RV Park in San Carlos. It's a large park, with full services. Well, except for the non-existent water pressure. Free Wi-Fi and ... American cable TV ! First time we've watched TV since entering Mexico two months ago. We got set up in our site then went to see the beach "across the street". Well, across the street was a high concrete wall with steps leading down to a narrow pebble beach. Not exactly what we were hoping for. Joanne wanted to walk into San Carlos, believing from our guide book description that it was a quaint little seaside town. Well, not really ! It's a small city, nothing unique or special about it. We walked back to the RV park, tired and sore feet. We had planned to spend two nights here, but I think we'll move on tomorrow, and hope that the next place is more appealing.
Saturday ; San Carlos to Bahía Kino, Sonora
Today was sunny and warm, but each day of driving north brings cooler temperatures, especially in the evening. We departed San Carlos this morning heading north on Mex 15. At the intersection with Son 61 ( Sonora state highway 61 ) we refilled with diesel, then headed northwest on Son 61. As we headed deeper into the Sonoran desert the terrain began looking more and more similar to Arizona, which is only a few hundred miles north now. Mesa topped mountains, Palo Verde trees, Cholla, Pitayaha Dulce, and Ocotillo cacti in bloom, orange, lemon, and pecan groves, and roadrunners dashing across the road. BEEP BEEP ! It's interesting that in Mexico the Pitahaya cacti are named for their taste ; Pitahaya Dulce ( Sweet ) and Pitahaya Agria ( Sour ). In the U.S. the same cactus is named for its appearance ; Organ Pipe Cactus.
We turned west on Mex 16 and drove to the town of Bahía Kino / Kino Bay. The "real" town is called Kino Viejo ( Old ), and the long strip along the beach front where all the tourism development is, is called Kino Nuevo ( New ). We found our way to Kino Bay RV Park, one of the extremely few Passport America affiliated RV parks in Mexico. We parked in their front entranceway, had lunch, wandered around the park selecting a site, and wandered down to the lovely beach across the street while we waited for the office to re-open after their two hour lunch break, common in Mexico. After getting set up in a site we unhitched the truck from the trailer so that we can go exploring tomorrow. Joanne went to do laundry ... lots of it ... at the RV park's self service laundromat, a rarity in Mexico. I read and napped. I was tired after driving six of the last seven days. While the park only honours the Passport America rate for two nights, I think we'll stay here for three nights, get well rested, explore the area, and have lots of beach doughnut play time.
We went for a long walk on the beach to watch the sun set. The sand was cool. Just a few days ago the sand was too hot to walk on. I found some pretty conch shells. This was the first beach where I found conch shells.
We will be back in the United States in a week, so we have begun to use up the foods that we will not be able to take across the border. Joanne asked me to cook omelettes tonight to use up our eggs. I'm the designated egg dish cooker in our family. This afternoon a camione de frutas y verduras ( fruits and vegetables truck ) came into the campground. Joanne bought herself some fresh asparagus. I cooked an asparagus, ham, and cheese omelette for her, and a shrimp, zucchini, onion, and cheese omelette for me. Uh-oh ... I'm out of shrimp. Tomorrow we'll go down to the fisherman's dock in Kino Viejo and hopefully I will be able to buy more shrimp.
Sunday ; Today was cloudy and warm. Coldest day in the last two months ! Had to wear long pants ! I spent the morning doing minor maintenance and repairs on the trailer. I reattached a piece of moulding on the outside, and a piece of moulding on the inside. Two months of bouncing, twisting, and flexing on Mexico's roads have taken a toll on Harvey the trailer, resulting in an enormous amount of wear and tear, loose screws, stripped screw holes, etc.. But no major problems, no broken suspension components, no brake problems, no axle problems. Many of the fifth wheel trailers that travel through Mexico experience broken suspension components, ruined brakes, bent or broken axles. With only three more driving days back to the United States, it seems likely that Harvey and Lanoire will both survive Mexico with no serious problems. And it seems likely that Teddy will make it as well. A few months ago, in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, we thought Teddy would likely not live long enough to make it through the Mexico trip.
After lunch we drove through Kino Nuevo and into Kino Viejo, down to the waterfront. There were many fishermen selling their catches. Huge shrimp ! Humongous oysters ! Lots of different types of freshly caught fish. I wanted some shrimp. I bought a bag of 17 shrimp, heads off, weighing 800 grams ! By the traditional method of specifying shrimp size, that's 9 to 10 shrimp per pound ! ! ! And that's with the weight of the heads already removed. Shrimp are usually weighed and sold with the heads on. These are the largest shrimp I've ever seen ! We walked out on the long dock and I took some photos. We drove around town, drove through the one RV park in the "old town" to check it out, and stopped to wander around the vendor booths set up around the town square. We drove back into Kino Nuevo and went to the small Seri Indian Museum. Beautiful, large ironwood carvings which the local Seri Indians are noted for. There were many vendors along the dock in Kino Viejo selling small ironwood carvings.
With no sun, it seemed not quite warm enough for an afternoon of romping in the surf. Bo seemed a bit disappointed when we walked on the beach yesterday at sunset. He now believes that beach time must include "beach doughnut" fetching. All day today he seemed to be waiting for beach play time. Maybe tomorrow, Bo. We read and napped instead. A few drops of rain fell for a few minutes.
Monday ; Bahía Kino to Santa Ana, Sonora
I knew as soon as I typed yesterday's journal entry that I shouldn't be counting my chickens before they hatch ! Sure enough, we had a trailer tire explode today, causing extensive damage to the trailer in the process.
We had decided yesterday that if this morning was sunny and hot we would stay in Bahía Kino. If it wasn't sunny and hot we would move on. This morning was cloudy and warm, temperature in the low 70's, about fifteen to twenty degrees cooler than we've had up until a few days ago. We hitched up and left. We stopped in Kino Viejo to buy some pan dulce at the town's small panaderia, and to refill an empty trailer propane tank. We headed west on Son 100 to Hermosillo. It was a bit confusing getting through and around Hermosillo. Lots of road construction with detours, and consequently inadequate road signage. At the best of times Mexico's road signage leaves a lot to be desired. At Hermosillo we stopped at a Pemex, refilled with diesel, and adjusted the air pressure in all the truck and trailer tires. Well, except for the truck tire that is missing its valve extender. I'm left wondering if there's a relationship between the adjustment of the tire pressures and the trailer tire blowout later in the day ? Probably not ... I hope !
From Hermosillo we headed north on Mex 15 once again. The road was in perfect condition. The tire pressures were correct. BLAM ! I felt and heard the trailer tire explode. I looked in the mirror just in time to see fiberglass debris and insulation flying up beside the trailer. I limped along very slowly for a minute or two until there was a ranch entrance road that I was able to pull into. Gee, after all the horrendous road conditions we've experienced in Mexico, why would the tire explode now, on a good road, with correct air pressure ? ! ? ( sigh ) The trailer's lower fiberglass skirt was demolished, the front half blown completely away, the rear half left jagged and ragged. The tire was in shreds, completely self-destructed ! Some electrical wiring underneath the trailer was ripped apart. The fiberglass insulation and waterproof cloth sheeting underneath the wheel well was blown off by the exploding tire. Two metal mounting brackets were twisted and mangled. Some plumbing had become exposed underneath where the waterproof cloth sheeting and fiberglass insulation had been, but the pipes were undamaged. The side moulding joining the trailer's side wall to the lower skirt was damaged. It took me two hours to make a temporary repair to secure the exposed plumbing pipes, cut away remnants of waterproof cloth sheeting, remove the mangled brackets, temporarily repair the side moulding, tape the broken electrical wiring, and finally, change the tire. And the trailer's spare was the damaged tire that sustained a deep cut somewhere back by La Peñita de Jaltemba. So now we have no spare tire, and a badly damaged tire on the trailer.
We continued on to Santa Ana where we stopped for the night in a small, friendly RV park. We got set up in a site, then all the occupants of the park spontaneously gathered around for a chat. One of the couples here is from Oliver, a town very close to our home town of Keremeos. One of the couples is from Quebec. And one of the couples is from New Mexico ... but the man can speak French ! Very unusual for an American to speak French, especially one from as far south as New Mexico.
If we drive straight north from here, we are one day of driving away from Tucson, Arizona, where we should easily be able to buy two new trailer tires. But we really would like to go west, to Puerto Peñasco on the northern tip of the Sea of Cortez for one last beach stop. That would mean we would have three more days of driving until we would reach Yuma, Arizona. It seems awfully risky to try driving for three more days on a cut tire with no spare. Tomorrow morning we’ll drive twelve miles north to the small city of Magdalena and try to buy two new trailer tires there before heading west to Puerto Peñasco. If we can’t find trailer tires in Magdalena, well, then ... ? ! ?
Tuesday ; Santa Ana to Puerto Peñasco, Sonora
Well, on these last few days of our Mexican adventure, the "road casualties" are certainly piling up ! I have just noticed ( at 8:40 P.M. ) that the bed rail protector on one side of the truck is missing. I guess at some point today it was pulled off by wind ( sigh ). The campground we are in tonight is populated by a lot of drunk, loud, obnoxious ... people who are neither Mexican nor Canadian ! After watching the sunset we walked over to the restaurant adjacent to the RV park. It's an upscale restaurant ... with fairly high prices ... listed on the menu in American dollars ! Most of the clientele in the restaurant ... men and women ... were wearing baseball caps while dining ! I guess we're getting close !
Today was sunny and very warm. This morning the friendly, helpful campground owner, who spoke English well, gave me directions to find the two tire dealers in the small city of Magdalena, twelve miles north. The first one was a Michelin dealer, and they were not able to help me. The second one was a Goodyear dealer. The manager spoke a bit of English and was very eager to be helpful ... and sell some tires. My preferred trailer tires are Goodyear Marathon ST ( Special Trailer ). I had been led to believe that ST tires of any brand simply are not available in Mexico. That's also what the Goodyear manager told me. The closest he could come were Goodyear Wrangler LT ( Light Truck ), same load range / weight rating, one size ( 10 mm. ) wider. Under the circumstances, and given my limited options, I thought it prudent to buy two. "P" designated tires for passenger cars are just not strong enough for a heavy fifth wheel trailer, but LT tires for light trucks should be okay ... I hope. I have Goodyear Wrangler tires on Lanoire, and they have been excellent. We negotiated a bit, and I bought two new Wrangler LT tires for the same price as I paid for Marathon ST tires on sale at Camping World in Albuquerque, New Mexico two years ago. Seemed fair and reasonable !
We were planning to backtrack twelve miles to Santa Ana and then head west from there on Mex 2 towards Puerto Peñasco on the Sea of Cortez, our final beach, and final destination in Mexico. But while I was having the tires installed, Joanne figured out on the map how to get to Mex 2 from Magdalena down desert back roads without having to backtrack to Santa Ana, and bypass a toll booth in the process. Well done ! Away we went !
At the town of Altar I saw a ferreteria ( hardware store ). I stopped and purchased a couple of pipe clamps to mount on the two plumbing lines that were ripped loose under the trailer by yesterday's tire blowout. This afternoon we drove through an area of thick Saguaro cactus "forest", not surprising because the area was a couple of hundred miles directly south of Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Arizona. Then we drove through agricultural lands, with vineyards, and fields of asparagus. Then it was an area of thick Pitahaya Dulce cactus "forest", a couple of hundred miles directly south of Organ Pipe National Park in Arizona. We will be returning to the United States near Organ Pipe National Park. We arrived in Puerto Peñasco late in the afternoon, found our way to Playa Bonita RV Park, checked in and set up, then went with Bo to see the beach. WOO-HOO ... Bo thought ... beach doughnut play time ! Sorry, Bo ... too cool and too late in the day. Tomorrow / mañana !
We're a bit disappointed in this, our final beach stop in Mexico. Except for the space occupied by this very large ( and expensive ) RV Park the beach is filled with wall to wall high rise condos. Certainly not at all like the secluded beaches south of Mazatlán. The ( ahem ) neighbours are not quite what we've been accustomed to ( raising eyebrows ). The beach is ... a bit rocky. Puerto Peñasco is known by ( ahem ) many of the people who come here as Rocky Point. There's a large rocky point, of course, and lots of rock "reef" in the sand. We walked along the beach at low tide trying to determine a safe place to play "beach doughnut" where Bo wouldn't be at risk of getting hurt on rocks.
Wednesday ; Today was sunny and warm, although the breeze off the Sea of Cortez was a bit cool. We slept late. We took our last anti-malaria tablets. I hope it's not another case of counting my chickens before they're hatched to assume that we will have made it all the way around the Mexico coast line without contracting malaria.
I spent the morning working on minor repairs. The list of wear and tear repairs to be done on the truck and trailer is huge, even though I try to take care of the simple stuff on a daily basis. Most of what still needs to be done must wait until I can get supplies, at automotive, hardware, and RV supply stores. I reinstalled the chrome trim rings on the trailer wheels with the two new tires. I compared the specifications between the Marathon ST tires and the Wrangler LT tires. HMPH ... the Marathon ST tires actually have a slightly higher weight bearing capacity than the Wrangler LT tires. I guess the priority in the manufacture of ST trailer tires is weight bearing capacity. So even though the LT tires are more "heavy duty", the ST tires can support slightly more weight. Joanne worked on removing the double sided tape left behind when the truck bed rail protector blew off. I installed a couple of pipe clamps on the plumbing lines left exposed by the damage caused by the exploding tire. I reinstalled a couple of sections of baseboard moulding inside the trailer that had been knocked loose by the exploding tire. The force of the tire exploding upwards, underneath the floor and side wall of the trailer, was severe enough to knock off a couple of sections of interior moulding. We have heard of incidents of exploding trailer tires punching right up through the floor of the trailer.
As I had promised Bo, we spent part of the afternoon playing on the beach. Although he did not want to play beach doughnut fetch for very long. I think the water was a bit too cold for him. We sat for awhile on the beach, enjoying the warm sunshine. The sand here is a bit coarse, with tiny ground up fragments of shells. We went back to the trailer, read and napped. At 6:30 P.M. we went back to the beach to watch the sunset, then went for a long walk around the large RV park. Tonight I tried a new way of barbecuing some of my gigantic Bahía Kino shrimp. Well ... Teddy certainly approves of Cajun seasoning on shrimp !
DSK
Thursday ; Las Glorias, Sinaloa to Playa Huatabampito, Sonora
Today was sunny and hot, until we arrived at Playa Huatabampito, where there was a cool breeze blowing in off the Sea of Cortez. We left Mr. Moro Hotel & RV Resort in Las Glorias and headed back towards the main highway, Mex 15 at Guasave. At the first village we reached after leaving Las Glorias there was a vulcanizadora. I stopped to get the truck tire fixed. Well, if there is one thing the Mexicans know how to do really well, it's fix tires. They make tires last forever. They don't treat them as disposable items like we Norteamericanos / gringos do. The repair took about 15 minutes. And cost cinquenta ( 50 ) pesos / $3.75 ! ! ! And they did an old fashioned vulcanization repair, using heat and pressure to squeeze a melting rubber patch into the puncture from inside the tire. Not a cold glue patch like in the United States and Canada. I don't think they do vulcanization repairs any more in the U.S. and Canada, do they ? The large screw that they pulled out of the tire looked suspiciously familiar. Sure enough, when I looked under the front wheel well, the screw that they had pulled out of the tire matched the screws mounting the mud flap ... and there was one screw missing !
Next door to the vulcanizadora was a school. While I was waiting for the tire to be repaired the children came out for recess. A group of teenaged boys gathered near the fence, and seeing a gringo, practiced their English by shouting "Hey, Mister, give us some candy". Well, at least they didn't ask me to give them money, as Mexican children have done before. I responded to them in Spanish, saying "Sorry, I don't understand, I don't speak English". HA HA HA ... they thought that was very funny !
Bo spent the day sleeping in the truck as we drove. We spend days on the beaches getting rested from the tiring days of driving. Bo spends days of driving getting rested from the tiring days on the beaches. HA HA HA ! As we crossed from the state of Sinaloa into the state of Sonora we were stopped and inspected again at a food inspection station. Again, they were concerned about our fruit. All we had were the little BOnanas, which they allowed us to keep. Our planned destination for today was the inland city of Navojoa, but as we arrived there Joanne thought it was early enough in the day to head west out to a beach campground about 50 km. / 30 miles away. So, once again, we're camped on the beach. We drove out to the little coastal town of Huatabampo, and then a bit beyond to the little beach village of Playa Huatabampito, where we stopped for the night at El Mirador Restaurant, Hotel, & RV Park.
As we drove out to the coast we passed farm fields. Having been raised in Manitoba, I found it very odd to see fields of flax almost ready for harvest ... in early March !
We got set up in a site, then I remounted the repaired tire as the spare underneath the truck. We went for a long walk along the beach. Bo obviously wanted to play in the surf with his beach doughnut, but we thought it was a bit too late in the afternoon to allow him to get soaking wet then covered in sand. Maybe tomorrow, Bo. The El Mirador management was offering a free margarita to the guests of the RV park tonight, so we went to the hotel bar / restaurant where we joined a table of five other gringos from the RV park. There was a total of 15 people in the restaurant. Seven gringos from the RV park, 3 Mexicans, and 5 members of a mariachi band that were performing. We listened to the music briefly, took a few sips of our very strong margaritas, then returned to the trailer to barbecue supper. There was free Wi-Fi, and it reached the trailer, so I got online, retrieved e-mail, and verified an electronic funds transfer from our investment broker to our bank account. Great ... now we have money in the bank again and can withdraw from an ATM. We're almost out of pesos.
Friday ; Playa Huatabampito to San Carlos, Sonora
Today was lightly overcast and warm. It's definitely getting cooler as we drive north each day. This morning before departing I did the 114,000 km. inspection on the truck, and replaced the screw that came out of the mud flap and ended up in the tire. We departed Playa Huatabampito, returned through Huatabampo, where we stopped to replenish groceries at a Ley Supermarket, and headed for the small city of Navojoa where we stopped to refill a water jug at an agua purificado refill place. We headed north on Mex 15 towards Ciudad Obregon. When we came to a split between the "free" road and the toll road, we turned onto the "free" road, but it was in such atrocious condition we turned back after a few miles and returned to the toll road.
We passed from farm lands into desert. Mesquite trees, Cardon and Saguaro cacti with big yellow blooms on top. We drove through Ciudad Obregon, and through Guaymas on our way to San Carlos. We were disappointed in San Carlos.
Our destination was Totonaka RV Park in San Carlos. It's a large park, with full services. Well, except for the non-existent water pressure. Free Wi-Fi and ... American cable TV ! First time we've watched TV since entering Mexico two months ago. We got set up in our site then went to see the beach "across the street". Well, across the street was a high concrete wall with steps leading down to a narrow pebble beach. Not exactly what we were hoping for. Joanne wanted to walk into San Carlos, believing from our guide book description that it was a quaint little seaside town. Well, not really ! It's a small city, nothing unique or special about it. We walked back to the RV park, tired and sore feet. We had planned to spend two nights here, but I think we'll move on tomorrow, and hope that the next place is more appealing.
Saturday ; San Carlos to Bahía Kino, Sonora
Today was sunny and warm, but each day of driving north brings cooler temperatures, especially in the evening. We departed San Carlos this morning heading north on Mex 15. At the intersection with Son 61 ( Sonora state highway 61 ) we refilled with diesel, then headed northwest on Son 61. As we headed deeper into the Sonoran desert the terrain began looking more and more similar to Arizona, which is only a few hundred miles north now. Mesa topped mountains, Palo Verde trees, Cholla, Pitayaha Dulce, and Ocotillo cacti in bloom, orange, lemon, and pecan groves, and roadrunners dashing across the road. BEEP BEEP ! It's interesting that in Mexico the Pitahaya cacti are named for their taste ; Pitahaya Dulce ( Sweet ) and Pitahaya Agria ( Sour ). In the U.S. the same cactus is named for its appearance ; Organ Pipe Cactus.
We turned west on Mex 16 and drove to the town of Bahía Kino / Kino Bay. The "real" town is called Kino Viejo ( Old ), and the long strip along the beach front where all the tourism development is, is called Kino Nuevo ( New ). We found our way to Kino Bay RV Park, one of the extremely few Passport America affiliated RV parks in Mexico. We parked in their front entranceway, had lunch, wandered around the park selecting a site, and wandered down to the lovely beach across the street while we waited for the office to re-open after their two hour lunch break, common in Mexico. After getting set up in a site we unhitched the truck from the trailer so that we can go exploring tomorrow. Joanne went to do laundry ... lots of it ... at the RV park's self service laundromat, a rarity in Mexico. I read and napped. I was tired after driving six of the last seven days. While the park only honours the Passport America rate for two nights, I think we'll stay here for three nights, get well rested, explore the area, and have lots of beach doughnut play time.
We went for a long walk on the beach to watch the sun set. The sand was cool. Just a few days ago the sand was too hot to walk on. I found some pretty conch shells. This was the first beach where I found conch shells.
We will be back in the United States in a week, so we have begun to use up the foods that we will not be able to take across the border. Joanne asked me to cook omelettes tonight to use up our eggs. I'm the designated egg dish cooker in our family. This afternoon a camione de frutas y verduras ( fruits and vegetables truck ) came into the campground. Joanne bought herself some fresh asparagus. I cooked an asparagus, ham, and cheese omelette for her, and a shrimp, zucchini, onion, and cheese omelette for me. Uh-oh ... I'm out of shrimp. Tomorrow we'll go down to the fisherman's dock in Kino Viejo and hopefully I will be able to buy more shrimp.
Sunday ; Today was cloudy and warm. Coldest day in the last two months ! Had to wear long pants ! I spent the morning doing minor maintenance and repairs on the trailer. I reattached a piece of moulding on the outside, and a piece of moulding on the inside. Two months of bouncing, twisting, and flexing on Mexico's roads have taken a toll on Harvey the trailer, resulting in an enormous amount of wear and tear, loose screws, stripped screw holes, etc.. But no major problems, no broken suspension components, no brake problems, no axle problems. Many of the fifth wheel trailers that travel through Mexico experience broken suspension components, ruined brakes, bent or broken axles. With only three more driving days back to the United States, it seems likely that Harvey and Lanoire will both survive Mexico with no serious problems. And it seems likely that Teddy will make it as well. A few months ago, in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, we thought Teddy would likely not live long enough to make it through the Mexico trip.
After lunch we drove through Kino Nuevo and into Kino Viejo, down to the waterfront. There were many fishermen selling their catches. Huge shrimp ! Humongous oysters ! Lots of different types of freshly caught fish. I wanted some shrimp. I bought a bag of 17 shrimp, heads off, weighing 800 grams ! By the traditional method of specifying shrimp size, that's 9 to 10 shrimp per pound ! ! ! And that's with the weight of the heads already removed. Shrimp are usually weighed and sold with the heads on. These are the largest shrimp I've ever seen ! We walked out on the long dock and I took some photos. We drove around town, drove through the one RV park in the "old town" to check it out, and stopped to wander around the vendor booths set up around the town square. We drove back into Kino Nuevo and went to the small Seri Indian Museum. Beautiful, large ironwood carvings which the local Seri Indians are noted for. There were many vendors along the dock in Kino Viejo selling small ironwood carvings.
With no sun, it seemed not quite warm enough for an afternoon of romping in the surf. Bo seemed a bit disappointed when we walked on the beach yesterday at sunset. He now believes that beach time must include "beach doughnut" fetching. All day today he seemed to be waiting for beach play time. Maybe tomorrow, Bo. We read and napped instead. A few drops of rain fell for a few minutes.
Monday ; Bahía Kino to Santa Ana, Sonora
I knew as soon as I typed yesterday's journal entry that I shouldn't be counting my chickens before they hatch ! Sure enough, we had a trailer tire explode today, causing extensive damage to the trailer in the process.
We had decided yesterday that if this morning was sunny and hot we would stay in Bahía Kino. If it wasn't sunny and hot we would move on. This morning was cloudy and warm, temperature in the low 70's, about fifteen to twenty degrees cooler than we've had up until a few days ago. We hitched up and left. We stopped in Kino Viejo to buy some pan dulce at the town's small panaderia, and to refill an empty trailer propane tank. We headed west on Son 100 to Hermosillo. It was a bit confusing getting through and around Hermosillo. Lots of road construction with detours, and consequently inadequate road signage. At the best of times Mexico's road signage leaves a lot to be desired. At Hermosillo we stopped at a Pemex, refilled with diesel, and adjusted the air pressure in all the truck and trailer tires. Well, except for the truck tire that is missing its valve extender. I'm left wondering if there's a relationship between the adjustment of the tire pressures and the trailer tire blowout later in the day ? Probably not ... I hope !
From Hermosillo we headed north on Mex 15 once again. The road was in perfect condition. The tire pressures were correct. BLAM ! I felt and heard the trailer tire explode. I looked in the mirror just in time to see fiberglass debris and insulation flying up beside the trailer. I limped along very slowly for a minute or two until there was a ranch entrance road that I was able to pull into. Gee, after all the horrendous road conditions we've experienced in Mexico, why would the tire explode now, on a good road, with correct air pressure ? ! ? ( sigh ) The trailer's lower fiberglass skirt was demolished, the front half blown completely away, the rear half left jagged and ragged. The tire was in shreds, completely self-destructed ! Some electrical wiring underneath the trailer was ripped apart. The fiberglass insulation and waterproof cloth sheeting underneath the wheel well was blown off by the exploding tire. Two metal mounting brackets were twisted and mangled. Some plumbing had become exposed underneath where the waterproof cloth sheeting and fiberglass insulation had been, but the pipes were undamaged. The side moulding joining the trailer's side wall to the lower skirt was damaged. It took me two hours to make a temporary repair to secure the exposed plumbing pipes, cut away remnants of waterproof cloth sheeting, remove the mangled brackets, temporarily repair the side moulding, tape the broken electrical wiring, and finally, change the tire. And the trailer's spare was the damaged tire that sustained a deep cut somewhere back by La Peñita de Jaltemba. So now we have no spare tire, and a badly damaged tire on the trailer.
We continued on to Santa Ana where we stopped for the night in a small, friendly RV park. We got set up in a site, then all the occupants of the park spontaneously gathered around for a chat. One of the couples here is from Oliver, a town very close to our home town of Keremeos. One of the couples is from Quebec. And one of the couples is from New Mexico ... but the man can speak French ! Very unusual for an American to speak French, especially one from as far south as New Mexico.
If we drive straight north from here, we are one day of driving away from Tucson, Arizona, where we should easily be able to buy two new trailer tires. But we really would like to go west, to Puerto Peñasco on the northern tip of the Sea of Cortez for one last beach stop. That would mean we would have three more days of driving until we would reach Yuma, Arizona. It seems awfully risky to try driving for three more days on a cut tire with no spare. Tomorrow morning we’ll drive twelve miles north to the small city of Magdalena and try to buy two new trailer tires there before heading west to Puerto Peñasco. If we can’t find trailer tires in Magdalena, well, then ... ? ! ?
Tuesday ; Santa Ana to Puerto Peñasco, Sonora
Well, on these last few days of our Mexican adventure, the "road casualties" are certainly piling up ! I have just noticed ( at 8:40 P.M. ) that the bed rail protector on one side of the truck is missing. I guess at some point today it was pulled off by wind ( sigh ). The campground we are in tonight is populated by a lot of drunk, loud, obnoxious ... people who are neither Mexican nor Canadian ! After watching the sunset we walked over to the restaurant adjacent to the RV park. It's an upscale restaurant ... with fairly high prices ... listed on the menu in American dollars ! Most of the clientele in the restaurant ... men and women ... were wearing baseball caps while dining ! I guess we're getting close !
Today was sunny and very warm. This morning the friendly, helpful campground owner, who spoke English well, gave me directions to find the two tire dealers in the small city of Magdalena, twelve miles north. The first one was a Michelin dealer, and they were not able to help me. The second one was a Goodyear dealer. The manager spoke a bit of English and was very eager to be helpful ... and sell some tires. My preferred trailer tires are Goodyear Marathon ST ( Special Trailer ). I had been led to believe that ST tires of any brand simply are not available in Mexico. That's also what the Goodyear manager told me. The closest he could come were Goodyear Wrangler LT ( Light Truck ), same load range / weight rating, one size ( 10 mm. ) wider. Under the circumstances, and given my limited options, I thought it prudent to buy two. "P" designated tires for passenger cars are just not strong enough for a heavy fifth wheel trailer, but LT tires for light trucks should be okay ... I hope. I have Goodyear Wrangler tires on Lanoire, and they have been excellent. We negotiated a bit, and I bought two new Wrangler LT tires for the same price as I paid for Marathon ST tires on sale at Camping World in Albuquerque, New Mexico two years ago. Seemed fair and reasonable !
We were planning to backtrack twelve miles to Santa Ana and then head west from there on Mex 2 towards Puerto Peñasco on the Sea of Cortez, our final beach, and final destination in Mexico. But while I was having the tires installed, Joanne figured out on the map how to get to Mex 2 from Magdalena down desert back roads without having to backtrack to Santa Ana, and bypass a toll booth in the process. Well done ! Away we went !
At the town of Altar I saw a ferreteria ( hardware store ). I stopped and purchased a couple of pipe clamps to mount on the two plumbing lines that were ripped loose under the trailer by yesterday's tire blowout. This afternoon we drove through an area of thick Saguaro cactus "forest", not surprising because the area was a couple of hundred miles directly south of Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Arizona. Then we drove through agricultural lands, with vineyards, and fields of asparagus. Then it was an area of thick Pitahaya Dulce cactus "forest", a couple of hundred miles directly south of Organ Pipe National Park in Arizona. We will be returning to the United States near Organ Pipe National Park. We arrived in Puerto Peñasco late in the afternoon, found our way to Playa Bonita RV Park, checked in and set up, then went with Bo to see the beach. WOO-HOO ... Bo thought ... beach doughnut play time ! Sorry, Bo ... too cool and too late in the day. Tomorrow / mañana !
We're a bit disappointed in this, our final beach stop in Mexico. Except for the space occupied by this very large ( and expensive ) RV Park the beach is filled with wall to wall high rise condos. Certainly not at all like the secluded beaches south of Mazatlán. The ( ahem ) neighbours are not quite what we've been accustomed to ( raising eyebrows ). The beach is ... a bit rocky. Puerto Peñasco is known by ( ahem ) many of the people who come here as Rocky Point. There's a large rocky point, of course, and lots of rock "reef" in the sand. We walked along the beach at low tide trying to determine a safe place to play "beach doughnut" where Bo wouldn't be at risk of getting hurt on rocks.
Wednesday ; Today was sunny and warm, although the breeze off the Sea of Cortez was a bit cool. We slept late. We took our last anti-malaria tablets. I hope it's not another case of counting my chickens before they're hatched to assume that we will have made it all the way around the Mexico coast line without contracting malaria.
I spent the morning working on minor repairs. The list of wear and tear repairs to be done on the truck and trailer is huge, even though I try to take care of the simple stuff on a daily basis. Most of what still needs to be done must wait until I can get supplies, at automotive, hardware, and RV supply stores. I reinstalled the chrome trim rings on the trailer wheels with the two new tires. I compared the specifications between the Marathon ST tires and the Wrangler LT tires. HMPH ... the Marathon ST tires actually have a slightly higher weight bearing capacity than the Wrangler LT tires. I guess the priority in the manufacture of ST trailer tires is weight bearing capacity. So even though the LT tires are more "heavy duty", the ST tires can support slightly more weight. Joanne worked on removing the double sided tape left behind when the truck bed rail protector blew off. I installed a couple of pipe clamps on the plumbing lines left exposed by the damage caused by the exploding tire. I reinstalled a couple of sections of baseboard moulding inside the trailer that had been knocked loose by the exploding tire. The force of the tire exploding upwards, underneath the floor and side wall of the trailer, was severe enough to knock off a couple of sections of interior moulding. We have heard of incidents of exploding trailer tires punching right up through the floor of the trailer.
As I had promised Bo, we spent part of the afternoon playing on the beach. Although he did not want to play beach doughnut fetch for very long. I think the water was a bit too cold for him. We sat for awhile on the beach, enjoying the warm sunshine. The sand here is a bit coarse, with tiny ground up fragments of shells. We went back to the trailer, read and napped. At 6:30 P.M. we went back to the beach to watch the sunset, then went for a long walk around the large RV park. Tonight I tried a new way of barbecuing some of my gigantic Bahía Kino shrimp. Well ... Teddy certainly approves of Cajun seasoning on shrimp !
DSK
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