Sam And Saundra's Year Long Adventure - Part 79

Sam And Saundra’s Year Long Adventure – Part 79

Mexico 

3/21/09 – San Blas

As we are packing up to leave Guatalajara, our neighbor here is talking to one of his travel friends.  I look at the friend – he looks back.  I go over and ask him who he is.  He asks the same back.  I figure I got to know him if he is being that snitty.  Turns out he is a co-worker from Multnomah County.  We worked for years in the same downtown office, in the same department.  Rick!! We talked!  It was hard to leave someone you know and meet so far away from home.  Wish we had known he and his wife were there before it was time for us to go.  Apparently we were all using his wifi system to access the internet.  Thanks Rick.   We get on the road.  We have 168 miles to travel in about 5 hours.  We are now following the signs to Mazatlan. Grin.

Leaving Guadalajara Camp Spot

The mountainous terrain remains mountainous.  We see several Mt. St. Helenish type mountains were the tops of them have blown off and left only the bases of the mountains with domes sticking up and peering down at us. Reminding us that they are still a part of a volcanic mountain range.  We pass fields and fields of agave plants being grown on mountainside areas that look too steep to walk.  We pass the town of Tequila – the one that gave the agave-made liquor its name. The wounds in the mountains that have been cut open to build roads have been patched up with cement.  The tubes that are placed in the cement for moisture release, are a little different in every location we have seen it done, including here.  It is a kind of artwork of it’s own.  Sam thinks that the consistency of the concrete is the secret to how this system of soil and rock holding works.  We pass the turn off to Magdalena and see some large ranch-type places along the road. The road itself is pretty good.  No major problems.  But wait…

Mountainside And Moisture Control

Sign To Tequila

We reach the town of Tepic.  A radio conversation takes place and the wagon master is asking for input on directions to the next road.    I am a little concerned that we have become a group of direction-challenged rigs.  We turn left.  The road we follow is supposed to be a red road per the map.  It looks more like a dotted yellow one.  The road is windy and climbing and windy and dropping and windy and canyons all over the place.  I hum and casually keep my eyes off the road and away from the places in the road – very narrow road – that drop out of sight.  San Blas is worth it, right?  I am beginning to think that the darkness of the tunnel going through the pyramid was a much better place to be, when Sam tells me I can open my eyes.  It appears that we are actually close to somewhere.  We have dropped elevation – quickly- and the caravan is turning left into another long driveway-looking road.  We are told to stop and wait while directions are obtained from locals.  We wait.  The wagon master returns and we are led to a park, where only a few regular spaces remain.  The rest get to dry camp in a nice grass field, surrounded by trees of all kinds. After we get to move from the only non-grass weed patch space onto the grass, I liked this very much. We were back on water.  The Sea of Cortez was waiting for us and Sam and I hit the rocky beach. 

Mountainous!

Water

Happy Anniversary

We came back for the paid dinner at the restaurant on site and the celebration of 50 years by Chuck and Janet – some of my most liked-people.  The restaurant and shore area was also the site of a local wedding and reception party.  That celebration was noisier – as they had hired a company that put on a light, sound and music show for the wedding reception.  We had a great time and Chuck and Janet did too.  They had purchased champagne and we all had chipped in to get and keep it cold until the party.  We were there until well into the night.  At least until 10 pm.