Here is my trip report for my latest venture into Penasco.
We left NE Phx area at 6:15am Saturday, stopped in Why to gas up.
Hit Sonoyta at 9am, 2 cars in front of us, we got a green light and also got waved thru the military check point. No questions asked here.
Gas prices were 15.35 pesos per liter. Gas in Penasco was 19.35 per liter
We saw a couple of Sonoyta police cars but it was fine without much traffic as we did out 22mph crawl thru town.
We were amazed at the progress of the Trumpster wall, sure is an ugly eyesore and not to mention a huge un-necessary drain on our national budget.
An uneventful drive to Penasco, we got to the Sanitizing check point at 10:15am, we said we were home owners, the women glanced at out tax receipt and sent us on our way. They weren't spraying anyone here and also didn't see anyone getting a Covid test.
We were amazed at the light amount of traffic on the main drag, Benito Juarez.
We drove to Cholla and at the Police station as you enter Cholla we were stopped and were instructed to get out and go through the misting tent
they have installed. I wore long sleeve shirt , a hat and sunglasses as I did a 1/2 turn and stepped out. I didn't smell at all and my wife said it left
her arms slightly sticky afterwards. They also spritzed our hands with it.
Got to our home and amazingly it was still there after 5 months, We were amazed that the windows weren't totally covered in dirt and sand.
The house was 92 degrees and 68% humidity inside. The humidity outside was Yuk.
We turned on the 2 mini split A/C's and started to cool down everything,
We had to go into town to buy a new fridge because our 22 year old fridge was having a hard time getting below 58 degrees, so we decided to buy a nice new quiet Samsung 22CF french door fridge at Sam's Club 19,435 pesos ($870 @22.35 to 1) , because Muebles Coloniales didn't have
the one we ended up getting in stock. Only gripe I had was it took 60 minutes at Sam's, to pull it down and get it to us for pick up.
The fridge was on the list of things to replace for the past year. Drove it home unloaded it and plugged it in, it is so much quieter then our 1997
fridge, we thought it was defective. Funny thing is the old Tappan 17cf fridge which cost us $400, 22 years ago and has 1/2 the features of the
new one which was happily made in Mexico is only 2x as much as the old white one with Stainless Steel finish.
At 6pm we went into town to enjoy Pollo Lucas but it was so hot under their Palaypa we decided to get it to go,
Getting back into Cholla was easy, 3 trips in with only 1 spray.
Drank a couple more Pacifico's with out neighbor as we watched a plain old sunset and then went back into he comforts of our home because standing out on a hot and humid patio wasn't that much fun.
Great start to a nice trip after 5 months of being shut out.
Thanks so much for the report. These kinds of personal accounts are valuable. I cut the political part, and forwarded it on to others who really could benefit from the info as well.
Thanks for the report! I always used to make a trip in August; the town was usually dead as business was slow and a lot of places would close for vacation in August
But the humidity was off the charts uncomfortable, even out fishing. Hard to drink enough to stay hydrated!
Humidity, what humidity? I took my binoculars out last night to hunt for the comet on the western horizon, I couldn't see anything.
I pointed to some houses with lights on and couldn't even see those. The bino's fogged up bad from the 85 degree
temp and 80% humidity outside coming out of a house that was 76 with under 40% humidity. My local buddy who fishes a lot said he
went out last week and it was miserable and top water fishing was slow because the water temp was too hot.
My mini-split A/C make all the difference, stay outside for an hour and come in to cool off. Sleeping is never a problem now.
I am glad Brokenwave"s trip is going well, but this family didn't have the same luck. This was posted last night on RP Bulletin Board Facebook.
Here is their story:
Tonight, August 8th at 7:05 p.m.,three police officers in a black and white police truck pulled my husband over on Novena Avenue near Calle 11 which are side streets. One officer had an assault rifle. They first said he ran a stop sign then said he sped away from the stop sign too quickly. When he said he did not, they searched his car and came back with a baggie which appeared to be sugar. They asked what it was. It was not ours. They said it was drugs. They searched the car so they knew how much money we had. They said it would be $100 fine. The one police officer kept saying, “stand closer to the car. “ They wanted him to go to the police station or pay the fine of $100 but he said he would take $45. They finally let him go after he gave them $45. We know he shouldn’t of paid it but what if that bag was actually drugs that they planted?
We are here with our three kids for vacation. We have came to Rocky Point for 5 years. We will never come back. This is ridiculous! What the hell is going on? He had not been drinking, not speeding and definitely no drugs. Why does this happen? If anyone can share this to help stop this kind of corruption, please do. We are no longer Rocky Point tourists. We had all the love and respect in the world for Rocky Point and have spent thousands of dollars here. Corrupt cops are ruining Mexico! So sad.
That's a sad story that is often repeated almost every day here.
It's a big problem that the mayor Kiko somehow fails to address. I stopped going into town at night especially around
the tourist areas Calle 13 and the Malecon because dealing with the corrupt A-holes just spoils a trip that should be enjoyable.
We will still go to Bryan's and La Curva early evening and take some side roads to bypass all the police hot spots going and coming.
By doing this we have dropped off the radar of most police areas.
Unfortunately this is nothing new. Only the frequency seems to change. and true, no one cares. US citizens do not and cannot represent a political constituency even though the Mexican Constitution guarantees equal rights to everyone. Hard to make that point when your are handcuffed by three guys with automatic weapons who speak little english. I got very angry one night after the second stop of the night and just drove away. They left me alone, Nothing happened but I DO NOT advise that approach..
Unfortunately, corruption and having no fear of repercussions from illegal activity has become part of the culture for so many Mexicans. The children all know what is happening, and they see how easy it is to carve out a basic living without education and little work. It will take many generations of major changes to ever see an improvement, but I don't perceive they really want to end corruption.
Unfortunately, corruption abounds, but so does decency. A recent story for you.
Mi amigo and I got down to Penasco late afternoon on a Friday. Went to Whale Hill and pulled the boat out, proceeded down Freemont to the Pemex to gas up the boat (across from Reggies). Felt a bump going down Freemont, but it was full of potholes, so didn't stop. At the Pemex, mi amigo jumps up on the boat, the T-top support is cut and the captain's seat is gone. There's shrapnel all over the deck of the boat. Daphuq?
Here come the policia, blue lights flashing. Senor, you need to follow us up the street. Okay, we did. Apparently, we caught a low hanging line that WAS STAPLED TO A PALM TREE in the median, which in turn, brought down a steel cable line from just after the Bomeberos to nearly the Pemex. The steel cable sawed through the T-top support, a 1 inch aluminum tube, whipped in the back of the boat, and ripped out the driver's seat. Anybody riding in the boat would have been killed instantly.
It was clear that the wire in question was illegal and we pointed out the spot were you could see it ripped from the palm tree to the police. They took pictures. Your boat is too big!
Follow us to the police station. Okay, we followed them through more dangling low placed wires to the station. Provided registration, insurance, ID, etc. They got a tape measure and measured the boat's height from ground to the T-top. Then the Sargent got on the phone with the commandante. I was standing close enough to hear part of the conversation (en Español) and the commandante basically said "Not their fault, these idiots string illegal wires everywhere!"
The Sargent hung up and handed me all the paperwork and drivers licenses and said "You are free to go." I walked over to my amigo, who was digging in the truck for some other paperwork and slapped him on the ass. Told him "Get in drive, NOW! We're outta here!" He was like how much did you pay him??? Not a dime, but let's go Now!
Dropped the boat at Safe Marine, then went back to Freemont, parked, and walked along the downed lines looking for the seat. Sure enough, a lady with a small pharmacia had picked it up and it was sitting right next to the door. Told her the seat was ours, thanked her, she said take it.
Quite the adventure. But one that proves they aren't always out to get you. If you're down by Calle 13, they ARE out to get you and I have another story with the same amigo that I wouldn't dare relate here (not affecting me, but him). If you choose to play there, beware!
Unfortunately, corruption abounds, but so does decency. A recent story for you.
Mi amigo and I got down to Penasco late afternoon on a Friday. Went to Whale Hill and pulled the boat out, proceeded down Freemont to the Pemex to gas up the boat (across from Reggies). Felt a bump going down Freemont, but it was full of potholes, so didn't stop. At the Pemex, mi amigo jumps up on the boat, the T-top support is cut and the captain's seat is gone. There's shrapnel all over the deck of the boat. Daphuq?
Here come the policia, blue lights flashing. Senor, you need to follow us up the street. Okay, we did. Apparently, we caught a low hanging line that WAS STAPLED TO A PALM TREE in the median, which in turn, brought down a steel cable line from just after the Bomeberos to nearly the Pemex. The steel cable sawed through the T-top support, a 1 inch aluminum tube, whipped in the back of the boat, and ripped out the driver's seat. Anybody riding in the boat would have been killed instantly.
It was clear that the wire in question was illegal and we pointed out the spot were you could see it ripped from the palm tree to the police. They took pictures. Your boat is too big!
Follow us to the police station. Okay, we followed them through more dangling low placed wires to the station. Provided registration, insurance, ID, etc. They got a tape measure and measured the boat's height from ground to the T-top. Then the Sargent got on the phone with the commandante. I was standing close enough to hear part of the conversation (en Español) and the commandante basically said "Not their fault, these idiots string illegal wires everywhere!"
The Sargent hung up and handed me all the paperwork and drivers licenses and said "You are free to go." I walked over to my amigo, who was digging in the truck for some other paperwork and slapped him on the ass. Told him "Get in drive, NOW! We're outta here!" He was like how much did you pay him??? Not a dime, but let's go Now!
Dropped the boat at Safe Marine, then went back to Freemont, parked, and walked along the downed lines looking for the seat. Sure enough, a lady with a small pharmacia had picked it up and it was sitting right next to the door. Told her the seat was ours, thanked her, she said take it.
Quite the adventure. But one that proves they aren't always out to get you. If you're down by Calle 13, they ARE out to get you and I have another story with the same amigo that I wouldn't dare relate here (not affecting me, but him). If you choose to play there, beware!
Oh man, I would have loved to have seen your faces when you first looked in and tried to make sense of what you were seeing. A bad luck story with a good ending to what could have been a very expensive nightmare.
Cables are hanging down all along Las Conchas Blvd. ,only a few across as the old copper wire phone lines are replaced by fiber optic. There were a few snags with wire laying across the street and a couple of poles came down but they seem to be no problem longer. I amsurprised at the number of fiber optic cables needed. In my ignorance I thought one fiber optic cable could carry a large number of lines. FYI the quality reception is far superior and much more reliable. Interesting they have just left the copper wire dangle and not collected it.
It's a universal problem in Mexico. They string shit across streets with no regard to height limits. A semi going down Freemont would have had the same issue. Too low. I've torn down wires before with my boat ( also US legal height to tow. ) Pedal to the metal, keep on driving!
I actually talked to this family on FB messenger yesterday. I told them that Municipal Police don't walk around with assault rifles. they are only given handguns to go out on patrol of the streets. I gave them the sindicatura number of Penasco to try to help them.
I had a corruption incident one time when I was taking my two sister in laws to the veterinarians office in Santa Ana, Sonora. We drove from Magdalena to Santa Ana. I pulled up in a slanted parking space right by the mission in Santa Ana in their downtown area. We get out the car with the dog and we see 10 police on foot walking behind us. They call us out; they tried to say that I did a U-turn LOL. They gave me a ticket with no price on it. And I gave them an extra copy of my DL that I had in my wallet. They said I would have to come down to the station later to get my license back.
We go to the Vet to drop the dog. We start walking around the Mission for about an hour close to where we parked. The police start pulling the same crap on all vehicles parking in the slanted spaces. Finally someone comes out of their home to call out the police that they have been doing this all day to everyone that parks.
After the dog was ready we hopped in the car and drove back to Magdalena without paying a fine.
Unfortunately, corruption abounds, but so does decency. A recent story for you.
Mi amigo and I got down to Penasco late afternoon on a Friday. Went to Whale Hill and pulled the boat out, proceeded down Freemont to the Pemex to gas up the boat (across from Reggies). Felt a bump going down Freemont, but it was full of potholes, so didn't stop. At the Pemex, mi amigo jumps up on the boat, the T-top support is cut and the captain's seat is gone. There's shrapnel all over the deck of the boat. Daphuq?
Here come the policia, blue lights flashing. Senor, you need to follow us up the street. Okay, we did. Apparently, we caught a low hanging line that WAS STAPLED TO A PALM TREE in the median, which in turn, brought down a steel cable line from just after the Bomeberos to nearly the Pemex. The steel cable sawed through the T-top support, a 1 inch aluminum tube, whipped in the back of the boat, and ripped out the driver's seat. Anybody riding in the boat would have been killed instantly.
It was clear that the wire in question was illegal and we pointed out the spot were you could see it ripped from the palm tree to the police. They took pictures. Your boat is too big!
Follow us to the police station. Okay, we followed them through more dangling low placed wires to the station. Provided registration, insurance, ID, etc. They got a tape measure and measured the boat's height from ground to the T-top. Then the Sargent got on the phone with the commandante. I was standing close enough to hear part of the conversation (en Español) and the commandante basically said "Not their fault, these idiots string illegal wires everywhere!"
The Sargent hung up and handed me all the paperwork and drivers licenses and said "You are free to go." I walked over to my amigo, who was digging in the truck for some other paperwork and slapped him on the ass. Told him "Get in drive, NOW! We're outta here!" He was like how much did you pay him??? Not a dime, but let's go Now!
Dropped the boat at Safe Marine, then went back to Freemont, parked, and walked along the downed lines looking for the seat. Sure enough, a lady with a small pharmacia had picked it up and it was sitting right next to the door. Told her the seat was ours, thanked her, she said take it.
Quite the adventure. But one that proves they aren't always out to get you. If you're down by Calle 13, they ARE out to get you and I have another story with the same amigo that I wouldn't dare relate here (not affecting me, but him). If you choose to play there, beware!
Not always but it's a coin flip.
All of us pry have a few instances that come to mind. I know I have a few. I think the tactic you have to use is to be semi forceful in your conviction. I've noticed the more push back the less interested they become. I can't even remember how many times I've been confronted and never PAID A DIME!!!! F those PIGS! OINK OINK !!!!
Years ago, with 4 of my buddies during a rare July 4th weekend, that was actually cool, 70 degrees when we were heading
out from Cholla at 8pm.
Suddenly we have flashing lights out of nowhere, we were pulled over by a Policia truck with 2 male police and a woman police officer.
They asked us if we had any drugs, said no.
Asked us if we were drinking I said no (little Lie, I wasn't drinking while I was driving) they said we need to give them $150
to continue into town with my buddies.
I said no way, they said I needed to follow them to the court. I said no way, the female officer became very upset
and started yelling at us. I looked at her while I pulled out my flip cell phone and said I was going to call Dany Brown,
one of the Cholla Bay Browns. She stopped yelling and asked who I was calling, I repeated Dany Brown and that I know Gus Brown too.
One minute later we were all back in my Tahoe on our way into town.
It's nice to know names that carry some weight.
Does anyone know where this intersection is? Novena and 11th st? I thought I had an idea but the streets by calle 13 go 10, 12, 13 and so on and I don't see any North, South Avenue named Novena. Curious what part of town this is....
Does anyone know where this intersection is? Novena and 11th st? I thought I had an idea but the streets by calle 13 go 10, 12, 13 and so on and I don't see any North, South Avenue named Novena. Curious what part of town this is....
I assumed novena meant 9th street but I don't see that on google maps either LOL. 11th street shows as "Calle de la Rosas", just south of 12 st which makes sense (if you go to google street view the street signs definitely say "CALLE 11").
There is an 8th street that runs north-south and hits Calle 11, so maybe they meant that, or else it probably a street just east or west of it...
had a few run ins a few times. Last time cops wanted to pull me over I was down by myself. I did not fully stop wait a second and go I just turned right. Didnt notice the cop until I was turning and he saw everything. I was only a mile from my gated community. He floors it gets on me. I was going faster to keep him back. I am not pulling over I got a plumber hvac guy an my maintenance guy at the house waiting on me to open up. I am not dealing with the bs now. I kept going he screaming on his horn. I pull in my community close the gate an gave him the finger as he drove on by an start dealing with the my house problems. My understanding is they cant come in on private property and did not try at that moment. I have no respect for the cops down there and no one should when they pull shit like that shake down. Of course no one knows the whole story and if they did have a bag of drugs an it only cost them $45 then there lucky.
I assumed novena meant 9th street but I don't see that on google maps either LOL. 11th street shows as "Calle de la Rosas", just south of 12 st which makes sense (if you go to google street view the street signs definitely say "CALLE 11").
There is an 8th street that runs north-south and hits Calle 11, so maybe they meant that, or else it probably a street just east or west of it...
... siete, ocho, NUEVE, 10... definitely don't think they meant 9. Not even close to the same spelling so don't think it's a misspelling.
3 or 4 years ago leaving " wrecked" the wife decides she wants to drive back to the condo. Shes pretty toasted buts its very late and not another car or headlights in sight, so ok. Not best decision but... Shes going fast before the 3-way stop and then hits the gas instead of brakes.! We actually caught air across the cholla road into the sand bank. Apparently there was a policia truck right there with lights off. I am oh crap you are going to jail!! Police man walks up to car and first thing he asks, Is everyone OK? We reply yes and Mucho Lo Siento Mucho Mucho lo siento. He asks if i am able to drive and i reply yes. He sends us on our way and truly seemed to be concerned we were ok. Lesson learned.. Will never chance it again!
I love these stories. Look, I'd be lying if I said that shit doesn't happen if you're sober. It still does. And us gringos? Pacifico por favor el culo Tecate!
Personally, I've been blessed and never been raped by the policia. But to Joe's point, names do matter.
To quote an old Navy expression: It's not who you know or who you blow. It's HOW you blow who ya know.
Having a few well known locals on speed dial can make a HUGE difference when said shit suddenly gets shoveled into the fan.
Mexico has been so forgiving to my idiotic ideas and actions I had while drinking in Penasco and a few other locals in Mexico.
If I was in the US, I'm sure some serious jail time would have been involved if I was caught.
In Mexico I could usually talk my way out of it or slip a $20 to somebody to let us go. ($$ more lately)
I have my local insurance agent's and a couple of local friends on speed dial just in case these days.
But I'm way calmer now as my wild friends and I are older now.
... siete, ocho, NUEVE, 10... definitely don't think they meant 9. Not even close to the same spelling so don't think it's a misspelling.
Yes, NINE (9) is NUEVE, but NINTH (9th) is NOVENA/NOVENO. That's why I thought that if the gringos said they were on ninth street it may have been translated in the article to calle novena (instead of calle nueve)
Yes, NINE (9) is NUEVE, but NINTH (9th) is NOVENA/NOVENO. That's why I thought that if the gringos said they were on ninth street it may have been translated in the article to calle novena (instead of calle nueve)
Just learned the word for ninth. Thank you. My apologies!
Yes, NINE (9) is NUEVE, but NINTH (9th) is NOVENA/NOVENO. That's why I thought that if the gringos said they were on ninth street it may have been translated in the article to calle novena (instead of calle nueve)
Mexico Joe said:
Just learned the word for ninth. Thank you. My apologies!
not saying that you both are wrong but at this junction, quoting my friend G Lopez, it seems to me that Marty used google translate or someone did before him, as it will translate "Calle 9" spelled out "Calle Nueve" as the English counterpart "Ninth Street" for those not versed in the language and street signs, generally writing in Spanish you will have "Calle 9" or "Calle Nueve" unlike English we do not use the "ordinal" numbers to name streets as you do in English "4th Ave" or "Ninth Street" I hate Google Translate 'cause it is not perfect but love it as it will take out of a bind in no time, however, I am offering spanish.......just kidding!!!!
PS: by the way Joe yesterday at 7:46 pm post you say "Noventa is 19... sooooo maybe it's possible it was on 19th street."
not saying that you both are wrong but at this junction, quoting my friend G Lopez, it seems to me that Marty used google translate or someone did before him, as it will translate "Calle 9" spelled out "Calle Nueve" as the English counterpart "Ninth Street" for those not versed in the language and street signs, generally writing in Spanish you will have "Calle 9" or "Calle Nueve" unlike English we do not use the "ordinal" numbers to name streets as you do in English "4th Ave" or "Ninth Street" I hate Google Translate 'cause it is not perfect but love it as it will take out of a bind in no time, however, I am offering spanish.......just kidding!!!!
I didn't use google translate, but I tested it just now and it is interesting. If you enter "calle nueve" in spanish it will correctly translate it to "9th street". BUT if you enter "9th street" in english it will incorrectly translate it to "novena calle" (instead of calle nueve)
When the gringos who got pulled over told their story to the Mexican news site, they probably just ran the text of the story through google translate and thus got the confusing street reference.
not saying that you both are wrong but at this junction, quoting my friend G Lopez, it seems to me that Marty used google translate or someone did before him, as it will translate "Calle 9" spelled out "Calle Nueve" as the English counterpart "Ninth Street" for those not versed in the language and street signs, generally writing in Spanish you will have "Calle 9" or "Calle Nueve" unlike English we do not use the "ordinal" numbers to name streets as you do in English "4th Ave" or "Ninth Street" I hate Google Translate 'cause it is not perfect but love it as it will take out of a bind in no time, however, I am offering spanish.......just kidding!!!!
PS: by the way Joe yesterday at 7:46 pm post you say "Noventa is 19... sooooo maybe it's possible it was on 19th street."
Noventa is 90
Decimonovena(o) is 19th
Jesus I must have been high! That's some GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD SHIT!!!! Yes, dieci nueve is 19. I used to be able to count to a 100 like a good little 6th grader but now my spanish is going away faster than the MIDDLE CLASS.
Noventa, is 90 Mexico Joe. (I know he was asking about Novena). Even a Gringa knows that! JK
I must have gotten too high before I wrote that. I know this is hard to believe but I actually used to be able to read/write/speak college level spanish. BUUUUUUUUUUUUT when you stop using the language for all meaningful purpose for the last 10 years things become REAL CLOUDY. Add the weed and man.... might need some ADEROL to stay focused!
I didn't use google translate, but I tested it just now and it is interesting. If you enter "calle nueve" in spanish it will correctly translate it to "9th street". BUT if you enter "9th street" in english it will incorrectly translate it to "novena calle" (instead of calle nueve)
When the gringos who got pulled over told their story to the Mexican news site, they probably just ran the text of the story through google translate and thus got the confusing street reference.
So do we know what part of town we think this happened?
In the article, it says they were on "Calle Nueve" (or Novena hehehe) near "Calle 11". I can't find a "Calle 9" on any map, BUT there is a "Calle 8" which intersects "Calle 11" (aka Calle de las Rosas) Therefore I think it may have happened somewhere in the area of the red circle...
Unfortunately, corruption abounds, but so does decency. A recent story for you.
Mi amigo and I got down to Penasco late afternoon on a Friday. Went to Whale Hill and pulled the boat out, proceeded down Freemont to the Pemex to gas up the boat (across from Reggies). Felt a bump going down Freemont, but it was full of potholes, so didn't stop. At the Pemex, mi amigo jumps up on the boat, the T-top support is cut and the captain's seat is gone. There's shrapnel all over the deck of the boat. Daphuq?
Here come the policia, blue lights flashing. Senor, you need to follow us up the street. Okay, we did. Apparently, we caught a low hanging line that WAS STAPLED TO A PALM TREE in the median, which in turn, brought down a steel cable line from just after the Bomeberos to nearly the Pemex. The steel cable sawed through the T-top support, a 1 inch aluminum tube, whipped in the back of the boat, and ripped out the driver's seat. Anybody riding in the boat would have been killed instantly.
It was clear that the wire in question was illegal and we pointed out the spot were you could see it ripped from the palm tree to the police. They took pictures. Your boat is too big!
Follow us to the police station. Okay, we followed them through more dangling low placed wires to the station. Provided registration, insurance, ID, etc. They got a tape measure and measured the boat's height from ground to the T-top. Then the Sargent got on the phone with the commandante. I was standing close enough to hear part of the conversation (en Español) and the commandante basically said "Not their fault, these idiots string illegal wires everywhere!"
The Sargent hung up and handed me all the paperwork and drivers licenses and said "You are free to go." I walked over to my amigo, who was digging in the truck for some other paperwork and slapped him on the ass. Told him "Get in drive, NOW! We're outta here!" He was like how much did you pay him??? Not a dime, but let's go Now!
Dropped the boat at Safe Marine, then went back to Freemont, parked, and walked along the downed lines looking for the seat. Sure enough, a lady with a small pharmacia had picked it up and it was sitting right next to the door. Told her the seat was ours, thanked her, she said take it.
Quite the adventure. But one that proves they aren't always out to get you. If you're down by Calle 13, they ARE out to get you and I have another story with the same amigo that I wouldn't dare relate here (not affecting me, but him). If you choose to play there, beware!
Now that you have intice
Stuart said:
Unfortunately, corruption abounds, but so does decency. A recent story for you.
Mi amigo and I got down to Penasco late afternoon on a Friday. Went to Whale Hill and pulled the boat out, proceeded down Freemont to the Pemex to gas up the boat (across from Reggies). Felt a bump going down Freemont, but it was full of potholes, so didn't stop. At the Pemex, mi amigo jumps up on the boat, the T-top support is cut and the captain's seat is gone. There's shrapnel all over the deck of the boat. Daphuq?
Here come the policia, blue lights flashing. Senor, you need to follow us up the street. Okay, we did. Apparently, we caught a low hanging line that WAS STAPLED TO A PALM TREE in the median, which in turn, brought down a steel cable line from just after the Bomeberos to nearly the Pemex. The steel cable sawed through the T-top support, a 1 inch aluminum tube, whipped in the back of the boat, and ripped out the driver's seat. Anybody riding in the boat would have been killed instantly.
It was clear that the wire in question was illegal and we pointed out the spot were you could see it ripped from the palm tree to the police. They took pictures. Your boat is too big!
Follow us to the police station. Okay, we followed them through more dangling low placed wires to the station. Provided registration, insurance, ID, etc. They got a tape measure and measured the boat's height from ground to the T-top. Then the Sargent got on the phone with the commandante. I was standing close enough to hear part of the conversation (en Español) and the commandante basically said "Not their fault, these idiots string illegal wires everywhere!"
The Sargent hung up and handed me all the paperwork and drivers licenses and said "You are free to go." I walked over to my amigo, who was digging in the truck for some other paperwork and slapped him on the ass. Told him "Get in drive, NOW! We're outta here!" He was like how much did you pay him??? Not a dime, but let's go Now!
Dropped the boat at Safe Marine, then went back to Freemont, parked, and walked along the downed lines looking for the seat. Sure enough, a lady with a small pharmacia had picked it up and it was sitting right next to the door. Told her the seat was ours, thanked her, she said take it.
Quite the adventure. But one that proves they aren't always out to get you. If you're down by Calle 13, they ARE out to get you and I have another story with the same amigo that I wouldn't dare relate here (not affecting me, but him). If you choose to play there, beware!
now that you have enticed us can you please relate the story about the putas. I find that humorous better than the cheap fuks on here pushing their political bullshit.
Back to my trip report.
Closed up my place in Cholla and left at 7:30 AM Wednesday, my wife was amazed because I'm not a leave early guy.
I even sent her a pic of a clock with the time. So she could complain about it on the drive home.
We drove out of Cholla past the Police station where they were getting the spray booth ready for customers.
We had to drive into the center of town to use the old Cholla Bay road to get to Benito Juarez to leave town.
B. Juarez is the only way in and out out Penasco currently, Still no spray booth at the main check point.
Drove into Sonoyta and just past the vacant donation station on the south end of town there was a police car lurking
waiting for speeders. By the time I crossed into the 40kph zone I was going 30kph or 20mph.
I crawled thru Sonoyta doing 20-22mph I had a white Ford Explorer sitting on my bumper the whole way.
We went thru town and got within 4 blocks of the border where there is a little hill and there was another police car
hidden, sitting on a side street at the bottom of the hill shooting radar. I saved the Explorer guy a ticket for sure.
Hit US customs with 3 cars in front and disappointingly the big x-ray machines were not running at the time.
2.5 hours later we were cruising into downtown PHX
Easy trip, but really, Hot, Humid, Windy and the Ocean like bath water, so pretty normal for August in Penasco.
We entered Cholla Bay 7 times and we sprayed only 2X. :)
Back to my trip report.
Closed up my place in Cholla and left at 7:30 AM Wednesday, my wife was amazed because I'm not a leave early guy.
I even sent her a pic of a clock with the time. So she could complain about it on the drive home.
We drove out of Cholla past the Police station where they were getting the spray booth ready for customers.
We had to drive into the center of town to use the old Cholla Bay road to get to Benito Juarez to leave town.
B. Juarez is the only way in and out out Penasco currently, Still no spray booth at the main check point.
Drove into Sonoyta and just past the vacant donation station on the south end of town there was a police car lurking
waiting for speeders. By the time I crossed into the 40kph zone I was going 30kph or 20mph.
I crawled thru Sonoyta doing 20-22mph I had a white Ford Explorer sitting on my bumper the whole way.
We went thru town and got within 4 blocks of the border where there is a little hill and there was another police car
hidden, sitting on a side street at the bottom of the hill shooting radar. I saved the Explorer guy a ticket for sure.
Hit US customs with 3 cars in front and disappointingly the big x-ray machines were not running at the time.
2.5 hours later we were cruising into downtown PHX
Easy trip, but really, Hot, Humid, Windy and the Ocean like bath water, so pretty normal for August in Penasco.
We entered Cholla Bay 7 times and we sprayed only 2X. :)
We will go back in 5 weeks.
Thanks for the report. Claudia wants to go, I'm on the fence. I just don't want to step in the bullshit.
Joe, it was a low key trip. Only bad thing is the Aug weather, really hot and humid. Ocean is so warm now and most every place is slow. If you like the weather go for it.
Joe, it was a low key trip. Only bad thing is the Aug weather, really hot and humid. Ocean is so warm now and most every place is slow. If you like the weather go for it.
We were offered a free stay at Bella Sirena whenever we want. I was kind of waiting for the lab rats to test out the new system before I jump. Starting to get the itch. I guess I could put my ego aside to get sprayed by chemicals only twice in the weekend... We really just want to go kayaking. No bars for us but the guy that's going to let us use his place said that the mask rule is in full effect. Having to wear that at all times in 100 with 85 humidity doesn't seem fun. Not looking to get drugs planted on me either... What to do what to do????????? The non emotional answer is pry wait until September. We're in the middle of the hottest streak of weather in my lifetime and that says a lot growing up in Phoenix. Since we broke the record we might as well go for broke and hit 50 days of 110 + this year! When we look back at 2020 in 20 years, holly shit what a year!
Joe, it was Hot and Nasty humid during our stay,from Sat morning until Wed we had 94-96 for the high's and 83-86 for the lows,
Humidity was a problem, when, I would walk out from my house I'd get hit with a 95 degree, 70% humidity
wall of welcome to Aug in Penasco. It's that bad. The sun is blazing hot.
Driving around, if there's more than one person in the car you're supposed to wear a mask.
Police we passed in Penasco and Sonoyta looked at us every time I'm assuming to see if masks were on.
Looking for for some easy fine $$
Problem with using masks in high humidity is your sun glasses fog up while breathing in your, car if A/C is on,
so take short breaths. A/C is a must.
Water is very warm, not refreshing at all.
It's going to be hot here, 110-113 in Phx for the next 8-10 days so in Penasco on the beach it's going to be
in the 96-99 range while Phx is hot.
But if you like the heat and humidity or even just tolerate it, seeing and wading in the ocean was worth it for me
and I'm not a fan of nasty hot weather.
Driving around, if there's more than one person in the car you're supposed to wear a mask.
Police we passed in Penasco and Sonoyta looked at us every time I'm assuming to see if masks were on.
Looking for for some easy fine $$
Hey wave- I know Sonoyta wanted masks at all times inside vehicles, and they were definitely checking when we passed though. But I'm pretty sure Peñasco rescinded that requirement sometime in June. We were down for almost 2 weeks in mid-July and I never wore a mask inside the car, I only put it on when entering a business. We didn't have any issues, but maybe we just got lucky...
Your weather station has been my go to for awhile. Thank you for keeping it maintained and available to all. I'll buy you a beer or 3 if we meet down there.
Hey wave- I know Sonoyta wanted masks at all times inside vehicles, and they were definitely checking when we passed though. But I'm pretty sure Peñasco rescinded that requirement sometime in June. We were down for almost 2 weeks in mid-July and I never wore a mask inside the car, I only put it on when entering a business. We didn't have any issues, but maybe we just got lucky...
I heard about that, but didn't know if it was true.
When we went into town with my local buddy, he put his on and when I asked him about it he
said sometimes the police will pull you over for not wearing one, just to try to collect the fine from you.
He said wearing one to avoid being harassed is OK with him.
He also said wearing a mask is like a common courtesy to show you support fighting the Covid.
I didn't have a problem wearing one in town driving around (other than fogging up my sun glasses, but as soon
as we were on the road past the condos going west I pulled it down under my chin and then back up when we entered Cholla.
Reading from my weather station in Encanto right now. Heat Index=121.2°
No thanks, I'll wait till mid-October!
That 84 degree Dew Point is giving me heat stroke just looking at it.
We were in Cholla for 5 days the past week and the dew points were hitting 80 while there.
It was rough being outside.
Thank's for having your station up for us to enjoy, soon I'll set one up for my place on Pinto Point in Cholla Bay.
Your weather station has been my go to for awhile. Thank you for keeping it maintained and available to all. I'll buy you a beer or 3 if we meet down there.
....... "calle nueve" in spanish it will correctly translate it to "9th street". BUT if you enter "9th street" in english it will incorrectly translate it to "novena called"........
I believe you have you "correctly" 1st and "incorrectly" transposed, "Calle nueve" is incorrectly translate as 9th street which is correctly translated to "Calle novena" it is a play with your Ordinal and Cardinal numbers.
Ordinal numbers denote positioning as 1st (first), 2nd (second), 3th (third).......9th (ninth) ninth = noveno/a
Cardinal numbers are your standard numbers as 1 (one), 2 (two), 3 (three).......9 (nine) nine = nueve
and that is why you should take Google translate or any computer generated translators with a grain of salt and some tequila!!! can not be 100% trusted
Weather Underground has been my weather station for some years now and I've always recommended it.
but Kenny that is because you've in the high desert, very high almost not a dessert, for us low laying dweller of the Sonora desert we just peek outside and look at the sky, clear, is a good day! 304 days of the year, cloudy and summer stormy day!, 61 days of the year, watch out for washes and that is it
I believe you have you "correctly" 1st and "incorrectly" transposed, "Calle nueve" is incorrectly translate as 9th street which is correctly translated to "Calle novena" it is a play with your Ordinal and Cardinal numbers.
Ordinal numbers denote positioning as 1st (first), 2nd (second), 3th (third).......9th (ninth) ninth = noveno/a
Cardinal numbers are your standard numbers as 1 (one), 2 (two), 3 (three).......9 (nine) nine = nueve
and that is why you should take Google translate or any computer generated translators with a grain of salt and some tequila!!! can not be 100% trusted
Sorry, when i used "correctly" I should have clarified that it was the correct *colloquial* translation, not the the correct "literal* translation. If a Spanish speaking person wanted to say "calle nueve" in English the best colloquial translation would be "9th street", even though it is not the literal translation ("street nine" would never be used be a native English speaker obviously).
Finally... Had time to get back To the Rock. Pull into resident lane at the filter no line. Policia with mask on has us roll window down. We adjust our masks and can see him smile behind his. We show him a photo of cfe bill and permanente card. He waves us through. Now on beach but in sand cerveza in hand.
Finally... Had time to get back To the Rock. Pull into resident lane at the filter no line. Policia with mask on has us roll window down. We adjust our masks and can see him smile behind his. We show him a photo of cfe bill and permanente card. He waves us through. Now on beach but in sand cerveza in hand.
they require proof of medical insurance to enter RP now?
Update on another trip, 8/21/2020.
I crossed the border today, Friday 8/21 at 10 am.
I got the green light, the Marine check point waved me thru.
This is the first trip in a long time I didn't see a Sonoyta police lurking in the shadows
waiting for some unsuspecting Gringo to blaze thru Sonoyta at 45kph. Not one manned cop car anywhere.
There was 1 unmanned one at the donation spot.
Gas is still 15.34 pesos per liter in Sonoyta and 19.34 in Penasco.
I hit the sanitary check point coming into Penasco past the bridge went thru the left lane and a Police officer looked at me
and said Alto, I did and I said Buenas Dias and then I'm a resident.
I handed him my tax receipt. He looked at it for 30 seconds and by the look on his face he had zero
idea of what he was looking at. He waved me on and I said Gracias.
I passed thru town and there was a lot more traffic vs when we came down 13 days ago at almost the same time.
I drove out to Cholla and stopped at Garcias store right before the RR tracks going into Cholla Mall. I picked up a few things
and noticed they had 2/3rds of their normal stocked items vs in Feb before Covid.
I continued on to Cholla and at the spray tent the lady running it, was sitting in a chair looking exhausted and waved me on.
I opened my house up to a nice 94 degrees with 65% humidity, I switched on the mini-split A/C's and 4 hours later it's still
82 degrees but only 35% humidity. I'm sure after the sun set's it will cool down faster.
It is Really Windy today, but you can actually feel little wisps of cool air coming off the ocean in the wind guts.
Soon the weather will start to turn nice, time for a Cerveza.
Update on another trip, 8/21/2020.
I crossed the border today, Friday 8/21 at 10 am.
I got the green light, the Marine check point waved me thru.
This is the first trip in a long time I didn't see a Sonoyta police lurking in the shadows
waiting for some unsuspecting Gringo to blaze thru Sonoyta at 45kph. Not one manned cop car anywhere.
There was 1 unmanned one at the donation spot.
Gas is still 15.34 pesos per liter in Sonoyta and 19.34 in Penasco.
I hit the sanitary check point coming into Penasco past the bridge went thru the left lane and a Police officer looked at me
and said Alto, I did and I said Buenas Dias and then I'm a resident.
I handed him my tax receipt. He looked at it for 30 seconds and by the look on his face he had zero
idea of what he was looking at. He waved me on and I said Gracias.
I passed thru town and there was a lot more traffic vs when we came down 13 days ago at almost the same time.
I drove out to Cholla and stopped at Garcias store right before the RR tracks going into Cholla Mall. I picked up a few things
and noticed they had 2/3rds of their normal stocked items vs in Feb before Covid.
I continued on to Cholla and at the spray tent the lady running it, was sitting in a chair looking exhausted and waved me on.
I opened my house up to a nice 94 degrees with 65% humidity, I switched on the mini-split A/C's and 4 hours later it's still
82 degrees but only 35% humidity. I'm sure after the sun set's it will cool down faster.
It is Really Windy today, but you can actually feel little wisps of cool air coming off the ocean in the wind guts.
Soon the weather will start to turn nice, time for a Cerveza.
Couple of questions, what is the peso right now? Second, if I were to come for Labor Day and staying in Cholla what lane would I have to use and what do I need to show? I thought Penasco was open to the public now???
Hi Joe,
Local exchange rates at the Cambio are 19.5 to 1, so places will be giving you 19-20 to 1. Depending on where.
Peso is 22 to 1 if you're using US bank account to withdraw at local ATM. Which is what I do.
My favorite ATM's are Banamex brand, in the Super Norte and across the street in Sam's and the Bodega, fee's are
30ish and if you have a no foreign transaction debit card, Capitol One, Schwab etc. It's even better.
Limit is 6000 pesos per day at Banamex ATM.
If you have a reservation at a hotel/Condo you use the right lane, the left is for residents, maybe guests?
There isn't a spray station at the bridge check point, but there are ones at the local resorts and one at the Cholla
police station.
You would need to show your reservation to where you are staying, this part is murky because I don't know about anything
but the resorts. I'm not hearing anything about places is Cholla needing to be sanitized or put on an approved list now.
You need to wear a mask while driving in Sonoyta and maybe Penasco if there's more than 1 person in the car, I heard different
stories on this, so I wear one anyway.
I left Cholla at 10am drove past the spray station, people running it had waved the 2 cars I saw there thru.
For my 5 trips into Cholla for my I was sprayed once.
The weather has been brutal the past 3 days but I still saw people doing the zip line, riding rental ATV's and riding on the ultra lights.
I also saw the aftermath of an accident near where the zip line station is, last night some locals flipped their SUV,
my local friend said some of the people had died. I saw the SUV on the side of the road this morning when driving home.
There are lot's of Mexican Nations visiting Penasco and Hispanic's from California based on the different license plates I saw.
When I left Cholla today at 10 am, it was 97 with 68% humidity, air was thick and you could cut it with a knife.
That 97 degrees was the coolest I saw during my trip back to Phx.
At the border, no sign's of the corrupt Sonoyta Policia, I drove over the detour bridge to see if it offered
any advantage to the way I usually go. Probably stick with my normal route.
6 car wait at the Lukeville station, 1 lane open and I got to try out the new car X-Ray booth they have, it takes 3-4 minutes total.
Outside of Gila Bend at 2 PM, I saw my outside temp gauge rise to 117 and while driving thru Phx on the 10 it was 118 degrees.
Heck at least it was a dry heat.
The past 2 nights the sunsets were pretty nice, the hazy humid air helped with that.
Another advantage of this trip was to have some work done on my daughters 09 GMC Acadia, needed 2 new front struts installed.
3 different places in Phx wanted $1,300-1,650 to do it.
Plan B, I bought 2 strut assy's. from Detroit Axle under $200.
I went to my local buddy's mechanic it took him less than 2 hours and charged me 1000 pesos ($47) I tipped him another $10.
He did an align to get wheels straight and told me to have it re-aligned back in Phx.
So for total of $325 including gas for the trip vs $1,500 avg in Phx. Trip was well worth it
I left Cholla at 10am drove past the spray station, people running it had waved the 2 cars I saw there thru.
For my 5 trips into Cholla for my I was sprayed once.
The weather has been brutal the past 3 days but I still saw people doing the zip line, riding rental ATV's and riding on the ultra lights.
I also saw the aftermath of an accident near where the zip line station is, last night some locals flipped their SUV,
my local friend said some of the people had died. I saw the SUV on the side of the road this morning when driving home.
There are lot's of Mexican Nations visiting Penasco and Hispanic's from California based on the different license plates I saw.
When I left Cholla today at 10 am, it was 97 with 68% humidity, air was thick and you could cut it with a knife.
That 97 degrees was the coolest I saw during my trip back to Phx.
At the border, no sign's of the corrupt Sonoyta Policia, I drove over the detour bridge to see if it offered
any advantage to the way I usually go. Probably stick with my normal route.
6 car wait at the Lukeville station, 1 lane open and I got to try out the new car X-Ray booth they have, it takes 3-4 minutes total.
Outside of Gila Bend at 2 PM, I saw my outside temp gauge rise to 117 and while driving thru Phx on the 10 it was 118 degrees.
Heck at least it was a dry heat.
The past 2 nights the sunsets were pretty nice, the hazy humid air helped with that.
Another advantage of this trip was to have some work done on my daughters 09 GMC Acadia, needed 2 new front struts installed.
3 different places in Phx wanted $1,300-1,650 to do it.
Plan B, I bought 2 strut assy's. from Detroit Axle under $200.
I went to my local buddy's mechanic it took him less than 2 hours and charged me 1000 pesos ($47) I tipped him another $10.
He did an align to get wheels straight and told me to have it re-aligned back in Phx.
So for total of $325 including gas for the trip vs $1,500 avg in Phx. Trip was well worth it
8/29,
Another trip, my 3rd trip in August, I must be a little Loco by now.
Left Phx area 6:30 am, semi overcast most of the way down.
There were a fair amount of cars heading south, gas station in Why was packed
Hit Sonoyta 9;30, got the green light, nobody at the Military check point.
Lot's of window washers, vendors and beggars crowding the entrance there.
Did the 40kph crawl thru town at the donation stand at the south end of town saw a crooked Policia
with an unhappy guy pulled over. Continued out of Sonoyta got 2km past where the 80kph part starts and
there was another Policia with a girl pulled over. Humm they aren't usually that far out. Drove past the baseball
park and around the 9-10km marker there was another Policia with 2 cars pulled over. Never saw them operate
that far out of Sonoyta.
Arrived at the bridge check point, (the bridge is open for traffic both ways now), at 10:30, told them we were residents got waved
on. Hit the Super Norte got some pesos from the ATM and a few other items.
Hit a new Modelorama on the Cholla road stopped to see if they had any Pacificos, Yes they did. Picked up 4 for 76 pesos with deposit
and 2 bag's of ice for 36 pesos. will go back with a case of empties for some fresh Pacifico's.
Arrived at our place in Cholla a bit before 11 am.
I had a buddy turn on the AC and fridge for us, so the house was 82 when we walked in with much of the humidity removed.
Overcast and really windy today, We're hoping to see some storms develop this weekend.
Updated 8/30
Well we have had some serious winds and nice waves, but high humidity Sat and today.
Went over to JJ's to say hi, compared to last Sunday which was really hot about 100, did some serious sweating,
today wasn't too bad on their patio, almost a non sweating afternoon.
My wife and I went over to the New Mexican restaurant on the way to Calle 13, the good news, it was nice and cool,
it has Pacifico and other beers $2.25 ea.
Now the bad news the food was only OK and at 5:30 we were the only customers there. Before we left another US couple came in.
Drive back to Cholla was an event with lot's of traffic heading that way and by the looks of how people were driving, some drunk driving.
In the middle of Cholla by the new Six store lot's of crazy locals driving around drunk.
Sanitizing tent was closed for the day, so this trip 4 trips into Cholla with zero sanitizing sprays.
8/31 Update,
Heat has returned, still some wind.
The wife and I went to Collin's Sports bar at the Princessa Condo project, I've never been there, it's small with 10-12 tables
and bar seating. They gave us some hand sanitizer and scanned our arm for our temps.
Well they had a happy hour for burgers when we were there, two for one. Pleasant surprise.
We had 2 large bacon cheese burgers with fries a ice tea and a coke. Bill came to $10.75 - 215 pesos at 20-1.
Burgers were 1/2lb which were pretty good for Penasco and the fries were also good, the service was very good as well.
Drove back into Cholla and the sanitizing tent was off-line as they were spraying water on the road in front to keep the dust down.
Yea! No spray downs this trip yet, but still have a few more trips into town tomorrow and Wed.
9/1 Update
Really windy and some rough seas out there. But look what I spotted out there patrolling off of Pinto Point in Cholla Bay.
It's bow was really bouncing from the waves. It was still 4-5 miles out. Big zoom lens is nice to have on a real camera. :)
It's probably a 300 foot long ship and this was shot with a 800mm lens .
We saw some very similar ships last month when we were in San Diego area the end of July.
8/31 Update,
Heat has returned, still some wind.
The wife and I went to Collin's Sports bar at the Princessa Condo project, I've never been there, it's small with 10-12 tables
and bar seating. They gave us some hand sanitizer and scanned our arm for our temps.
Well they had a happy hour for burgers when we were there, two for one. Pleasant surprise.
We had 2 large bacon cheese burgers with fries a ice tea and a coke. Bill came to $10.75 - 215 pesos at 20-1.
Burgers were 1/2lb which were pretty good for Penasco and the fries were also good, the service was very good as well.
Drove back into Cholla and the sanitizing tent was off-line as they were spraying water on the road in front to keep the dust down.
Yea! No spray downs this trip yet, but still have a few more trips into town tomorrow and Wed.
Burgers and margaritas at Collins with Monday happy hour pricing is a must. Possibly the best burgers in town and the price is right.
9/1 Update
Really windy and some rough seas out there. But look what I spotted out there patrolling off of Pinto Point in Cholla Bay.
It's bow was really bouncing from the waves. It was still 4-5 miles out. Big zoom lens is nice to have on a real camera. :)
It's probably a 300 foot long ship and this was shot with a 800mm lens .
We saw some very similar ships last month when we were in San Diego area the end of July.
Might be Durango class patrol vessel. 267 ft in length.
Updated 9/2
We decided to go home today, Over the past 3 weeks of trips we've seen it go from from Hot and really Humid
with some days of OMG, Hot and Humid to very warm and humid.
We left Cholla at 9:30 am, passed by the sanitizing tent as they were getting it ready.
Amazingly 5 trips into Cholla this trip with zero sprays. Total for the 3 trips is, 15 trips into Cholla only 3 sprays.
A fair amount of traffic going south most hauling a Razor or a toy hauler trailer, we arrived in Sonoyta and
the Policia were hiding in their usual spots looking for victims.
We drove over the new bridge and it was still partially covered with mud and debris from the storms that soaked Sonoyta Sat-Mon.
Lot's of debris has clogged up the river bed under it.
Got thru the border, 1 car in front, with only 1 casualty incurred, an agent opened our ice chest and found some
Mexican eggs we were smuggling back.
She said it's a $200 fine if they wanted to press charges against us. WTF. this time only a warning. X-Ray machine was not running.
We had to follow 6 dirt hauling trucks being used for the WALL, We saw close to 25 of them going both ways coming home.
Arrived in Ajo and decided to have lunch at the Agave Grill, it's an interesting simple place that looks like it should be up
in the mountains. The food was very good, cheese burger and fries very good and my wife had mixed springs with Cali-flower rice,
Kale, grilled chicken and other healthy things. Place is a bit pricey, bill was $30 plus tip. they had a $1.25 sur charge on burgers
for increased food costs. But I would eat there again, it beats the crap out of McD, Burger King and other similar places.
We saw 3 Ajo sheriff's parked under tree's shooting radar. Rest of the trip to Phx was uneventful.
Looking forward to the next trip in 2 weeks and the weather should be a little cooler but the humidity will still
be there until mid-October.
I haven't seen this in many years, but on Friday at 7:45 pm, there was a 2.5-3 mile long line waiting to cross into Mexico at Lukeville.
Apparently not many were aware that the border closes at 8 pm since they changed the hours in April.
Result many slept in their cars in the 95-85 degree temps.
Many drove to Ajo for lodging only to find everything booked, more drove to Gila Bend, some drove back home and some
decided to drive to Yuma to cross at San Luis which added 8 hours to their trip because SL had a 2 hour wait.
A lot of unhappy campers.
Years ago for Thanksgiving we went hit Lukeville on Wed at 9 pm and found a 1.5-2 mile wait because the Mexican agents were checking every car thoroughly. it took us almost 3 hours to cross, there was a 2 mile line behind us that didn't make it in that night.
You hear stories about some people who had to sleep in their cars because their time management is poor, but not to this magnitude.
I haven't seen this in many years, but on Friday at 7:45 pm, there was a 2.5-3 mile long line waiting to cross into Mexico at Lukeville.
Apparently not many were aware that the border closes at 8 pm since they changed the hours in April.
Result many slept in their cars in the 95-85 degree temps.
Based on reports here yesterday, those lucky few who did make it across may have also had another long wait at the sanitary filter, right? A 1-2 hour wait to cross the the border, then another 1-2 hours at the covid filter? Good lord, that would be a nightmare. I hope the filter goes adios as planned Sep 8th...
They aren't missing much. The weather is brutal. 100+ degrees and humidity out of control make going outside pure torture.
True what you say,
I talked to my local buddy and it was the worst on Friday he's ever seen it in 30 years of living in Penasco.
We were there last week and came home on Wed, weather was a bit better than the week before just enough to tease us for
the weather coming in Oct. when it goes from OMG nasty - to not too bad - to perfect.
And this Labor Day weekend it's OMG Nasty.
True what you say,
I talked to my local buddy and it was the worst on Friday he's ever seen it in 30 years of living in Penasco.
Holy shit I just checked accuweather.com and it shows 104 temp with a humidity "real feel" of 116- in the shade!. Sounds f'n brutal..,
We're headed down next weekend and staying for 10 days; we've been down in mid-September many times over the years and never really minded the weather. Sounds like this year may be different...
Holy shit I just checked accuweather.com and it shows 104 temp with a humidity "real feel" of 116- in the shade!. Sounds f'n brutal..,
We're headed down next weekend and staying for 10 days; we've been down in mid-September many times over the years and never really minded the weather. Sounds like this year may be different...
With the shorter days now at least the nights will start dropping down from the high 80's into the low 80's.
The ocean is still 88-89 degrees. I wear my mask while driving, rules on this is still unclear. My local buddy got stopped yesterday
for not wearing one while driving, he got out of a ticket because it was too hot to breathe with one Friday, the cop agreed.
If you like burgers stop by Collin's Cantina at the Princess on Monday's, they have 2 for 1 burgers and some drink specials.
In the Rocky Point Times all the restaurants that used to have specials with their Ad's aren't showing any specials currently.
Bryan's Sports bar has some secret ones too.
Holy shit I just checked accuweather.com and it shows 104 temp with a humidity "real feel" of 116- in the shade!. Sounds f'n brutal..,
We're headed down next weekend and staying for 10 days; we've been down in mid-September many times over the years and never really minded the weather. Sounds like this year may be different...
I use a heat index calculator found on google that showed Saturday or Sunday being 130!!! I use heat + relative humidity... Scary!
Light traffic from Phoenix to Lukeville. Very hazy smoky skies all the way.
No line at border at 9:30am. Red light at Aduana and nice agent. Asked if we had anything to declare and how many days we were staying in Penasco. Looked in the back seat area and had me pop the hood of my truck and looked in the engine area quickly (?) I asked about driving with masks in Sonoyta and agent said not required in Sonoyta, but needed them in Penasco. I wore mine anyway to be safe. Got waved past the military checkpoint just past the border and saw them set up for inspections. Saw an AZ plate SUV pulled over by municipal policia on the hill curve in Sonoyta. Empty police truck at collection stop on the south side of town. Did the 40 kmh crawl and had no problems. Drove the 80 kmh speed limit out of town for a few miles to be safe but didn't see any cops. Road is in good shape with no potholes from Sonoyta to RP. The sanitation tunnel and checkpoint are gone with no checkpoints coming into Penasco. Light breeze and light seas and surf at beach. Very surprised that humidity has dried out and isn't as oppressive as we expected and it doesn't feel uncomfortably hot outside. The ocean temp is very nice, not too warm, and lightly refreshing when you enter. The smoke and haze (I assume from the Western fires?) made the sun disappear well before the real sunset time. The sun dimmed into a faint red ball high above the horizon in the late afternoon. Strange. Pleasantly surprised to have an easy trip down to Rocky Point after a six month hiatus.
Light traffic from Phoenix to Lukeville. Very hazy smoky skies all the way.
No line at border at 9:30am. Red light at Aduana and nice agent. Asked if we had anything to declare and how many days we were staying in Penasco. Looked in the back seat area and had me pop the hood of my truck and looked in the engine area quickly (?) I asked about driving with masks in Sonoyta and agent said not required in Sonoyta, but needed them in Penasco. I wore mine anyway to be safe. Got waved past the military checkpoint just past the border and saw them set up for inspections. Saw an AZ plate SUV pulled over by municipal policia on the hill curve in Sonoyta. Empty police truck at collection stop on the south side of town. Did the 40 kmh crawl and had no problems. Drove the 80 kmh speed limit out of town for a few miles to be safe but didn't see any cops. Road is in good shape with no potholes from Sonoyta to RP. The sanitation tunnel and checkpoint are gone with no checkpoints coming into Penasco. Light breeze and light seas and surf at beach. Very surprised that humidity has dried out and isn't as oppressive as we expected and it doesn't feel uncomfortably hot outside. The ocean temp is very nice, not too warm, and lightly refreshing when you enter. The smoke and haze (I assume from the Western fires?) made the sun disappear well before the real sunset time. The sun dimmed into a faint red ball high above the horizon in the late afternoon. Strange. Pleasantly surprised to have an easy trip down to Rocky Point after a six month hiatus.
Great report,
I've never been asked to open my hood ever in over 150 trips.
We're going down again Friday the 18th. I'll add more info.
The wind has been flowing mostly from the NW, WNW and that wind is bringing in dry air from the desert along with the smoke
from OR and CA fires. Can't wait to go swim in some non bath water ocean. I tried in Aug and it was just too warm.
Great report,
I've never been asked to open my hood ever in over 150 trips.
We're going down again Friday the 18th. I'll add more info.
The wind has been flowing mostly from the NW, WNW and that wind is bringing in dry air from the desert along with the smoke
from OR and CA fires. Can't wait to go swim in some non bath water ocean. I tried in Aug and it was just too warm.
We went down on the 9th, and got the same request (open hood, present registration). Thing is, protocol changes with the wind, and what ever they need is never difficult to produce. We volunteered to help the lady lift the hood, and after a few seconds were on our way. (And the ocean water was cool if not chilly.)
My greater concern is northbound through those giant x-ray ovens on the US side. I'd like to know what through-the-entire-vehicle dose that delivers (once a month). How about if we and other humans / critters be allowed to depart the vehicle before being zapped?
I mean, the dentist dares to give a minute dosage of x-ray to a small part of jaw only once a year. And for that I’m given a lead apron to shield that small dosage from thyroid and elsewhere.
Homeland Security apparently thinks that (in my case) once a month is fine to deliver a massive full-body dosage strong enough to penetrate trucks and all living beings within. This is way, way wrong.
I mean, the dentist dares to give a minute dosage of x-ray to a small part of jaw only once a year. And for that I’m given a lead apron to shield that small dosage from thyroid and elsewhere.
Homeland Security apparently thinks that (in my case) once a month is fine to deliver a massive full-body dosage strong enough to penetrate trucks and all living beings within. This is way, way wrong.
Not to mention pointless because drugs are here, cheaper and better than ever!!!! The war on drugs is a failure. What happened to good ol fashion PROFILING????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now they're going to indiscriminately x-ray every vehicle regardless of the assumed probability of said vehicle transporting narcotics... So basically every time I've been allowed through without x-rays ICE has been negligent? When did x-raying every single vehicle become a thing? And why?
Not to mention pointless because drugs are here, cheaper and better than ever!!!! The war on drugs is a failure. What happened to good ol fashion PROFILING????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now they're going to indiscriminately x-ray every vehicle regardless of the assumed probability of said vehicle transporting narcotics... So basically every time I've been allowed through without x-rays ICE has been negligent? When did x-raying every single vehicle become a thing? And why?
Well, without going all political, suffice it to say that It has become a “thing” as people continue to demonstrate to government that they quietly submit to infringement upon their freedoms.
Well, without going all political, suffice it to say that It has become a “thing” as people continue to demonstrate to government that they quietly submit to infringement upon their freedoms.
Semantics argument. ICE used to use and still widely uses profiling techniques to access risk of each vehicle or person entering USA. This determines who gets more questions, secondary inspection. If that hasn't been a sufficient way of assessing risk then they have essentially been negligent for the last decade or two in their effort to stop the flow of drugs. If that has been a successful way of assessing the risk a person or vehicle poses then why now start with x-raying every single vehicle regardless of perceived risk of being a bad actor? I mean if a BP or ICE agent looks at a vehicle and it's occupants and determines there is little to no probability of this vehicle being a bad actor why are we shooting it with radiation? If the human element can't be trusted to do the job either out of incompetence or being compromised then why do we give so much weight and responsibility to the human element? Why not make the border automated? I really don't understand the use of this new x-ray machine to scan every single vehicle and have the vehicle held up for up to 4 minutes when the human element was doing or was supposed to have been doing a very good job of assessing risk. I'd like to see if they can quantify the benefit of using this new x-ray machine vs. what they've been doing for years and that is profiling and assessing risk per vehicle/person.
Totally agree. And automation replacing the human element would make total sense, since it is much more thoroughly and consistently accurate. It's just that little issue about imperiling the victims in the automated process. . . . . .
I read about the X-ray machines and was surprised that the Obama administration was who approved the funding in 2009 as part of
the 2009 financial stimulus program. With the printing presses rolling Homeland security got their piece of the pie and the
machines being rolled out now started being installed in 2019.
According to the article that Ernesto posted, it contained some interesting points about the safety/non safety of these machines.
According to the manufacturer the X-ray dose a person receives is equivalent to being in a plane at 35K feet for a short flight.
According to the 63-page set of specifications (PDF), which was heavily redacted a person can pass thru this scan
2500 times in a year safely. Also states the driving speed thru it is supposed to be 4-7 mph, less than 4mph and it shuts down
over 7mph means do it again.
If people are refusing to and protesting about wearing a mask, I figured there would be mass protests about the safety and rights of
people being X-rayed without their consent and zero long term studies about the actual safety of being mass X-rayed every time
we cross the border. Zero warning signs at Lukeville or the agents saying anything about being X-rayed.
Amazingly, Homeland Security has grown from a small force to Police our borders in 1948 to what it is now.
They have the authority to break down your front door to search your home/car etc 100 miles in from any US border
and US coastal boundary.
This is supposedly, what the agent looking at the scan will actually see. Not 4K that's for sure.
I came through Monday AM and asked politely if I could get out with my dog to avoid the radiation when x ray was taken. It wasn't operating at that time.The agent said he didn't know. But he did say the dose was so low that it was safe. I asked where the people performing the x ray were when the x ray is taken. He pointed to a little white shed near the machine. He also admitted the shed was radiation proofed. I don't trust these clowns with this. My f-ing life matters.
I read about the X-ray machines and was surprised that the Obama administration was who approved the funding in 2009 as part of
the 2009 financial stimulus program. With the printing presses rolling Homeland security got their piece of the pie and the
machines being rolled out now started being installed in 2019.
According to the article that Ernesto posted, it contained some interesting points about the safety/non safety of these machines.
According to the manufacturer the X-ray dose a person receives is equivalent to being in a plane at 35K feet for a short flight.
According to the 63-page set of specifications (PDF), which was heavily redacted a person can pass thru this scan
2500 times in a year safely. Also states the driving speed thru it is supposed to be 4-7 mph, less than 4mph and it shuts down
over 7mph means do it again.
If people are refusing to and protesting about wearing a mask, I figured there would be mass protests about the safety and rights of
people being X-rayed without their consent and zero long term studies about the actual safety of being mass X-rayed every time
we cross the border. Zero warning signs at Lukeville or the agents saying anything about being X-rayed.
Amazingly, Homeland Security has grown from a small force to Police our borders in 1948 to what it is now.
They have the authority to break down your front door to search your home/car etc 100 miles in from any US border
and US coastal boundary.
This is supposedly, what the agent looking at the scan will actually see. Not 4K that's for sure.
Thanks for the info. I didn't find that in my earlier search. And when I asked at the border, I was given a smart-a answer ("Oh, about the same dosage as in a banana") and waved on.
Yeah, the guy I talked to Monday said the banana thing. What the hell does that mean? More fucking gibberish. Threw out my bananas this morning just to be safe. What a fucking joke. I am worried for my grandchildren. We are absolutely getting dumber.
This is what they are referring to with the banana comment:
The radiation exposure from consuming a banana is approximately 1% of the average daily exposure to radiation, which is 100 banana equivalent doses (BED). The maximum permitted radiation leakage for a nuclear power plant is equivalent to 2,500 BED (250 μSv) per year, while a chest CT scan delivers 70,000 BED (7 mSv).
This is what they are referring to with the banana comment:
The radiation exposure from consuming a banana is approximately 1% of the average daily exposure to radiation, which is 100 banana equivalent doses (BED). The maximum permitted radiation leakage for a nuclear power plant is equivalent to 2,500 BED (250 μSv) per year, while a chest CT scan delivers 70,000 BED (7 mSv).
Well I'll be damned... you learn something new everyday! Or at least you do when you talk to a sensical non cult following rational individual like RP Life. Amazing the conversation that can be had when only adults provide feedback.
