Border Crossing into Tucson

San Carlos, Sonora to Tucson, Arizona 21-22 May, 2009

It was already hot when we packed up at the Best Western and hit the road for the final northward leg of the journey out of Mexico. The state of Sonora is relatively progressive about attracting tourism from el Norte, which includes good highways both in and out. The northbound lanes are newer and, as a result, actually wider than the southbound lanes. This means comfortably wide lanes and a shoulder on each side of the road. This was the nicest driving we had the whole time we were in Mexico!

Bowen had the last Mexican meal of the family, an order of tacos from a roadside stand. A young man came and cleaned our windows while we were parked. In exchange, he received 10 pesos, a Mini Mamut bar (like a Wagon Wheel) and a bag of toys the boys had culled from the collection they had amassed over the course of the trip but no longer played with.

Our reading on the process for leaving Mexico assured us that the passage through Nogales is the best for traveling tourists like us. That being said, all things are relative. There was clear signage in English directing us to the lane for the return of vehicle permits, but the functionary to whom we reported could not believe that we actually wanted to turn in our vehicle sticker- it is good for ten years, he reminded us! The thing is, that if we do not return the sticker and cancel the permit, we cannot bring another vehicle into Mexico. We don't know when or how we will return to Mexico (though Remy has visions of a mid-life crisis trip(for us both) down the Sierra Madres on a BMW GS1200 motorcycle) but we know that we will definitely return, so best to cancel the permit.

Then, in what passes for bureaucratic efficiency in Mexico, we had to cross the six-lane divided highway across a sunken median to visit the Immigration office which is located on the south-bound side of the highway. We handed in our Visitor Cards and were cleared by the Mexican government to leave.

We drove the remaining twenty kms or so to the border, the last few of which are between the electronically surveilled fences that keep the border jumpers from hitching rides on trucks. We dutifully lined up to pass through American Customs and were (not surprisingly) directed to the secondary inspection area. We encountered the sharp end of American Border Patrol and Homeland Security in the form of a female officer who measured approximately 4'8" in height and who probably weighed in at about 92 lbs with her combat boots on. She appeared visibly nervous as she questioned Remy through the driver's window about the family's possession of fruits and animals.

Next, we exited the vehicle while an interior inspection was conducted. The female officer was not tall enough to see the fruit on the open shelf over the sink in the van, and the highly trained fruit-sniffing dog failed to find the contraband in the same location. Luckily, Homeland Security was preserved by the relentless honesty of Liz, who bravely gave up our stock of Vitamin C. After another inspection by one of the tallest Customs officers we had ever seen, who used a mysterious electronic device to scan the interior of the van, we were cleared to enter the US of A.

The original plan had been to camp in Patagonia, AZ, but when we realized that it was out of the way and as it was early enough in the afternoon, we forged on through to Tucson. We checked in at the Prince of Tucson RV park and got directions to as many Walmarts and Trader Joe's as we could manage. Food was the first priority, though, so we headed to the University Historical District first and had a great pizza from a restaurant which powers its pizza ovens using solar energy. That and a great micro-brewed beer meant for a memorable meal, our first ordered in English in many months! It was a little bit strange to get exactly what we ordered the first time.

Then began the Tour de Tucson. From the far south end of town, we followed our directions to the far north end of town, seeking the (not-so-elusive) Walmart Super Centre. We found it at last, after much driving in the dark, another first after many months of avoiding it. While Liz stocked up on groceries, Remy and the boys headed to the Sporting Goods section to realize that which has been talked about constantly for months- the acquisition of Airsoft guns. The boys had done endless hours of research on the internet and had decided on precisely what models they were going to purchase and the grounds justifying these decisions. It turned out that these models were not available at this Walmart, and so months of research and justification were tossed out the window and the decision was made to buy what was available. The boys had to be returned to the van immediately so they could tear their purchases out of the boxes and begin play immediately.

We returned to the RV park late enough that we could not enjoy the pool for which we had paid so much ($31 a night) and put ourselves to bed. We woke up the next morning to extremely (for this part of the world) cool temperatures and rain- what was this about? It only made the parting from Mexico that much more sad. As well, to contribute to the sense of culture shock, there was some confusion about the local time, which Remy had to confirm by tuning  into a local radio station on his wind-up radio. We found out later that Arizona does not conform with daylight savings, in order to align with California in the summer months.

Before we could leave town, we had to track down a Trader Joe's in order to satisfy Liz' overwhelming curiosity about the place. It turns out that TJ's is like a candy store for foodies. A good selection of organic greens and other packaged goodies, along with cheap beer and wine, made for a bit of a shopping spree. Thus encumbered with treats for everyone, we were ready to embark on the US leg of our journey, beginning with meeting friends in New Mexico.

Seeing as we didn't think about taking any photos of our crossing ( the border patrol frowns on that sort of thing) we posted a cool pile of rocks located in Texas Canyon, Arizona. 

-Remy