Melaque to La Peñita

We averaged just under 45 Km/hr for the day's drive.  The first 50 -70 Km were decent pavement, but working through the mountains, the road was constantly turning tightly, with big elevation changes, and overhanging vegetation.  As we proceeded north up the coast, as the country opened up, the roads steadily improved, and straightened, raising hope.  Then we turned north and inland, and the "construction" began.  Unusually for Mexico, there were almost no flagman.  There would be the odd short section of completed, wonderful highway, then you would turn a corner to find a bridge with one side not yet decked, yet accessible, or a choice between two routes, neither of which appeared probable, or even legal north of the border, with no signage or flagmen to guide your guess.  The sections of old highway joining the construction areas had received no maintenance in some time, with overgrown vegetation and broken pavement, giving you the zombie apocalypse sensation.  We were very high coming over the mountains south of PV, likely 5,000 - 6,000 feet, up in the pine forest, which had a grass understory, quite lovely really.  The road twisted and turned tightly as we descended to sea level in short order.  We came to the ocean south of PV, to the utter worst pavement and tope hell we've yet experienced in Mexico.  After the zillionth hotel tope, I snapped, and started honking the horn every time I went over a tope.  If the hotels wanted slow traffic for their convenience, I reasoned, it should be slow, noisy traffic.  Perhaps if everyone did this, the hotels would not install so many topes.  Nancy broke before the hotels did, however, and my grand scheme was scotched.  Next was the laterals of PV; because El Valiente has dual rear wheels, we are considered heavy traffic, and must chug along the rough, cobblestone, collectivo ridden laterals, rather than moving with normal traffic, lest we risk the wrath (or mordida) of the Transitos.  Another 50 minutes once we were clear of Bucerias, and we were home in La Peñita.  We went to the Pemex in La Colonia, unhooked the CRV, filled El Valiente to the brim to minimize gas tank condensation during her four month snooze, and very happily, lumbered into the RV Park.

Well, it was a long day. The highway from Melaque towards Puerto Vallarta started out as a very mountainous region.  It was winding with lots of vegetation very much like the highway between La Peñita and Puerto Vallarta.

An early start

Costalegre

Quite a few large rivers 

Construction along the way

There were intermittent pieces of construction.  Some with nobody around to tell you where to drive.  Luckily Cam made all the right choices and traffic was next to nothing.

Pine forests closer to Puerto Vallarta

We descended down to sea level and an 11 km hell highway into PV.  It was an appalling piece of highway (and we're from Manitoba).   Narrow, pitted/potholed, topes every 100 feet due to the high end hotels every 100 feet, with overhanging vines and heavy traffic.  It was gruelling.  I had been concerned about PV central traffic but when we finally got into PV and on the Librimento it wasn't a big deal not even when we had to go on the laterals.  Don't get the wrong idea though.  The highways we travelled in Mexico were 90% great.  Just that one little piece by PV was nasty and Mexico is working hard to build super highways everyday.  

Puerto Vallarta in the distance 

The cruise ship port

Say, isn't that the Ruby Princess

We are glad to see our friends again and they had a great supper waiting for us.  We are all safe and sound and happy to be off the road for awhile.  Marteen was here too and hopefully the Brave and CRV will get the bath they so badly need and deserve.

El Valiente, Cam y Kirk in our site.

288 Km.

4,626 Km. since Clandeboye