Nov 09, 2013
Catching up from San Carlos and the rest of the story.
We left San Carlos at 7:00AM Wednesday, Nov. 6th in order to make the long 366 mile journey to Culiacan.
We were barely on the highway again and John's CB antennae got clipped by a palm tree. Fortunately we were close to a toll both where he executed a unique repair job.
There have been protests off and on for several months at Vicam regarding water rights. There now is a bit of a detour to take. Trucks are being stopped but cars and RV's are allowed to pass. Only we were stopped for a while until trucks were moved so that we could pass. Not sure if they were parked to in order to block us or it just happened by accident. We were eventually allowed to pass and continued on.
The building of better roads continues with lots of minor detours, nothing to slow one down.
South of Guaymas the roads were horrid, full of potholes and very rough. Finally from C. Obregon we were on a new stretch of highway, a relief from the jarring potholes. Soon the entire route from Nogales South will be an easy drive. We are happy to see the changes over these past years.
You never know what you will see along the way.
We finally got to the Pemex just south of Culiacan where we were to spend the night.
I could not believe how full it was, full of trucks, parked everywhere and in every direction. I wondered how we would find a spot for the night. It took an hour to fuel up and then jockey into position to wait to move into that spot where I am standing. We did fit in front of the yellow trailer. We soon discovered that the Autopista to Mazatalan had been shut down but we could not find out the reason. Finally the super highway opened and the trucks started to leave.
John did not feel comfortable ( his very first overnight in Pemex ) parking behind us, alongside the yellow trailer. Instead he unhooked his toad, backed it in along the semis behind the yellow trailer and then backed his RV up and re hooked up. A lot of work but you have to do what you feel comfortable with. In the end we were surrounded by trucks all night, they were 3 deep between us and the fuel pumps.
Meanwhile I was rushing as I was expecting Heriberto and Isela, our friends from Culiacan to come to the RV for dinner at 5PM and it already was 5PM. Somehow we got parked, levelled and the bedroom ( curbside slide out out) and the living room slide out about 8 inches. Colin got the girls peed and fed. Then our guests arrived about 5:30PM. Good timing. Surprise they had brought along their younger son Chris and his girlfriend who we met last year during Carnivale here on the Isla when they all came to stay for a few days.
It was so hot and humid that we had to run the generator for A/C. Meanwhile I cooked up a huge pot of pasta and still got a steam facial in the process. Isela brought a lovely salad and some tortillas and queso. I had given Val a head of romaine and she created two salads, one an English salad.
Did I mention that we were crowded, 8 for dinner in an RV with only an 8 inch slide out, after a 366 mile drive 😯 Yes my eyes were bulging but wine soon took care of that.
Somehow we managed to push the 80 lb plus canopy box up onto the dash and just found a seat or a stool and ate, drank and were merry.
Heriberto then pulled out his guitar and played several Beatle tunes in honor of our English guests Val & John. He played a few numbers, then Isela sang.
The highlight of the evening was a performance by the Margarita Diablas.
By the time our guests left, the dishes were done and put away and the RV made ready for travel the next day, we were exhausted. Of course we didn’t get much sleep as the trucks kept coming and going all night long. I think we managed 2 -3 hours of shut eye.
Thank goodness we only had 140 miles further to our home on the Isla. We were so happy to arrive. So now you know the rest of the story. Be sure to come back for the next chapter.
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Glad to here you are home where you want to be. We are finally in the sunshine (Laughlin, Nevada) and will relax for awhile. We are moving slow but we will make it to Mexico. Relax, relax and relax!
Thats the beauty of travelling in your house, you can have company anywhere and anytime, sound like you had a great time.
What a great post! Looks like you guys had a really fun evening and well-deserved after a day on the road. You guys are such good hosts, I hope we can reciprocate.