Santa Ana, Mexico to Why, Arizona

 

Heading out of Santa Ana

Flower shop at the edge of the road.

Bye Bye.

Onward to Altar, Pitaquito, Caborca, Sonoyta and over the border into the USA at Lukeville.

What’s this I spy?  Could it be a toll booth?

Yup!

The last one and a whopping 246 pesos for a very short stretch of road between Santa Ana and Altar.  The concrete road is like driving over railroad ties….they didn’t get it smooth!

Straight ahead to Caborca.

Coming into Altar.

Altar.

 

Pitiquito is where you turn in your importation stickers when you leave Mexico through Lukeville.  If you don’t….you don’t get your money back!

 

Irrigated land growing hay in this area and lots of hay on trucks.

Over the railroad tracks and up to the left you can see the Pitiquito facility where you turn in your stickers..

Coming around the corner and the southbound exits will be first and then the unmarked entrance between the concrete barriers.

We are parked in the big parking lot south of the Banjercito and Aduana.

To your left between the two cars you can see where we came in.  The southbound lane is blocked from the north entrance to the south exit for all southbound traffic as all traffic must pass through the check point.  There is no southbound traffic between those two points. 

Eric went to get the ladies from the Banjercito who remove the stickers and give you your receipt.  Eric is showing her the Harley VIN # .

She takes a picture.   There were two young woman who both spoke perfect English and they quickly completed the paperwork and gave us our receipts.  We asked if the entrance would be better marked next year and they just smiled and shrugged “ Not our department!”  They had a sign but the wind blew it away.

Back out the way we came in to a hard left north.

Around the curve….

Turn left through the opening in the concrete barriers.

This is the third entrance which you could also use. 

When we stopped for fuel north of Caborca this Mexican woman was in the cab of the semi next to us.  She kept waving and smiling so I took her picture.  I thought she was the driver but she moved over and the man who was driving got in.  Eric thinks she was waving at him…..I wonder what she was doing in that truck! 

Always the same…. almost 48 liters charged and 43 liters used.  Someone is making money!

On the road heading north.  The first time we came to Mexico we couldn’t understand why everyone was driving partly on the paved shoulder.  Just they way they do it when there is a large paved shoulder and then you can squeeze through the middle when you pass.  Not too safe but …..when in Rome!

Eric says the road between Caborca and Sonoyta is the only decent, North American road he has driven on in Mexico. 

Not warm today…only 24C, good for driving.

Beautiful.

The Palo Verde are in bloom so Eric will be taking antihistamines.  

Down the long hill to San Emeterio where we will turn in our tourist visa’s.  We used to import our vehicles and get our visa’s here but now we do that in San Luis when we are in Yuma.

We will park on the left in the south bound lane as everyone must go through San Emeterio on their way south. 

The trucks are all lined up waiting to get through.  

Parked.  Over to migration to turn in our Visas.  It took awhile to wake the guy up to turn in our visas.  He seemed to think we were trying to get a visa, not turn it in and maybe a little surprised we were actually bothering. 

Cacti blooming out front. 

Beautiful.

Back to the truck.

Lots and lots of trucks. 

and more….

the end. 

Coming into Sonoyta.

Turn right for the USA.  

It’s tight getting through the border and if your rig is tall the barriers will bump over you. 

The rig to the right wouldn’t go through and went in hoping to have the gate to the right opened for him.  We tried that last year….didn’t work.

We went through….were asked what we had….a few beer and some lettuce….no problem….have a nice day!

We stopped for lunch in the gravel parking lot and gas station on the American side and then on to Why and the Hickiwan RV park. 

Parked and set up by 3pm.  Nice and quiet here except for the burros. 

The park is under new management and the showers are clean with hot water, good lighting and the internet is good as well.