Dec 1st to 4th - AZ to Mexico

Dec 1st - Sat - Amado
Did laundry this morning and met Margo of “Dave and Margo” who will be traveling to Mexico with us. Rick was walking through the park, started talking to them and found out they were going to San Carlos as well and asked if they wanted to join us. They are from Walla Walla, WA. So now our caravan will be 5 rigs.
Went to Green Valley to fuel up and get a couple of items that we thought we might not be able to get easily in Mexico. Had everyone over for “appy” (appetizer) dinner and drinks in our rig. It was pretty cold to sit outside so we made it cozy with 8 of us in our place. We all got to know each other a bit and gave Dave & Margo a chance to bail now if they thought we were all too crazy. Luckily, they fit right in and we are all looking forward to heading south.

Dec 2nd - Sun - to Nogales
We went to Nogales to meet up with the last couple in our group (Craig & Cathy) and to stay in the WalMart parking lot overnight before going into Mexico. We all had some last minute shopping to do - WalMart was jammed with the majority of the cars in the parking lot from Mexico.
Terry & I finished our shopping and set up lawn chairs in the parking lot to have a drink. Pretty soon everyone else joined us. 2 guys in a motor home who pulled into the parking lot for the night also brought over their chairs and joined the group. We lit a buddy burner and had a great time. Had to pull out the heavier jackets as it got pretty cool.

Dec 3rd - Mon - to San Carlos, Mexico
Our caravan left WalMart at 8 and immediately found out that we would have a heck of a time keeping the group together as long as there were traffic lights. Paid for the first toll and were on the highway. Narrow, 2 lane in each direction, with NO shoulders. Rough in some sections. The speed though towns is controlled by “topes” which are large speed bumps. Luckily there are warning signs before the topes.
At kilometer 21 you stop to get tourist cards and also permits for vehicles if you will be driving outside the free zone which is roughly the state of Sonora. Pat & Rick and Terry & I decided to get permits. Terry & I got a trainee with almost no English and it took us 1 ½ hours to get back on the road!
Bill started having truck problems again so we ended up splitting into 2 groups and then waiting for each other and joining back up again. There were 2 more toll booths. It cost us about $23 total for tolls. We arrived at San Carlos just before 4:00 pm. It is only about 270 miles but with the stops and waiting it took us a long time.
We got 4 spots in the RV park (Totonaka) that are all together with Craig & Cathy a little bit away with some other friends. We all got set up and then gathered at Pat & Rick’s space for our first Happy Hour(s) in Mexico. I had not made lunch for us on the road so I made dinner while we were setting up and we were rude and ate in front of everyone else. It was 80 degrees when we got here but cooled down a lot. We were very tired after a bad night’s sleep at the WalMart and the drive so we were in bed watching TV just after 8.
We were VERY disappointed and upset to find out that our cell phones do not work here. Terry had spoke with a Verizon rep in the Tucson Costco and he said we probably wouldn’t get reception as Verizon had lost the use of some towers. We had hoped that he did not know what he was talking about! So we will be depending mostly on the blog and emails for communication.

Dec 4th - Tues - San Carlos
I am sure I will be changing how I post to the blog as we get settled into a routine here but in the meantime I will continue with each day as I have been doing.
We sat out in the sunshine with our morning coffee today, had a late breakfast and then the whole group (4 couples) went in 2 vehicles to explore the town of San Carlos. Rick played tour director in one truck and Pat in the other. It is a very pretty area. The RV park is nicely kept with about 120 spots. It is right across the road from the beach but we didn’t get there yet.
Pat & I took our bicycles back into town after lunch to find a dentist and make an appointment for my broken tooth. A fisherman came through the park this morning with fresh shrimp/prawns so we bought some. $13.00 for 1 kilogram (about 2 pounds). Picked up a couple of small New York steaks at a small fresh produce stand and shared a great dinner with Pat & Rick after meeting with the group for a short Happy Hour. Tough life but someone has to do it!!