Trip report Aug 8, 2020

[Mexico Joe]

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.

Now they can check for covid while you pass through.... Hey doc, how's my back looking? Based on driver age the ICE agent is going to be recommending calcium and Centrum multi vitamin once daily in the morning with breakfast upon entry... I see something developing here. Maybe a physical and x-ray with entry??? Something between Obamacare and Guantanamo Bay...

 

[Southbeacher]

Now they can check for covid while you pass through.... Hey doc, how's my back looking? Based on driver age the ICE agent is going to be recommending calcium and Centrum multi vitamin once daily in the morning with breakfast upon entry... I see something developing here. Maybe a physical and x-ray with entry??? Something between Obamacare and Guantanamo Bay...

Surely they at least could let you know that you have, say, a cavity in the left molar.

 

[Queen of Kings]

That's not the cavity they are concerned about...........

 

[Southbeacher]

That's not the cavity they are concerned about...........

Ha! Well that’s my point – they can take their pick. That said, after RP’s response and my own additional digging, I’m pretty comfortable with the process now. A friend created the attached chart which puts things in perspective. Bottom Line 1: It might’ve been nice of Homeland Security to provide this info (by way of signage, fliers . . . . whatever) rather than merely expecting everyone to unquestioningly subject themselves to a new contraption such as this. Bottom Line 2: That’s why I like what remains of this forum. It used to be about people informing, enlightening, helping, and lightly joking with others, before it became an arena for verbal tomato throwing. I'm hoping it reverts to the helpful version.

 

[ernesto]

Good information. You would have to trust that they are telling the truth about the dosage. I would rather get out than be x rayed.

 

[JayT]

Trip report - RP to Phoenix - 9/18/20

Spent the week in Rocky Point and drove back to Phoenix this morning. Saw a few people pulled over in Sonoyta heading south on the long straight road just south of the border and two cops hiding on the side of the road just south of hill near Burgers Wendy's. Saw a national guard officer parked in a Dodge Charger at the big Pemex just past the bridge. The usual empty police truck was parked near the DIF collection stop south of town. Drove slowly and had no problems.

The U.S. border crossing was easy with no line and a single lane open at 7:45am. The agent asked where we were coming from and how long we had been out of the country, smiled and told us to have a nice day. He was wearing a mask and we asked if we should wear our masks and he said it didn't matter to him. Two other agents with a perro detector sat chatting by the passenger side. From there, we moved to the new x-ray machine. An agent greeted us and asked if we had been through this before and if any of us were pregnant or had a pacemaker. They also asked what model year vehicle we were in (?) and told us to drive slowly through the tunnel and stop next to the agent at the end after going through. The x-ray detected some cases of bottled water in the bed of our truck, which the agent confirmed was okay and sent us along into the US.

The hazy smoke was mostly gone by Monday giving way to bluer skies and visible sunsets. The humidity crept back a little during the week but wasn't intolerable. The calm seas and light winds made it really nice to swim in the ocean all week, which is a perfect water temperature for swimming. The banana boats and jet ski rentals were busy buzzing up and down the shoreline hustling business and the beach vendors seem to be the only ones wearing masks on the beach.

Sam's Club takes your temperature, checks for your mask and gives you a dollop of hand sanitizer before you enter the store. Gran Centenario reposado tequila at Sam's is well priced at under $11/liter bottle. (Total Wine sells the smaller 750ml bottle for around $28). The usual parking lot "helpers" weren't around. The Bodega Aurrera had a big kiosk set up outside the store selling Mexican Flags for Dia de la Independencia.

 

[brokenwave]

Yep,
Sam's Club has some really good deals on wine and hard Alcohol not so much on Beer.
We bought some high end tequila in a tall bottle (name escapes me since I don't drink anything but beer) it was $25
and at Bevmo it was around $80.
My son who is a drink mix - master was amazed at how much less spirit's are at Sam's in Mexico.

 

[dirtsurfer]

Trip report 9/19-9/20
The wait at the border to enter Mexico at 9:AM on a Saturday morning was surprising, we waited about 20 minutes. Mexican border guard looked in our glove box and asked us for pistolas or bullets. The Federales or Marines at the secondary stopped looked bored and waved us by. I looked to see if any of them had the knife on that they stole from me on my last trip. Liquores Vasquez had no Pacifico-ate good tacos here. Weather was not that bad-pretty sticky at dinner time when the breeze stopped but we slept outside and were comfortable. Watched the sunset from neck deep water. There was a 30 minute wait to cross back in to the U.S. at 10:30AM on Sunday, only two lanes open but another was opened as we approached the guards. We were not asked to pass through the X-ray machine.