Buen Viaje

"Have a Good Trip".  Must have read that on about 96 signs on the drive from Phoenix to San Carlos today.  We left Phoenix at 5:00am to beat traffic.  Reached the border in Nogales around 8:30.  Crossing into Mexico is kind of interesting. At the actual border you weave through some jersey barriers and some booths, none of which were manned this morning.  Then you drive 21km into Mexico through a couple of towns and pull in at the immigration stop.  Here you present your passport and fill out a form just like if you fly in.  Once you have the forms filled out you walk over to the bank to pay the immigration fee (about $70) for the three of us.  Then back to the first stop and exchange the bank paperwork for new forms and passport stamps.  All said, this is easier than it used to be as there is no longer any paperwork required for the car within the area we are driving.  I had to forge a car registration one year.  The roads are generally quite good although I'd say the shoulders are sure and sudden death. We had a easy trip.  We arrived in San Carlos at 2:30 and had lunch at JJ's street taco stand (our favorite).  Then we went to the boatyard to check on WIZ.  Had a little concern when our 15hp outboard was not on the pushpit.... No problemo, Miguel, the yard foreman had removed it for safe keeping when they pulled Wiz two years ago.  At the time, we HAD to go, and their large tractor used to to pull the trailer up the ramp was broken, so we had left WIZ in the water for them to pull when manyana finally came for the tractor.  They have taken very good care of us.

Wiz was horribly dirty on the outside.  Imagine many birds dining on sea creatures while perched on the spreaders and boom for nearly two years.  All kinds of animal remains and bird doo.  Inside was another story.  Things looked good.  There was a little evidence of a leak at the forward hatch.  I switched the main disconnect on the house batteries and they still had 12.3V after sitting for 20 months.  These Lifeline batteries are about 13 years old and have been outstanding.  I'm adding a 100w solar panel this year - more on that later.    

Sunny Arizona

Woke up at 4:30 am yesterday, wind and snow blowing everywhere.  Checked my flight, on-time.  Finished shutting down the house. It stopped snowing shortly after 5.  Bob showed up right at 6 to take me to the airport.  Thanks Bob, I owe ya big (again).  My flight got out on time and arrived in Az at 12:30.  Susan picked me up and we met our good friends Tosha and Matt for lunch downtown.  It's sunny and 80 degrees here, which is quite a change from home in Polson, MT.  We have 2 days here visiting my parents and doing some last errands like going to home deport for solar panel mounting hardware, and getting some of the thinks that we have learned are really tough to get in Mexico. Good paper towels, peanut butter, good cheese, etc..

Monday morning we'll leave early for San Carlos which is an 8 hour drive if the boarder crossing is smooth.

Darrell 2/22

Reviving this blog from our first year cruising Mexico (2006-2007).

We have been spending a few months each winter since cruising Wiz.  We typically range from San Carlos (midway up the Sea of Cortez on the mainland)  south to Manzanillo.  We skipped last winter as I started a new job as an Engineer at Black Mountain Software.  I have been very fortunate that they are allowing my to have time of to cruise for two months again this winter.  Susan and Cooper are also very excited to be returning to Wiz.  This is the first year that Cooper, now 8, really remembers being on the boat.  Susan and I are thrilled that he is so enthusiastic about going to Mexico.  He remembers hunting little sea creatures in tide pools for a Tupperware aquarium, playing in the surf, exploring in the dingy and carne asada street tacos.

Susan and Cooper are taking off tomorrow morning to spend a few days with Grandma and Grandpa in
Az.  I'll follow by plane on Friday.  We'll be driving to Mexico on the 24th and Wiz will be put back in the water on the 27th.

We'll work on keeping this blog and Coopers Blog at wherescoop.com updated with our adventures.