Dec 02, 2021
A mixed bag today
The sun coming up just as we pulled away.
The day started off perfectly. I was surprised when we got to the border and there was sign saying only open 8AM – 8PM. We got there exactly at 8AM. When we got to the customs area, we were pulled over to the side, We could see on the left many cars & pickups filled to the brim with goods they were bringing into Mexico. One fellow was pulling at least 20 dirty mattresses behind him. Several cars had another vehicle on a dolly and were also to the side.
This fellow drove on without a vehicle on his dolly. They are now checking that every vehicle is able to drive on its own.
We had a lovely fellow who took our passports and the registrations for the Jeep and the RV and then proceeded to walk away and direct traffic and move some cones, all the while carrying our paper-work, before he came back and entered the RV. He took a slow tour and spent most of his time petting the girls. Finally we asked if he would like to take the girls with him – and he said ” oh, you can go now”! Quite funny. So happy that we did not have to disconnect the Jeep.
Sonora is a beautiful state to drive through.
KM 21 was a breeze, just under an hour and again only the one fellow doing Immigration. The big difference was that we paid right then and there this year. Then onto the Banjercito to import the car. Seven open booths there. No more stickers for the cars.
Sadly very shortly after we left KM21 we saw a Class A motorhome similar to ours off to the side of the road heading north. Just a few seconds later on the right we saw what looked like a tow car crashed into an old cement structure. It was totalled. The RV appeared fine at a quick glance as we passed. As they were headed north they must have been heading home. How very sad for them. Hard to believe that the tow car totally broke away. We did have a tow car way back when in our Acapulco days half tear away. We were using padlocks instead of pins on the tow bar and they do not take shear force. Lesson learned. Colin saw someone at Purcell Tires the other day using padlocks and explained the situation to him. He just said that it hasn’t happened to him yet. At least he has been warned.
We stopped at the second Oxxo and it turns out ( as I suspected ) that my SIM card was no longer valid, almost two years had passed since I put money on it. So I now have a new phone number and 4 bonus G’s. Which is turning out to be just what we need at the moment.
Today was difficult for the girls, they are not doing their business as usual. Actually food is even an issue. Plus they are so lethargic, they need their space to run and run. At least they so a bit of wrestling which wears off a bit of energy. They so need to get to an area to run with space. Sounds like a beach to me. We all need to get there.
We used a photographic light reflector to help keep the sun off Carlie sitting on my lap. As you can see they are now wearing collars. We started that so that it was easier to just attach a leash and take them out. Putting on the full vest takes more time and it is much too hot for them to wear.
The Hermosillo Bypass was a surprise to us in that they have changed how to get onto it. Back in the fall of 2019 we had to turn right after the toll booth and double back. Now you need to be in the left lane to get directly on it. We got were we needed to be. You may have mentioned this in your blog posts Carol however I lost all the notes I had taken the time to make. At 6:30AM this morning I was looking everywhere. We have had so much upheaval that they may have been turfed by accident. You can imagine how upset I was.
Ciela was lucky to choose the bed in the shade.
About halfway through the bypass is when the other half of the mixed bag showed up. Once again for the 2nd for certain and possibly the third year we lost our dash A/C. I still remember how hot we both were in November of 2019 when we had neither an onboard generator nor dash air. Often when the dash air goes one simply turns on the generator and runs the overhead A/C. So despite having a portable generator it did us no good cooling the RV. It was hot, the girls were panting and I was almost passing out. It was over 90F with the sun streaming through our big windshield.
Later I had to hand hold the reflector so that they were both shaded. Colin is holding a thicker piece of card to shade Carlie on his lap where my reflector did not reach. Despite this it felt like and inferno with no cold air circulating.
We did get the A/C repaired in Mazatlan back in 2019. Turn out a pipe was damaged and we had to get Freightliner back home to repair that – they needed to make a custom piece for the repair. Yet here we are once again sweltering as we travel south.
We stopped at 3:40PM at the Fletcha Gasoline station at exit 140 to Guaymas/San Carlos. We asked at the station and Juan made several calls on our behalf and said that someone would be here by 7PM. We tipped him well, however no one showed up. Colin went to check with Juan. He made more calls and then said that the mechanic was very busy working in Guaymas and could not come. So was he really coming or was it the Mexican thing where they were being polite but knew that no one was coming.
The girls loved their time out on the leash.
So once again we talked about going back to the US, a first for us. These mechanical issues are getting the best of us. Back home it has been about 18F/65F, new high records for this time of year. Plus they have not had snow. We really want to get to the Isla but honestly driving in the heat has become difficult. I feel so bad for the pups.
We have decided to get up at 5AM and start to drive at 6AM and see how far we can get. If it gets too hot we will stop and turn on the portable generator which by the way did an excellent job of cooling off the inside of the RV earlier this afternoon. Perhaps cool the RV and continue or just stop for the day and continue the next day.
Today was a 281 mile day and tomorrow is to be a 300 mile day. We have no idea how tomorrow will go. I guess that you will have to check back tomorrow evening.
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Hang in there, Contessa, two days of short early morning drives and you will be on the Isla. Sure sounds exciting to me. Do you by chance have those little “personal” battery powered fans that can give you a little breeze? One for each of you would be helpful. I am rooting for you both and the girls.
Yes we have them and we even have a lithium battery to run small fans, they were of no help to combat the heat. Today we used the battery with a 10 inch fan and it make a difference in keeping the girls from overheating. Having such a huge windshield drying into th sun is not an easy task re heat control.
If the A/C problem is recurring, I’d suggest a refrigerant leak as the cause. I’m not sure about Mexico, but here refrigerant is available at all Walmarts and auto parts stores, and videos on how to check refrigerant level and refill as necessary are available on YouTube.
Welcome to the comment section of the blog. Great information, we did pursue and have the leak fixed both in Mexico in the winter of 2019/2020 and once again at Freightliner back home in Canada. It sounds like we need to educate ourselves on what we can do on our own to rectify the problem should it happened again. Thank you for taking to time to make this comment, so very helpful.
Contessa y Colin: Ahora SI están casi, casi en la Isla…por que volverte hacia el Norte ahora ?? It wouldn’t be practical. Sorry all the trouble your motorhome keeps giving you guys…vehicles are like people & viceversa, as time goes by the wear & tear get them & get us, 20 years is a significante chunk of time; what about trading IT in ?? Just a thought. Hope U get to the Isla soon & weather cooperates in the last leg of the process. Sending U positive thoughts: Lucy.
Our RV is barely broken in being that it has a diesel engine. The new ones are not as good as they all run on circuit boards and such and are even more difficult to repair. Thanks for your positive thoughts.
Oh boy! One more trial! I either missed or forgot the conclusion to the problems you were having with your original built in generator but I am assuming it could not be repaired and was too expensive to replace. The portable ones are inexpensive and disposable when they break but have their limitations in cases like this when you need them while moving.
Two days and you will be on Isla! It’s all downhill now!
No you did not miss it as I have still not written it. We only discovered in July that it was not repairable. Downhill with a few bumps here and there.
Woohoo! You made it to Mexico! Bummer about the A.C. Sooner or later these trials in tribulations have to end. Hang in there, soon this problem too will be behind you and you will be enjoying your winter in the sun.
We plan to take the RV to a proper A/C repair facility, where they only work with air conditioning and nothing else once we get home.