Nov 09, 2019
We did not cross into Mexico today
I don’t know where to begin but best to go back to where I left off yesterday.
Now I know why we use the bypass via Buckeye along Hwy 85 and onto I8 and then onto I 10 and onto Tucson and I19. Going around Phoenix is a nightmare especially on a Friday afternoon of a long weekend. We only discovered today that it was a long weekend.
How pretty our crushed recycling looks.
We were going to be arriving in the dark by about 30 minutes.
That was the 30 minutes I tried to get our Visa card to work yesterday at Freightliner.
Or the 20 minute merge onto I19 because of an accident. We had to stop along here as that loose fender began flying in the breeze again. Enough to get two truckers to warn us and and one honking single motorist.
We checked into Mountain View RV Park about 6:30PM. We drove 283.3 miles yesterday, about the same had we done the Hwy 85 bypass. We had not been stopped more than 5 minutes when there was a knock at the door . A woman was selling beef tamales. Meanwhile Colin came in as I was setting up to tell me that we had no coolant in the reservoir plus there was some dirt in there. So Colin went over to ask Bill of More Golden Years if he had any suggestions. We knew that Carol and Bill would be there. No concrete suggestions but we had a very short visit before I chased them out as we had to eat.
Considering the circumstances I thought that we were eating a very good meal at 9:30PM. Wild salmon patty, romaine salad, coleslaw, broccoli and rice. I finally completed my blog at midnight.
This morning we woke up refreshed at 7AM. We were not in a rush as we did not want to arrive in the Totonaka area too soon due to the heat and us not have any cooling system with both the generator and batteries down. Last night I had pulled out all my Mexico maps, put our US money away and filled our wallets with pesos and call forwarded our Canadian cell phone to our home number. We were ready to hit that Mexican border.
Colin came in just before we put our slides in and told me that we were not going anywhere. We had a major problem with the radiator. Bill came over and said that if it was him he would not move towards Mexico. I finally found a truck repair place open in Tucson and they said that they would help us once we arrived. So off we went heading north 😥 and got there about 10:05AM, they came over to see us about 11AM. They did a pressure test and it was very obvious that we had a radiator leak.
They obviously work on both RV’s and trucks so we felt that we were in good hands. However this is when we became aware that it was a long weekend. No one would work on the radiator until Tuesday.
Lots of oil on the back of the engine(last night in the dark, Colin was checking the oil level too and forgot to tighten the oil fill cap) and dripping antifreeze everywhere. So we decided to limp to an RV park less than a mile away that happened to have just one open site for the weekend.
Better to do that for three nights and return at 7AM Tuesday and have the radiator removed. It would then be sent to a radiator shop that usually manages to do a 24 hour turn around. We would of course have to move into a hotel for Tuesday evening. If the radiator was not back by noon Wednesday then we might have to spend a second night in the hotel. We are really hoping for a reinstall by Wednesday late afternoon so that we can cross into Mexico on Thursday. We still have an appointment to have our generator removed the morning of our arrival into Mazatlan. I think that possibly Saturday would work but not so much Sunday. Our only concern is that this shop only deals in cash. We will have many trips to an ATM and between us we will get the required cash amount.
Fortunately we were able to check into the Crazy Horse RV Park for a discounted $41.40 per night 😯 We have no choice as we can’t drive too far. Wish that the internet was better but at least we have a spot. I was pretty much in shock for most of the day but am finally accepting the que pasa of it all. I did all of my million to do’s today and plan to take the next two days off. We can run around on Tuesday and Wednesday when we are homeless.
Colin with the help of our French Canadian neighbour sorted out our blowing in the wind fender problem. He provided and helped install this brace and it works.
Those two basement doors will now open as one. That white stripe in the middle is residue from the gorilla tape. Colin will remove that tomorrow.
Lovely sunset tonight but from the wrong country. Oh by the way, that canopy cover is all solar panels. You have to pay $7.00 more per night to benefit from the shade of the canopy. We had no choice as this was the only open spot. You have no idea how much we wish to be free of being tied to an RV park.
Yes I know, not the post that you were expecting. Still hoping to get to the Isla sometime next weekend.
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Just got your blog to open. 7:15 a.m. Ontario
Seems to be working ok now.
Glad you got over that glitch Kelly.
Well hopefully this is the end of your troubles and you are on your way to Mexico later this week. Enjoy some down time in Tucson!
We are having downtime but no intent in doing anything. Sadly we spent today researching.
Better to break down there than middle of nowhere highway in Mexico I guess. I hope they get you sorted and away quickly. It shouldn’t take multiple mechanics to figure that issue out though 🙁
Yes much better to have it happen here in the US. More and better options for us.
Contessa, we are literally across the street from you at Freightliner. They gave free hookups here. If I don’t hear from you, we may take a drive over after the football game. You can email me.
Thanks for getting in touch. Too bad we didn’t know about the free hookups. We would have been your neighbour all weekend.
Contessa, you must be so stressed out! I’ve been meaning to comment on all your postings as you battled one thing after another. Good thing that you know how to handle the issues as they keep throwing your travel plans into disarray. Sometimes it looks as if you can’t win, but being persistent and having the items fixed one after another will in the end give you peace. Hope it will all look better starting this coming week. (have you researched what a new generator would cost in the USA? just in case the fix in Mexico will not last.)
We are being persistent but sometimes I wonder why we are having so much happen all at once. Hopefully we will have an almost new RV when all has been repaired. A new generator for us would start at $10,000.00USD.
Dang, girl, you can’t seem to catch a break! I’d be bald from pulling my hair out by now. You are handling all this so much better than I would. I’m proud of you.
Thank you Linda.Your Support mens so much. I expect to fall apart at some time, just not sure when. I almost lost it when the airbags went a few days ago.
Wow. What an odyssey you two have had. I wish you all the best and that things turn your way, and soon.
Welcome to the comment section of the blog Allison. I have checked your blog out a few times. Your good wishes are most appreciated.
Hello, I will be driving down on the same route early Dec. w my little dog. What is the best way to find other travelers to caravan with thru Sinaloa?
I assume that you will be crossing at Nogales at the truck crossing. You can always just do to the Walmart there or Home Depot and hook up with another RV. There is also Travel Buddies on the Road in Mexico on Facebook, this is the link. https://www.facebook.com/groups/travelbuddiesmexico/ IF you have read my blog to date then you have a great deal of goo information. This link has good info https://ontheroadin.com/planning-info/amp/. I always have a copy of a road log from Nogales to Puerto Vallarta. Only $10.00 online and then I have it collated and bound, so easy to use on the road and every mile is described and how to drive thru cities. Link for that is here https://ontheroadin.com/downloads/bells-mexico-road-logs-nogales-to-puerto-vallarta/?fbclid=IwAR0GASDT58Pz7B_r7mURhWplV6GZYcWHj3xNfbjMq6wuX_tRNPVSS7Dw4OY
Not sure why your blog showed up in my news feed on google. But if any of you need info on Nogales or Mexico in general I will try to help. Lived on both sides of the border in Nogales for 15 years, and traveled a fair amount in western Mexico. If I can be of any assistance just send me an email. scottdouglasparker@gmail.com
Thank you for taking the time to reach out. Very kind of you. I heard from someone else today as well whose newsfeed I showed up on. My blog is getting a lot of attention right now because we are broken down and because I have been posting updates from others who are traveling ahead of us with various travel updates re road conditions etc. We have been traveling throughout all of Mexico in our RV for over twenty years.