Dec 1, 2006 (Sunnyvale, California USA
The Foretravel is packed and ready to go. It will not start however. A local Mobile Mechanic is called and it appears the Winn fuel pre-filter O-Rings are bad. The Mechanic jury-rigs the fuel filter with extra O-rings and the coach starts. What a way to start the "Big Adventure" Hope this is not an indication of things to come.

Dec 2, 2006
We have decided that South of the Border is our first destination, so we are off to Mexico via Orange County, Apple Valley, Orange County again, San Diego County then over to Arizona and across the border into Mexico at Nogales. No issues with the first part of the drive. Coach runs good. Traffic in LA sucks.

Dec 2-4, 2006 (3 nights - Irvine California USA)

We park out in front of Greg Shield and Sonia de la Cruz's house in Irvine. Greg and Sonia are great hosts and we enjoy hanging out with them. The morning of the 5th the Coach starts hard and I am concerned that the jury-rigged fuel filter is not holding together, but we are off to Apple Valley to see my son, Joel, and brand new granddaughter Angelina. My first grandchild is beautiful.

Dec 5-10, 2006 (6 nights - Apple Valley, California USA)
During the week Joel and I get a few repairs and modifications done to the coach and Jeep including a new fuel filter assembly to replace the jury-rigged setup, eye bolts added to the coach and the Jeep for the Protect-A-Tow, and we pulled off the rock guard on the rear of the coach and straightened it out. It had been bent from backing up on uneven terrain. The Protect-A-Tow is an under skirt that is attached to the coach and the Jeep underneath the tow bar. It prevents rocks picked up by the coach from smashing into the Jeep windshield and grill.

On our last day in Apple Valley we all went to the Motorcycle show in Long Beach. I picked out a $22K BMW for my next bike. And we unexpectedly met Greg, without Sonia, at the show.

Dec 11, 2006 (1 night - Mission Viejo, California USA)
We head for Mission Viejo to have dinner with Dennis and Katherine Steadman. Dennis and I worked together at Telonic Industries, my first job after I left the Navy back in the 60s. It was great seeing them again. They have done a wonderful job on their home addition. We had a wonderful dinner and good conversation till late in the evening. Dennis proposed designing a website for our adventure, so our friends can keep track of us and enjoy the journey with us.

Dec 12, 2006 (1 night - Carlsbad, California USA)
We start the day early and drive to Carlsbad. We decide to stay the night at South Carlsbad State Beach. Although their website says to 35' only, we are allowed in and assigned a spot that just takes our 40'. In the evening, we drove to Fallbrook for dinner with Mike and Reggie de Nicola at one of their favorite Mexican restaurants. Mike is still working, part time, but looks forward to the day he and Reggie can take more trips in their RV. Mike and I worked together in five different companies.

Dec 13 (1 night - Casa Grande, Arizona USA)
We head Southeast for Nogales. It is a long drive and we end up stopping at Casa Grande, which is about 100 mile north of Nogales. It was a nice RV Park. Lots of snowbirds there for the winter. The guy next to us came over and gave us some books he had finished reading.

Dec 14 (1 night - Nogales, Arizona USA)
Off for Nogales and the Wal- Mart. The plan is to stage up in the parking lot, find someone going across that knows the procedure and tag along with them. There are a few RVs there and we meet a couple of people who know the drill. I ask lots of questions, and we are confident we know how to handle the crossing. We shop at Wal-Mart for more stuff to pack in the RV.

Dec 15 (1 night - San Carlos, Sonora MX
OK. Here we go. We take the truck route as recommended at RV.net, and Church's book. The signs are confusing and in Spanish to boot. I just kept driving and watched for anyone to wave madly at me to pull over. No one does. The line coming north is really long, but we have virtually no one going with us Southbound. The guidebooks say KM21 is where we stop for paperwork. We keep our eyes peeled as we become used to the road, the signs and the way Mexicans drive. We found the parking lot full and stopped by the side of the road.

It was cold and their were a couple of hundred people getting their visas and vehicle permits. It was cold standing outside in line, but 1.5 hours later and $150 poorer we had our documents.
We were off to San Carlos, which was to be our first night in Mexico. Totonaka RV park was easy to find and quite nice. The beach is right across the street and their are a number of restaurants nearby. We walked on the beach until the sunset. It is still cool in the evening and we long for warmer weather.

Hookups at the park are 15 amp, water and sewer. Voltage was running 140V so we did not connect. Ran the generator much to the dismay of my neighbor. But we moved our coach downwind so the diesel exhaust was not blowing in their direction.

I had been talking to a few people on RV.Net about Mexico. Craig and I had exchanged a few emails but had never met. We discovered that he and his wife were at Totonaka with us. We headed over to their site to meet them. We were quite surprised to see that Craig is married to a Thai woman as well. Craig and Meaw are on a 6-month trip.

$40.00 in tolls today.

Dec 16-17 (2 nights - Los Mochis, Sinaloa MX)
We are off to Los Mochis early. Church's book gives good directions and we are not concerned about finding the Los Mochis Copper Canyon RV Park. We stopped for lunch in some town whose name escapes me. There were lots of cars stopped and Sim spotted vegetables grilling on a grill and that was all she needed to see. Lunch was delicious beef tacos, grilled onions, fresh radishes and some fresh salsa for the tacos. We ate 3 each, had a couple bottles of water and the bill was 90 pesos. On the road again. For whatever reason the drive to Los Mochis took longer than expected so we drove into town after dark and began looking for the RV park. After a couple of trips up and down the street and asking directions at the local OXXO (Mexico's version of 7-Eleven) we found the park. Unlit and empty we pulled in and parked for the night. I unintentionally broke off water faucet and had to pay 100 Peso for the replacement. This park is used mainly for a staging area for the Copper Canyon Railroad trip. Folks leave their RVs here while taking the train ride to the mountains. We are going hang out here for a day and wait for Craig and Meaw to arrive. We have decided to take the train to Creel with them to see the Copper Canyon. Once in Creel we are going to take the side trip to Batopilas. More on that trip later.

$44.00 in tolls today.

Dec 17
Hanging out in Los Mochis today. Sim and I drive to the train station to check on schedules and what not. The local cops wave me over to the side of the road and explain to me that I just made a left turn from the center lane. I feigned no Spanish speaking ability at all and the officer finally gave up and waved me on. I smiled and said Gracias and took off. The train station was closed, as it was Sunday, so we went back to the park and hung out. Again the voltage at the 15-amp plug was 140 V, so I did not plug in again. Oh well, the generator likes to be run more than not. Craig and Meaw arrive in the early evening so we plan the journey tomorrow.

Dec 18 (1 night - Creel, Chihuahua MX)

Here is the deal on the train. There are two classes, 1st and Economy, available. Economy is half the cost of 1st Class and Economy leaves at 7:00 while 1st class leaves an hour earlier. 1st Class makes fewer stops and therefore arrives an hour or so sooner than Economy. As we are in no hurry we have opted to go Economy and have pre-arranged for a cab to pick us up at the park at 6:00-am for a ride to the station. It costs 70 pesos. We lock everything up, turn the generator on AUTO to keep the batteries charged and off we go for the 15-min cab ride to the train station.

An economy ticket to Creel (about 3/4s of the line) is 397 pesos. We ended up taking 1st Class back to Los Mochis and that ticket was 664 pesos. I recommend taking Economy both ways as there was not much difference other than the 1st class train has an overpriced dinning car.

The train ride is major fun although long. It takes most of the day but the scenery is pretty cool. We are going from sea level up to 2338 m at Creel. The Copper Canyon is pretty spectacular. The military has guards with AK 47s on the train ever since a train was robbed by banditos a couple of years back. One of the military guys bought some dollars from us and recommended some Cabanas to stay at while in Creel. We did not want to offend anyone with an AK47 so we said we would check them out. Arriving in Creel was a chilling experience. It had to be 30 something and the wind made it seem like 5 below. We arranged for our trip to Batopilas in the AM and settled into our Cabana. Well first we had to send for a fresh bottle of propane to get the heater going and more firewood for the tiny little fireplace. I was getting some twigs together and looking for paper to get the fire going when Mariano returned with more wood. I asked him for paper to start the fire and he said this is Mexico and reached for a container next to the fireplace. He poured what turned out to be diesel fuel over the logs, tossed in a match and viola, fire. Oh well, "TIM" (This Is Mexico). Sim seemed amazed at how easy it was to make fire in the Mexican way. She got up early in the morning and started the fire.

Dec 19 (night - Batopilas, Chihuahua MX)
We get up early for the trip to Batopilas. It is 75-km on paved road then another 67-km on dirt. The dirt road to Batopilas is dramatic. Steep ascents and descents through several canyons are not for the faint of heart. It is spectacular. From 2338m to 495m in 67 kilometers this dirt road is one bumpy and scary road at times. Passing oncoming cars and trucks is dicey at best. Most of the road is one lane and someone needs to back up to a wide spot in order to pass. Usually it is the car or truck coming uphill that has the right of way, but in Mexico, it is the bravest hombre. Joel is our guide and driver of the old beat up Chevy Suburban we are riding in. Every gear grinds and I can tell, after a short time, which gear Joel has shifted to by the sound of the grind.

Dec 20 (1 night - Creel, Chihuahua MX)
The plan for today is to visit the old mission, see some native Indians that live in caves and then have some breakfast before we jump back into the Suburban for the trip back up to Creel following the only road to and from this place. At the hotel we stay, Sim spots picture frame with Thai words, and she can tell that it is a picture of northern Thailand. We meet Arturo, our guide for the morning at 8:00 AM and pile into the back of his pickup for another exciting ride on another dirt road to begin our adventure. Arturo decides to pick up three local Mexicans males, so we have to share the seat with them. They hop on the pick up with a whole bunch of pictures and clothes that they are taking to the other village to sell. It turns out that this is not the private vehicle as we expected. Oh well, TIM.

After about 20 minutes we stop where two Indians women are standing by the side of the road. We all get out and follow these women up into the hills till we reach a small cave. This is apparently where they live. The cave is small with some sticks woven together to act as a gate. I would call a hole in the rock. It appears they sleep outside on the ground and the cave is just to store their stuff. From there we walked over to a small village. I am thinking that today the Indians really live in the small adobe houses like the ones in this village and the caves are just maintained for the tourist visits. Sim tries her hand at grinding some corn. The 16-year-old girl quickly takes back that job after a few minutes. Meaw tries to make friends with one of the babies and the child screams for its mother. OK we are done here.

Off to the old mission. Arturo is a great guide. Full of facts about the mission and it's history. He is funny as well. We look around, snap some pics and decide it is time to head back. Arturo stops at a couple of places for our Kodak moments and we get back to town in time for a late breakfast. Joel is waiting and we head over to Nevadas for a bite to eat. After eating we jump back in the Burb and head back to Creel. More fun on the dirt road and Joel is in a hurry so he seems to be going faster on the way home. We arrive back in Creel in one piece. It is cold again and we retire to the Cabana to change out of shorts and back into long pants, sweaters and jackets.

We went to a bar/restaurant called Tio Molces, had a drink in front of a roaring fire then retired to the restaurant for dinner. We noticed that there doesn't seem to be any vegetables in breakfast, lunch, and dinner at any restaurant. By this time the Thais are really getting tired of Mexican food and the gringos are longing for some Thai food as well. Sim seems to lose weight because she can eat more if there is vegetables served with the main dish. Tomorrow is the train ride home to Los Mochis.

Dec 21 (1 night - Los Mochis, Sinaloa MX)
We decide to catch the train at Divisadero, which is a couple of hours down the track. The reasoning behind this is because the cost of another side trip to see more Indian caves, the Valley of Mushroom rocks and the Valley of Frog rocks is on the way to Divisadero and the cost is only 50 pesos more than the cost of the train ticket from Creel to Divisadero. Makes sense right? First off though, Craig and I need coffee, so we bundle up and begin our search. First we try Tio Molces with no luck. The Best Western is just down the street and surely they have coffee. It is bitter cold at 7:00-am. The river running through town is frozen. Cars and trucks are covered in ice. We arrive at the Best Western to find it empty, save for one old Mexican man who when asked about the availability of coffee, replies that none is available now; perhaps in an hour or so when Lupita comes in. Dejected we head back to the Cabanas. We try many cafes along the way, all of which have their "Abierto" signs out and none are "Open" however. As we are walking past the last cafe before we turn to home, I see two gringos sitting window front and both have what appears to be coffee in front of them. Brakes applied, we u-turn and go inside. Coffee is available, however there are no "to-go" cups, so we stay and chat with the Canadians. More Canadians. There are more Canadians than Americans it seems everywhere we go.

Joel shows up at 8:00 and we all pile into the Burb again. Before we head off however, we must stop for gas again. Why can't they do all that before they come to get us? We're off to the Indian caves. As we drive up to the caves, two young girls dash out of their adobe home and run to the cave to take their "positions".

They looked right at home as we walked up to the cave. One thing that struck me as I walked around the cave and the surrounding area was the amount of trash everywhere. They don't pick up anything. When they don't need it, it is just tossed aside. I remember the border towns being rather trashy but did not expect the people living in the country to have the same lack of respect for Mother Earth.

We are in The Valleys of Rocks shaped like mushrooms and frogs, oh boy. The Indians have all of their wares all laid out at each site. The mushroom rocks are held in place with cement at the base and several rocks appeared to be placed. All in all it was not worth the time and expense. I think I would have just as soon slept in.

We had some lunch at Divisadero before boarding the train. Killer Chile Rellenos were only 15 pesos. Forty-five minutes before Los Mochis station, we hear a sound like something hitting glass. We learn that two seats away from us got stone hits from someone along the tracks. Luckily, it is a double pane window, the stone cannot get through, but left a large hole in the outside pane. Our seat has only single pane because it is one of those push-out emergency exit windows. We arrive Los Mochis at 8:45 pm, and the taxi to our RV park costs 200 pesos. It is way more expensive compared to the 70 pesos we had paid to take a taxi to the station. Our mistake that we didn't ask the price before we got in. After paying the driver, we were all completely broke. We did not have a peso between us.

December 22 - January 1, 2007 (11 nights - Mazatlan, Sinaloa MX)
Today is the drive to Mazatlan, our final destination for a while anyway. Looking forward to warm weather and warm water. We head out early with Craig and Meaw following. Once again we are shocked and dismayed at the cost of the toll roads. From Los Mochis to Mazatlan it cost us $84.00 in tolls. Sim said it is the most expensive toll fees she has ever experienced and it is nonsense to discourage people to use toll way by collecting a high fee. The toll for cars is more reasonable than for a RV with dual rear wheels towing a car, but still the toll roads are expensive by Mexican standards. The drive was uneventful, and we arrived at Mar Rosa RV Park in the early afternoon. We are currently parked on the east side of the road, about 100 yards from the ocean. We are in the back of the lot so traffic noise is minimal. The sites are mostly grass and quite nice. We have 30 amps,water and sewer. The voltage is at 133 so I am plugged in an on camp juice. No AC needed, as the breeze is quite nice.

December 23 - 25
Our friend, Bee, is flying from San Jose to spend Christmas and New Year with us. On Dec 23, we picked her up at the airport. It is Christmas day as I write this entry. Tonight the park is getting together for dinner at 4:00. We have decided not to go as one of our neighbors said they were quite full and we should bring our own table. It kind of put us off so we are blowing them off tonight, and we will have our own Thai Xmas. We have been here a few days now. Mostly getting to know the area and taking long walks on the beach. It rained the second day we were here but has been beautiful since.

December 26 - January 1, 2007
More long walks on the beach. Weather has been pretty nice. We made friends with our neighbors Randy and Martha and invited them for a Thai dinner. They have been full-timing since 2002. Sim made Pad Thai and Meaw made Larb, and Panang Chicken (Thai curry). We had a great time and managed to go through 6 bottles of wine. Craig passed out about 9:30 and the rest of us partied to midnight. By midnight it gets very windy and we all have to put up the awnings. Craig gets up at 3:00-am to put his up and ends up ripping it. Bummer. No shade now. There are no RV supply stores or RV repair shops in Mazatlan. Sounds like a business opportunity.

Randy took us to the meat market today and we bought some rib eyes, new yorks, and fillets for the New Years Eve bash. The regulars that are on the beach are having their annual Moose Milk Party this year again. We signed up. Moose Milk is Ice Cream, Rum, Vanilla and Cinnamon. I guess it is blended, but don't know for sure. We will see. We were going to Teacapan a couple of days ago but changed our plan and will stay here until Bee goes home on the 2nd.

One day the three girls decided to go shopping without guys. So, Craig and I played Ladder Golf with our Canadian neighbors, Gale and Harry. It is interesting game and Harry has been playing this game for his whole life, it seemed. He is pretty damn good. The girls didn't come home until dark. They walked to shopping neighborhood, and they were out of gas on the way back home, so they hopped on the local beat up bus. It costs them 80 cents each.

Our food stock is getting low, so is Craig wine stock, so we went to Walmart. Bee saw people catching fish at the beach, so she bought a fishing rod. We came home with a mountain of fresh produce, meat, and the fishing rod. Bee went fishing and came home empty handed. Bee and I went fishing together next day, and we came home empty handed. After several days of trying, we gave up.

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