MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Well, here we are in the desert, and would you believe, it’s been raining on and off since 3:00 a.m., it's chilly, and the wind is blowing like crazy. Desert Shadows RV Resort in Casa Grande, Arizona, where we are saying until Jan 4, is one of our Western Horizons membership resorts. Members pay no nightly fee, but since about three years ago, we pay a $3 energy fee. Although the resort has a lot of nice amenities, there is nothing really attractive about it—in our opinion. It’s laid out like a huge parking lot, gravel spaces with concrete patio slab, few trees, but there is a reasonable amount of space between sites. There is a very nice heated pool and spa, large clubhouse, craft, card and exercise rooms, nice large laundry, and lots of activities going on. Plus, a crew of wonderful cooks who provide breakfast, lunch or dinner several times a week (for a reasonable fee) and huge muffins every morning for $1 each. Here is a photo of our space.

When we arrived, tickets for the Christmas dinner provided by the resort were sold out, so we opted for a Chinese buffet in town, one of the few restaurants open Christmas Day.

We come here because we really like the Casa Grande area. We knew a lot of growth had taken place since we were here three years ago, but were still surprised how much it has grown. Several new housing additions and apartment complexes have been built, every fast-food restaurant there is, a new Super Wal-Mart and a new mall on I-10 built last year with Dillards, Kohls, Target and other major department stores, restaurants and a movie theater. Anyway, there is everything anyone would need or want.

Holy Week -- Holy Cow!!!!!

Wow! This town has exploded! They began arriving Wednesday. By Good Friday it looked like a whole country of Nomads moved in overnight. Tents of all manner have been pitched on the beaches; vendors have moved in with their food and souvenir and craft stands. Every small and large condo and apartment has been rented.

Here are just a few scenes.

There are bands on the corner of every fourth block or so playing happy Mexican music, and everyone is having a great time. It is Holy Week in Mexico when families from cities near and far flock to the beaches to celebrate. It looks like Spring Break…but that’s next week.
Police and medical units came from Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora about 60 miles east, and it all seems to be well organized. The main street coming into town has been made one-way. Traffic leaving town has been routed over a dirt road through the desert that runs parallel to the main road. Fine for cars and pickups, but a bit of a challenge for RVs.

New Kino, a small town on the Sea of Cortez, has one main street running through it, Avenue Del Mar Cortez. In fact, it’s the only street. The town is primarily a snowbird destination—lots of rental condos, small motels and RV parks. There is little permanent population and almost no traffic. As Larry always says, “After 6:00 p.m.you could roll a bowling ball down main street and not hit a thing.”
We moved into town Tuesday and are “hiding out” at Kino Bay RV Park until the revelers leave. In the meantime, we had our car washed and waxed and our motor home washed before leaving for the U.S.—all for $35 with a $5. tip -- a great buy.


Saturday morning we ventured into town on our bikes. There was a lot of traffic, but the police told us to ride in the parking lane so felt quite safe. We stopped at the beer deposito. While Larry was making the purchase, this reveler beckoned me across the street to take his picture. He was very proud of his big bottle of Tecate.

The Birthday Bash

We met Karen and Jim at Western Horizon's resort in St. David, Arizona in 2004. They are from Walla Walla, Washington. When we met them, they weren't sure traveling to Mexico was such a good idea. But we assured them it would be just fine. So, we traveled to Kino together. They have been there every winter since, and even volunteer at the campground. Karen works in the office and teaches crafts; Jim runs the honey wagon and takes members on fishing trips.

Karen and Larry share the same birth date, March 15, and we are almost always at Kino when that date rolls around and naturally we always have a party. (As if we needed a reason.) This year the bash was at Pancho’s new restaurant. Well, actually this is his second year in the restaurant business.

We met Pancho four years ago and have since become good friends with him and his family. Pancho is first and foremost an artist who does beautiful ironwood carvings. He has five daughters, ranging in ages from about 18 to 3 yrs. including two 14-year-old twins. Last year his oldest daughter suggested he open a restaurant. He did, and they serve some of the best Mexican food in Old Kino at the most reasonable prices. They open at 5 p.m. until 1:00 a.m. The gringos come to eat early; the Mexicans later.

Anyhow, back to the birthday bash….. At 4:30 (he opened early for us) we started gathering at Pancho’s. There must have been at least 30 people there, just about everyone who is still at the Western Horizons park. Panchos is a small restaurant and they don’t normally handle large groups, but Pancho, his wife and daughters had everything organized and the food was served promptly.

After our meal, Pancho brought out two large birthday cakes. His family sang the Mexican happy birthday; then also sang it in English. Then, Pancho said according to Mexican custom the birthday person(s) takes a bite out of his or her cake before cutting it. Well, when in Mexico…….









The food was wonderful and we all had a great time. As we drove back home after the party, we captured this gorgeous sunset on the beach in New Kino.

The Desert Blooms

When you think of the desert does it conjure up images of a vast expanse of shifting sand dunes, devoid of vegetation or animal life? Well, such areas do exist in the Sonoran desert, but the Central Gulf Coast of Sonora, Mexico where the desert meets the Sea of Cortez, and where we spent the past six weeks does not fit that image. Here the landscape is dominated by huge saguaro cactus and other succulents, small trees, shrubs, including the Palo Verde Tree, Ironwood Tree, Limberbush, Creosote bush, Elephant Tree, and others that I can’t identify by name.






























The climate is arid, summers are very hot and winters mild. Average rainfall is less than five inches and occurs mostly in summer. Spring arrives about the second week of March, heralded by the greening of shrubs and trees, budding cactus and many flowering shrubs and it really
begins to look lush. Small critters begin to emerge from their winter
burrows. Yes, there are snakes too, sidewinders and some harmless types, but we campers leave before they emerge, and let them have the place to themselves.

An Update on Gato

When we left Mazatlan, our neighbors, Don and Eunice, agreed to adopt Gato for their remaining stay in Mazatlan. When they left, Frank and Sandy temporarily adopted Gato and he seems to have no problem moving from home to home.
















Frank and Sandy gave him a new condo, a Dos Equis box, which he seems to be quite comfortable resting and sleeping in.

A couple days ago, we received an email from Frank, telling us that he had Gato neutered and got his innoculations so he can legally immigrate to the U.S. and become a citizen. It seems that Connie, Manny, and Ramona their pup, are taking him to Oregon where one of their friends has agreed to adopt Gato permanently. Lucky cat!!!! I hope he doesn't have any trouble with the language.

Connie and Manny, along with Pat and Ray, will be stopping in Kino Bay for a few days on their way out of Mexico, so we are looking forward to being reunited with them and Gato for a few days. Everyone has tried to talk us into taking Gato with us, but as much as we like him and as cute as he is, we have decided to remain petless for the time being.

WEEKEND FEB 22-24

Our grandson Phil drove down for the weekend. He is a captain in the Air Force stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. He flies cargo planes-- That’s his regular job. A few years ago, Phil embarked on a musical career part-time. He is self-taught, having no formal musical training with the exception of a friend who showed him a few things on the guitar. Then he took off on his own. He writes his own songs--about feelings, relationships, experiences, people and places. I guess I would say they are ballad type songs. He has played in clubs in Dallas, the west coast and several western states. This spring he will be performing in Rocky Point, Mexico and states in the Midwest. A pretty talented guy. We asked Phil if he would bring his guitar and provide us with a little entertainment.

Saturday, after a morning stroll on the beach and up a desert trail, we went in to Old Kino to take Phil on a tour of the old fishing village. We stopped to see our friend Pancho, an artist who does awesome ironwood carving and beautiful painting. He showed Phil how he makes his carvings, which is amazing in itself in that his tools are rather crude. (We’ll tell you more about Pancho later.)

Then we went out to the pier, a popular Old Kino weekend gathering spot, where Pancho’s wife was tending a table of Pancho’s ironwood carvings and painted shells. Grandpa purchased a carved Mexican woodpecker for Phil. I purchased a shell painted with a beautiful sunset for myself. After perusing the vendors’ tables, we checked out some places to buy fresh shrimp. Finally, stopping for lunch at Eco-Bay, a new Old Kino restaurant operated in conjunction with a new hotel. Larry and Phil both ordered shrimp dishes, prepared two different ways, and said both were delicious as was the tortilla soup I ordered.

Returning to the campground we were invited over to our Alberta friends Carol and Clarence. Carol had made a large pot of clam chowder with freshly harvested clams. Evan though we had just eaten, we had to sample. It, too, was delicious.

Just before dusk friends began gathering around, Larry lit our "campfire" and our concert under the stars began. Phil played and sang a number of songs for us, which everyone seemed to enjoy. In fact, the next day several friends dropped by to tell us how much they enjoyed meeting Phil and his performance. Thanks Phil. We love you.

Club Deportivo in Kino Bay is a non-profit organization that provides many community services. Last night we attended their an annual benefit event for Kino Bay’s secondary school. We were served a tasty dinner cooked by the mothers and teachers consisting of seasoned shredded beef, frijoles, salad and fresh flour tortillas, plus a dessert pastry.









Entertainment was provided by school children of various ages from both Kino Bay and Hermosillo. Their lively native dances and colorful costumes were a big hit with the audience and their smiles showed they were enjoying performing for us. We were told the children are responsible for providing and/or making their own costumes which were quite creative.

The native "deer dance" was the finale, for which the students provided their own live music. The students did a great job on this, although we aren’t quite sure of the interpretation. It seemed to us that the deer was successful in fighting off the wolves or coyote only to be killed by the hunter’s arrow. What a sad ending.

An auction and raffle were held during the evening with all proceeds going to the school. Club Deportivo also provides search and rescue services for boaters and travelers, emergency medical assistance, social and sporting activities for its members such as fishing tournaments, and an array of services for travelers and non-residents.

Mazatlan to Kino

We left Las Jaibas RV park in Mazatlan at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 4 and headed north on Mexico Cuota (tollroad) Hwy 15. We were making pretty good time until our navigator (yours truly) wasn’t paying attention and we accidentally got on Hwy 15 Libre (free road) in Culiacan. About 80 miles later we were able to hook back up with the toll road. The free road isn’t a bad road as it has just been repaved, but it’s two-lane and we had to slow down to a crawl through every tiny little village of which there were many.

About 5:30 p.m. we pulled into a large Pemex truck stop north of Navajoa, filled up with diesel (at $2.25 per gal. USD) and found a spot to park for the night amongst the 18-wheelers. It was quiet and we had a good night’s sleep. There was a night guard who rode around the lot on his bicycle, so we also felt quite safe.

We left the Pemex at 7:30 Tuesday morning and drove the remaining 225 miles to Kino Bay, after a brief stop in Miguel Aleman to pick up a few groceries and replenish our pesos at the ATM. Miguel Aleman, (called Calle Doce, meaning 12th Street, by the locals) is a small town about 30 miles east of Kino. It has two small supermarkets reminiscent of those from the 50s, a couple Pemex stations, a bank, and a few other little shops.

When we reached the small Mexican fishing village of Old Kino, we pulled off the road onto a gravel area and unhitched our towed vehicle. I was to make a quick run to the tortilla factory and Larry in our motor home would proceed to New Kino and the turnoff to the campground. I purchased tortillas and then made a quick stop at the bakery that has pastries to die for, then proceeded to meet Larry. As I drove into New Kino and came over a small rise, the sparkling waters of the Sea of Cortez and one and two-story white condos and homes of the town came into view. New Kino is inhabited primarily by Americans some of who have been coming here since the early 50s.

About three-quarters of the way through town, I joined Larry where he was waiting at Punta Chueca Road, gave him his pastry and we proceeded to make the 12-mile drive over a mountain pass on a very rocky road that has been dubbed the road from hell. Now, 12 miles isn’t a long distance, but in an RV, at 10-15 mph it takes more than an hour. Reactions to the road from first-timers have been anywhere from shock to hostility. We arrived about 3:15 and found a space to park our motor home for the next six weeks.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Well, the time has flown by and we have come to the end of our stay in Mazatlan. We were scheduled to leave Monday, Jan 28. We began packing up on Saturday, and Larry went to start up the motor on our motor home and guess what? – It didn’t start. Now, Larry is a very mechanical guy, but never having owned a diesel he didn’t quite know where to begin looking for the problem. Since I’m not mechanical, I will defer to him to explain..…

I crawled under the motor home and looking up said to myself, “What in the world is all this stuff?” My first thought was that it was a solenoid problem, because, when I turned the ignition on, there wasn’t even a click. But where in the world is the solenoid located on this motor? After some looking and testing I found something I thought might be a solenoid, but there weren’t the heavy battery cables running to it like you would find in an automobile. There were two smaller cables running to it and a conglomerate of wiring I couldn’t begin to trace, but I did find a wire connected to it that was hot when the ignition was turned to the starting position. I then felt confident that this was the solenoid and that was where the problem lay. My good friend Manny crawled under there with me and pretty much confirmed my diagnosis.

I removed the part and wondered where I might find a Freightliner solenoid in Mazatlan. But Manny knew where there was a truck parts house, so off we went on a hunt for the part, I, knowing it would probably cost an arm and leg for a Freightliner part. We knew there was an Auto Zone next to Wal-Mart, so we thought we would take a chance and go there first. The young female clerk, knowing no English, kept asking what kind of “auto” it was for. We kept telling her “no auto—RV Freightliner.” After pulling 4 or 5 traditional solenoids from the shelf, she said, “no got.” But then she decided to ask the manager. He climbed up a ladder to the top shelf behind the counter and, lo and behold! pulled out a box with my solenoid. Man, was it ever expensive…. A whole 220 pesos ($22 USD). Wow.

Went back to the RV park, installed the part and the diesel turned over, started and has been fine ever since. In the meantime, we had extended our stay another week, not knowing how or when we could get our mechanical problem resolved.



We all gathered for a goodbye spaghetti supper Sunday evening, hosted by Connie and Manny. It was hard to leave our old friends as well as the new ones we met this year, but it was time to head north for our reservations in Kino Bay.

THE IGUANA

A few days ago, we noticed a small crowd gathering in the row behind our space. We walked over and saw this critter sitting on the fence. I ran back to get our camera so we could get some pictures, hoping he wouldn't run off before I returned. Well, not only was he still there, he looked like he was asleep. As you can see from the photo, it didn’t bother him a bit to be photographed with us standing close to him.

RAMONA and GATO

MEET RAMONA
A group of us had been out for dinner at a great Mexican seafood restaurant and when we came out Connie spotted this puppy. Actually, there were two puppies, so she had the pick, and this one, who they named Ramona after the lady who had them, was the lucky one. Connie and her husband Manny are from Coos Bay Oregon, and we met them here last winter. Then, they had a wonderful old dog, Cindy, who we all loved. Sadly, as they began their trip to Mexico this winter, Cindy died suddenly. Now they have a new, cute, lively little puppy to raise and she really has changed their lives.

This is Gato, or at least that’s what we call him. He appeared at our motor home a couple weeks after we arrived here and immediately attached himself to Larry. And, Larry, being a cat lover, became attached to him. Although other campers told us Gato wouldn’t have anything to do with people, he wasn't a bit timid with us. In a couple days he was sitting in our laps and enjoyed being petted.

He didn’t look starved and was quite clean for a stray, and typically playful. We supposed someone had been taking care of him. So, we have been feeding him and he has become part of our daily lives. Soon he was following Larry all over the campground like a puppy. Larry made him a little “condo” out of cardboard boxes where he sleeps and takes his naps. He greets us outside our door every morning and entertains the whole campground with his playful antics, especially when Ramona comes over for their daily romp.

TO MARKET, TO MARKET

A stay in Mazatlan almost requires a visit to the Pino Suraez Market, usually referred to as the “old market.” We go by bus rather than drive, as the downtown streets are very narrow and congested. Located in the downtown Historic area, it is a popular place for both the locals and tourists. The locals buy their meat and veggies and tourists can find souvenirs, t-shirts, leather goods, Mexican dresses, etc.

Today we purchased a large roast from this vendor who spoke English quite well, at least enough to communicate what we wanted. We passed on the pig feet and snouts.

After shopping at the old market, we walked a few blocks to where the shrimp ladies sit, under large blue umbrellas with tubs of iced-down shrimp for sale. Legend has it that these ladies are the widows of fishermen who were lost at sea. There were ten of us, so we purchased two kilos (about 4.4 lbs.) of medium shrimp and walked around the corner to La Dunia. A camper in our RV park told us we could take our shrimp there and have them cooked to order. Outwardly it looks like a “hole in the wall” but it is long and narrow and extends the whole block over to the next street.

The young waiter greeted us with nearly perfect English. We gave him our bag of shrimp and our order. We selected a table, ordered our cerveza, which was served with chips and salsa, and waited for our shrimp. It wasn't long before our waiter brought our platter of shrimp that had been peeled and sauteed in garlic butter, along with corn tortillas, all for $5. Delicious!

Sunday, January 20: A Morning Ride

We’ve been here four weeks and haven’t done one of our favorite activities…taken our bikes down to ride on the Malecon. The temp this morning was a little warmer than it had been and it seemed like a perfect day for a leisurely ride, so we loaded up our bikes and off we went. The Malecon is a seaside avenue in the old Mazatlan district that sports a newly constructed beachfront sidewalk 6.7 kilometers long. We ride on the wide sidewalk along with the walkers and joggers and occasional skateboarders. This morning there were very few people out.On the other side of the street are hotels, storefronts and many restaurants with small sidewalk cafés, including the Shrimp Bucket that is one of the oldest and more well-known seafood restaurants in Mazatlan. We were surprised there was very little traffic on the street, and it was no problem finding a place to park. The photo above is looking south along the Malecon.

There were a few bikers and joggers out this morning; some people were just sitting enjoying the beach and vendors were beginning to set up stands with their crafts.





We stopped at various places along the way, one where the fisherman bring their pongas (boats) onto the beach with their daily catch. A great place to buy fresh fish but we had to pass since we didn’t have a cooler






We rode by the huge rocks where cliff divers perform with amazing dives from a platform high atop a huge rock. After a lot of prancing and posing for the benefit of the audience, dives into the tide pools just as that certain big wave comes in. When tour buses stop here, their pals are out working the crowd for tips.

















This photo was taken facing north from the Malecon. The "castle" in the background houses Valentino's disco and either one or two restaurants.











Among the many thing to see along the Malecon are monuments that characterize Mazatlan. This one, a little open-air vehicle was designed in the early 60s by a local as a new form of public transportation. It's called a Pulmonia. In December of 1965, they first appeared on the streets of Mazatlan and quickly caught on and now serve as Mazatlan's "taxis." You see them scooting around all over town. They don't have meters, but quote you a fare and sometimes you can negotiate a little better price.





As we headed back to where we had parked our car, the breakfast patrons were beginning to fill up the sidewalk cafes. What a great way to begin a Sunday.

Saturday, January 19

After seeing an article in the Pacific Pearl (Mazatlan’s monthly magazine and visitor guide, www.pacificpearl.com) advertising an arts and crafts show at Plazuela Machado, we hopped on a late afternoon bus and headed to Mazatlan’s old Historic District. The Historic District is About 10 or 12 miles from where we are staying. It is characterized by colorful colonial architecture and narrow streets and the Plaza is surrounded by sidewalk cafes and museums. It was just a short walk from the bus stop to the plaza and the area is known to be quite safe. We encountered many others walking, both locals and tourists. On Saturdays after 6 p.m., this place really comes to life. It seems to be THE gathering place. There were families with children of all ages, as well as couples and singles.

As we entered the plaza, this large sand sculpture caught our eye. Seems it was given an award of some sort, something to do with Carnival, we think.

We stopped by one of the sidewalk cafés to check out the menu. The waiter was touting this evening’s special---Mahi Mahi. We decided to have dinner there but opted for the breaded shrimp which were huge and delicious, and people-watched while waiting for our food to be served. Before long, it was dark and more and more people were filling the square. We finished our dinner and proceeded to the arts and crafts vendors. This was somewhat of a disappointment, mostly inexpensive jewelry and crafts. But, as we were winding our way through the crowd, we encountered a couple of strange-looking characters. We weren’t sure what to make of the one in the gold costume, but overheard someone say “giant squid.” Well, whatever! He (or she) was posed as still as a stone. We decided it must be a female under the costume because of her petiteness. (Is that a word?) She had placed a tin can for tips on the ground and whenever someone tossed in a coin, she quickly changed position and struck a different pose.

The silver-colored character was really a pro. He stood so still and for such a length of time, he could easily at first glance have been taken for a statue. We were barely able to detect his breathing. His scheme was the same as “giant squid’s,” but seemed to be attracting more attention.

As we walked back to the bus stop we passed Mazatlan’s beautiful Catedral de la Purisma Concepcion (Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception), beautifully lighted at night. This was the first time we had seen it after dark.

The bus wasn’t in sight, so we popped into Panama Jack’s restaurant, known for its wonderful pastries and bought two luscious looking cream filled pastries for dessert. We managed to restrain ourselves from eating them until we were back home where we thoroughly relished every bite.