March 31 - Adios Mexico - Hello Ajo

Well we drove on a windy day through some very beautiful desert on amazingly great roads.

Leaving Santa Ana

Actually cows in this country.

Guy along the road collecting grass seed for animal feed.

Temporary Import permit (TIP) turn in site. Just us there, 96 km from border.

Army passing us by.  

Some of the Saguaros and Ocotillos were already blooming.

Llantera (tire shop) we stopped here to eat our lunch

 Sonoyta, bordertown

U.S. border

Beautiful desert near Organ Pipe National Monument

Our first border patrol

Camped at Shadowridge RV resort in Ajo

We will stay here for a few nights.  This evening we walked a nice little nature trail and saw a Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Gila woodpecker, Curve-billed Thrasher, and Scaled Quail.

March 30th - Santa Ana, Son

We left San Carlos this morning and drove to Santa Ana to overnight.  Yesterday was a prep day for departure today so not much to say other than we got ready to go.

On the launch pad.

Leaving San Carlos

This is a windy, barren, dusty land.  If given the choice to stay here versus La Peñita, let's see dusty desert vs fruit jungle?   Fruit jungle it is!!!!

Vineyards, miles and miles of them!

These vineyards are lined with bougainvillea.

A desolate land with the odd cow wandering along.

Sucks to be these guys lined up 2 deep for about 3 km to the military checkstop.

Santa Ana

Punta Vista RV Park a very small park but secure for the night.

Little garden at the park.

March 28 - Guaymas

We drove into Guaymas this morning.  This is the working port town.  Much larger and busier than San Carlos.

Good roads

Fishermen

Port

Malecon

Old town Guaymas

Fishing fleet

Port

3 Presidents plaza

A surviving Woolworths store

Just some street photos

In the afternoon we went to Piedras Pintas Beach and I snorkelled for about 15 minutes before I got disgusted by the amount of garbage underwater.  The water was clear and just a little on the cool side and it would have been lovely except for the debris.  There was also a lot of broken glass up in the parking area even though earlier in the week we saw a group of people cleaning up.  The town itself has clean streets.  This area reminds me more of a U.S. town than a Mexican town.  Prices are higher as well.  It seems to get very windy in the afternoons too.

When we were boon-docking in the Pemex at Los Mochis, we discovered that while we had some water pressure, it was not up to snuff, nor would the pump come up to pressure and shut off; it remained running.  This was diagnosed as a partially blocked water pump intake filter.  When we arrived in San Carlos, and relaxed for a few days, we removed the easily accessed filter from the pump, dissembled and cleaned it, reassembled and reinstalled it, ten minutes, total, and presto, everything worked fine, just like we knew what we were doing.  This has been the sum total of the maintenance that we have required this trip.  So far, so good.