Freightliner and Redding

The alarm went off at 6:00AM, Art staggered out of bed over a still sleeping Trekker who was curled up on his own bed at the foot of ours. We still had things to put away; supper dishes, maps etc. as well as disconnect the hoses, electric cable, battery charger, retract the slides and the jacks and move stuff from the car to make room for the dogs.

We got it done in time and Art fired up the diesel engine. The suspension bags still didn't want to fill, even after releasing the park brake. The "jacks down" alarm ding . . . ding . . . ding was still going on but after a bit of jiggling with the ignition key the alarm silenced, the step came in and the air bags started to fill! Now we began to suspect that the faulty ignition switch could be the root of many issues. Fortunately, when we phoned Freightliner yesterday we had asked them to order a new one.


With everything working, including the engine temperature gauge, Art drove off to the appointment leaving Gillian and the dogs to meet him at Freightliner with the car. On the dot of seven he was at the service counter giving the details to Mark, the service manager: intermittent temperature gauge, jacks alarm (ignition switch?) coolant leak, investigate air pressure switch, put the correct mileage back into the engine computer and align the steering wheel--which had been turned to the right since Kingman, after the replacement of the tie rod.


We went off looking for breakfast and settled for a Bagel shop, bought a few groceries then returned to the motor home to put the groceries away and pick up the laundry, we'll do it at the RV park while we wait for our house to come back from the shop.

At Freightliner we got a bit of news--the coolant leak is from the water pump. One hose is cracked but not leaking--all hoses are soft/aged and should be replaced, parts are available from Reno by tomorrow. We can pick up the rig tonight and return it again Wednesday at 7:00 AM!!!!



We returned to the park, did the laundry, caught up on the e-mails and worked on the blog--the wireless works fine in the laundry room. Sorry we couldn't get a picture of Art putting the laundry into the machines, but the camera was still in the car at that time--he says!

Clothes washed and dried it was time to go somewhere for lunch, so we set off for Sundial Park where there is a place to walk the dogs by the river and a nice cafe that we had found last year.


We found Sundial Bridge without difficulty and walked down to the cafe. Closed! Whether this is a sign of the economic times or not we don't know. Back in the car we let the GPS find a restaurant, had a nice lunch, dropped into a bakery we had spotted to find some good bread--very hard to find in the USA--they seem to like the sweet soft mass-produced factory bread here--not to our taste.

We then went back to Freightliner. They were finished with the rig for the day and we could take it back to the park for the night returning in the morning. Not so early fortunately, the parts won't be in until 10:00 or so. Art drove the rig back and got it set up while Gillian took the dogs to an off leash park to run and play. Art took the opportunity to catch a much needed nap!

Shortly after ten next morning we dropped off the coach as arranged and went looking for something to do-- The off leash dog park won the vote so away we went. The weather again was co-operating, very sunny and warm if you stayed in the sun. The dogs had a wonderful time and we met and chatted with several very interesting people and their dogs.


After lunch we went back to the RV park and sat in the sun, Art taking the opportunity to spend a bit more time on the internet while enjoying the sun. At one point he needed to get up for something and set the laptop down on the attached side table. As Art stood up he checked to make sure the computer was balanced but the moment he turned his back the table chair tipped over, the laptop landing on its side on the concrete. A few words were said, but the laptop seemed to still be functioning. Seemed being the operative word.

Later that afternoon after exploring a bit more we returned to Freightliner to see how they were progressing and were advise that it wouldn't be ready until at least 7 or 8 PM! Replacing the radiator hoses was not apparently an easy job--access to the top of the engine is from under the bed! They had to remove all the bed clothes, the mattress and of course all the stuff we had stored under there--things we won't need for a while--like some of our summer clothes and souveniers we were bringing home, then unbolt the steel sheeting and insulation between the bed and the engine. Art felt a bit guilty as he says he should have realised that and we could have had all that stuff out of there ourselves--instead of the mechanic doing it at $125.00 an hour!

So back to the dog park.Trekker and Tia couldn't believe their luck!! Tia finally got tired of running around and came to lie down beside the bench where Art was reading a book. Until of course each time a new dog appeared that had to be investigated and off she went again.

About 6PM as things began to cool off we decided to look for a place to have our dinner. The GPS gave us plenty of nearby options but of course no details about the restaurants. We checked out a couple before finally deciding on one that as we entered suspected it was probably a little more "high end" than we planned but what the heck--it's only money--and we were getting hungry!

We were quickly seated and immediately the cell phone rang--the motorhome was ready. We told the service manager that we had just sat down for dinner and would be there in an hour or so. Meanwhile the waiter had arrived with menus and a wine list and as we perused both we looked around the dining room and were quite taken aback by the lack of decor. Gillian said that it was reminiscent of the waiting room in a funeral home! Very pale off-white walls and ceiling which met in a large radiused curve so there was no clear definition between wall and ceiling. Absolutely no pictures or decorative highlights anywhere! Very strange--almost but not quite spooky. We felt that a few subtle painted outlines of plants or vines would have made a big difference.

The food and service though was excellent. As this is being written many weeks after the event neither Art nor Gillian can remember what we ate, but we remember enjoying it!

At Freightliner all was ready. The replaced ignition switch had stopped the ding . . . ding . . . ding, air bags filled and the new engine temperature gauge was working just fine! The mechanics way back in Poza Rica many months ago had diagnosed a bad gauge but were unable locate one easily. Art had been a bit sceptical about this diagnosis (see thePoza Rica entry in November) and according the Freightliner service manager the gauge itself is rarely the problem. But this time it was and the Mexican mechanics were right. The only thing he hadn't had time to do was re-centre the steering wheel.

Back at the RV Park Art checked the lap top--It advised that some files may be corrupted and should be checked. Art started the checking sequence and soon realised that it was going to take quite a while so letting it run, we had an early night and went to bed so to be ready to continue the homeward leg of our journey in the morning. Tomorrow would hopefully see us in Wilsonville where we had an appointment at Campingworld to have a cracked awning end cap replaced and to have Les Schwab replace the batteries. It would be a long day's drive, but we prayed that the weather would hold up for us.

Hawthorne Nevada to Redding Ca

Art woke up a few minutes before 7AM and in spite of making as much noise as possible without being obvious, at 7:15 had to go in to wake Gillian. We weren't sure how long the drive to Redding would be, but knew it wouldn't be a short trip.

Finally at 8:35, after bring in the slides, retracting the jacks, letting the air pressure build and doing all the air checks we were ready to go, though the temperature gauge had quit again. . . but Gillian was still out with the dogs on their last walk. Art shut off the engine, so as not to gas the campsite, restarting a few minutes later when everyone was in position and ready to go.

Front air gauge showed no pressure! Rear gauge pressure was just fine. There was no low air alarm and we had not heard any great rush of air as would be expected from the loss of 130 psi of air. This was very puzzling. Finally Art found someone who showed him the Heavy Duty Mechanic shop up the street a bit. So off we drove, carefully, though Art suspected it was a gauge fault and not a loss of air problem.

The owner was out on a call and was due back soon, but they didn't usually work on motorhomes. He described the problem with a gentleman in the office who agreed that it was indeed puzzling. He said that while the air pressure gauges were usually fed directly with air, perhaps in motorhomes they might be electrical in nature. While waiting Art dug out a screwdriver and removed the back of the instrument panel console and began prodding the wires the lead to the back of the gauge. Bingo! Full Pressure! A few minutes to re-attach the console (and the control for his ham radio) and we were finally under way at 9:35

We continued our boring run across the uninspiring Nevada scenery, today thankfully, without the wind. At noon we stopped to refuel--our last chance at cheap diesel before California--$2.159 US per US Gallon. Yesterday we had filled at 2.099! Nothing out of the ordinary at this fuel stop though. While Art pumped diesel Gillian made him a sandwich as it had been 4 hours since his breakfast. He bought a coffee in the store and was good to go, happily munching and sipping as he drove.


A bit over an hour later Gillian suggested that it was lunch time so we watched for a place to pull off and soon found a spot beside a Shoe Tree, (click the photo) where we heated up some bean soup that we had carried in the freezer all the way from home! Still good!

Doing the walk around before pulling out Art notice some drops of moisture on the hitch, they looked like they had been blown there by the wind. Closer inspection showed a drop of green fluid hanging from a rad hose clamp. Then it fell and another started to form. There was still lots of antifreeze in the coolant reservoir so there was no urgency but here was an other job for Redding Freightliner. Back on the road Art noticed that the engine temperature gauge was working again! Three days in a row it has started to work only after lunch. We figure it must be a union gauge on the afternoon shift! We will have it checked again in Redding.


Soon after passing through Susanville the scenery changed; Trees, Lakes, Green, Snow. . . (snow just in the shaded areas under the trees and beside the road). The road was good for most part, Trekker appeared a bit less stressed and actually fell asleep for a few moments.

We made good time, turning onto the I-5 at a bit after 5:00PM, the thermometer showing 22 degrees C. Much better! Within a few minutes we arrived at the RV park where we had stayed in October by 5:30--and were given the same space!!! Redding Freightliner awaits at 7:00 AM so we will be up early tomorrow, before dawn!

Utah to Hawthorne Nevada.

We managed to leave not too much later than planned this morning, no major problems, just a little annoyance that we will try to get repaired in Redding--hopefully to be our last Freightliner stop this trip!

The slides came in just fine, jacks went up just fine, but when the "travel" or "Jackrabbit" button was pushed the suspension air bags didn't fill. Not until the spring brake was released and the transmission put into "Drive" did the air dump into the suspension and the rig start to rise. Now we had to wait a few minutes for the air pressure to build back up but while waiting for this we got the car hooked up and we were away by 8:40.

We had 22 miles back to the Utah Arizona border, then another 29 miles through the Northwest corner of Arizona to Nevada and back to Las Vegas. We again traversed the Virgin River Canyon in Arizona; this being the same Virgin River that cut the canyons in Zion National Park in Utah. The Arizona canyon is much smaller but no less spectacular--in places we felt we could reach out and touch the walls as we cruised past at 90 Km/H, a "click" or 2 above the 55MPH speed limit.

Back again in Nevada as we approached Las Vegas Gillian found a short cut that avoided the city and after about 15 minutes--including an inadvertent detour along side the highway instead of on it-- we were on Nevada Route 95 North for the long boring drive to join the I-80 to Reno two hours after our departure from the campground. Sounds like a cheap tour: 3 States in 2 hours!



The scenery wasn't much, but there were a few places of humourous interest, including our gas stop at Amagosa Valley; a crossroads with a couple of stores with an RV Park behind on the left and across the street the bright pink gas station and convenience store, complete with casino and brothel.






We were soon back on the boring drive. The scenery didn't change much from the photo to the right all afternoon. Once in a while there was curve, occasionally a hill. In early afternoon the wind began. We have never driven in such wind for such a long time. It went on and on and on, blowing the rig from side to side. Art even had to eventually slow down to 80 or 90 Km/H from our normal cruising speed of 100 and well below the posted 70 MPH (112Km) limit. The winds of course kicked up a lot of dust, at one point we had to slow to about 60 Km/H. because of the visibility.

About 2 PM we found a wide place to pull off for lunch and a short 40 minute break then were back on the road. A few moments later Art noticed that the temperature gauge was working again! We were more than ready to call it a day at 5:15 when we pulled into an RV Park in the small town of Hawthorne. They said they had had 25 check-ins today, probably because of the wind.

The park is well appointed and we have free wireless, which is why this entry is so timely! We have just finished dinner, the dishes mostly done and Trekker says it's time for a walk. He traveled better today and actually slept for a bit, the Dramamine seems to be helping. At least the wind has died down a bit, though it's still cold; only 9:oo PM and it's already down to 2.3C outside--the furnace has been running almost constantly. We'll just post a few pics on the Zion post and fill in with text and more detail later.

Zion National Park

Mostly pics for for this entry.--The detour to Zion was certainly worth the time and fuel. The weather was clear and sunny but still quite cold at night. This time of year we were able to drive our own car through the park and so of course the dogs came with us. Though not allowed on the trails they were able to get out and stretch their legs and exercise their noses several times. They are getting resigned to our getting out of the car and wandering off without them. We never left them long of course and Art frequently returned to the car to rest his legs and keep the dogs company while Gillian went on to see what was around the next corner.

Starting in April through I think October cars aren't allowed in the park and there are shuttle buses that run all day stopping along the way to let visitors hop on and off as they wish. It is obvious why this is done--the number of visitors in the busy season must be astronomical, there would be no way all the vehicles would even fit on the road let alone drive. Even in March there was a lot of traffic and parking in the various pull outs and parking areas within the park were at a premium.

These pictures may give you some idea but don't do justice to the beauty and majesty of the area.
















The three Patriarchs






















Weeping Rock at the end of the road. Gillian walked up part of the way to photograph the narrow canyon. The squirrel came to see what she was up to.

The small river is the Virgin River, the one that cut the canyon; over a period of several million years I would imagine.

Kingman to Utah

We left Kingman at last at 8:30 Friday morning. We had air pressure for the brakes and the suspension but now the engine temperature gauge that had been repaired yesterday was not working again! We were not going to go back but called them on the phone anyway as we turned off I-40 onto highway 93 towards the Hoover Dam. Their response was that we take the rig to another Freightliner shop and have the service dept. phone for authorization for a warranty repair. Since we were on our way (eventually) to Redding California for them to correct the odometer, that fitted in well with our plans so we pressed on, again without a temp gauge. There were no major mountains in our way so we weren't concerned.

We had last crossed the Hoover Dam two years ago and the construction was taking shape--and what a project! Because the dam is considered a major terrorist target commercial trucks are not permitted to cross and only a few years ago were RVs allowed. This created a huge costly detour for the commercial traffic. A few miles before the dam all vehicles are stopped and searched. There was very little traffic and so we were soon on our way. Funny thing, of the three man team that checked us out, we recognised 2 of the officers from our previous trip. The third looked familiar but we couldn't be sure.


The major construction is to build a new road and bridge route so that traffic will no longer drive over the surface of the dam. The dam and hydroelectric installation is quite impressive in itself, but the new bridge that will take traffic high above is something else.



The main support arch is about half built, a quarter out from each side, held in place by an array of pylons and massive cables. This will be a spectacular crossing when finished and we imagine it will provide a spectacular view as well. Remember, this was in progress two years ago. It will take some time to complete.


The north bound traffic was extremely light, it was still early in the day and weekend traffic hadn't started yet so we drove straight across. South bound was a different story--there was a lot of traffic, made worse by the parade of hundreds of minis, obviously out on a run of some sort.




Before we knew it we were through Las Vagas in spite of a detour and onto the I-15 East. About half way to Utah we stopped at an off ramp for an early lunch about 11:30. Back on the road again Art realised that the temperature gauge was working again! The problem had been loose connection at the gauge wiring, so now that we know here to look, hopefully if it goes out again Art will have half a chance of repairing it at least temporarily.

A little further up I-15 we entered the Virgin River Canyon--a taste of things to come. This the same river that formed a major canyon in Zion National Park, our reason for this detour on our way home.

Gillian was navigating this section so she recommended that we bypass St George and stop in Leeds, from where we would tour the canyons by car. Art thinks it was just her Yorkshire heritage coming through! In any case it was a good call and we found a very pleasant campground in this little village--one gas station, one grocery store and 2 RV parks. We arrived early in the afternoon, 2:PM to us, but really 3PM by Mountain Daylight Time.

We booked in to the Zion West RV Park for 2 nights and Art pushed the buttons to level the rig and extend the slides --oh oh! The dinette slide wouldn't extend completely and the bedroom slide not at all!. Retract the jacks, ask Gillian which kitchen funnel she could live with out and about 2 litres of automatic transmission fluid added to the hydraulic reservoir had everything working as it should. If there is a small leak somewhere it should be easy to spot as the ATF is dyed red! While he carried on and connected the requisite hoses and cables then checked out our internet connection Gillian started a couple of loads of laundry and made a quick run to the grocery store.

For dinner tonight we were going full out; Pork chops, mashed potatoes, green beans, asparagus and a $4.00 (US) bottle of Shiraz. Best four dollar plonk we have ever had.

It has been very cold here over night, just above freezing, so we turned on the heat pump, even though it is located under the bed, thinking the cold would be more likely to interfere with our sleep than the noise. We can't use the propane furnace unless absolutely necessary because the air blowing out of the floor vents terrifies Tia. She will not walk past them. As there is one in the bedroom by her bed. . . .

Tomorrow we will be off in the car to tour Zion National Park.

Kingman for the night...and another, and another

Freightliner again

After setting up and sorting out, we un-hooked the tracker to take a quick drive around the neighbourhood, found a pharmacy, coffee shop, restaurant etc. Gillian found a place to walk the dogs, but it wasn't too exciting, just a paved walking trail. At least there was no traffic. The internet in the park wasn't reliable so we found an internet connection at a nearby Starbucks and logged on to catch up a bit.

Next morning as we got ready to go, during the air brake check a loud hisssssssss was heard coming from the area of the right front wheel! Fortunately there was a Freightliner shop not too far away. We phoned, and the service desk suggested that it would be best if they sent a service truck. The mechanic arrive soon and quickly found the culprit--a leak at the right airbag valve. A few wraps of packaging tape and we were holding air pressure, at least enough to get to the shop, a few blocks away.

We loaded the tracker with dogs, water, books and the lap top and headed for Starbucks for a bit more internet, leaving the rig at the shop. We also asked them to check out the temperature gauge and replace the rock guard that we had taken off a few days ago. They promised to call as soon as it was ready.

When we got tired of waiting, after lunch, we called the shop. They had been trying to call but were unable to get through. Art's nephew had been trying to call from Paris and had been unable to get through either. So we went back to the shop to see what was going on. We checked that they had the correct number, they tried while we were there, their phone got a message the we were not available, and our phone didn't ring. Strange.


At the shop we were shown that they had also discovered a bent tie rod. We suspect that it had been like this since we bought the rig, as there had been no change in steering or handling. We decided to replace it anyway, so parts were ordered for tomorrow and we took the rig back to Circle S. to wait, fortunately the weather was nice--except for the wind.


In the morning we returned early to the shop. They would also repair if possible the temperature gauge. So once again we set off to kill time. We were ready to go by early afternoon, the temperature gauge problem they said was a faulty connector at the back of the gauge. It was very windy and we realised it was a bit too late to set off--we didn't want to over night in Vagas, so we decided to grace Kingman with our presence for a third night. This time though we stayed in a different park, The Zuni Campground, just down the street from the Circle S. it seemed bit nicer, and there was a bit more shade.

"Back in the US...Back in the US...Back in the USSA"

Bye Bye Mexico, 23 March

Some 30 kilometers and 30 minutes later we crossed the US border point without incident at Lukeville Arizona, and began looking for a place for the night. This highway takes us north through the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, lots of cacti! At 7:00PM we found the Ajo Heights RV Park in Ajo Az, just before dark. We were able to stay hooked up and were within range of the wireless internet.

You can track us via again via APRS at: http://map.findu.com/va7rv-12

It was here though that we discovered that the inverter/charger wasn't working. The house batteries were not too bad, considering their generally poor condition, as the solar panels would keep them up somewhat as long as we didn't draw then down too much. The problem was the inverter wouldn't let any power through, even from the generator. Art decided to ignore it for now as it was too dark and cold for mess around with it (patience might be neeeded here!) so he simply, once again, hooked up our spare charger to keep the batteries up through the night so we could keep the fridge and furnace running.

By 9:30 we were on our way again, carrying on through the Sonora Desert on AZ85 until we connected with the I-10 when we turned east for a bit, the north past Phoenix to US93 which would take us north east through Wickenhurg towards Kingman.

At 1:00PM it was time for a lunch break it so happened that there was a well placed rest area actually at the top of a hill instead of at the bottom, where they frequently seem to be located. While Gillian got the dogs out, Art decided to check out the inverter. He poured through the manual and found nothing of help. As a last resort, he took the front panel off and bypassed the AC input wiring completely. This would now allow the shore power and generator to supply AC to the coach, but we still had no battery charging other than solar while the sun was out, or from the vehicle alternator while driving. If the batteries were to require more than this, the spare charger would be dragged out.

In spite of all this activity we were under way again and soon closed on I-40, where we turned west for Kingman, AZ., arriving at the Circle S Campground at 4:30

Los Mochis, El Fuerte, San Carlos and points north

Leaving the RV Park at Mazatlan we drive north along the beach front for a few kilometers then turn inland for a few more kilometers and join the Mex 15D (the cuota, or toll road) which runs to the border at Nogales. We would be turning off at Santa Ana and take Mex 2 west to cross at Sonoyta/Lukeville in order to avoid the huge crush at the Nogales crossing and the heavy traffic through Tucson Arizona.


The cuota traffic is quite sparse, but but some of it was BIG. This was the third of these rigs in a row. The first 2 were followed by "Wide Load" pilot cars. This one just had its own sign. The speed limit is about 110 Km/H if memory serves, so we make fairly good time. Normally on this part of the trip we leave Maz early, say about 7:00 AM, lunch in Los Mochis and stop for a couple of nights in San Carlos, usually arriving there by about 6:00 PM--a long day, but there is nothing really on the way for a convenient stop. This year we decided to take a detour to check out El Fuerte. The tolls on this section, Mazatlan to El Fuerte, were 891 pesos, about $80.00 Canadian.


We stopped for fuel, lunch and a rest in Los Mochis in a "super Pemex" truck stop called La Pilarica. We frequently stop here for fuel and lunch as the food in the cafe is excellent, and it's just under 5 hours from Mazatlan.



As Art turned on the propane so we could run the fridge while we were stopped, he heard a great rush of gas and felt the propane blowing past his face. He immediately turned the gas off again and investigated. It appeared to be coming from the "add-on" T that allows an external propane appliance to be attached. We use it for the BBQ. Art took it out and reconnected the propane line. He sloooowly opened the valve, checked for leaks and turned on the fridge. Close inspection showed a large crack in the T fitting. You can see it quite clearly in the picture, (click to enlarge) it is in the narrow part on the right hand side, just to the left of nut. We were very happy that we seldom (now NEVER) run with the propane on. Could have been exciting.


From Los Mochis we turned inland to the old town of El Fuerte. This is a nice very old town, slowing being refurbished. We enjoyed walking around the square, There had a been a procession, with very little girls, 3 or 4 years of age dressed in elegant dresses and headgear. We took a few pictures, but of course these were taken with the "car camera" which sometimes had down load problems and Art again managed to loose everything! The only surviving pic is one Gillian took through the windshield as we were leaving El Fuerte campground.





We left El Fuerte at 8:45 by the northern road, to reconnect with the 15 quite a bit north of Los Mochis. Traffic here was a little heavy at times. At least by visiting the town we saved a bit on tolls!! Even so, this days tolls amounted to 530 pesos, about $47.00 Canadian.

On our way north we phoned our friends Joe and Christine, who live all winter in San Carlos and they immediately invited us for dinner!


San Carlos

We arrived in San Carlos mid afternoon, driving though town to El Mirador RV Park, our favourite San Carlos RV park (though it has been slowly going down hill) to find that the municipality had a water main problem in this area and there was no water and probably wouldn't be for several more days.

So all the way back through town to the Totonaka RV Park and checked in. It was a very nice park, free wireless, laundry and quite well located. After setting up, dog walking, shower and change off we went to see our friends. We forgot the camera! They have a beautiful home, may ask them to send a photo or two. We always have a wonderful time with these two. The company and conversation is always entertaining when Joe and Christine are around, they come from very different back grounds, are well educated, and Joe loves nothing better than a good discussion. This time we were joined by another couple to add yet another couple of viewpoints.

We finally left, full, tired out and ready for bed, with an invitation to return the following night for another session. What a great way to spend our last days in Mexico!

Next day we tended to the laundry, calculated how many pesos we might need, and went off to Joe and Christine's again that evening.

Up and away in the morning . . . . WAIT ! We forgot to put more time on our cell phones! If we cross the border with the pay and talk just topped up, the time will expire in two months, but on our return to Mexico we will be able to reactivate our sim cards and keep the same phone numbers. The sim card will not be able to be reactivated if the time has expired for 6 months. We needed that 2 extra months. Art dashed up the street to an OXXO (similar to a 7-11) and bought the cheapest cards at ten pesos each.

As we drove off we put the time into the cards and found that they would expire in only two weeks! Shortly after noon we stopped at Benjamin Hill (fondly know to us as "Benny Hill") for fuel and lunch. There is a nice restaurant here where we almost always find a police officer or two at lunch! Art approached one of the officers and asked what they knew about the pay and talk cards. The consensus was that a 200 peso card would be good for 2 months. Into the ever present OXXO and 400 pesos later, our phone time would expire May 22nd. Seeing as we will be back in Mexico in late October, we should be able to get our cards re-activated within the 6 month limit.

Fuel, lunch dog walking and phone cards ate up an hour twenty, but we were only 40 minutes from Santa Ana and junction with Highway 2, on our way to our border crossing. We expected a lot of construction, this long section of highway is being completely up-graded after storm damage several years ago.

We detoured through the town of Caborca, the route was not well marked (surprise), but managed to get through OK. We almost missed the turn back onto Highway 2, but a semi trailer, also confused, stopped at an interesection which allowed us enough time to look around for a sign, at the last minute spotting the small sign for Sonoyta pointing right.

We were rolling again up newly paved road until we hit the construction areas again.





There are three sections of this, about 13 kilometers in all. It's been going on for 2 years, probably another year or two to finish. The completed sections are great. Be nice when it's done.






Aftermath of the detours.

We pulled in at the "Migracion" and the "Banjercito" on highway 2 to turn in our tourist cards and car permit. The motorhome permit didn't need to be turned in as rv's qualify for a 10 year permit.

As we went back to the car for the paperwork we discovered that the stone guard had come loose on one end and was dragging behind. The free end was worn down quite a bit from dragging on the pavement, but when we first noticed it was disconnected it was resting on top of the tow bar!

After completing the paper work Art got the tool box out and removed the right end and the guard traveled for a while in the back of the tracker. We later replaced it in Kingman, Arizona.

How we spent a week in Mazatlan

Friday the 13th, Afternoon

We arrived at Las Jaibas (The Crabs) in time for happy hour and had a good visit with friends from years past.

Besides visiting friends here our purpose for spending several days in Mazatlan was one Juan Salazar Jr, a first class body and paint man. Since our departure from Puerto Vallarta we had even more work for Juan!

We spied a couple of his workers putting the finishing touches on a rig in the back of the campground and let them know that we had arrived and what space we were in. Juan had said on the phone that he would see us on Saturday to asses the job and give us a price.

Seems the guys didn't finish the job on Friday night and they were back to do so on Saturday. Imagine our surprise when Juan and his crew drove out of the park, waving as he passed! Monday was a holiday, so no luck there, but we phoned anyway. Juan assured us he would see us Tuesday at 9.

Then Bill and Margaret arrived and phoned Juan, who told them he would see them Tuesday.

Tuesday at 10:15 Art phoned Juan again. "One Hour." At 11:45 Art phoned again, voice mail. Art left a bilingual message!. Since lunch time was approaching we joined Bill and Margaret at "Holy Frijole", the restaurant at the front of the RV park, for lunch.

At about 2:30 Juan and his main hand arrived. After careful inspection he asked " How long are you staying?" We told him we had planned to leave tomorrow, but we would leave the day after he was finished, as long as he could start right away. After a bit of head scratching he said that he could start Thursday, and would be finished Saturday. The quoted price was 4000 pesos (about $350 Canadian dollars) We agreed and Juan went off to talk to Bill and Margaret.

Wednesday, March 18

As we were finishing our leisurely breakfast, who should appear but Juan and his men! Ready to work! Soon hammers (borrowed from Art!) were hammering, grinders were grinding--things were happening!. It turned out that the damaged wheel well was plastic, and rather that pieces being missing, the bottom piece had broken off, twisted and dropped down a bit. They began to "plastic weld" the pieces together but the soldering iron they were using quit working. As any good ham radio enthusiast, Art had a large soldering gun in his box of "stuff" and it soon had the job done. Also borrowed from Art were assorted screw drivers and pliers. While the "bondo" dried, Juan and co. went over to Bill and Margaret's rig to start removing decals and general cleaning up and get ready to repair and paint. A bit later the boys were back and the primer paint went on.

That evening we had been invited over to have dinner with our Victoria friends Jacqui and Derek who were renting a condo. As we got out of the motorhome and said good bye to the dogs Trekker bolted. He leapt from the rig past Gillian, hitting the ground about 10 feet away and was away like a shot down toward the back of the RV park. He turned at the fence and continued his full out dash along the side fence. While Gillian went after him on foot Art got in the car and headed for the gate. Too late, he was gone and out of sight. We found him shortly thereafter across the street ( divided road, 2 lanes each way!) in a hotel construction site that was fortunately fenced from the beach. When he heard the car he came running up, as if to say "are we going to the beach?" In previous years this was essentially vacant property and was the route for his daily beach walk, though this year Gillian had been taking him to the beach a different way. We has no traffic sense. We ( and he!) were very lucky. He was brought back to the motorhome and put inside and we left for dinner, arriving a half hour late.


Next morning Bill was out early stripping decals and shortly afterwards Juan and the boys returned to do our colour coat and the clear coat and by 5:00 PM they were done. Between coats they worked on Bill and Margaret's class C which looked great with all the decals gone and the old paint sanded. There was some bondo used but several areas needed fibreglass repairs which were well under way. They had a couple more days work to do. They were just going to get a basic white paint job and get Juan to do some decorative work when they return in the fall. Juan doesn't "do" decals--but he does an amazing jog with paint.

That night we met Jacqui and Derek again and went into the old town for an Italian dinner, where we were met by another long time Victoria friend Paul and his girlfriend Antonia. We had a great time as always with this group--we miss them a lot when we are traveling.

Taxi back to Jacqui and Dereks where we had left our car, and back to Las Jaibas to take the dogs out for a few minutes before we all went to bed.

Friday morning, after a week in Maz, we were once again Northbound

Friday the 13th! Puerto Vallarta to Mazatlan

March of course also has a Friday the 13th!

Click on the pictures to enlarge for detail

We left the Puerto Vallarta Trailer Park at 8:50, about an hour later than planned--Does that sound familiar? We slowly bumped our way along several blocks of cobblestone street to the highway. After a couple of light sequences we were finally at the front of the line of traffic waiting for the light. It is legal to turn right on a red light in Mexico but there was a lot of traffic and a bus stop to our left blocked our view so Art decided to wait for the light.

The turn was a very hard right from a narrow road onto the lateral. (like a service road paralleling the main through highway)--In PV, as in many Mexican cities, heavy traffic (us) must use the laterals, are not permitted to use the centre lanes. Art had to go straight into the intersection before starting his turn but still somehow was edging right a bit. As we proceeded we both heard a scraping noise and a lot of yelling from a bystander. We had sideswiped a pickup truck parked at the intersection! Art edged left a little and pulled further into the intersection as the bystander ran in front of us waving his arms and yelling, to try to make us stop. We weren't about to stop in the middle of a busy intersection so Art completed his turn and stopped in the right lane of the lateral while still leaving enough room for traffic. By this time of course the light had changed again and traffic was not happy that we were still in the intersection!

Art walked back to inspect the damage to the truck, visions of 500 peso notes changing hands, wondering how many it was going to take. Fortunately there were no policemen in site! Also fortunately, the truck driver was grinning and laughing, pointing to all the old scrapes and scratches on the side of his truck saying that there were no new ones! The steel bumper had taken the hit and there was no sign of damage there either. The owner was happy and asked how our "camper" was. We hadn't looked yet so went back for a peek.

Not good, but not really too bad. There is a long scrape along the storage bins and a chunk out of the wheel well. Fortuitously we had already called our favourite Mexican body man in Mazatlan, Juan Salizar Jr to arrange to have some work done when we got to Mazatlan. There had been some dents and scratches to the rig when we bought it and we know Juan from work he had done for us on the old rig and the car in previous years.


We were soon out of town and even out of state and as we entered Nayarit we set the clocks back an hour to Mountain Standard Time. We were now on the same time as in BC since Mexico won't go to Daylight Saving Time until April 1st. We won't be on Daylight time until we leave Arizona in a couple of weeks. The log book shows that we stopped for fuel in Nueva Vallarta half an hour before we left PV! Diesel by the way, 7.68 pesos per litre, about 67 cents Canadian.

On our way again we were 242 litres heavier. Our next planned stop was to be the village of Manatchen to buy banana bread.

We quickly left the wide 4 lane highway behind and were winding through the hills. We noticed that traffic appeared light, the on coming traffic consisting of the occasional single vehicle then a long line behind a truck then a long empty road, then repeating again. We ourselves were soon behind a slow vehicle--and RV. But what an RV. This was an old, battered and dirty Class A motorhome towing an even more battered, old and dirtier trailer. The trailer had no rear windows, the door frequently swinging open a bit and did the door on the motorhome. Top speed was 15 Km/H! Eventually one of the long gaps in oncoming traffic coincided with a straight piece of road and we went by.

Not long after we came to a halt and discovered what had caused the strange traffic pattern. A single Federal Policeman was directing single lane traffic around an accident scene up to moments before we arrived. Now there was a tow truck across the road attempting to pull up a car that had gone down the embankment. At least half an hour later the mangled wreck was on the back of the truck and single lane traffic began again--but only south bound. Another 5 or 10 minutes and we too were on the move.

Tepic or Not Tepic?


The usual published route between Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan is to go inland to the city of Tepic and take the Cuota (Toll Road) all the way to Mazatlan. This route (which we have yet to take) may be a bit quicker but it involves a lot of hills and a lot of expensive tolls.


We like the coast road through San Blas and Villa Hidalgo. The roads for the most part through flat farming country with little traffic though very narrow in spots. We have frequently seen combine harvesters taking up almost the whole road, but they were always happy to pull off to let us by. So again we turned off at Las Varas and followed the "yellow" road for a while.











Another advantage of this route is that it takes us through the tiny village of Manatchen where there are many roadside stalls selling banana bread, some plain, others flavoured with other fruit such as pineapple, coconut, elote and yaka.










Just north of the village the road runs along side a large area of marshes, lagunas and estuaries where the sigh suggests that if you drink enough Tecate, you might get brave enough to go looking for crocodiles.








Although this year we met no combine harvesters there were a few interesting vehicles on the road. The small moto-trike has a load of sticks for firewood. These slow vehicle are everywhere. The large tractor is in downtown Villa Hidalgo.





12 Km after Villa Hidalgo we were back on the highway, this time the Mex 15 libre, to Mazatlan. Last year we had turned off a few kilometers later to join the 15D (the Cuota) but soon realised the access road (and bridge) was not built for heavy traffic, though we had been following a couple of cement trucks! This year a sign had been added at the turnoff: Max 2 Tons! So we stayed with the libre and in another 25 Km or so joined the toll road again at Rosamorada. There is still a small section where the toll road has not been completed, 3 or four large overpasses still have no roads attached! Here we were back on the "libre" and its attendant slow and busy truck traffic foryet another 20 Kilometers
The rest of the trip was uneventfull except that at one of the toll booths we were undercharged--the posted toll was 76 pesos for the car and 130 for the motorhome. Art had 206 pesos ready, but the attendant took the 200 peso note only and gave back 4 pesos change. We carried on pleasantly surprised and as we drove Gillian scrutinised the tickets and yes, the printed amounts were 76 and 130. The poor attendant was going to be out 10 pesos at the end of his day. There was no placed to turn around so we carried on. We'll give the ten pesos to the next Red Cross collection point.

By 5PM we were at Las Jaibas RV Park in Mazatlan. This park is right next door the the park (now closed) where we stayed on our first motorhome trips to Mexico. We were greeted by our good friends Jacqui and Derek who rent an apartment here, they were visiting mutual friends here at the park. Just like old times.