Trip Report Oct 16th.

[brokenwave]

It's Friday Oct 16th, well My wife decided we needed a break from our adult age children so we packed up and went to our place in Cholla.
We left at 7AM, hit Why at 9:30AM and the Why Not store gas station was packed. We waited our turn gassed up and hit the border at 10AM.

We let a couple of trucks with trailers bringing down furniture and cabinets into the 25 car line waiting to cross coming from the declare zone.

It took the border agents 15 minutes to process the 2 trucks with open trailers. We got the green light which I was grateful for since
we were smuggling down some pricey items for our up coming kitchen remodel. Lot's of Sonoyta Policia cars around 7-8 of them,
two of them gringos pulled over, one with a big SUV with Nevada plates who passed us 10 miles into Mexico going 90+mph, guess he didn't learn.
After the Ruta Pinacante's visitor's station, I had 10-12 cars really wanting to go faster than the 50mph I was going thru that little town there.

After the road straightens out on the last leg to Penasco I saw two Jeeps behind us almost collide into on-coming traffic as they were going to
pass everyone. I decided to speed up to 80 with them on my bumper then I hit 90mph, which really pissed my wife off.

One of the jeeps passed me while the other didn't have the power to do so. I slowed down to a more sensible 70mph and the other jeep
passed me barely avoiding oncoming traffic again.
There was a lot of traffic going north with a dozen American trucks hauling big 5th wheels and 3 axle trailers going home after fall break.

Penasco had some traffic on the roads, we took the by-pass road by the wind turbines which weren't spinning again and arrived at our place
in Cholla 4 Hrs 15mins later.

Cholla had some activity, Xochiles restaurant was busy. Gas is still the same as our last trip 19.33 pesos in Penasco, 15.55 in Sonoyta
Weather has gotten better since early Sept. with a nice breeze from the NW, still toasty at 88 degrees with 52% humidity.
Thankful for having some nice mini-split's chilling everything down.

We found a CFE electric power pole that fell over 3 weeks ago, behind our house in my yard still waiting to get removed when we arrived,
30 min's after we arrived I saw a CFE truck driving around and asked them when they will take the broken pole away and he said soon.
2 hours later a crew arrived and cut the pole up and hauled it away. I was pleasantly surprised and tried to give them some $$ but they said no gracias.
Next week we'll see if they come back to remove an Osprey nest on top of a CFE pole that's causing me mucho grief, that I mentioned to them.


More to come. We'll be here for 2-3 weeks

 

[brokenwave]

Update:
Sat morning was nice in the high 60's with little humidity, Sat afternoon was warm almost 90 with 40% humidity.
Sitting on our neighbors upstairs deck in the shade was almost too hot as there was barely a breeze.

We went into town to go eat at La Curva, traffic was moderate, we decided to try going east on Calle 13, huge mistake.
Traffic near Calle 13 was heavy and backed up at 6:30, Arrived at La Curva and it was busy. There were more groups arriving
after we were seated. Masks required to enter and peoples temp's were taken on arm and neck.
Food was good, but no mariache band. On our way home we drove by Pollo Lucas and they were still very busy at 8:30 PM.

Temperature dropped down to 76 on our way home.
Glad to see the restaurant's doing well on a Sat night.

Woke up Sun morning to 67 degrees and 90% humidity, everything was wet. Saw a local guy out in front of our place fishing
on the rocks at low tide after 90 minutes he walked up to his truck with 2 decent looking rock bass.

Spoke to my local buddy who has taken people out on his 26ft boat twice the past week and he said the fishing
is heating up. They caught 20+ Coche (trigger fish), 2 Pintos and 3 Groupers (40-50lb's). He found a nice spot 7 miles out
that has been good for him 3 years running now.

 

[brokenwave]

Monday Update, Watched the Packers vs Buc's game at our house, 1st time I've been able to stream stuff without major buffering.
I switched over to a dish based internet Benjo Brown has installed in Cholla, getting 10-12mbps speed, 5x better than Telmex was.
JJ's had a decent crowd before the game.
Weather cooled down a few degrees but the humidity was a bit higher, still a bit toasty but getting better every day, next week
it should become nice.
Water is still warm but refreshing we had a colorful sunset tonight.

 

[brokenwave]

Wednsday update, Weather is still warm to hot in town, better by the ocean.
Our youngest son came down for his birthday on Monday evening which has become a tradition the past 5 years.
We were very happy to see him, we celebrated by getting some Pollo Lucas to bring home.

Tues we went to eat lunch at Playa Bonita's restaurant Puesta Del Sol. Masks, Temp and hand sanitizer required.
Food was OK they still serve Corona products there. I had a Coke.

We walked down to the water and strolled along the beach for 1/4 mile, I walked in the water which is still pretty warm.
My wife drove our son around in our Jeep and took him to JJ's to see if he can cash in on his birthday drinks, sadly they only
serve you the weekend after your actually birthday.
We went to Pane Vino for dinner, it was our 2nd time, food was very good, Pizza is good-very good, they now serve only Tecate crap
which bummed me because last year they served Modelo and Pacifico products. I had to settle for a Coor's Light, WTF! really in Mexico!!
Great view from the outside patio and they had a nice crowd, too bad there were 4 Mercedes in the parking lot, I'm not a fan.
My wife had a Cesear salad with Chicken it was huge and the chicken was very tender, flavorful and moist. It looked and tasted
awesome according to my wife.

It started getting really humid on our way home from town which required turning on the wipers when we drove from Sandy Beach
to home in Cholla, the water was already dripping off the drain spouts for the roof when we arrived home.

We did some star gazing with my telescope I brought down, we saw Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and the 1/3 phase moon but
the humidity was becoming a problem so we ended viewing early.
My son stayed up to watch the Orionoid's meteor shower where he saw 15-20 shooting stars over 75 minutes.

We woke to some thick fog on Wed morning which cleared by 9AM. Pic's are below.

 

[playaperro]

Beer is beer your just going to piss it out anyways, I prefer dos xx 5 bucks a six pack at OXXO.

 

[Buffalo Marty]

We went to Pane Vino for dinner, it was our 2nd time, food was very good, Pizza is good-very good, they now serve only Tecate crap
which bummed me because last year they served Modelo and Pacifio products.
[/QUOTE]
Is Pane Vino the one that moved up on Whale Hill next to Casa De Capitan a few years ago? I also get confused because the place was called "Fish" at first (I think) but then changed again...

 

[Idyllwild]

We went to Pane Vino for dinner, it was our 2nd time, food was very good, Pizza is good-very good, they now serve only Tecate crap
which bummed me because last year they served Modelo and Pacifio products.

Is Pane Vino the one that moved up on Whale Hill next to Casa De Capitan a few years ago? I also get confused because the place was called "Fish" at first (I think) but then changed again...
[/QUOTE]
Fish was what they called their downstairs restaurant. They had a small but decent seafood menu. Last winter or so they redid the downstairs to make it a pizza place.

 

[brokenwave]

Yes, Pane V is up on the hill next to Casa Del Capitan.
It has two dining rooms, the one that's upstairs for fine dining is closed currently.
The patio dining has 8-10 tables.

 

[brokenwave]

Thurs update,
Woke up around 6:30 to 80 degrees, very windy and humid, lot's of wave action.
We stayed at the house and did little projects, mostly picking up the debris from a CFE pole that fell down a few weeks ago,
the concrete just eroded away from 20 years of wind and humidity exposure, most of the cement poles are bad near
the ocean in Cholla, more will fall down soon.
Also getting ready to replace 60 feet of 2x6" facia board and trim that's 30 years old and
had been partially infested by termites over the spring and summer while we locked out by Covid19.
My Termite company inspected and treated the patio and found 2 small areas where there was any recent
activity. They're all dead for now.

 

[joanC]

Unless Mx now offers pressure treated lumber, import or smuggle it in. Never rots and termites won't touch it. If what you have now is still serviceable, brush on used motor oil. End of sun and termite damage.

 

[brokenwave]

The previous wood was untreated and it's lasted 30 years, it's biggest problem was
regular paint upkeep got lax.
30 years in Penasco's climate with my house being 200 feet from the ocean didn't help,
well it lasted longer than I would have expected.
If I keep the painting schedule more regular and the new wood may last longer than me. LOL

 

[brokenwave]

Update, Sunday 10/25.
We ate at the Cholla Bay Oyster House on Sat night, there is a whole different crew working there now.
Food was good but the service wasn't so good. They are slow and very disorganized. Hopefully
growing pains that will diminish shortly.
There were 12-15 people eating there, outside dining and the upstairs sports bar are open. The main dining room
is closed due to the 60% usage Covid rules.

We woke up to a morning temp of 78 really humid and wind starting to gust 15-20mph. I saw a nice boat 27-30 foot long
bouncing in the waves heading back to the Penasco marina, Weather underground missed the wind part in their forecast.

Joe, I walked down on the side walk to the north of the big white house, the ocean temp was 84.5 degrees,
so I'm getting 2 degrees warmer than the sea temp site. My thermometer reading is very close to what my
house weather station reads out, so I'm OK with that difference.
Water is still pretty warm standing in it.
I'll let you know how bad the wind and cool town is over the next few days.

 

[brokenwave]

Update, Monday 10/26,
Sunday we went out for lunch and decided on eating at La Curva, got there after 12, we were the only
customers in there? After a bit more started to filter in, food was good as usual amazing that the same people
who work there have been there for years. We watched the end of the Steelers vs Titans game with the missed kick
by the Titans to tie the game, Oh well, we were hoping they could actually tie and win in OT.

We watched the Card's vs Seattle game last night, Wow!! What a wild game and win. Go Cards.

Sun night the wind picked up from the NW blowing patio furniture everywhere, screens off of some windows and
a water tank lid that hit my kitchen side window so hard I thought it broke the outside pane, It's fine.

Woke up Mon morning to 66 degrees, 24% humidity and lot's of wind from the NW, blowing 15, with gusts to 25mph.
My work guys showed up and they're on the roof installing new 2x6 facia boards, I was up there for 10 mins and nearly
got blown off from a big wind gust.
White caps all the way to the western horizon. Going to be a windy stay inside day with gusts of 40-50 mph until Tuesday.
We'll see how long my workers stay, they are in their truck warming up now. (wimp's)
It's 67 degrees, which is perfect for shorts and a t-shirt for me.

 

[Idyllwild]

Update, Monday 10/26,
Sunday we went out for lunch and decided on eating at La Curva, got there after 12, we were the only
customers in there? After a bit more started to filter in, food was good as usual amazing that the same people
who work there have been there for years. We watched the end of the Steelers vs Titans game with the missed kick
by the Titans to tie the game, Oh well, we were hoping they could actually tie and win in OT.

We watched the Card's vs Seattle game last night, Wow!! What a wild game and win. Go Cards.

Sun night the wind picked up from the NW blowing patio furniture everywhere, screens off of some windows and
a water tank lid that hit my kitchen side window so hard I thought it broke the outside pane, It's fine.

Woke up Mon morning to 66 degrees, 24% humidity and lot's of wind from the NW, blowing 15, with gusts to 25mph.
My work guys showed up and they're on the roof installing new 2x6 facia boards, I was up there for 10 mins and nearly
got blown off from a big wind gust.
White caps all the way to the western horizon. Going to be a windy stay inside day with gusts of 40-50 mph until Tuesday.
We'll see how long my workers stay, they are in their truck warming up now. (wimp's)
It's 67 degrees, which is perfect for shorts and a t-shirt for me.

It has been very windy on the east side of the bay, opposite you. Not sure where our internet is coming out of right now, but it was down for an hour. Fiber optic is coming this month, and every month since about July, so who know. Nice whitecaps.

Update, Sunday 10/25.
We ate at the Cholla Bay Oyster House on Sat night, there is a whole different crew working there now.
Food was good but the service wasn't so good. They are slow and very disorganized. Hopefully
growing pains that will diminish shortly.
There were 12-15 people eating there, outside dining and the upstairs sports bar are open. The main dining room
is closed due to the 60% usage Covid rules.

We woke up to a morning temp of 78 really humid and wind starting to gust 15-20mph. I saw a nice boat 27-30 foot long
bouncing in the waves heading back to the Penasco marina, Weather underground missed the wind part in their forecast.

Joe, I walked down on the side walk to the north of the big white house, the ocean temp was 84.5 degrees,
so I'm getting 2 degrees warmer than the sea temp site. My thermometer reading is very close to what my
house weather station reads out, so I'm OK with that difference.
Water is still pretty warm standing in it.
I'll let you know how bad the wind and cool town is over the next few days.

We went to Cholla Bay Oyster house for dinner a week and a half ago. Food was good. Service was not good. Most of the staff was not wearing masks. On the way out a man with an American accent came down the exterior steps and asked about our experience, his demeanor suggesting owner or manager. I said it was good except for staff not wearing masks. He asked who, and I said basically everyone as I made my escape.

 

[brokenwave]

We ate there on Sat and everyone was wearing a mask, You probably spoke with John the owner, an American in his 60's.
So your talk with him did some good, Thx.

He refreshes his crew every year with new people, that way he avoids having to pay for workers pensions, vacation etc.
He can do that by bringing people on for less than 1 year at a time on a contract.

The crew that worked last year into the Spring was protesting in front of the Oyster House on Sat Oct 17th for back pay
and workers rights. He had a great crew last year, who were the ones protesting.

I don't agree with the way he does that, but it's his business.

 

[Idyllwild]

Yea, American in his 60s.

 

[brokenwave]

Well it looks like surfing waves now, some 3-5 foot swells coming in and crashing on the rocks. Wind has got to be gusting 35mph. My guys are still working thru it on my roof.

 

[Buffalo Marty]

Well it looks like surfing waves now, some 3-5 foot swells coming in and crashing on the rocks. Wind has got to be gusting 35mph. My guys are still working thru it on my roof.

Thanks wave for these great reports! We are heading down Wednesday afternoon right when the cold front looks to be ending, weekend weather looks nice so far...

 

[brokenwave]

Thanks wave for these great reports! We are heading down Wednesday afternoon right when the cold front looks to be ending, weekend weather looks nice so far...

It was chilly today for the first time since March for us. The wind should calm down by the time you arrive.
Weather on Wed will become warm during the day low to mid 80's and nice at night, mid 60's.
Water should still be over 80, there's more clouds in the sky now for more colorful sunrises and sunsets.
Lot's of contrails starting to appear but less air traffic to make them than last year.

 

[kahunito]

Wow sounds great! Going to head down Friday. Usually can time going through border no on a weekend but this time have no choice but to come through round 4 on Friday. Not a holiday so hoping wait won’t be too bad. Thanks for the updates and I will post when we get in.