Leaving Mexico Behind
April 9th, 2009Folks, the short story is we are now with April & Sal in Watsonville. Got in here yesterday morning. April is fine and looking BIG. Baby is still due for the 24th ~ 30th depending on who is talking. Their new house is great and we are happy to have a real bed again. The full story of our travels since leaving San Carlos is below.
We left San Carlos early Thursday morning and headed up the Mex 200 – again. Pleasant ride on good, mostly four lane road to Santa Ana where we would take the Mex 2 over to Sonoyta/Lukeville. Coming into Santa Ana we encounter the largest military check point we have ever encountered. They were stopping ALL the trucks and inspecting them one by one. They had them all in the left lane with us and other vehicles in the right. We drove by over 10 km of standing tuckers bumper to bumper before we got to the check point. A couple questions and we went on our way but the truckers were gonna be there for a long time to come. Okeydokey ! Through Santa Ana and on off up the Mex 2 which we were not sure of as it had been reported to be a two lane road from hell. Well, no quite, it has now ALMOST ALL been converted to four lane Cuota with modern conveniences ALL except the last 10 km into Sonoyta. That part is still under construction and we’re in the gravel and dirt off and on until we get into Sonoyta. Van is now covered in mud and yes we did manage to find the Immigration station out in the desert some few km’s before Sonoyta to turn in our vehicle permit and get our travel visas cancelled. We DID get a receipt for the sticker. And without the advice in the Church’s Mexican travel book we would have whizzed right on by as there is absolutely no indication we are to do this here out in the desert way before the boarder crossing. No signs on our side of the road just on the side of the south bound vehicles ! ANYWAY, another Mexican anomaly, and we are then off into Sonoyta and our last stop for fuel, food, an whatever before crossing into the good ‘ol USA! The actual boarder crossing is a few km’s up the road from Sonoyta out in the desert again. Just the Mexican and American boarder folks hanging around checking for whatever. We drive up and hand in our passports, “where have you been ?” ” Mexico” “where in Mexico ?” “All over, San Carlos last night” “OK, go ahead” as he hands back our passports. No other questions, no looking in the van and we are quite surprised and off we go bewildered !
Now we are back in the USA and right into the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument park. Beautiful ! A few km’s up the road we find a campsite where we stay for the night and take some photos you’ll see below. No, the cactus’s were not in bloom as had been reported. Too bad as it could have been even more spectacular.
Saturday morning off we go through the desert landscape headed for Yuma, San Diego and eventually Oceanside. One stop we mad along the way was to visit the Desert Tower high up on the 4200 foot pass over the rocky mountains. A monument built in 1922 ~ 23 to commemorate the progress westward, see photo of the Plaque below plus other photos of the site. Quite spectacular and well worth the visit just to speak with the current owners, a young fellow and his mom ! Up and over the mountain pass we go and then the long descent towards San Diego and the Pacific Coast again, have we not done this before ? The miles wiz on by and soon realize will be in Oceanside by early evening. We had made contact with our friends Mark & Ann by email form Yuma and they were expecting us when we called. A nice bed in their spare room welcomed us after a good go round of story telling. In the morning I made a call to a long lost cousin of mine, Gary and he was around. He came over and we had a great visit withhim and his two new 6 month old Wimerauners. He told us of a great Hot Rod and Custom Car Show in near by Del Mar so Mark, Rita & I went there for the afternoon. Gary had other plans and Ann had to work. What a spectacle, over 5000 weird and wonderful cars, see photos an links below. On the way back to Oceanside we drove by the beaches which were full of Spring Breakers, and folks out enjoying one of the best spring days after a long cold winter ? We were having a hard time imagining what all the fuss was about having just spent the last four months in Mexico ! Back to Mark & Ann’s for a wonderful diner and another good night in a real bed.
Sunday morning we meet up with Gary again for breakfast and then we’re off up the coast headed for Los Osos and a stop at Go Westy. Along the way we stop in North Los Angeles and look up another long lost cousin of mine, Dale and his wife Linda and son Alex. The phone call out of the blue surprised the hell out of him as he was home on lunch break. A nice afternoon lunch with them, more photos and away we go. After realizing we’re not quite gonna make Los Osos by nightfall we stop at Gaviota State Park Beach campground for the night. Nice place by the ocean with a long pier. But now it’s really getting cold ! We’re not ready for all this and we break out the cold weather gear. In the morning off we go again getting into Los Osos just before noon and now it’s raining, first bad weather we’ve seen since Palenque ! Go Westy is quite impressive, there are VW vans everywhere, mostly Vanagons but a few Eurovans and Bays around too. Meet up with Lucas and after a short chat of our adventures we pick up the BusFusion goody package they are sending with me and a have a chat about putting higher springs on our van which we may have done before coming home. A stroll through their retail sales shop nets us a new plastic outdoor mat and consul for between the seats.
Back on the road in the rain towards Watsonville, we decide to take the Coast Highway as we should have plenty of time to get there before nightfall. The Pacific Coast Highway is a beautiful scenic drive which we have done before but is always good. Along the way the rain intensifies and getting into Big Sur and almost to Monterrey we encounter a problem ! The road is blocked, a mud slide caused by the rain and hail storm has stuck a car some 5 or 6 vehicles in front of us. It’s pouring cats, dogs and elephants now and the road looks bad. We hang around awhile but it doesn’t look good. We finally opt to turn around and stop at the nearby gas bar restaurant and wait to see what happens. A few hours later we’re told the road will not be opened until tomorrow and only after the bridge inspectors get there and certify the bridge that was hit by a falling tree. Well, that’s just fine and dandy ! We decide to make our way back towards Los Osos, some 140 miles, and find the only road over the coastal mountain range some 30 miles before Los Osos. By the time we get there it’s dark, raining and now foggy. We make our way across the Hwy 46 mountain pass leading to Hwy 101. We get there around 9 PM and opt to spent the night in a gas station parking lot. Rain pounding on the roof all night and in the morning it has subsided and off we go again North on the 101 after some coffee and breakfast burritos from the service centre store. Raining most of the way until nearing Watsonvillewhen it finally let up. We find April & Sal at home waiting on our arrival. A quick tour of their new house and then we’re off again on another adventure, PARACHUTING ! One of April’s friends, Sydney and her dad are here and have booked an 11 AM Parachute jump from the Marina skydiving school. It will be their first jump and we want to go watch. So, off we go again heading back down the Coastal Highway towards Monterrey but this time form the north side. Marina is just before Monterrey so no problems. We find our way to the airport and watch as Sydney and her father make their first jump. Quite exciting for all !
So, now we’re here staying with April & Sal until the baby arrives. Quite the adventure so far but for now we’re gonna just sit around and relax while Rita does more baby stuff shopping. Sal & I are changing oil on our van and his car today, guy stuff !
Enjoy the photos below !
Adios,
Frank, Rita & Hunter
Click on the photos for larger images.
Camping at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monumnet
Frank with Organ Pipe Cactus
Rita with cactus
Desert Tower
Hunter on rock turtle
Rock Lizzard
Desert Tower Info Plaque
Mark and Ann
Mark's Vans
Cousin Gary and I
Rita and cool bus - Del Mar car show
Cool rod - Del Mar car show
More photos from the car show on Picasa : http://picasaweb.google.ca/FCondelli/DelMarAutoShow?authkey=Gv1sRgCOXKo4SgwPzgHw#
Cousin Dale, Linda, Alex, Frank and Rita
Road problem at Big Sur
Parachuting at Marina – photos on Picasa: http://picasaweb.google.ca/FCondelli/Parachute?authkey=Gv1sRgCPfEjr3ro_fpBg#
