Hot Times in New Mexico

Silver City and Gila National Forest, 22-26 May, 2009

We had been in contact with our friends, Ches and Alison, whom we had met at the beginning of our trip in San Carlos. It was they that had drawn us to Alamos and had introduced us to many other travelers, as well as having indoctrinated us into the long-term touring Mexcio lifestyle. It was finally negotiated that they would leave the cool environs of Santa Fe and meet with us halfway in the area of Silver City, New Mexico.

We made the long, flat, hot trip across Arizona from Tucson and into southwest New Mexico. We turned to the north east and began to climb toward Silver City, gradually climbing into the cooler mountain air. We met up with Ches and Alison and drove into the Gila National Forest. A winding mountain road, reminiscent of many of the Mexican highways we had driven, took us into the pine forests where we spent the night in a pine forest campground- for free! We spent the evening sitting around inside the camper van, catching up on the intervening four months. Since they live in a home-made conversion Mercedes Sprinter van, the fact that we have lights, bench seats and somewhere indoors to make tea made ours the luxury RV for the night.

The following day, we continued the journey to the Gila Hot Springs. The campground is located along the Gila River at the foot of the mountains, where we paid all of $10 per night to camp. The camp ground was equipped with three natural hot springs pools which, unlike those near home, are not sulphurous. The water comes out of the ground slightly too hot for bathing and cools off quite nicely in the sandy bottomed pools. Each pool has different dress standards (whether they are required or not) during the day- after dark, clothes are optional in all three. The area is beautiful and still quite wild, with an interesting mix of artists and quirky rancher types living there. It is also a working farm complete with goats- lots of em , horses and various other farm type animals. The boys had the opportunity to bottle  feed the baby goats which was quite the thrill for some boys from the CITY.

It was such  thrill to bathe in the nude  in the hot water under the stars each night before bed. Once again, Hollis refused to get naked but Bowen made quite the show of it by waggling his bits under cover of darkness.

The local tourist draw are the Gila Cave Dwellings. These are ancient stone structures built into cliffs where native pre-Hispanic cultures lived their lives. The archeologists have all sorts of theories about what the dwellings were used for, but can't really reach a consensus. They were impressive nonetheless and the docents were very helpful.

The drive back to Silver City took the very steep and windy road back through the  forest. The brakes on the camper van started making some funny noises along the way, but this was not unusual as they had made funny noises at various points through Mexico. We hove to in the Silver City RV Park where Ches negotiated us sharing a single site between the two of us. Silver City proved to be much like home- slightly seedy but with a healthy dose of musicians, artists and cool shops in an old silver mining mountain town. We stayed a couple of nights in order to take care of personal administration (laundry, blogging, etc.) while Ches and Alison took their leave of us to head to their next scheduled rendezvous.

-Remy

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

San Carlos- at the beginning and now at the end

San Carlos, Sonora

Best Western RV park

May 19- 21, 2009

San Carlos was the first place we had "boondocked" in Mexico way back in January and the beginning of our travels but we all decided that we'd prefer some comforts for our last few days in Mexico and those could be found at the Best Western Hotel and RV park. The pool was the biggest draw and as it would turn out we really got our moneys worth because we never left the deck except to sleep and have dinner out one night with some new friends.

The Rv park was once again deserted and wasn't maintained at all as the owner said they were going to be expanding the hotel in the near future. No worries, we found a spot with a view to the pool and poured ourselves a drink!

Remy and Liz are feeling quite sad about the idea of leaving Mexico and the comfortable travel groove which we have found ourselves in here. The boys on the other hand couldn't be happier because for months now they have been researching the latest airsoft rifles and have been counting down the minutes till they can get to Walmart to make the purchase. The big airsoft battle has been overplanned via the internet and will be fought with friends shortly after we arrive home in Canada.

We spent our last two days in Mexico feasting on beautiful local exotic fruits and trying to polish off as much tequila as possible seeing as we are carrying  WAY  over the allowable booze limit per person. . It seems mangos and papaya can't cross the border either and as usual we have a vanload of them. Liz can't resist them at every roadside stand we come cross.

Of course it was our last day in Mexico when the boys finally meet some other kids their own age to play in the pool with. This gave Remy time to go spearfishing and Liz time to read, meet the Mother of the two new kids in the pool  and work on her chocolate brown tan...........ok, slightly pink with a hint of bronze tan.

It turns out that the nice Mother and Father of the two new kids in the pool were Jehovah Witnesses!  Just my luck.  It was too late to hide in the van till they found someone else to give their information to and I obviously had all the time in the world to listen.

Actually, they were great people with interesting backgrounds and seeing as they weren't pushing their beliefs on us we agreed to go out for dinner with them for our last night there. The kids had a ball together playing in the sand and trading Nintendo DS games and the grown ups ate a mediocre Greek meal serenaded by some  ho hum live music. 

Up early the next day we said our goodbyes to John, Cynthia, Caitlyn and Chase and that's when the line was crossed. Cynthia gave me some "Witness" literature that also had her email info on it. UGH . And here I thought we were good enough people in our own right and she didn't think we needed her religion. ( maybe it was all the tequila on my breath!)

-Liz

Navojoa -FINALLY, after the worst travel day of the trip

Best Western Hotel

 Navojoa, Sonora

May 18 - 20, 2009

If we NEVER , EVER have another travel day like this one it will be too soon.

We started out the day very early and were packed, fed, and on the road by 7:59am.

It was going to be a long, hot day but our destination - Huatabampito ??? was described in our guide book as a resort on the beach with a pool and a restaurant with wifi. The plan was to park here for a few days , relax and get the last of our  beach ya yas out.

After about 7 hours of driving in 40 degree heat we pull into the larger center of Huatabompo( not to be confused with Huatabampito.) We will need a few supplies for the next few days so this was the most logical stop. Oh my God, what a dump!

 Garbage was blowing in the streets which, contrary to popular belief, is quite uncommon in Mexico- along the highways , yes, but not in the towns. The one supermarket sported empty shelves but many, many employees just standing around and the second grocery store we found was very small and super packed with people. Of course we were an unusual sight in this cramped store and found ourselves being stared at from every which way.

We picked up a few things we needed then headed off for Huatabompito- another 15 KM away. We arrived to the RV park all hot and very sweaty only to find it completely empty ( not unusual at this time of year) and the fine sand from the surrounding dunes was blowing sideways. The moment we stepped out of the van we were covered in the stuff from head to toe. GREAT, just what we needed-ugh. We bumbled around with where to set up camp. Would it be better to set up next to the delapitated building for a tiny bit of shade and protection from the blowing sand  or on the ocean for the breeze and the view? It was obvious that neither scenerio was a good one and the boys were complaining about everything. It was when 2 little BLACK  bugs found their way into Liz's skin and had a good chomp that we decided we'd rather stay in a Pemex gas station than at this dump.

We checked out the bathrooms- disgusting; the ocean- full of jelly fish and weird white stringy stuff.  Gross. We quickly negotiated a full refund with the owners and told them we had never had such an experience in all of Mexico. We hope they work on some improvements before next season to prevent more travelers from wasting their time as we had just done.Remy came up with the brilliant idea that we could just get back in the van and drive to Navojoa as it was only 50KM away and there was a campground there in a mangrove beside the river! Sounded great. Let's go!

We arrived at the Alameda campground about 90 minutes later and pulled ourselves into a spot. Of the 80 spaces about 60 of them were filled with heavy machinery, gigantic plastic tubes, rotted out cars, and greasy, smelly autoparts of every description. We were so tired and hot  and now hungry we just weren't thinking straight. Bowen and Remy immediately went off to have a shower and it wasn't until Hollis returned for a paper towel that I began to see the light. "What do you need a damp paper towel for?" I ask.  "So Dad can wipe off the towel hook," he replied.

WHAAAT? HE HAS TO CLEAN OFF THE TOWEL HOOK? ....YUK."      I answered.

Hollis and I marched over to the shower to let Remy know we were going next door to the nice Best Western Hotel to see about getting a room. We caught him with a beard full of shaving cream and a deer caught in the headlights expression on his face. He was probably thinking... I know she's right but I can't believe we are moving again . UGH . Five minutes later we were negotiating a refund from a campground  for the second time that day ( and in broken Spanish no less.)

We landed in an air conditioned room across from the pool that was surrounded by fragrant blooms of every description. It was so great we ended up staying two days and did nothing but play at the pool and watch several episodes of Oprah!!

-Liz

Mazatlan, Part II

Mazatlan, Nayarit, 15-17 May, 2009

The next stop on our journey took us back to Mazatlan. We passed through the area of Guasave, where the specialty is dried shrimp. You can buy this delicacy(!) at many points along the highway. As much as possible, we wanted to avoid returning to places we had already been, but were left with no choice. The reason for this desire was realized when we scouted out RV parks. The first time we had visited had been at the height of snowbird season, when parking spaces were scarce and at a premium. We met lots of great, helpful people. This time, the parks are deserted and ours is the only rig that would be there. We ended up back where we had stayed the first time, California Trailer Park, located right at the heart of town (more about that later).

We set up in the post-apocalyptic setting of the trailer park after a big shop at the Mega store and set out to accomplish two of the major objectives of this trip- spend time at the beach and return to Tacos Alejandro! The beach was fun, and we found that the chorreadas are still as tasty as we remember. They definitely rate as one of the best things we have eaten in all of Mexico- cheapest too.

When we returned to the van to get ready for bed, we also recalled one of the disadvantages to the location- the mega huge bar on the corner with what sounds like about 10,000 watts of power! That and the rush-hour traffic on the street beside us led to a restless night. And when the traffic finally dies off, the grackles take over, testing out every tone they can produce at top volume, while pooping on the roof of the van and all over the awning. But, we awoke to yet another perfect morning and Remy did the beautiful ride along the 8 kilometer malecon to do a workout at the beachfront park with all the other physical culturists. Life in the tropics is still pretty good.

We rode our bikes along the malecon to the Viejo Mazatlan and took care of some last minute shopping at the market. Liz loaded up on "jamaica" (dried hibiscus flowers) from which she makes vitamin C and anti-oxidant loaded iced tea. A wedding photographer had brought his clients to the plaza where we relaxed with our afternoon coffee. We rode back to the van and headed off to the beach again for one last kick at the boogie-boarding cat. Bowen did some last purchasing from the beach vendors, which included getting the Superman symbol "tattooed" on his chest. 

This turned out to be a mistake for him as the new tattoo also meant he couldn't go back in the water until it dried completely. He cried his eyes out all the while watching Hollis and Remy frolic in the rushing waves.

The boys even got a chance to do some skateboarding before bed. Tonight is that last night that the park is open for the season and we have "done" Mazatlan completely now, so our heads are spaced to leave and continue our homeward journey. That, and it is very hot here!

-Remy

Lots to See But Nothing to Do at Paraiso Mirador

Santa Cruz de Mirador, Nayarit, 12-15 May 2009

We ran for the Pacific coast, anxious to be by the water again- anxious to be able to go into the water! We picked a place we had not been before, still eager to explore this country as thoroughly as we can while we can, and landed in Santa Cruz de Mirador, which is located just up the coast from Guayabitos. We ended up at the Paraiso Mirador, which is very aptly named! The beachfront resort is probably one of the most beautiful we have encountered in all of Mexico, for only 22 bucks a night to camp!

There is a hotel, bungalows, restaurant and two separate pool areas set in an incredible property overlooking the ocean. The beach itself is not particularly hospitable as it is quite rocky, which continues far out into the water. Remy discovered the hard way how difficult this makes launching and, more so, landing when trying to go snorkeling. There is a reason why the oyster divers, which abound in this area, work from boats. Needless to say, the beach was not a big attraction here.

The resort, however, was another matter. We had the run of the place to ourselves. Small groups would come for the day but we were the only campers. A small pool area about 15 meters from our van afforded two palapas and three small pools on two levels. The boys were in heaven, being able to dive from the upper to the lower pool, which looked out over the ocean. In the palapas were a colony of what we determined, after an internet search, were vampire bats. It was neat to watch the mothers nursing their pups during the day, but not so neat to see them flying in and out of the palapa at night. Especially after seeing video footage of them on the computer and how they feed off unsuspecting animals. It is not easy to relax in the wild in Mexico after dark!

Another larger pool located at the other end of the property by a hotel building was available to us as well. We could not get over how lucky we were to be here!

We explored on our bikes the nearby town of Santa Cruz. We set off after palapa school in the searing 40 degree heat to ride the highway into town. We discovered that there is nothing to do in this dusty little burg, which at lunch time includes eating! The heat appears to knock the motivation out of even the Mexicans. We returned home to find that the restaurant at the resort had exactly what we were needing anyway, which could be enjoyed under one of the palapas. And we could swim in the pool until the food arrived! We were crazy to have left, but now we know.

Remy improvised a small lobster trap out of a 2 liter pop bottle for the boys to try to trap some crayfish out of the creek that runs through the property, but they were unable to entice anything large enough to eat into it. Remy caught up on his hammock time, while Liz schemed how she could rescue Lupita the dog from Villa Corona. We caught up on our blogging and e-mail, and otherwise genuinely relaxed. It is bittersweet, as we are only too aware that our time in Mexico is drawing to a close, and opportunities like this are dwindling.

-Remy

The waterpark is closed?

Chimulco Waterpark and RV Resort

Villa Corona, Jalisco

May 10 - 12, 2009

Chimulco is one of several thermal waterparks that line the road in this particular part of Mexico. There is a natural hot spring that heats the water to the perfect bathing temperature ( maybe even a tad bit too  warm.) The pools are completely drained  and refilled each night which made it sound appealing to the grown ups as well!

We had been hearing about this place from fellow travelers  since the very beginning of our trip. "your kids will LOVE it" they would all tell us. It wasn't in the cards for us on the way into Mexico as we were eager to stay and explore the beaches but we found it made perfect sense to see it on our way back to the coast from being inland for so long.

We arrived at Chimulco all hot and sweaty after a very long day of travel. All day we had talked about how great it was going to be to do that first slide into the cool water.

Imagine our disappointment then to find that the park was closed for "sanitization" after the swine flu outbreak and wouldn't be open for business again for another week or so. BIG BIG BUMMER. The good news was that at least the

 campground was open and we were given a deal because of the lack of swimming options. Wifi was free and we wouldn't have to worry about line ups for table space either. The employee felt so bad he offered to let us use the laundry for free as well.

The boys were sooooo disappointed that they suggested we get right back into the van and drive to the nearest Pemex gas station for the night. I guess it was their way of punishing the waterpark employee. The idea of a clean pillow case that night after the free laundering didn't seem to make them any happier either. It thrilled us!

After about an hour of  their constant wining about how much this "sucks' they came around and discovered the sprinklers were on and they could play in those instead.

That was the weirdest thing! The water coming out of the sprinklers was quite warm too! Liz had the idea of having a family water fight. That proved pointless however because instead of everyone running from whomever had the water we were drawn to that person in an attempt to get warm again. We opted instead to have an outdoor shower right there in the middle of the field, what a wonderfully strange sensation that was. Family bonding at its best.

Liz was walking around the grounds one morning peeking in the windows of the rentable bungalows also on the property. A  small  dog had been sleeping on the porch of one of the bungalows but there didn't appear to be anyone around actually looking after her. She didn't have the usual mangy look of Mexican street dogs and was actually quite cute.. Liz gave her some of the kibble we had purchased for just such an encounter and she quickly adopted us as her own, we even made the mistake of giving her a name- Lupita.

Lupita followed Liz everywhere wagging her tail and doing all the usual adorable things dogs do. We allowed her to sleep outside the van for the night despite several of her attempts to get inside. Although we were quite taken with her cuteness we still had other potentially nasty doggie issues to think about.

Lupita quickly won her way into our hearts and before you know it Remy and Liz are seriously talking about taking her back home to Canada with them. We have talked many times about if we were ever to adopt a dog it would be a street dog from Mexico. There are thousands  of them here but  most are so ugly it's enough to put you off your lunch or, they have been abused so badly and some are disfigured from having hot oil thrown at them.

We weigh the options and think about a vet visit, food, shots, spaying, recovery etc and finally decide that a pet just doesn't fit into our long term goal of more family travels. Lupita would have to stay where she is but how could we get away without her following?

A plan was hatched for the next morning and there she was resting on our bbq bag when we woke- how cute is that?!

We spend the morning packing up again ( which we have become quite proficient at) and enjoy being a family with a dog so much we reconsider our decision to leave Lupita in Mexico. UGH.

Back and forth we go on the issue and of course whispering about it so the boys don't hear. We wouldn't want them to get all excited and attached and break their hearts too in the end.

-We can't take her- FINAL DECISION

 We hope to have her so busy eating breakfast that she won't even notice us driving away. WRONG! She runs after the boys as they try to make a dash for the running van- HOW CUTE IS THAT?!  Liz finally finds some sandwich meat in the cooler that we hope will distract her long enough for the great escape. It works! Hollis has run ahead to take down the rope we need to cross and Remy and Bowen are in the running van. Liz gives the ham to Lupita and runs to the waiting van. They're off.

Somehow we are supposed to feel good about getting away successfully but we just feel awful.

Liz can only imagine her looking all over the campground for us. How cute is that?!

-Liz