Last ride to Copala with Sam & Rita

Sunday March 20, 2011

Today was the day to finish our winter’s riding with Sam and Rita on another trip to Copala.  We’d been up that way before  Christmas with Sam/Rita and Mark and Claire (the travelers from Great Britain) so it had been awhile since we’d ridden that way. 

It was hot this morning so we all dressed light because, if it’s hot on the beach it will be smoking hot inland.    We left the park at 9:30 and headed south along the Malecon to get out of town.  The traffic was lighter than we expected since it is a holiday week end (Benito Jaurez day weekend) here in Mexico and Monday is a holiday as well. 

Sam and Rita have decided to leave Mazatlan and head for Arizona on their own but had decided to wait until Tuesday as the traffic will likely be heavy on Monday.  This gave us an opportunity for a last ride and it was a good one. 

We made a quick stop in Concordia which is on our way to Copala to go to the Dulceria (candy store) to pick up some coconut bars.  I had looked all over downtown on Friday and found none but I knew I’d find them in Concordia.  Success for me and Sam and Rita got the peanut bars that they wanted as well. 

Onward to Copala and it was really hot riding now that we were inland and off the beach.  Hot air, hot pavement, hot bikes and hot riders!  No whining, just a comment!  We arrived in Copala around noon and decided to eat in Daniel’s restaurant for a change as we usually eat in the other large restaurant in town.  Daniel’s is known for it’s coconut pie and many people come just for that.

When we arrived at Daniel’s we parked the bikes and stopped  to have a cerveza outside.  Sam had stopped in a beer store in  Concordia so we had some cold ones with us.   We had a nice cold cerveza and a little chat in the open porch in front of the “motel?” that is out front of the restaurant.  Very pleasant!  We relaxed in the rocking chairs that have leather seats and the would likely come from Concordia which is know for it’s wood furniture. 

A nice place to sit and have a cool cerveza.

Sam & Rita

Eric and Rita (Edith Ann!) note the feet do not touch the floor sitting in the rocker!

When we entered the restaurant we had a look at the leather masks that are in the entry way.  I bought one last year and this year decided to buy another one to give away.  Rita found a nice  one and so did I.  They are made in the little town of La Noria by a local craftsmen but you can’t go there because they have so much trouble with the “narcos.”  Sad.  Anyway it was nice to buy such a good gift.

 

Sam and Rita’s mask! 

Looks good Sam!

Everyone has a place where we can make a fool of ourselves!

Into the restaurant to eat and we all had another beer that we brought with us and ordered lunch.  It is odd to us that Mexican restaurants don’t care that you bring your beer in with you.  Lots of them don’t have beer at all and if they don’t have it they have  to send someone down the street to buy it for you.  A pain for them.  It doesn’t matter where you go they don’t seem to care if you bring you’re own even if they don’t have a liquor license. 

 

A good lunch of Tortilla soup for Rita and a  hambergisa and fries for Sam and a Chile Reno plate each for Eric and I.  Yummy for all of us and cheap too.  Bueno!    A good choice for a meal.  I might mention that we were the only tourists in Copala which has been the norm this year as no one seems to travel out of town.  Sad and hard for the people to make a buck (or peso.)  We have travelled out and about all winter and have not had an issue anywhere.  It was all good. 

 

Lunch was done and we mounted up and rode home.  It was still really hot but started to cool down a bit as we got closer to Mazatlan.  As we rode down the Malecon on our way home Sam suggested ice cream……okay, sounds good.  We stopped and have a cold treat before we finished the ride.  Yummy and perfect for the end of the day.

 

We were all home by 3:30 and it was a good day.  

I dashed off to the beach for a quick walk to loosen up my bum and legs after the ride and then home for ……happy hour.

It’s Saturday now and I’d better catch up.

Saturday March 19, 2011

So it would seem that if not too much is going on here I don’t put anything on the blog.  But then, when it comes time to do one, I can’t remember anything that happened during the  week.  That’s just sad!

Monday and Tuesday were just regular days doing nothing big.   Wednesday I started to get food ready for Betty’s Thursday night dinner extravaganza but first I went on a shopping expedition with Betty, Boomer, Connie and Manny.  Boomer drove.   Fun because I got to see different stores than Eric and I usually shop at and to be honest we actually we usually only go to the same Soriana’s for groceries so this was something different.  We started out at the huge Soriana’s over by Wal-Mart and then moved on to the old Leys' store just up the street.  The Soriana’s is in a mall and Betty found some nice Flexi sandals to buy in a shoe store before we moved on to  groceries.  Connie and Manny were in Office Max having some photocopying done for game boards they were making and Betty and I were just getting what we needed for Thursday’s dinner.  When we got to the Leys' store both Betty and Connie found things they can only buy here.  Sounds kind of boring but it was fun. 

Home, a little cooking, a walk and then dinner.  Sam dropped by to see if we wanted to come over to sit around his campfire but in the end by the time dinner was done we were too tired.  Sorry Sam!

Thursday was a day to get my potatoes and veggies ready for the nights dinner and  I had to hurry because it was Thursday card day.   I’ve really enjoyed playing this winter and we even had 12 ladies show up which is pretty good since so many people have already gone home.  Three tables of four and this week Donna from B.C. was my partner.  We played well but didn’t get great cards and were “Slaughtered!”  Oh well, you can only play the cards you are dealt.  Maybe next year!

Eric and I  traipsed over to Betty and Boomer’s around 4:30 for happy hour and hors d’oeuvres. 

Betty, the camp cook!

Sharen and Eric talking about…..?

Dave, John, Jeri and Baretta.

Abby, Dave and Maria’s cute little girl.

We ate supper around 6pm and it was a really great Turkey dinner!  A real potpourri of dishes that everyone brought and each one a real hit and we even had meat balls with our turkey because Betty was sure she didn’t have a big enough bird!    Blueberry pies by Manny and George, Val’s scrumptious sweet, sweet,sweet potatoes and it was all delicious!  We were doing this for…..St. Pat’s day…..welcome home to John & Jerri from their cruise….the last supper…..etc. etc. etc.  I guess we don’t really need an excuse to eat. 

Here we are doing what we do best…..eating!

It is really nice that we get invited anywhere since we don’t do dinners at our rig. In addition to that Eric often isn’t interested in being part of these shindigs so I have to go on my own.  The good thing is most people are used to his anti-social nature now and don’t mind if I come on my own.  I try to make sure that I bring lots of food to these dinners since we don’t actually reciprocate.  Oh well, you can only do what you can only do. 

Friday

It  was a day to relax a bit and take stock of what has to be done before we start our move out of Mexico on the 27th.  We really should wash the roof of the rig because the gutters are full of black sandy soil and are starting to grow!  Yuck.  Plus everything is always covered in salt from the sea fog and that isn’t good for anything.  So, we talked about all of this and now we just have to do it.  At the end of the day we had a caravan of 20ish roll in and we noted that they are all from Quebec.  They have parked in the back of the park and we hear they will stay five days before they head out.  Lots of small Mercedes motor homes that are all the same so they must be rentals.  That’s got to be expensive. 

Tomorrow I will go downtown with George/Sharen, Connie/Manny and Betty/Boomer/John & Jeri for lunch at Edgar’s and some shopping by the ladies.  Eric has declined! 

Time to get the stuff I need to take home. 

Saturday, March 19th

A beautiful  warm morning and the group hit the bus around 11:30 a.m.   We had a nice lunch at Edgars and the crowd amused themselves buying watches while they waited.  The same guy is always there selling and someone is always buying!  Manny had to pick up his Beetle since it was in for repairs so he and Boomer headed off to do that.   He had been towed to the shop by Boomer earlier in the week.  Hope it’s all good now. 

We ladies started out in a shop across from the Mercado where Jeri said they had much cheaper vanilla than the Mercado and I bought a liter for about $4 and some coconut oil to try.  Hope it’s all good.  Off to the Dulceria (candy store) to find the coconut bars that Eric and I  like but I was unsuccessful.   I bought a  nice top for a grand daughter that the ladies said was too beautiful to pass up in a little shop along the way.  Very pretty.  Back to the market for an assortment of t-shirt items, into a fabric store and …..aren’t you just exhausted reading this !!!! and back on the bus to head home at 3:30.  A good day.  A walk on the beach and all done.   

Tomorrow a final ride to Copala with Sam and Rita as it turns out they are leaving on Tuesday. 

A little shopping to be done before I head home and a last ride to El Tigre’s

Sunday March 13, 2011

Friday was a shopping day for the ladies.  Betty, Connie, Sharen and I hopped on the bus and rode to the Golden Zone to pick up things that were on our lists.  Well, I actually didn’t have anything on my list so no big deal for me.  I think Sharen had the biggest list so she had the fullest bags coming back.  We wandered through the shops and there sure aren’t many tourists around.  I picked up a nice on sale top before we sat down to eat at Poncho’s restaurant  on the beach.  I had a really nice shrimp salad and….okay I did have a Pina Colada too.  It was Poncho’s parking lot where the shootings took place a couple of weeks ago when the cruise ship was in town (drug wars.)  Scared the tourists, what a surprise!  Terrific promotion for Mazatlan, not.  On the way out of the restaurant  I noticed a jewelry store with nice silver.  Of course silver is everywhere here but I did find a different pair of earrings.  I’ve decided to try wearing silver in my ears in the winter because they aren’t of any interest to thieves. 

The pair on top were bought at the tent market on Saturday with Rita and the heads today.

Yesterday, Saturday Rita and I took the bus down to the tents at the beginning of the Golden Zone for another shopping trip.   I went through them last year and was really impressed with the quality and variety of what they were selling.  Each state of Mexico has different things that they are known for and much of it is sold at this market. 

So, I had no list but bought a nice orange beaded top (150 pesos – about $13) a panama hat (200 pesos -$17.50) silver earrings (60 pesos - $5) and a molcajetes pot for (300 pesos $26)  which I had hoped to find.  I’ve looked at how to season it on the net and it may take the rest of my life to get it right!  Oh well, I can make a planter out of it if it doesn’t work out. 

Oh, there were also Mexicans baking bread and buns right in the tent market so, I bought a bread too.  Sweet, but delicious.

Today we took a ride with Sam and Rita out to El Tigre’s on the beach.  We were out there a couple of other times this winter  but it is always a really nice ride.  Today Sam suggested we try riding through town along the Malecon to head out of town and then head east to the highway to head south so we would  miss the ongoing construction that has been a real pain on every ride.  We weren’t sure what we would find since it is Sunday but it turned out to be a good plan.  Light traffic and we were past the construction when we hit the highway.  Bueno! 

 

 

 

The above shots are of the Malecon heading out of town.

On the road up to the highway out of town.

A quick ride to Villa Union and then west to the beach and El Tigre’s. 

El Walamo just out of Villa Union.

Girls on bicycles in El Walamo.

Roadside Pollo stand at the end of El Walamo.

The only snag on the ride was when we hit a large herd of cows trotting along the highway.  When I pulled out my camera (with my gloves on) the camera was on the wrong setting and I didn’t get a good picture.  As well my cow herding skills didn’t help today as they just ignored all the traffic and moved along in cow mode!  Which was basically ( to hell with you we’ll do what we want!)  Funny!

When we arrived at the restaurant it was quite busy since it was a Sunday.  Eric and I ordered a fish for the grill (1 kilo) and Sam and Rita ordered fish fillets.  It didn’t take long for the meal to show up and it was delicious.  Our fish was really good.  170 pesos for the meal and four half sized beers and with a tip less than $20….a bargain. 

Fish being prepared and cooked.  That’s the ocean in the background. 

While we were waiting I spotted a Mexican with a Mazatlan bike week shirt and wondered where he got it.  Sam chatted to him and he told him that since he was an organizer he got one but they weren’t on sale till bike week at the end of April.  Too bad.  However, he did say he’d check and see what he could find out.  Maybe we’ll get lucky and get one. 

 

These are some pictures of the Mexicans bikes that were parked out front.  Nice eh!

 

A good ride home and a light dinner before bed.

Back along the Malecon.

This and that and word about crossing into the US.

Friday March 11, 2011

Frank and Sandi left this morning.  Yesterday  morning Frank was rolling things up and washing the roof rig and I just thought he was doing that bored man stuff!  Turns out his 94 year old father has taken a turn for the worse and he and Sandi are heading home to Iowa.  They had planned to be here another week and leave with Betty and Boomer but unfortunately those plans had to change.  It will take them a good hard week to get home and we wish them well on their journey.  We had a lot of fun with them this winter especially on our two week journey south.  Good friends. 

Here is an email  forward from Fred & Marion regarding the crossing into the US.

  ……We crossed going north at Lukeville last Monday (March 7th.)  The road was good and traffic was light.  There was only a little bit of construction between the paperwork customs and the actual border. Fred clocked the detour at only 4-5 km. and it was all on a packed, prepared roadway albeit a temporary one.  It was slow, of course, but not like when we used to have to drive in the ditch...Where you turn in your papers, park on the LEFT side of the highway opposite the little hut...They were really adamant about not crossing the highway to get the stickers, so Fred had to make a tricky u-turn and go back through and then through the customs area....it was fine, but annoying.  The border crossing was fine....they didn't even come inside the rig.  Andy and Wendy went out the same day through Nogales and did not have any trouble at all...If others are wondering about the borders, you could pass this info along.  Safe travels to you....

Thanks for that Fred & Marion

This is an email from Pat regarding the return of their rig to the US by the driver from the states…..

Hi everyone, Just wanted to pass this along to all of you heading north.  This is a report the driver who is delivering our motor home sent.

Had one event. Fake inspection. Was stopped by what appeared to be an officer with a hand held radar gun in the middle of the road in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. Stepped out right in front of me waiving me to stop. Hard stop nearly ran the man over. After a short five minute conversation with the man I and a few good Mexican citizens learned this is a scam (harassment to get more money from tourist) by conducting an inspection and coming up with false reasons to charge fees etc. After the man realized I am fluent in spanish and showed my Mexican Comercio credentials and the citizens arguing with him he decided I was cleared to go. visual inspection of coach and HHR to make sure no damage had accrued from the hard stop. Every thing good to go. Description of the man after closer inspection had on an old warn out construction (orange & white) vest and what looked like an old white cloth or shirt to waive me over with. The radar gun looked to an old 1970 era style and non functional.

Thanks for that Pat.

 

Today was spent on a shopping trip to the Golden Zone with Betty, Connie and Sharen.  Everyone is now thinking about things they would like to buy to take home and time is a wasting!  We left on the bus at 10:30 this morning and hit the pavement to shop.  Sharen was the star and her bags were full when we came home.  I guess I just wasn’t in the mood to power shop.  We had a nice lunch at Poncho's (shrimp salad, Tortilla soup etc.) and a drink and it was time to shop a little more before heading home.  On the bus ride home we noted that the tents next to Gaby’s were open and that will be my next shopping trip.  I bought some nice things there last year.  They have wares from all the different states of Mexico and although they don’t bargain the goods they sell are very upscale compared to what you find locally so I can live with that.  To be honest I really hate the bargaining thing.  I’m always sure I didn’t get the best deal and if I do get a good deal I think the vendor has been short changed, but that’s just me. 

Tomorrow is another day!

People are starting to head north.

Monday March 7, 2011

The weather has finally warmed up and it almost feels like summer!  The winter here has been cold like everywhere else  and it has felt more like late fall or early spring at home most of the time.  Okay not quite that bad!

So now that it’s warm some people are having to make their way north although lots of them will stop in Arizona for awhile.  Fred and Marion left on Friday as did Al and Brenda, Rick and Judy on Saturday and today Mike and Sarah.   Our already sparse park is now looking pretty empty much like it did when we arrived back at the end of November.   We are also now seeing the arrival of overnight travelers as they make their way out of Mexico.

It is Carnival this week and although it is quiet out our way it is rocking down town.  I had entertained the thought of taking in some of the Carnival events but in the end I changed my mind.  Eric is not interested in all of that and lots of the people in the park are avoiding the downtown (at least at night) due to all the problems with the drug wars. 

Pat and Jack’s rig left this morning.  They had an insurance plan that covered the shipping home of the rig in a medical emergency and in the end this is what had to happen.  Jack and Pat had to leave unexpectedly due to a medical emergency and now they are at home in Carson city dealing with that.  Jack has found out that he has cancer since he returned home and as he also has kidney disease the treatment for cancer is a tightrope walk.  A hard road to travel and he and Pat are soldiering on with that.  As the rig left the park without Jack driving and Pat’s smiling face in the window I felt immensely sad.  We sure hope Prayers and good karma from all of us will help.  Good neighbors and friends. 

Pat & Jack’s rig and car leaving the park. 

We have another three weeks here and then will make our way back into Arizona.  We will look at new and used Harley’s and see what we come up with. 

By the way if anyone has any comments to make about their crossings or routes out of Mexico please feel free to leave a comment as travelers are always interested to hear what is happening on the road. 

We hope to get a few more motorcycle rides in before we leave and head home. 

The past few days have been quiet for us with me doing a little of this and that.  I made a bead ankle bracelet on Friday and then on Saturday I painted another bowl.

Beading at the Cerrito’s park.  Left front is Glenda who was teaching us with me, ? , Sandi and Sharen up front.  A good time was had by all.  Sandi made this very beautiful bracelet with Schwartzkoffy crystals and when it came time to pay I think she was a little shell shocked.  Very beautiful and we all agreed it was cruise material!  It was 350 pesos about $30. but the rest of us only paid between $4 and $5 dollars so we can’t go on a cruise!

I painted over at the Torres resort across the street with Sandi, Sharen and Melody (Connie’s friend from home) and we had a good time.  They don’t seem to care who paints and the resort allows foot traffic off the street so we were in easy!  Unfortunately the sea fog rolled in while we were painting  and we almost froze to death.  Melody and Sharen finished ahead of Sandi and I and went to get a lunch table in the sun.  Sandi and I took a break and joined them for a Margarita and a snack.  I try not to drink in the middle of the day because it makes me so tired and also adds to my alcohol level but I decided to make an exception.  Well let me tell you this Margarita had been poured with a heavy hand and could really knock you down.  Slowed down the rest of the day.  After the drink and an appetizer Sandi and I finished up our projects and we picked them up today.  My purple bowl looks nice and the rest of the projects are good as well.  The Mexicans who do this type of work are very talented and can make anyone look like an artist!  Good thing.

On a not so nice note Betty got mugged!  She,  Connie and Connie’s other friend Jen had climbed up El Farro, gone for lunch at Edgar’s and were walking along the street down in Centro when they saw some young men coming toward them.  The men passed and the ladies were single file on the narrow sidewalk with Betty at the rear of the line.  One of the guys grabbed Betty from behind with an arm around her neck and quickly ripped off her gold dolphin necklace and by the time she righted herself he was long gone.  A scary incident that could happen anywhere.  She was not hurt, although very shaken and it was at least a good thing that he did not have a knife.  She knows she shouldn’t have been wearing the necklace because gold is worth so much but we all get complacent about these things.  I have gold earrings in my ears.  I should take them out.  Added to that is the fact that it is Carnival and out of town thieves would be here for a quick grab and snatch.  Could happen anywhere.  Poor Betty!  Leave your jewels at home ladies!

So today Eric is out rotating tires and greasing shackles on the trailer.  He is really bored!   Time to go home, get to work on the farm, go to the gym, work in the garden etc. etc.  Whew that all sounds tiring so I think I’ll go to the beach and read a book!

Another good ride, this time to San Javier!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

This morning Sam came over early to see if we wanted to go on a ride.  Eric had been down with his usual stomach trouble yesterday and had been unable to go to Frank’s special rib dinner last night and had also not slept much over the past couple of nights.  Today he seemed better so we decided to go and San Javier was the destination.  Frank and Sandi decided to come in the jeep and we hit the road around 10:30.  Eric had done some map research and also had a look at what there was to see after he and Sam had been to San Javier on Saturday. 

On the road at 10:30 and off to Lo de Ponce where it looked like where there was a short cut to the road leading to San Javier.  A right turn off the highway a quick stop to peal off some clothes as it’s much hotter inland.  Eric made the comment that he had to be really careful on the slippery sand as it is really easy to drop the bike.  Not a good thing. 

Peeling off clothes.

We rode into Lo de Ponce and it’s another small pretty Mexican town.

Coming into town.

Obviously a farming town judging by the machinery.

Everyone waved as we rode by and as we got to the end of town we were faced with a dip off the pavement and ….a dirt rode.  Oh, oh….no thanks on the bikes.  You can never tell on a map what is paved.  So, no shortcut and back the way we came.

Another pretty church.

The usual cobblestone streets.

A quick chat to the Mexicans in town about routes and back out to the main road.   On the way out of town the cows decided to cross the road.  I had to use my old cow herding skills when one was right in front of us….okay it’s just sssst, sssst, ssst but she moved and we passed!

Alright Bossy get the H… off the road!

Back to the highway and on to the cut off to San Ignacio and up to the crossroads to San Javier.      

We stopped to pick up  beer and this is where things went wrong.  As I mentioned earlier slippery sand and gravel on a motorcycle are a problem. Sam rode into the parking lot at the beer stop….. slid sideways and….dropped the bike.  Rita managed to keep her feet up and not get caught underneath and then threw herself off.  She almost landed on her feet but fell backwards onto her butt.  One of the Mexicans in the beer store ran out and  helped Rita up while Sam tried to get the bike up.  I’m not sure but I think the Mexican helped Sam get the bike up while Sandi and I helped Rita and dusted her off.   It happened fast and Eric had barely parked Blue and it was all over.  Poor Rita.  Poor Sam….that’s an embarrassing  thing to have happen, not to mention dangerous.  Luckily neither Rita (and especially Rita) or their Harley were seriously hurt.   So Sam and Rita regrouped and we remounted and headed on to San Xavier for lunch.

  The usual Coca Cola sponsored sign on the way into town.

Always an arch showing the way into town.

Again, another lovely quiet little Mexican town and we headed straight to the Hacienda type restaurant because by this time it was 1pm and we were all hungry.  Parked the bikes in the square and walked across the street for lunch.  We had Pepe call ahead so that they knew we were coming and so even though we were late all was well. 

Another nice restaurant.

Getting ready for lunch.

A few beers,  some good chips, fresh cheese and really good salsa and we were all feeling better.  The owner suggested he would just feed us a Mexican lunch and we said okay.  We were served a plate with salad, beef and potatoes in a nice sauce.  Delicious.  Dessert was candied papaya (from their own trees) and we were all full and happy. 

The owner getting ready to sing.

Singing.  Oh, by the way after I posted this picture I noticed it looked like a Pacifico ad.  Sorry!

As we were finishing our meal the owner stepped up to the microphone and sang for us.  Eric and Sam had the same experience on Saturday and had said he had a really great voice.  Too true.  We were all impressed by his song and enjoyed it immensely.  We tried to explain “American Idol” to him but I don’t think he really got it.   He explained that it was “Mexicana musica.”  Very nice. 

This is the outdoor kitchen range that our lunch was cooked on.

There is always a bird in a cage.  This little one was happy to yak at me!

Now it was time for a trip up the hill to look at the view.  Frank, Sandi and Rita in the jeep, Eric and I on foot and Sam cowboying his Harley up the steep hill.  We all made it and were really impressed by the beautiful view of the surrounding countryside.

Walking to the top of the hill.

Rita looking out.

Sam, Rita, Kathy and Eric.

Frank, Sandi,Rita,Sam, Kathy and Eric.

I took this on delay.  Turned out great!

A few pictures and it was time to go.  Back down to the square and mounted up and ready to roll. 

A small typical, beautiful Mexican front yard.

The town square in San Javier.

We stopped at the Pemex just past the cut off south on the highway and again had a chat with the guy pumping gas who speaks such good English.  Turns out his home town in San Xavier and he was interested to hear what we thought about it and what we’d seen.  There was much more to see than we had time for  and so he also suggested that on his next day off he’d like to show us around San Xavier and make sure we saw it all.  How gracious is that. 

A quick ride home and happy hour.  All done, ready for bed. 

Another great day.