It's Thursday morning and this must be Green Valley. It's so nice to be able to read again. I mean, well what I mean is... and it's no ones fault but my own.... after all these years I'm still getting by with Spanglish. It gets better each season, and every year I add a new phrase or two to my collection, but it's still Spanglish with very little understanding of whole sentences and even less ability to take in new words. Kathy on the other hand, is doing very well. She seems to have a natural ability to grasp the feeling of a conversation and is now engaging in full blown conversations about practically everything. You'd swear she'd been in Spanish classes for years. And so we get by; she taking the lead in most non-English conversations and me holding my own when I'm out and about by myself - due in large part to the kindness of those I converse with.
The reading I referred to is about road signs on the highway. 'Tis true, after all these years, I have a solid grasp on the usual signs about dangerous curves and Tope (those massive speed bumps requiring you to slow down to a crawl while the highway goes through small villages or risk losing your undercarriage) warnings. But the Mexican highways under repair (as most are these days, thanks to hurricanes and other weather and climate phenomena's) have all kinds of different signage... like detours and explanations. There's also a new set reminding you that being a good driver and obeying the various rules will give you a better day and a better world. True of course, in a kind of preachy way. Perhaps all the signage has been designed to keep language-challenged drivers (such as myself) awake. Hmmmmm.
Anyway, back to our story. We're here! Left San Carlos after two lazy days. Couldn't believe how exhausted we were (after the major last push to ready SSpirit and then the 13 hour journey by bus and taxi to get from Mazatlan to San Carlos). We took the time to totally unpack, inventory and repack the truck (answering the "what's in the back?" question with "just a bunch of stuff" type answers just doesn't cut it at the borders these days). Mostly we slept, rested, and enjoyed the company of a few good friends over meals.
We left SC yesterday (Wednesday) at 0600 precisely and headed north just as dawn was breaking. As this was likely our last drive on this route, we took the time to enjoy the scenery (the white, red, and yellow desert flower blooms are just beautiful) and remember all the wonderful folks we met during our stays in the little coastal, marina town. Crossing the border went well. No hard questions, no paperwork hassle, just a short conversation with a friendly Border guard and we were through.
Green Valley is a good place to stop, either before crossing southbound early in the morning or after crossing the border north bound after a long drive. For the past several years we have always stayed at the Best Western (and always been somewhat disappointed in the condition of our room and the hotel in general). This time we decided to try somewhere different. The BW had put their rates up and it just didn't seem right. We are now fans of the Vagabond Inn. What a difference. This hotel is just as close to the border, just as safe (we prefer Green Valley to Nogales for safety reasons), cleaner and brighter, also provides breakfast, and is about $50 (US) cheaper.
Today, after breakfast, we head west to Yuma and will be staying at the Microtel (two nights for the same price as one night at the BW in Green Valley) for a couple nights. That will give us time to prep Lucy (the trailer) and get Rikki (the truck) his 32,000 km service. And then we will head to Buckskin Mountain State Park for some R&R.
That's our story for now.... Hope all is well with all of you. We are well. TTFN. CJ
Posted by: Carolyn (via Kathy's Google mail profile)
Sent from my iPad
