Rockport is really a mix of a place, part sea-side resort, part small-town USA. Resort-y enough to have many restaurants, small enough that most of them are closed Sundays and Mondays. I phoned the Ford dealer in nearby Aransas Pass to get an oil change for the Bigfoot, only to have them say, nope we can't do oil changes on them, don't have the room; nope, don't know anyone else in the area that could do it, either. How about 1-800 number to Ford, maybe they can find a dealer that can do it? We have learned that the RV Park operators are a font of information, so we asked at Drifter's front desk just where to get an oil change. Why the local tire shop, of course. A call got us an appointment the following day at 8:00 am, estimated price $40 - $80, depending (just upon what was not mentioned). We drove by to check it out, and found a large RV shop right across the street from the tire shop. I asked them if I could get an oil change; sure thing; how much? $120, plus oil, plus filter, plus environmental costs. Maybe later, I said as we ran away.
This morning at first light, 7:45, I pulled into a lot with a four bay metal tire shop, as the guys were opening bays, moving vehicles around, stacking tires outside; a well, if slightly dirty, oiled machine. Orchestrating the mayhem was a brusque latino man, running the mechanics, dealing with the ringing phone and four customers at a time in his 30 square foot waiting room. A skid-steer tire with a nail in it, be at least 1/2 an hour, a young woman whose car was making a banging sound out back, more like an hour, three scheduled oil change customers stacked up, and two people waiting for the mandatory annual vehicle inspections/stickers, while a truck went up onto the alignment rack. I sat on a bench outside, drinking coffee, while watching his oil change guy drain the Bigfoot, out in the lot, in front of a bay. An middle aged Korean woman, waiting for her vehicle inspection, joined me on the bench. She says, "I got four, five cars, run them all through here, good guy, no surprises". She explained the state requirement for annual vehicle inspection stickers, "Even new cars, no matter. Waste of time. I got no time, got my own business, plus I general contract. I got a framing crew waiting for me now. Gotta have a sticker, though, what can you do?" My oil change was complete, I started it up, while the oil change guy looked underneath for leaks, then asked what I was running in the tires, as he checked the pressures. Working my way through the crowd to the desk, and my piece of the busy foreman's time, while he was writing up the bill, I told him that we had come from Manitoba, wintered in Mexico, and that we sure appreciated getting in quickly for a much-needed oil change. He looked up and said "You Canadian?" and I nodded. The bill came to $43.50, all in.
At 8:10, I eased the Bigfoot out through the ever-increasing congestion of his lot, and drove home to Drifter's RV Park, and told the nice woman at the front desk what a good recommendation she had made.
We totalled the toll costs for Highway 15 south from Nogales to La Peñita, taking every cuota we could find, for a motorhome towing a car, which came to $3561 Mx, or $268 CDN at today's exchange rate. For our route home, northeast through Guadalajara, San Luis De Potosi, Cuidad Victoria to Brownsville, again taking every cuota we could find, came to $2710 Mx, or $204 CDN.
Despite our constant plea at the toll booth of "cuatro ejes" (four axles) we were regretfully informed "No, es separado" where upon we were charged for a motorhome and a car, which is more expensive than a four axle rig. (Except at two booths, when they agreed, and charged us the lower rate; it is Mexico, after all). The roads to Brownsville were much better than highway 15D south of Nogales; The worst piece of road being the final 10 kilometres on the west side of Guadalajara, just before you get to the periférico. (For those of you lucky enough to find the bypass).
My big news for the day was spotting a Long-billed Curlew as a new bird species for me. In the afternoon Cam wanted to put the hubcaps back on the Bigfoot (we took them off for Mexico). I started washing them and decided we couldn't do that without washing the Bigfoot entirely. Supper was in the slow cooker so I dragged out the brush and hose and it was done. Kirk got a flea treatment from the local vet office today after Mexico. Apparently dog fleas are also a problem here.
That's it for the Rockport news.
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