Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Fair Trade

Sunday in Tucson was wet and cold. So very cold! We left 30C San Carlos and eight hours later it was 13C and pouring.

We had an appointment for some warranty work to be completed on the Jayco so we were at Camping World 8:30 Monday morning. We showed them what needed to be completed and were on our way out when we made a quick decision....Adelle stop reading now!

We are now the proud owners of a different 2015 Jayco.

If someone had told us beforehand how difficult it is to trade in a Canadian registered RV that was manufactured and purchased in the USA, I'm not sure we would have made this deal. We started the purchasing procedure at 9:30 and didn't get to our hotel until almost 4:00 with one stop at Homeland Security at the airport and one long, drawn out stop at Arizona Vehicle Licensing. Both places had to see the unit so we dragged that thing all over Tucson.

Homeland Security was the most organized place we have been to in a while. Their only concern was why would we trade in one 2015 Jayco for another 2015 Jayco.

Right now we have some down time so we will do a bit of checking out storage places for the unit next summer. We would rather not have to drive the RV all the way home every summer so are hunting for good, enclosed storage facilities. This year we have to take the RV back as we have to register it in Saskatchewan. Next year!

We take possession at 2:00 today, but it will take a couple of hours to transfer all our stuff from one unit to the other. We plan on driving to Picacho Peak State Park which is less than an hour away, overnighting and then heading to Parker, Arizona tomorrow. Emerald Canyon Golf Course here we come. Doug and Lenore will remember this course.

Our route home has to be changed somewhat because the crossing at Havre doesn't complete the paper work on importation of trailers. We believe we have to cross at Coutts, something we haven't done in years. The line ups should scare me, but after the Mexican-USA line ups nothing surprises us anymore.




Sunday, April 5, 2015

Busy Few Days

Mexico is once again recovering from Semana Santa. All over the country, families and students journeyed to the beach to enjoy a week of sun and relaxation. This is our normally quiet beach across the street from our place...taken yesterday afternoon.


Relaxation I'm not so sure about. The crowds on the beach here were enormous and full of energy. The numbers appeared to be down somewhat from seven years ago when 250, 000 people would invade San Carlos. The police and politicians have tried to put a stop to all the partying and vandalism that comes with so many people.


They used to allowed taco vendors to set up wherever they wanted...they now must have a costly permit which has drastically reduced the numbers. Between the taco stands and the beer stands it was almost impossible to walk 50 metres without coming across food or drink. No more.

Most restaurants in San Carlos close for the last three days of Semana Santa. People camped out on the beach do not want to go to a sit down restaurant....they want tacos and beer, and lots of it.

The restaurants don't just lock their doors, they barricade their grounds as well. You would be surprised how many people want the bathrooms and will do anything to get there. At our park, we have to hire extra guards to keep people away from our pool and washrooms. Occasionally they do sneak in and create a big mess, but not too often.



Houses rent for huge money during this week and just like the Calgary Stampede owners move out so they can rent their house and make some spending money. If a house or hotel room can't be found, students will sleep anywhere. We have seen semi trailer tractors here, we have seen mattresses on top of vegetable trucks and we have seen people sleep on the street.

Afternoon picnics take place anywhere there is open ground. Family time.



And the noise! It starts early and ends late.  Very late...it is 8:00 am Easter morning and the music is still thumping on the beach somewhere. It seems like it will never end!