Category: Travel

To say it was a run in with the policia is a bit of an exaggeration but as we were driving into San Luis Potosí today after a drive of about 250 miles we made a left turn into traffic. The next thing we knew a motorcycle policia had pulled up next to us and was motioning for us to pull over. He asked Duke for his license and then said we would have to go to the station and wait 3 hours to get the license back. Then somehow he was telling us we could avoid the hassle by paying 1,500 pesos (about $120). Duke said no and pretty soon it was 1000 pesos, then 700, 500 and 200. Duke offered him 100 and he just gave Duke his license and motioned us to leave.

During all this hassling there was a man about our age watching intently and taking pictures with his cell phone. We are pretty sure that this concerned citizen is why we ended up paying nothing. As we drove away the policia and the concerned citizen were having a heated argument.

We were close to our hotel so we parked and went out exploring. After dinner we walked around some more. There are several pretty squares and they were full of people. There were dancers and venders and we had fun wandering around.

This morning first thing we crossed the border from Laredo Texas into Mexico. Laredo and the area south of the border was very flat and all desert. We drove around Monterey which has lots of industry including steel mills Apparently it has been called the Pittsburg of Mexico.

We drove into the mountains and tonight we are in Saltillo. It is a town of 710,000 people at just over 5,000 ft elevation which is the same altitude as Reno.

After we got here it started to rain. Duke took a siesta and I read. Later we walked around the center which has some pretty parks and a beautiful Cathedral.

We just finished dinner at a very upscale Restaurant called Montero. I have to include pictures of the food. It was. wonderful!

I’m still posting from my phone so the pictures will probably all be at the end of the post

This an attempt at posting from my phone. Today we spent a bit of time exploring Big Bend National Park. We drove over a dirt road down to Santa Elena Canyon .

At the end if the road and after a bit of a hike we were at the Rio Grande as it goes into Santa Elena Canyon. I always assumed that the Rio Grande, our national border, was a good size river. It is not as big as the Truckee in Reno!!

The canyon walls on the Mexico size were gigantic! For scale look for the canoes in the picture.

Another exciting event today was that Duke is now 62 so he was able to get his Lifetime National Parks Pass for just $10!

Tonight we are in Laredo, Texas ready to cross the border first thing tomorrow. There was an interesting article in the New York Times a week or so ago about Laredo. You can read it here.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/18/us/deep-ties-tested-on-mexicos-border.html

Sent from my iPhone

We left early Sunday Morning, May 18 on our six week road trip through the U.S., Mexico and Guatemala. So far it has been three very long days of driving. But it is fun to be on the road again!

Sunday we drove from Reno to Kingman, Arizona, 550 miles. Driving the length of Nevada you see a lot of mountains and desert and not much else. When we got hungry we agreed that we would stop for lunch when we saw a tree. It took a while but here we are having our picnic lunch.

 

 

On Monday we drove 580 miles to Las Cruces, New Mexico.. Driving through Arizon the Saguaro Cactus were blooming and there were lots of bees buzzing around them.

Our hotel in Las Cruces, The Encanta, had an  outdoor bar with an incongruous elegant ambiance. We had a drink and watched the sunset.

 

 Today, Tuesday we drove from Las Cruces to Lajitas on the Texas, Mexican border. Just 350 miles today so we got here mid afternoon. We stopped for lunch in Alpine, Texas.

Tonight we are staying at a beautiful resort right on the Rio Grande. It was extremely hot when we arrived. Around 100. We ate dinner on a verada overlooking the mountains and watched thunderstorms come in. Then it started to rain and the temp dropped about 20 degrees. It was magical.

Tomorrow we explore Big Bend National Park and will spend the night in Laredo, Texas.

I have been thinking about restarting this blog for some time. and since tomorrow Duke and I are starting a new road trip  now is a good time.

 We will be driving through Mexico and will be taking a bus excursion into Guatemala. Here is a screen shot of our tentative route. If you would like to look a the interactive Google map of the route it is available by clicking here.

My wonderful Sisters ae planning to come stay in our house for much of the trip so that Dad will not be lonely.

If you have suggestions for things we should see or do or if you have any questions please post a comment.