FEBRUARY 2009
MEXICO-Cabo San Lucas
Sunday
1st a lazy
day, Howard unpacked, Mervyn baked a loaf. Monday Howard
reconnected Mervyn’s bedside light, and nearly fixed down the
microwave, no locknuts. Then a lazy afternoon. Tuesday we left Cabo San
Lucas heading north for La Paz. When we arrived we bypassed La
Paz to go to Pichilingue Ferry Terminal to book tickets for the sailing
on Wednesday. We then drove back to La Paz to the camp, we
arrived early afternoon. Wednesday we made a late
start, the ferry didn’t sail until 1500. After tea break we set
off and arrived at the terminal by 1200, Mervyn posted some letters on
the way. Loading commenced at 1300, only the driver being allowed
in the vehicle, this left Howard to wait on the dock until 1400.
The boat sailed promptly at 1500, it was a six and a half hour
trip. Very boring even with several snacks, there were no
cakes. When we drove off the ferry it was dark and we were
allowed to park in the dock area for the night. Thursday we drove
northwards through Los Mochis and on towards Navajoa, we turned west
just before Navajoa to camp on the shore at Huatabampito. Friday was another day of
driving north through Cuidad Obregon and round Guaymas to camp near the
beach at San Carlos.
Saturday 7th we were on the internet until 0940, a move of camp was needed so that Howard could do his washing with hot water. Mervyn went for a walk along the promenade. After lunch we relaxed, Mervyn tried to join two parts of a jazz tune for Howard. The join was successful but it could not be downloaded to the computer. Sunday we made an early start north to Hermosillo, with a well signposted route through the town. We were still in the Sonora Desert with plenty of Cacti and trees. When we reached Santa Ana we easily found the camp. Howard couldn’t find anybody to book us in so we settled in and the owner dually arrived to collect our fee and offered to help us if we needed it. Monday Howard set about refixing the microwave, to stop it bouncing about. Mervyn asked the camp owner if he could have a bracket made to mend the shower door. The owner departed and returned 90min later with the bracket, it was fitted and the door now hinges again. The owner came for a tour of the van, and told us of his career as a Rock and Roll singer. Tuesday before we left Mervyn discovered that the Belly Pan, under the engine, was loose. The owner
again departed and soon returned with a
mechanic to secure it. We left for Magdalena, only 21km away, to
shop and change camp for less mileage on Wednesday. After lunch
we fitted the shower door. Our next problem turned out to be the
air heater, it only worked intermittently. After a
lot of fiddling it worked perfectly. Wednesday with a long drive
ahead we rose 15min early and left the camp before 0800. It was a
day of variety, some duel carriageway, some good single carriageway and
two lots of mountains to cross, where the roads were steep, narrow,
twisty and full of very slow moving lorries. Most of the day was
over the snow line, there was not a lot of snow just a
sprinkling. During one of Mervyn’s driving spells Howard watched
a Red Hawk alight on a tree. We arrived by 1500 to enter the
camp, but could not access the sites because of deep irrigation
ditches. The lady who greeted us opened another gate into a side
road and we settled in. The trip was 403km the longest for quite
a while Thursday
the archaeological site of Paquime being close, we didn’t leave until
0845, but we had to wake up the guardian to unlock the gate for
us. The first stop was the Museum with very good representations
of the early inhabitants painted on the walls. We then walked
round the ruins, in an increasing wind. They were constructed of adobe
and stone in equal proportions. Our next stop was the village of
J. Mata Ortiz to view the pottery painted in the ancient style.
It was excellent but nothing really caught the eye. No
sale. We returned to camp at the Pistoleros restaurant,
There was no one there and it was extremely difficult to sort out where
to camp, or even if the restaurant was open. We returned to our
last camp, it was very nice in the sun and the wind seemed to have
dropped. On Friday
our route took us southeast to Chihuahua, still through the Sonora
Desert. In the morning most of the vegetation consisted of
Creosote Bushes and Joshua Trees. We arrived soon after lunch but
spent the early afternoon looking, unsuccessfully for a Mercedes
Garage, this delayed our arrival at the camp,14km west of the town,
until 1445. The camp was pleasant although lonely there being no
other campers.
Saturday 14th as our air heater was still playing up we spent the morning looking, unsuccessfully, for a Thermo King. We found a Wal-mart and did a big shop followed by lunch. We set off to Cuauhtemoc to camp 13km north of the town, where the camp owner spoke German and then English. He gave us directions for a mechanic to look at the suspension. We didn’t find him. Sunday a work day for us. Mervyn did his laundry and baked a cake in the afternoon. Howard found the leak, dripping water into a lower locker. It was the water heater leaking, this was solved by turning off the hot water system. Then he moved on to connect up the 120 volt system for the van. It worked. Mervyn assisted towards the end as there was a lot of bending required, which was not good for Howard’s back. The electrics were finished after lunch. The Microwave and new Heater can now be used. Monday we set off to find a local garage, couldn’t find it and returned to the camp for further directions. “It’s easy” we were told and with the amended directions we found it. The boss crawled under the van and sorted out the problem of the drive shaft hitting the antiroll bar by shortening two supports. He also removed the split drainage hose. We returned to the camp for another night. Mervyn replaced the damaged hose and Howard rechecked the water heater, it was definitely the heater leaking. The Wi-fi as usual didn’t work. This took us until lunch time and was followed by another relaxing afternoon. Tuesday we left at 0830 bound for Creel, the gateway to the Copper Canyon. After an uneventful drive we arrived just before lunch. In the afternoon we walked into town to try to arrange a tour into the Copper Canyon. After we had asked a few Mexicans we walked along the railway track and arrived at a tour office. The Mexican there was not sure what we wanted, but an English lady, Catherine, accessing her emails, translated for us and told us to wait for Salvador who spoke English. We decided upon a tour but a minimum of four persons was necessary. Catherine said s
he would join us.
The next stop was at the bank as cash was required for the tour.
We returned to the tour office to pay and then went off to a
café to have a chat with Catherine. In the café
there were a few tourists, a Swedish couple and an American travelling
with a Spaniard. We mentioned our tour to them and said there was
room. We left them to make their decision, we departed from the
café, said goodbye to Catherine and returned to the
caravan. The tour on Wednesday
began when Julio, the guide called for us at the camp site at
0930. Catherine was the only other passenger. As we had
booked a private tour, we saw more than the group bookings. Our
first stop was at a Cave Dwelling of a local Indian 
family. Our next
stop was at the Valley of the Mushrooms, hard rocks on softer,
weathered bases. We moved on to the Valley of the Frogs, again
weathered rocks in the shape of frogs. The San Ignacio Mission
was next, it had a plain whitewashed interior. After a 5km rough
dirt road we entered the Valley of the Monks. We then returned to
the tarmac road and proceeded south into the Copper Canyon at Humira
and on to an overlook of the canyon further south. As we returned
we paused briefly at Lake Arareko and then went on to stop at the
museum. The museum only had a display of Ancient Paintings of
Saints, the Mission next to the museum was well decorated with red
patterns. We were back at the van by 1700. Thursday we
spent in the camp. There was a computer in reception so we could
sort out our e-mails. Mervyn baked some bread and Howard took his
laptop to reception to do his banking. While replying to e-mails
the Wifi went off, on the office computer as well. A meal, taken,
in the town was very good and Catherine joined us afterwards. Friday with a long way to
go we got up early and were on the road by 0740. We filled up
with diesel and then headed south along the same road taken by the
guide on Wednesday. There was not a lot more to see, but we did
see two Hybrid Wild Boars and some Dry Stone Walls. We were on a
good surface on a minor road. When we reached the main road the
surface deteriorated until we reached Hidalgo de Parral where we
travelled on a duel carriageway, with an excellent surface, to
Jimenez. We booked into the first motel on the left as we entered
town.
Saturday 21st the day started with a good hot shower in the motel. We also breakfasted in the Motel and then left for Torreon. The drive was uninspiring, Autopiste in flat country. At Torreon we searched in vain for the camp, shopped at Soriana, lunched and left for Durango. Again on the Autopiste the journey seemed to take a long time. We stopped at the last toll booth before Durango, for the night. Sunday we made an early start for Mazetlan, on the coast across the Sierra Nevada. The drive along the toll Autopista was excellent, we left the Autopista on a part made exit road and went into El Salto for fuel. We asked at the garage how to get back to the toll road and were told “it is not possible“. We found out why later when we drove alongside the construction works for the Autopista. As the old road was narrow, very twisted and hilly, our speed rarely rose over 25mph (40kph) and was often as low as 6mph (10kph) due to the very, very slow, heavily laden lorries taking up the full width of the road on the 180 degree bends. We arrived at Mar Rosa Trailer Park to book in at 1645. A long day. Monday as we had paid for Wifi, £2.50 for 24hrs, we decided to stop another night. The laptop was in use on the net for most of the day. Overnight the camp was a little noisy as it was next to the main road. We set off again Tuesday and headed south. It was not a long day, we were camped on the beach at Teacapan by lunch time. The last hour was on a very narrow road and finally on 2km of sand. Wednesday was a rest day. Mervyn went for a walk in the morning, Howard went for a paddle in the afternoon. We cannot access the shipping lines on the net, only e-mail the. Thursday the journey south continued, back to the Autopista and then on to the junction with 74 to go to the coast just south of San Blas, another pleasant seaside camp. There were Frigate Birds flying over the camp. Friday the day started with Howard, following e-mail instructions, trying to repair the water heater. The top insulation came off without a problem. The water deposits were easy to clear but the screws that it was suggested he tightened were not obvious. End of that. A chat with the camp owner suggested a talk with Dale, another Rv’er, this brought a suggestion of an efficient repairer in Guadalajara, with directions for us to get there. Dale also took us to the local laundrette, in a hotel, to get our two lots of washing done, it was ready three hours later at a cost of less than £5-. Dale also took us to a local stall where Howard bought a jar of Jack Fruit Jam. We collected our washing on the way back.
Saturday 28th after swapping e-mail addresses with Dale, we departed for another day of driving, firstly on a twisty mountain road, then we followed the Autopista to Guadalajara, where we joined a traffic jam. The camp was very easy to find, and we arrived at 1500.
Saturday 7th we were on the internet until 0940, a move of camp was needed so that Howard could do his washing with hot water. Mervyn went for a walk along the promenade. After lunch we relaxed, Mervyn tried to join two parts of a jazz tune for Howard. The join was successful but it could not be downloaded to the computer. Sunday we made an early start north to Hermosillo, with a well signposted route through the town. We were still in the Sonora Desert with plenty of Cacti and trees. When we reached Santa Ana we easily found the camp. Howard couldn’t find anybody to book us in so we settled in and the owner dually arrived to collect our fee and offered to help us if we needed it. Monday Howard set about refixing the microwave, to stop it bouncing about. Mervyn asked the camp owner if he could have a bracket made to mend the shower door. The owner departed and returned 90min later with the bracket, it was fitted and the door now hinges again. The owner came for a tour of the van, and told us of his career as a Rock and Roll singer. Tuesday before we left Mervyn discovered that the Belly Pan, under the engine, was loose. The owner
again departed and soon returned with a
mechanic to secure it. We left for Magdalena, only 21km away, to
shop and change camp for less mileage on Wednesday. After lunch
we fitted the shower door. Our next problem turned out to be the
air heater, it only worked intermittently. After a
lot of fiddling it worked perfectly. Wednesday with a long drive
ahead we rose 15min early and left the camp before 0800. It was a
day of variety, some duel carriageway, some good single carriageway and
two lots of mountains to cross, where the roads were steep, narrow,
twisty and full of very slow moving lorries. Most of the day was
over the snow line, there was not a lot of snow just a
sprinkling. During one of Mervyn’s driving spells Howard watched
a Red Hawk alight on a tree. We arrived by 1500 to enter the
camp, but could not access the sites because of deep irrigation
ditches. The lady who greeted us opened another gate into a side
road and we settled in. The trip was 403km the longest for quite
a while Thursday
the archaeological site of Paquime being close, we didn’t leave until
0845, but we had to wake up the guardian to unlock the gate for
us. The first stop was the Museum with very good representations
of the early inhabitants painted on the walls. We then walked
round the ruins, in an increasing wind. They were constructed of adobe
and stone in equal proportions. Our next stop was the village of
J. Mata Ortiz to view the pottery painted in the ancient style.
It was excellent but nothing really caught the eye. No
sale. We returned to camp at the Pistoleros restaurant,
There was no one there and it was extremely difficult to sort out where
to camp, or even if the restaurant was open. We returned to our
last camp, it was very nice in the sun and the wind seemed to have
dropped. On Friday
our route took us southeast to Chihuahua, still through the Sonora
Desert. In the morning most of the vegetation consisted of
Creosote Bushes and Joshua Trees. We arrived soon after lunch but
spent the early afternoon looking, unsuccessfully for a Mercedes
Garage, this delayed our arrival at the camp,14km west of the town,
until 1445. The camp was pleasant although lonely there being no
other campers.Saturday 14th as our air heater was still playing up we spent the morning looking, unsuccessfully, for a Thermo King. We found a Wal-mart and did a big shop followed by lunch. We set off to Cuauhtemoc to camp 13km north of the town, where the camp owner spoke German and then English. He gave us directions for a mechanic to look at the suspension. We didn’t find him. Sunday a work day for us. Mervyn did his laundry and baked a cake in the afternoon. Howard found the leak, dripping water into a lower locker. It was the water heater leaking, this was solved by turning off the hot water system. Then he moved on to connect up the 120 volt system for the van. It worked. Mervyn assisted towards the end as there was a lot of bending required, which was not good for Howard’s back. The electrics were finished after lunch. The Microwave and new Heater can now be used. Monday we set off to find a local garage, couldn’t find it and returned to the camp for further directions. “It’s easy” we were told and with the amended directions we found it. The boss crawled under the van and sorted out the problem of the drive shaft hitting the antiroll bar by shortening two supports. He also removed the split drainage hose. We returned to the camp for another night. Mervyn replaced the damaged hose and Howard rechecked the water heater, it was definitely the heater leaking. The Wi-fi as usual didn’t work. This took us until lunch time and was followed by another relaxing afternoon. Tuesday we left at 0830 bound for Creel, the gateway to the Copper Canyon. After an uneventful drive we arrived just before lunch. In the afternoon we walked into town to try to arrange a tour into the Copper Canyon. After we had asked a few Mexicans we walked along the railway track and arrived at a tour office. The Mexican there was not sure what we wanted, but an English lady, Catherine, accessing her emails, translated for us and told us to wait for Salvador who spoke English. We decided upon a tour but a minimum of four persons was necessary. Catherine said s
he would join us.
The next stop was at the bank as cash was required for the tour.
We returned to the tour office to pay and then went off to a
café to have a chat with Catherine. In the café
there were a few tourists, a Swedish couple and an American travelling
with a Spaniard. We mentioned our tour to them and said there was
room. We left them to make their decision, we departed from the
café, said goodbye to Catherine and returned to the
caravan. The tour on Wednesday
began when Julio, the guide called for us at the camp site at
0930. Catherine was the only other passenger. As we had
booked a private tour, we saw more than the group bookings. Our
first stop was at a Cave Dwelling of a local Indian family. Our next
stop was at the Valley of the Mushrooms, hard rocks on softer,
weathered bases. We moved on to the Valley of the Frogs, again
weathered rocks in the shape of frogs. The San Ignacio Mission
was next, it had a plain whitewashed interior. After a 5km rough
dirt road we entered the Valley of the Monks. We then returned to
the tarmac road and proceeded south into the Copper Canyon at Humira
and on to an overlook of the canyon further south. As we returned
we paused briefly at Lake Arareko and then went on to stop at the
museum. The museum only had a display of Ancient Paintings of
Saints, the Mission next to the museum was well decorated with red
patterns. We were back at the van by 1700. Thursday we
spent in the camp. There was a computer in reception so we could
sort out our e-mails. Mervyn baked some bread and Howard took his
laptop to reception to do his banking. While replying to e-mails
the Wifi went off, on the office computer as well. A meal, taken,
in the town was very good and Catherine joined us afterwards. Friday with a long way to
go we got up early and were on the road by 0740. We filled up
with diesel and then headed south along the same road taken by the
guide on Wednesday. There was not a lot more to see, but we did
see two Hybrid Wild Boars and some Dry Stone Walls. We were on a
good surface on a minor road. When we reached the main road the
surface deteriorated until we reached Hidalgo de Parral where we
travelled on a duel carriageway, with an excellent surface, to
Jimenez. We booked into the first motel on the left as we entered
town.Saturday 21st the day started with a good hot shower in the motel. We also breakfasted in the Motel and then left for Torreon. The drive was uninspiring, Autopiste in flat country. At Torreon we searched in vain for the camp, shopped at Soriana, lunched and left for Durango. Again on the Autopiste the journey seemed to take a long time. We stopped at the last toll booth before Durango, for the night. Sunday we made an early start for Mazetlan, on the coast across the Sierra Nevada. The drive along the toll Autopista was excellent, we left the Autopista on a part made exit road and went into El Salto for fuel. We asked at the garage how to get back to the toll road and were told “it is not possible“. We found out why later when we drove alongside the construction works for the Autopista. As the old road was narrow, very twisted and hilly, our speed rarely rose over 25mph (40kph) and was often as low as 6mph (10kph) due to the very, very slow, heavily laden lorries taking up the full width of the road on the 180 degree bends. We arrived at Mar Rosa Trailer Park to book in at 1645. A long day. Monday as we had paid for Wifi, £2.50 for 24hrs, we decided to stop another night. The laptop was in use on the net for most of the day. Overnight the camp was a little noisy as it was next to the main road. We set off again Tuesday and headed south. It was not a long day, we were camped on the beach at Teacapan by lunch time. The last hour was on a very narrow road and finally on 2km of sand. Wednesday was a rest day. Mervyn went for a walk in the morning, Howard went for a paddle in the afternoon. We cannot access the shipping lines on the net, only e-mail the. Thursday the journey south continued, back to the Autopista and then on to the junction with 74 to go to the coast just south of San Blas, another pleasant seaside camp. There were Frigate Birds flying over the camp. Friday the day started with Howard, following e-mail instructions, trying to repair the water heater. The top insulation came off without a problem. The water deposits were easy to clear but the screws that it was suggested he tightened were not obvious. End of that. A chat with the camp owner suggested a talk with Dale, another Rv’er, this brought a suggestion of an efficient repairer in Guadalajara, with directions for us to get there. Dale also took us to the local laundrette, in a hotel, to get our two lots of washing done, it was ready three hours later at a cost of less than £5-. Dale also took us to a local stall where Howard bought a jar of Jack Fruit Jam. We collected our washing on the way back.
Saturday 28th after swapping e-mail addresses with Dale, we departed for another day of driving, firstly on a twisty mountain road, then we followed the Autopista to Guadalajara, where we joined a traffic jam. The camp was very easy to find, and we arrived at 1500.
MEXICO-Guadalajara