First a couple of photos that don’t fit in today’s blog.
A couple of days ago Eric changed the first side of two replacement springs on one side of the back axle on the RV (today while I was out he did the other side.) These were bought locally and replace the last two original springs. He also put on two new tires that he bought from John and Jeri when they were here in December. John had brought them as a back up in case he had a flat on the RV but in the end he didn’t need them. Now we are all prepared for the end of March when we head home. Fingers crossed!
New Years Day dinner and it was a dandy. Potatoes roasted in foil on the bbcue, pork rib ends on the bbcue, marinated chopped veggies, avocado and fresh tomato….delicious.
Connie had been insistent that some of us hike up El Faro with her on January 3rd. Now I knew that her birthday was at the beginning of January but….I’d forgotten that it was January 3rd! What better way to celebrate than taking an early morning hike up El Faro. Connie met Eddie and I at the front of the park at 7am and off we went. Carol and Richard hike El Faro every Thursday just for fun!!! and they were on the bus too. Dennis hopped on down the street and away we went. For 11 pesos or about 77 cents Canadian you can ride from the very north end of Mazatlan to the very south end of the city where El Faro sits.
We road the bus to the end of the line and got off at the ferry docks which is the same area where you can catch a panga to Stone Island.
Dennis and I walked on the right side of the street and Connie and Eddie walked on the other side of the street. Wonder why….well the waves were crashing over the walkway. Nothing like an early morning shower!
So here we are ready to start our ascent. The last time I climbed El Faro in 2010 or 2011 the trail was all sand with only a few concrete steps. Over the last few years it has all been redone.
From the internet……
Do not mistake “highest” for “tallest,” as the structure of El Faro itself is not particularly tall. Standing two, maybe two-and-a-half stories or thereabouts, the vertical measure of the actual lighthouse building could be described as “just shy of regular,” as far as lighthouses (and a lot of other different kinds of buildings) are concerned. However, because its foundations rest upon the summit of a hill that towers 515 feet above the pounding surf below, this otherwise modest El Faro operates at a higher elevation than any other lighthouse in the Western Hemisphere, and is second in the world only to the Gibraltar Aerobeacon.
El Faro was originally built in 1879, utilizing an oil-burning lamp whose light was focused using a combination of mirrors and a Fresnel lens. This was a considerable improvement over the signal fires that had previously been lit atop Isla de Creston (as it was called before it was joined to the mainland by a causeway) since 1828. However, the signal of the new lighthouse was stationary and thus often mistaken for a star, so El Faro was upgraded in 1905 to a fully-rotating signal lit by a hydrogen gas lamp. An electric lamp replaced the hydrogen gas apparatus in 1933, and it is this light that shines forth from El Faro to this day. The lighthouse uses a 1,000-watt bulb that produces light equivalent to 600,000 candles that can be seen for 30 nautical miles. ……
Dennis took the goat trail short cut in a few places while we stayed on the newly done trail. He said that way he could sit down while we caught up!
In the distance you can see a large cruise ship in port.
No, that is not a pool at the bottom of the trail….it’s the sewage treatment plant and boy does it stink!
The harbour.
Look at all that nice stonework. Eddie, Dennis and Connie take a short break. The steps are difficult because they are not a standard rise and run so you have to kind do a one step…two step up them.
As we got closer to the top Carol and Richard were already on their way down. Remember they are pros at this and do it every week….good for them to be so dedicated!
The views are spectacular as you climb. It is very steep and none of us are young so….yes we did stop and rest a bit on the way up. There were many, many Mexican tourists with families doing the climb along with us. We aren’t the only tourists in Mazatlan!
At the top and everyone has had a short rest.
Pretty fine looking group and Connie doesn’t look a day over ???! Pretty good achievement and she looks great as always. Happy Birthday!!!
Connie on January 3rd 2012… it was a big birthday and I didn’t say which one then and…I won’t now. This is a great photo of her!
One last photo and….
….down we go. Sometimes the trip down is harder on the legs than the trip up. Advil for me tonight. I think if we did this every week like Carol and Richard do we’d all be in better shape. All of us walk every day but a hill really gets the heart pumping and the quads burning.
You can see the steps downare tricky to maneuver. Dennis did not take the goat trail short cuts going down…way too steep and the footing is really slippery.
A beautiful day.
We walked back to the La Puntilla restaurant for a buffet breakfast. Connie pushed ahead of us coming in the door and then she paid for all of our breakfasts! When we protested she said “ It’s my birthday and I can do what I want!” Alrighty then!!!
A really nice Mexican buffet with all sorts of things to eat from refried beans to Mexican salads or even an omelete made just for you. At 125 pesos each a bargain and the large crowd shows how much people like eating here. Connie says on the weekend they are lined up out the door. Today we were pretty much the only gringos in the place.
Dennis said he’d had breakfast but what could he do when Connie had already paid…..just call it lunch!
My breakfast…refried beans, tasty potatoes and an omelete. Yes…I did go back for seconds and some of it was fruit but some of it was small pasteries. Now you might say what’s the point of doing all that exercise and then having a big breakfast. I say it’s better than not exercising at all and then having a big breakfast! For many, many years at home when we were both working Eric and I would go to the gym after work most nights and then once a week on Thursday nights we’d go drink beer with our friends at the bar. Again…better to go to the gym and then drink beer than just going to drink beer. My story….my logic!
There was a one musician playing and singing while we ate and he was very, very good. A tad too loud but then we aren’t Mexicans!
Breakfast is over and we’re back on the bus heading home.
I always enjoy the bus trip as there are so many interesting people and things to look at.
Thanks for the invite Connie as well as the breakfast.
Happy Birthday.
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