5C's Que Pasa

As we drove I was working on our fuel problem and why we needed so many more litres in Soynata.  After much discussion and reviewing my notes ( I love having all my travel notes with me ) from 2009 to now I was able to piece it together.  We always fuel up at the same stations in Mexico, Navajoa and Soynata and I always mark down the mileage and the amount of litres taken on.  Colin mentioned that when we got to the Pemex in Soynata he was surprised at how low the fuel gauge was.  The other thing is that he remembered that he did not have to unlock the engine hood.  Putting this all together means that we lost 54 litres of diesel fuel while we were sleeping in Los Mochis.  We sleep at the back of the rig and it was easy enough for someone to open the hood and siphon off the fuel.  There is no way that we could have used 54 more litres driving the exact same route.

When we checked in at the RV Park in Los Mochis the young boy mentioned that business was very bad and that his boss was not paying bills which is why the internet was cut off.  So someone helped themselves to our fuel.  It was not a scam at the Pemex in Soynata but rather a thief in Los Mochis.  54 litres X 11.61 pesos per litre equals $52.00 USD.  Lesson learned, always keep the engine hood locked.  Good to have that mystery solved.

As it turns out we should not have fueled up in Mexico.  The cash price for diesel at Love’s in Gila Bend was 3.819 US per gallon versus 11.34 pesos per litre in Soynata.  I will do my homework next year before leaving the Isla.

So why Yuma you ask?  Well I really wanted to do some summer clothes shopping.  I have lost quite a bit of weight since last July and need new clothes.  I left most of my large clothes back in Mexico for people on the Isla.  We pulled into the big new shopping mall and I hit three stores.  Nothing, nada, rien!!  There was nothing that interested me.  Last year I stocked up on clothes in California in the San Diego area but this year in Arizona there is nothing for me.  I really want to spend my money, I even have cash but so far nothing.

While I was shopping Colin checked in with the Pressure Pro people about our tire sensors.  He discovered that the reason for our slow leak was caused by the heavy duty truck shop that topped up the tires before the trip. They turned the valve sensors on the tire too tight and broke the rubber seal. There is a kit for $14.00 that includes new more heavy duty rubber seals that can be inserted into the existing valve sensors.  The Pressure Pro people have also upgraded all new sensors due to this problem.

Less than two hours later we headed on to Pilot Knob RV Park, just across the California border. This is one of our member parks and it cost us $9.00 for the night.  Glad we were not boondocking at 91F.  We needed to dump and fill our water tanks.  We likely will be boondocking all the way home from here and will have to conserve our water.  Eight nights and nine days to go.

 

Time to hit the road and see if I can find something to spend my money on.

 

Tags: Isla de la Piedra, Mazatlan, Mexico, RV repairs, Stone Island, USA

When we woke up at 6:30AM in San Carlos we were freezing.  It was 56F outside and 61F inside. First thing we did was turn on the furnace.  While Colin filled that stubborn inside dual tire I prepared fruit and coffee for driving.  We aren’t convinced that we actually have a leak in the tire but more that the Pressure Pro sensor valve is creating the leak.

The road north of San Carlos is full of pot holes.  Rather than staying in one lane Colin just kept the RV between the holes.  Compared to years and years ago Hermosillo is now a dream to drive through. With all the construction finished it is a relatively quick drive through with lots of signage.  We stopped somewhere along the road to Santa Ana for the girls to do their business and a nearby local asked if Caeli was pregnant.  No ‘ solo gorda ‘.  Just fat.

The truckers really have it tough in Mexico.  They are constantly being stopped and searched or waiting in a line to be searched.  How do they make a living when so many hours are spent stopped?

At KM 111 just south of Santa Ana ( about 11 km south of Benjamin Hill ) is the big military check replacing the one just north of the Sonora border.  I haven’t read anywhere where other RV’s have been stopped here but for the second year in a row we were.

The soldier came in and opened a variety of cupboards, my night table drawer, my closet, the spice cabinet, the fridge and seemed surprised.  He said something to the effect that this really is your home.  He looked at our photos of RV parked on the lake in Kelowna and seemed to realize that we were not drug smugglers.  He quickly checked  the tow car and scanned Colin’s passport and we were good to go.  It only took fifteen minutes.

I have to say that other than the pot holes from San Carlos to Hermosillo the roads are in very good shape. From there to the US border the little bit of road construction did not hold us up at all.  We barely slowed down the entire journey.

There have been many write ups as to the best way to get in and out but none as well explained as this one by Kathy on her blog. Bob of Island Vagabonds did a great write up of where to turn and what to do.  However once we got there, there were a few changes.

Then the hunt began.  First we had to find an official person, no one was around.  Then he had to find the camera.  Once he had taken the photo of our VIN and removed the sticker he made at least a dozen copies which Colin had to sign over and over and over.  Finally 20 minutes later we had our cash and were executing out tricky U turn.  Good thing there was no one else turning in their permit. By next year it is sure to be different again.

Next stop at KM 228 was Immigracion. Once again an official had to be hunted down.  The door was even locked.  Finally we turned in our FMM cards and got our passports stamped!  But wait!  The date of the stamp was March 10 not April 10.  How many people had their passports stamped with the wrong date and for how many days has this been going on?  We caught it and had it re stamped.  In the whole big picture I am not sure how important the correct date is but I think in all things official better to be right than wrong.

The final stop before the border was the Pemex in Soynata.  We have always fueled up here.  For the first time there was a line up.  We got parked next to the pump and waited and waited.  Some official looking guy in a Pemex uniform kept marking numbers down on a paper from the pump, then another guy came and looked and the finally after 15 minutes we started to get fuel.  We watched as the pump was set to zero and watched as the numbers added up.  We knew how many litres we should had received and how much it should cost. I thought we had paid about 1000 pesos too much but off we went.  It had taken 30 minutes to fill up and we were anxious to cross the border.

It wasn’t until after we had crossed into the US that I had a moment to compare litres and dollars to last year that I spotted what I thought was 54 litres more of diesel.  How could we drive the same distance between fill ups and use 54 litres more of fuel?  Impossible.  Looks like we got ripped off.  I think that the meter was running funny and we were scammed.  The manager had been fiddling with our pump for along time before he stared filling the RV.  We have not had time to go into the details of this yet but we will.

The border crossing itself was easy.  Just the one lane open.  The agriculture lady came to the window, saw we were Canadians and that I knew the spiel.  No citrus, no pork or meat but romaine, tomatoes and hard boiled eggs are okay.  She didn’t even come in the RV.  A quick  two minute crossing.  No questions about where we had been or for how long, just the food questions.

Next stop was by the border patrol.   Finally we got to mile 55 just before Why and the BLM area we were spending the night. The good part was the time change, here in Arizona it was only 5:15PM while on the other side of the border it was still 6:15PM.  It was a very very long ten hours but the next two days will be easier.

 

 

Tags: Mexico, sunsets, travel, US/Mexico border

Projected information ~ 6 hours and 300 miles.

We had a fabulously quiet and relaxing sleep at the Los Mochis RV Park….well worth the 250 pesos.  We awoke to the sun coming in the bedroom window.

We were on the road by 9:00AM.  The first stop today was a new check  by the PGR  ( Federales ) about 60 km’s before the Sonora border crossing. They were mostly interested in the buses and their passengers.  We were happy to have our own private bus.

It was a quiet a day other than another fruit inspection.  This time the fella wanted to come in.  Just as he was coming in the girls started to bark….very very loudly!  Just as the inspector was coming into the RV, one of his comprades pulled his leg as if he was getting attacked by a dog.!!!!!!!!!!  He jumped and clutched his heart!  Needless to say the inspection was a farce just as the joke that had been played on him!!  He had a good laugh and I found out that avocados are okay but no fruits at all.

There is a brand new Walmart in C. Obregon just as you turn left onto the road to Guasave…..that is if you need another Walmart!  While dealing with a police detour ( no idea why ) we had some new perspectives of the city and an encounter.

It was a good driving day and once again the only RV we saw was the same couple from Campbell River !  They were also going to San Carlos but were going to boondock on the beach.  I was so very very tempted to join them but I did need my internet!

We made great time today….6 hours for 232 miles and the roads were not that great.

We caught up with Marcia and Ray within minutes of arriving here at Totonaka RV Park.  It was great to meet up with them but we are both busy with final preparations before crossing into the US tomorrow.  I know we will meet again.

One of the big pluses is that by arriving early, I was able to prepare a fabulous dinner.  Of course tomorrow with handing in various paper work and crossing into the US will bring a myriad of challenges….so adios until we are on the soil of the USA.

 

Tags: critters, Mexico, The girls, travel

No internet yesterday so here is Day 1 and I will post Day 2 a bit later.

I have decided that 10 to 12 hour driving days are no longer my friend so hence the new 300 mile per day rule.

We have never been to the RV Park in Los Mochis but had heard it was fairly barren so we chose to spend more time on the Isla Monday morning before hitting the road.  We had breakfast overlooking the beach and Colin took the girls for a very long walk while I did some final to do’s in the RV.  Just before leaving I had a very strong thought to call my parents.  It turns out that my Dad was taken to Emergency at 5AM morning and so far there was no news or details. Just so you don’t worry, he did get home later that day but they still have no idea what had  happened.

We left our Isla home about 11:25AM, a very late start but what else would we do at the other end?  It was sad giving our the final hugs.  Even the local policia gave us a smile and an adios wave.

“The Road” out was just as good as coming in and we made it to Estrella in the same amount of time, 50 minutes.  A little more washboard like but no overgrowth.  I just know that it is going to get better each year.  Our girls have not left our sides nor the RV for a few days now, they knew something was going on with all the packing up.  They fell into a deep sleep as soon as the wheels started turning.

Our first planned stop was the rest area just before the turn off to the Celestino RV Parks.

Sadly about 50 KM North of Culiacan there was a sign asking vehicles to slow down due to the spreading of grava suelta ( loose gravel ). One little white car ignored the advice and we now have 2 windshield cracks!!  Hopefully we will be able to get them fixed in the USA before they start to spread across the windshield.

We had a second Fito inspection just north ( km 125 ) of the Guamuchil toll booth. He did come in and said that bananas and oranges were alright.  I guess we can’t travel with too much fruit anymore, too bad.  All went well until we were just 21 km shy of Los Mochis.  Huge accident!

Sadly the cab of the one truck was totally crushed.  However I think that this incident was as a result of another accident just a mile up the road.  As we passed I saw 3 very mangled vehicles to the side and the road surface was a sea of broken glass.  Perhaps the tomato trucks collided because of the other accident.  We will never know.

Having never been to the Los Mochis RV Park I was unsure of the exact directions.  Combined with having just passed the accident and having to go to the bathroom, I misguided Colin.  I had him turn into a street 1/2 block  before the lateral we should have been on.

We did get to the RV Park and found out that they had no internet!!!  It had been cut off two days ago because the owner never paid the bill!!  I was ready to start up the engine and head to a Pemex.  The only reason we came here was because they had WiFi.  By now it was 6:25PM and hot and we had been on the road 7 hours ( how did I ever manage 11 hours ).  Anyway they wanted 250 pesos.  I can hear Kevin screaming from here.  I tried to negotiate a lower fee based on the lack of internet but they held firm.  After some discussion we decided to stay.  Fortunately I still had some time on my Mexican cell phone and was able to call my family about my Dad.

There was a 5th wheel in the park who had arrived just moments before us.  Bill and Wendy from Campbell River, B.C.  They were the only other RV we saw all day.  Once the girls had their run, I heated up some fish chowder and was in bed by 9 PM.  It was a very tiring day for me.

I could end this with “who knows what tomorrow may bring ?”, but I do know and I will post it soon.  After all I have a big day 3 coming up.

 

 

Tags: critters, Isla de la Piedra, Mazatlan, Mexico, Stone Island, The girls, travel, Tres Amigos RV Park

Hasta Noviembre!

See you in November!!  That is what we have been saying over and over, even to the people working in the mercado.  They now know why they won’t be seeing us for several months but that we will be back.  In reply they all wish us a safe trip.  Viaje seguro or buen viaje !

We spent Sunday packing but not rushing.  The girls knew something was up and stuck very close to us even with the dog fence taken down.

Of course things never go smoothly.

My wonderful massage lady came at 7PM to give me my final massage which took away all the stress of packing.  We had a late dinner about 9PM and more vino of course.  We are not in a hurry to leave Monday morning as we are only going 300 miles, a first for us.  We are really going to try and keep the miles travelled per day to 300.

Yes it is sad to leave but we will be back.  Hasta Noviembre!

I should have internet the next two nights so be sure to check back for part one of the trek North.

Tags: Isla de la Piedra, Mazatlan, Mexico, RV repairs, Stone Island, Tres Amigos RV Park, vino