October 30th--Last night in the USA, and on to Mexico.

Started later than hoped, as we would have a one hour time zone change in Texas. We weren't on the road until 9:45 under sunny skies.

Today we continued down the Pecos Valley all the way to the Rio Grande and the Mexican Border. The Pecos Valley is a very wide mostly flat valley, much like yesterday's drive.


Again we followed highway 285 for most of the day to Sanderson then the 90 to Del Rio and finally parallel with the Rio Grande to Eagle Pass.

The wind stayed with us--pushing us along nicely. For most of the trip we were able to maintain 100 Km/H (60 MPH) (road surface permitting) without burning too much fuel.

This photo taken four hours after the previous one!




Approaching Del Rio we went through the Amistad National Recreation Area, a large sprawling lake formed by the Amistad Dam which provides flood control and hydroelectric power to Mexico and the United States. The bonus is a watery recreation area in an otherwise very dry area.

We arrived at the Eagle Pass Walmart, received permission to stay the night and after watching the news (the five o'clock news from home now comes on at seven thanks to the time zone change.

For dinner we walked several blocks up the road to Chili's. Our American waitress is married to a Mexican and lives across the border in Piedras Negras. She walks at least two miles to work and back. She and her husband (and two little ones) are hoping to immigrate to Vancouver and have just begun to investigate the requirements.


Halloween Morning--on our way to Mexico

to be continued!

Well I spent a good hour writing the next post and the internet quit and I lost it all!

I'll re-write it on Open Office, post the text then add the photos one at a time. Now if I had just done that the first time. . . . .

Well on and off trying to post for another hour or so the rest will come perhaps tomorrow.

Here is the first part:

Waking up more or less on time we had a hurried breakfast, packed up, walked the dogs---somehow that all took an hour and a half!

We had been trying to decide whether we should fuel up here or in Mexico. Since diesel here was quite cheap as such things go ($3.659/US gallon) Art made the executive decision. We were full of diesel and moving by 8:40. Same time as last year!

We were pretty sure we could remember the route to the truck crossing and set off full of confidence: “ does this look familiar?” “I think I remember this corner” etc etc etc.

We made the right turn and in a block or two we found our way blocked by a stationary train across the road. After a few minutes the train began to move. A few box cars crossed in front of us then the train stopped again. Several minutes later we decided to follow the example of the rest of the traffic and turn right. A couple of blocks later we turned left, one block later we turned left again and found ourselves on the street we remembered as one that led to the International Bridge across the Rio Grande into Mexico.

$9.50 US and a few moments later we were in Mexico and at the Mexican Border crossing. We knew from past experience at this crossing that we were not permitted into the commercial truck area which at first look seemed the only area wide enough for us—last year we had to disconnect the tow car, back up, reconnect and pull into the very narrow car lanes but at the last minute a hard left avoided those and we parked in front of the office.

We found a couple of agents who inspected the storage bins and had a quick look inside the motorhome. Art had told them that we had some culinary herbs in a planter and that we weren't sure if they were permitted or not. The agent had a good look, inspecting each plant carefully and finally allowed them and wished us “Buen viaje” (good trip).

Driving along the edge of the town of Piedras Negras we were keeping a close eye out for a particular OXXO (sort of a Mexican 7/11) in order to put time on our Mexican cell phones. We passed a few where parking was difficult and were beginning to think we had missed it when we spotted the store and pulled off onto a wide dirt space near by.

There are several easy ways to add time to a cell phone in Mexico. One is at most convenience stores and grocery stores. Here you give the cashier the amount you want to put on your phone, tell her which carrier, and your cell phone number. She enters the info on her till and before your can leave, the cell phone beeps with a text message giving you the current balance! Another easy way is at most ATMs. Once you insert the card, from the menu you select “Buy cell phone time” select the carrier, the amount of time wanted and press the button. Again, almost before you can turn away your phone beeps with a text message and your account is debited!

Communications secured we carried on, next stop a second check point; immigration, temporary vehicle import permit and a second customs check. It is very common in Mexico that this second check point be 20 so kilometers from the actual border. On this route it was somewhat further.

Our first crossing here we thought we had missed the stop! We had been told that it was at kilometer 50 or 51. The problem was that the first Km markers we saw were in the 200s and going down! Then suddenly we were in the 20's and also decreasing! As Km 1 went by at the south turn off for the city of Allende we rounded a curve to see Km 51 and the checkpoint on the right.

This year there were no other RVs in the parking area and very few cars. Inside there was no one around. Documents in hand Art knocked on the window of the immigration office. We were quickly and courteously dealt but a major problem reared its head: we required copies of the main page of our passports ,the jeep registration and Gillian's driving license. This year there was no local copy office which had been there in previous years! The agent kindly made the copies on his office machine and we went across to the next office to pay for our visas and to get the temporary vehicle import permit for the jeep. The motorhome didn't need one as it already has a ten year permit issued three years ago.

Back out in the parking area Art attached the required hologram to the windshield while Gillian took the dogs for a walk and bathroom break.

Next was the gauntlet of yet another customs check. We entered the Nothing to Declare lane as we had been instructed in the office but an armed officer directed us to the Declare lane. However there was no way that we could make the 90 degree right turn at the exit of that lane. Eventually the officer recognised the problem and removed several traffic cones and directed us ahead and into a checkpoint area.

Here we were inspected by a search dog who only took exception to the barking of Trekker and Tia! One of the officers came in and had a quick look around, including the freezer compartment of the fridge, and he too wished us “Buen Viaje” and waved us on with a smile.

Now well on our way on at first fairly rough roads which soon improved, the terrain was much like that on the US side for the past few days so for the most part able to keep to the speed limits, which varied from 90 to 100 Km/H. We had eaten breakfast in Eagle Pass but along the way we each munched on an apple and a banana so weren't too pressed for a lunch stop.

There were quite a few places to pull off, complete with litter barrels, but we bypassed them all, even our usual one which had a nicely placed shade tree. We hoped this year to hold out for a small rest area that we had notice each previous trip which looked worth a stop.

We found the place as we remembered in the Sierra La Gavia, a short steep mountain ridge thrust up in the middle of the desert. The rest area is called “Fuente Ojo de Agua". Fuente means fountain and Ojo de Agua translates literally as Eye of Water but means a spring. There was a lot of greenery concentrated in a small area but we were unable to see any free standing water.

The photos don't really do justice to the colours and textures of the rocks, they were really quite imposing especially standing at the base of the large cut and looking up--almost dizzying.

I'll post a few more photos if the internet speed improves. At the moment it is taking anywhere from three to ten minutes for each pic to upload! (Later note: Near Queretaro, posted these last three in under ten minutes. Guess that's as fast as we can expect!)

Back on the road again in about an hour and a half we arrived at the Hotel Imperial del Norte in Saltillo which has a small RV park in the back. Nice place to walk the dogs, clean and dry with lots of greenery all around. Tia was happy to take her siesta in the sun.

There is water, power and sewer drain though not exactly at each site. The water pressure is extremely low, the 15 amp outlets provide a reasonable voltage (though it cuts off occasionally) and the sewer outlets are in concrete enclosures with walls a foot off the ground. The lines marking the spaces have been repainted, providing fewer but wider spaces more suitable for modern rigs. We now have room for the slides to go out and still leave room to extend the awning at least a few feet.

Art learned a lesson today: The exhaust from the diesel is a little sooty while the engine in warming up. We use a "Tow Defender" to help protect the tow car from dirt and dust. It consists mainly of a square of fabric that stretches between the back of the motorhome and the front of the tow car. (I'll try to find a picture of the set up and add it later.) When we are parked with the jeep at an angle one side of the tow defender hangs down. Turning to the left, the fabric hangs down in front of the tailpipe, so close that we have to be careful not to melt it. (We are on our second fabric!).

We had parked last tight with a slight turn to the right. Note Art's jeans after rolling up and storing the tow defender on our arrival in Saltillo. Good thing he wasn't wearing his black jeans of the first sign of the problem would have been black sooty marks on everything he touched--like the pale cream vinyl upholstery!

Believe it or not we watched a makeshift cricket game going on behind us! We had the same surprise last year: An Indian company has a contract to teach computer technology here. Most of the young men were on 18 month contracts. One who Art spoke to said that his 18 months would be up in a few weeks and he would soon know if he would be allowed to do another term.

We phoned our friends Jesus and Marta and arranged to meet tomorrow for brunch, had a lovely prawn dinner (thanks Jason!) and went to bed.