ON THE ROAD AGAIN

GIVING THANKS

ON THE ROAD AGAIN - Giving Thanks

Willie Nelson’s song was our theme for 20+ years of part time living in 8 different RV’s over that period of time. We traveled throughout the U.S. much of Mexico and eastern Canada, all the way to Newfoundland. We met interesting people, saw different places, enjoyed the scenery along the way and at various stops. We sold our last RV, a Leisure Travel Van, before we moved to Mexico in Jun of 2023, so this is a car trip. The car, for anyone who cares about that detail is a 2023 Nissan X-Trail e-power. It’s a step up from hybrid but not all electric. Great gas mileage as high as 52 mpg. The engine charges the batteries which delivers power to drive the car, thus e-power.

First day out from San Miguel was to Tlaquepaque, an arts and crafts center near Guadalajara. We forgot it was a holiday and the city was chock a block full of families and visitors, very crowded and a festive atmosphere. For anyone going to Tlaquepaque, we recommend Quinta Don Jose Boutique Hotel at 139 Calle Reforma.

https://www.featherandthewind.com/blog/tlaquepaque-jalisco-guide

From there it was on to Teacapan on the Sea of Cortez. WAYZ, usually dependable, took us to a different place and it was too far to go back so we motored on and stopped for the night near Los Mochis. I should have known better from the location on a paper map. Remember those? I still like them! We then set our sights on San Carlos, also on the Sea of Cortez and spent a lovely afternoon, and night, at the Sea of Cortez Beach Club. Excellent seafood nearby at Arbolita’s. Great view of the “ocean” and fabulous sunset which I did not catch on camera, except for the afterglow.

Leaving early Wednesday morning we crossed the border in Nogales, Sonora to Nogales, AZ and drove 20 miles to Tubac where we put down for the afternoon and evening at a quiet country inn. We lived here for 3 years before moving to Mexico so had some time to visit friends and an afternoon of R & R on the front porch in very comfy chairs. 1600 miles in 4 days, not pushing hard as we have in the past. No 8 or 9 hr days of driving, more like 4-6.

https://www.tubaccountryinn.com/

On the street I met a U.S. Park Ranger headquartered for the winter at the Tumacacori National Monument, a presidio established by Juan Batista d’Anza on his expedition north from Alamos, Mexico, ending in San Francisco and Monterey in the late 1700’s. There’s a hiking trail near here along the Santa Cruz River that bears his name and a history museum and state park in Tubac devoted to that time.

The park ranger had been a captain on the large freighters plying the Great Lakes. He joined the Merchant Marines as a young man and made a career of sailing those immense carge ships, grain and iron ore from Duluth. I mentioned that we had visited the Shipwreck Museum on Whitefish Point and he knew all about the Edmund Fitzgerald and the history of the many shipwrecks on that point. Apparently the lighthouse wasn’t working the night of the storm that sunk the Edmund Fitzgerald. It’s meeting people like this along the road that adds a dimension of interest and a connection worth a good conversation.

From Tubac, north on I-19, to Tucson, one of the only interstates in the U.S. with kilometer markers instead of miles. It was constructed during a period when the United States was considering adopting the metric system, making I-19 essentially a pilot project for using kilometers on a major highway; this is particularly relevant in Arizona where the highway is located, and despite the country not fully converting to metric, the kilometer signage on I-19 remains as a historical quirk. An historical quirk along the road. From Tucson west on I-10, around the southside of Phoenix and then northwest to Wickenburg north on 93 and on to Kingman and Hoover Dam (Boulder City, NV). -

We are in Henderson, NV, picking up our new dog, “Camper”, celebrating Thanksgiving. We saw “Postcard from the Earth” at The Sphere in Las Vegas. If you get to Vegas, it’s quite the graphic visit to earth and a bit of history. Tomorrow, we’re off to OKC to see 2 more kids before driving back to Mexico via Laredo, Texas. Gratefui for safe travels on our schedule. not the airlines on a busy Holiday week; Places and people make it all worth while.