After a wonderful nights sleep at the and quiet Hacienda Motel in Yuma, we prepared for the next part of the trip: a drive into Mexico! I went for run, and planned on bringing some coffee back to the room. The coffee shop was closed until the afternoon, because it was being repainted, so I returned to the room, changed, and we packed the car once again. We were going to wash the car, but Walter arranged to have someone in Puerto Penasco do it tomorrow, so all that was left was to do was get some cash, and some coffee! Those we headed for the border crossing, with a bit of nervousness.
We had our visas handy, the passports out on the dash, and the insurance documents in a folder. We got to the border, and were immediately waved through without needing to show any documents. We headed down Route 2, which follows the border all the way to Sonoyta, where we would head south for Puerto Penasco. Wed been warned to follow the speed limits to avoid a ticket, so this meant we were the slowest vehicle on the road. On two lane highways
in Mexico, you drive on the shoulder when someone wants to pass you, to give them more room. This also means that people might pass you even when there is traffic! We had a few scary moments. Once the Tesla took over, breaking quickly as a car came at us!
We came across an accident in the first hour: a semi had gone off the road into the desert (looked like the driver may have fallen asleep) and a tow truck was trying to unsuccessfully winch it out of the sand. Traffic was stopped for awhile, and finally allowed to pass. The first half of the drive here was through desert with scrub and many abandoned buildings on the south side, and the border fence on the other. Later, we crossed the edge of mountains and the terrain was more varied.
We were to meet a friend and neighbor from La Conner in Sonoyta to drop off donations from Vintage La Conner for a shelter where she volunteers. Our new phone plan was supposed to cover Mexico, but it didnt work once we crossed the border, so meeting up was going to prove difficult. We did pick
up signal once we arrived in town, and Jan was just few blocks away. We had a quick visit and met some of the other volunteers, and got back on the road.
This part of the drive was pretty, with many different types of cactus (the ocotillo and mesquite are blossoming) and extinct volcanoes. We saw our first cars from Washington on this stretch. Walter met us at the edge of town, and we followed him back to their new home. They bought the property last fall and have just finished remodeling it. Its beautiful! They live several blocks from the beach in a quiet neighborhood, with sand streets.
Cindy took me down to the beach to swim in the late afternoon..it was nice to be back in warmer water!
We had a delicious dinner in a new restaurant near their place, watched the first episode of Bridgerton, Season 2, and are ready to go to sleep..
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