5C's Que Pasa

We crossed safely into the US this evening.  We were blessed with a quick pass at Benjamin Hill and at the border into the US.  First time ever we have not been asked even one question.

However once we activated our US/CAD cell we got info we did not want to hear.  Bottom line, we have spent the last four hours sorting out medical issues, air travel, hotel and transport for Colin to visit his Mom ASAP.

As you know we drove 512 miles yesterday and today we did another 453 miles.  We are both exhausted and I for one, am over the top emotionally.  I missed the girls so much today as we traveled and now I am missing Mommio and what is happening with her.  Colin’s Mom is rather private for him, so I won’t go into many more details.  Suffice to say that we will arrive in Las Vegas late in the day Wednesday and he will fly out very early morning Thursday.  We can only take it one day at a time.

So there is no long and interesting travel post for today other than being fortunate in passing all the difficult parts easily.  I do have a few thoughts to share but later in the week.

The internet tonight is very slow and I am saving my expensive internet for booking flights and communicating with Colin once he is gone, etc.  No I am not going to see Mommio with him.  I fear it would do me in.

Again thanks for your continued support.  I’m not sure that I could do it without you.

It is late, almost 10PM and we need to eat and most importantly to sleep.  How I miss the peace of the Isla.

Thank you all for your continued support, it really means so much to us and it helps us to know that the girls were loved by so many.  I have many many comments and emails to reply to, it might take me a week or more.

We finally got everything packed into the RV and this was what we were putting into storage.

It filled two of the truck taxis.

The drivers, Ismael and Colin brought up our beach steps onto the patio so they don’t get swept away during the summer storms and high wave surges.

It was most difficult to say goodbye to our Isla home, as we were leaving a part of our hearts here.

We have been RVing for almost 20 years now and this is the very first time that we have not had one of our four girls with us.  First we had Cloii, then Channel, Carmeh and Caeli and of course our Acapulco parrot Cheikka and for a very short time our Vicam parrot Chiquito.  For the first time ever it was just the two of us and it was downright lonely.

Usually there is a large bench between our seats with a dog bed on it, now just a lot of space.

For the first time we have no covers over the sofa and of late, no ramps nor barricades. We can actually use the RV as it was meant to be used.  I’d rather have the girls back.

We went for our first beach walk Saturday morning since we said goodbye to out girls.  It was a difficult walk with lots of tears.  At sunset last night, we took our first selfie in over thirty years, I guess it won’t be our last.

Our final Isla sunset for this season.

We were on the road this morning at 5:45AM, in time to enjoy this lovely sunrise near Estrella del Mar.

We did go into Mazatlan for dinner at the Plazuela Machado yesterday, our last evening of the season.  We were supposed to meet a blog reader for dinner or a drink but somehow that did not work out.  We will try again Linda!

No photos and not much to tell you about our long drive today.  We mostly spoke of the girls, shared and remembered memories, shed a few tears here and there and an occasional sob.  I have to say that it was incredibly difficult to be traveling without them.  We realize that as time goes by it will become easier but there is so much emotion at the moment.

Instead of photos I do have a few facts and thoughts to share. I have to say that it has been our coolest winter in Mazatlan over the past eight winters.  We were still having very cool foggy mornings until we left with lows of 63F at 7AM.  We never used our A/C and now tonight here in San Carlos I have a sweater on.  Usually it does not cool off till the wee hours of the morning.  Most unusual.  I travel with a variety of maps and papers and I noted today that back in 2010 we paid 517 pesos for the toll road between Mazatlan and Culiacan, this does not include the recent bypass around Culiacan.  Each year the tolls increase by a few pesos, often no more than 10 to 13 pesos at each booth, today that same toll for the Autopista was 653 pesos.  Some would say that that is a lot and others like us, that it is worth every peso.  Please note that this is the cost for a Class A motorhome towing a car.  Diesel fuel last April cost us 13.77 pesos per litre, today, exactly one year later, this cost was 17.13 per liter.  We think that this is a huge increase.

We also realized that both Carmeh and Caeli have lived each winter of their lives on a beach in Mexico.  Be it at the Costa Esmeralda, or Huatulco, Acapulco, Mazatlan, Isla de la Piedra, or Mr. Moro’s in Guasave where we met Heriberto and Isela, or either Guaymas or San Carlos and points in between.  Lucky them, lucky us.

We received an email tonight that Colin’s Mom is responding to medication and appears to be stabilizing.  More on that tomorrow.  Once we reach the US tomorrow we will be able to better assess the situation and make some firmer plans for the day ahead.

We left the Isla at 5:45AM this morning and arrived in San Carlos, 512 miles later at 5:25PM.

Needless to say we are exhausted both physically and emotionally.  We have close to 400 miles to travel tomorrow so adios for now dear friends and readers.

So hard to leave the Isla this time but we do know that we will be back.

By the way, we will always remain the 5C’s.

Our April calendar photo….leaving the beach.

Our hearts were breaking and the tears were flowing.  What to do?  We knew that we wanted to donate what we could to Amigos de Los Animales here in Mazatlan.  This group of volunteers gives their all to dogs and cats in the city.  On their website they have a huge wishlist of things that would help them do their job.  By the way they do take donations online.  So we decided that the best way we could honor our girls was to donate their things to help other animals.  We spent the next few hours going through the RV and collecting items.

We filled two medium size garbage bags with toys. Those few at the top are for us to take home as a memory of the good play times we had together.

We were surprised at how much stuff we had.  From 9 cases of specialized dog food ( valued at $850.00 ), to 7 dog beds, 8 ceramic water & food bowls, dozens of blankets, many many medications and grooming supplies, etc.  Our girls were really well treated, we loved them so much.

Out of focus shot, but we also donated the dog stroller to be give to someone in the Colonia who has a baby as well as several dog blankets and towels.

We had so much stuff that we had to pay and take our own private panga across to  Mazatlan.  The pulmonia we took was full as it could get.

The staff at Los Animales were overwhelmed with the donation.  I was able to go through some of the things with them.  The medicines and the food seemed to be the most welcome but they were thrilled with it all.  Wait till we come back in November with all the stuff we have at home.  Today we even found a brand new dog bed tucked away in a corner of the RV.  You might say that our girls were spoiled but they so deserved it all.  They were so precious and special to our lives.

We felt somewhat better having made the donation.  We had to leave as we were pressed for time in order to get back to the Isla in time for the sunset that evening.

Our last beach walk the day before.

We all got swamped by a wave.

Meanwhile about the same time that this was all happening with the girls, Colin’s mother was admitted to hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  We have called her Mommio for years and years because she is so hip and with it and now she is 102 years and 5 months.  Rather devastating to all of us to see her freedom curtailed.  It appears to be a comedy of errors that got her hospitalized but now she is there and not doing well at all.  All we know is that it is imperative for us or for Colin to get there as soon as possible.

We had travel plans to leave here Monday, April 3rd with the girls.  Now it is just the two of us.  We are now leaving tomorrow morning at 5AM.  We have no idea if we will stop once in the US, store the RV and fly to Winnipeg but that depends on us being able to extend our travel medical insurance.  Or will we travel home and then head to Manitoba.  It is all up in the air.  It depends on how stable Mommio is.  All we know is that we need to pack up ASAP and hit the road and make our plans on the fly based on the facts as they happen.

Packing up includes power washing carpets,etc and can take 5 – 7 days as we do have so much stuff.

Ishmael is helping us and we are going as fast as we can.

One of the RVers here got us this lovely bouquet of flowers in memory of the girls.  So very special and fragrant.

We miss our girls with each breath we take and our hearts have a big hole in them.  I plan to keep posting photos of them for a long while as we have so many to share.

Thank you for all your blog comments, emails and hugs, they are all helping.

Colin and I made the most difficult decision we have ever had to make.  Yesterday, about midday, on our patio, we had the girls put to rest.  Carmeh’s pancreatitis was returning and she was so very very thin and becoming weaker by the day.  Caeli had some sort of internal bowel issue and they both have been suffering from a skin infection ( possibly staphylococcus epidermis which was getting worse each day despite special shampoo treatments and antibiotics). With our long trip back home ahead of us is seemed that this was the right time.

Carmeh and Caeli loved each other and were always together.

Our last sunset together.

Caeli and I. She would have been 12 years old on April 1st.

Carmeh and I on her last morning. She would have been 14 on August 7th.

Of course the sunset that evening was most special.

Then a few minutes later just to the east these lovely pastel colors.

While to the west the sky was on fire.

We loved our girls so very very much and they will live in our hearts forever.

From trip advisor….

Colin and I have known about this wonderful town for several years.  In fact he plays the song El Quelite and I sing the lyrics.  Here is the song but I think we do it better 😀

For some reason we just have not had time to go visit over the years and finally we made an effort to make the journey thanks to Carol and Bill.  They visit several times per month when they are on Mazatlan and their blog has many stories and photos about this wonderful place.

The following are just some miscellaneous photos I took on our visit.

We stopped here for a late breakfast.

A most interesting place.

The courtyard.

A mural on a back wall.  So realistic.  Actually the well on the left is real and just blends into the painted backdrop.

Colin has always loved parrots.

All of these birds are real.

One of Bill and Carol’s favorite waitresses.

The Tree of Life just inside the entrance to the washroom.

Life on the roof tops.

After our meal we did a short walk about and observed some things such as the division of property.

Interesting landscaping.

A close up…..

Looks like someone is renovating their dream home.

So much color, so much to see. Some of the homes are hundreds and hundreds of years old.

Rooms for rent, such interesting architecture.

My personal favorite. I don’t think that our RV would even fit into this tiny space.  Location, location, location.

Thanks for a great day Carol and Bill.  I know that we did this trip just before Carnaval in February but life decides what I post and when.