We departed Santa Fe, NM on November 23, 2015, headed for Nevada for Thanksgiving with family, enjoyed one of the days there on a large houseboat on Lake Mead, very low water level. Then it was off to Grass Valley, CA where we picked up our "new" to us 2006 Dynamax 32 XL (Freightliner M2 chassis, Cat 300 ACERT and Allison 6 spd) Very low mileage and in excellent condition. Pic above. Registration a little complicated in CA so had to drive to Reno to get the right papers so title could be issued from Montana. NM has to have a visual inspection of the VIN and that wasn't feasible.
Then to Pleasanton, CA (Fairgrounds) for a week while we both got sick with some kind of ugly sinus infection, treated at Urgent Care, prescribed antibiotics and took all ten days to mend. Left our dog Dude, somewhat reluctantly, with one of our kids and their three kids while we headed south along the coast, stopping along the way in Paso Robles, Ventura and then east to AZ to cross at Lukeville. Crossed easily, quickly and spent a couple of days with friends camped at Puerto Penasco.
Forgot to get our visas and stickers so had to detour back to Nogales, then on to Mazatlan and a minor crash with a parked car while I was trying to make a U-turn at the end of a dead end street, near the Cerritos campground at the north end of town if you know the area. Settled with the poor guy for cash as his older model Nissan suffered some major damage all along the left side. Then it was Mazatlan to Lo de Marcos, about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta. Spent two months at La Parota, on the beach in a wonderful small, quiet town yet to be over developed and over priced compared to Sayulita and San Pancho.
Found a good Freightliner service at Jimenez Autocamiones in PV and they made two trips out to the park and we took the rig into town one day for some service and maintenance. Very accommodating and reasonable. Also had electric steps repaired in the park from local electrician who did a superb job.
Started back on Feb 23 and although going to CA to retrieve dog, decided to cross at Columbia Bridge near Nuevo Laredo in Texas. Back to Mazatlan the first day and joined two other couples at La Jaimbas park, also on north end of town. Then took the toll road from Mazatlan through and over the mountains to Durango and on to Torreon. From there we made it to Columbia crossing and breezed through with no traffic, no inspections save for a check on the American side in the basements. Did not turn in our visas. Cashed in the car sticker but kept the RV sticker as it's good for 10 years. Spent the night at Casa Blanca state park.
Then it was through and around Texas, to Van Horn, a very long way about 840 miles in one day. On to Pleasanton, CA via overnight in Banning, CA (adjacent to Palm Springs) had a couple of family gatherings including a birthday celebration and then headed back toward Santa Fe. Great stop at Homolovi Ruins state park in AZ near Winslow and dinner at La Posada in The Turquoise Room, a must if you're traveling easy or west on I-40. Arrived back on March 6 and began the job of unpacking, sorting, and getting ready for what's next. All in all, a great trip! Any questions or for more info, please inquire.
No comments:
Post a Comment