Season Eight Begins
16 November 2014 | Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico
Gabriellas grandpa
The adventure begins and hopefully continues for a long time. As always, saying goodbye to Gabriella is the most agonizing part of leaving. This year she tells me that she loves me very much and it will be sad to see me leave. She also told me she is very happy for me because I get to follow my dreams and have a great retirement that I picked. Now that's a growing moment on Gabriella's part. She IS maturing in a very nice way. Packed my new to me Ford Escort wagon like I pack all my vehicles before this one. I had new solar panels, generator, bottom paint, donated clothes, and a ton of personal items. I stopped in Modesto to pick up some gifts for Yoana (my translator and host in Barra De Navidad) given to her from her siblings. Yoana's mother, Maria, helps me distribute the clothes in the Barra/Melaque area. I drove straight to Minneys Surplus in Costa Mesa to pick up a new/used head sail and then I drove to Mission Viejo (my old stomping grounds) to check out my Pastor's daughters house for future work. Then I drove to El Cajon to spend the night at Best Western. Left El Cajon at 6am and drove to Tucson where I drove around the city for awhile to do some shopping since it was only about 1pm. Drove down to Nogales and got a room at another Best Western. I got to Nogales so early in the afternoon that I could have driven all the way to Guaymas and get there shortly after dark....but that is no way to arrive to a stored boat and stumble around getting hooked up to electricity and other must do things to get in a living way. So I did my habitual morning stuff prior to crossing the border.....top off with gas and have my last gringo breakfast at Ihop. My anxiety at this time is at an all time high because of all the stuff I'm taking across the border and the chances of having to pay duty of 16% of what they determine the value to be. I drive the couple of miles to the border and come upon the green/red light...if it's green, you keep going....if it's red, you pull over to get inspected. The car before me got a green and went through and started to drive up to the light and it turn red and had a left arrow on it. So I pulled forward and was making a left turn into a narrow street, but there was no inspection parking so I kept on driving slowly and looking in my rear view mirror looking for the Federal Police to come up on me. I drove all the way to the km21 checkpoint where we get our visas. I thought for sure if they wanted me they would notify the officials there to detain me. Nothing...nada! I guess they figured I was some dumb old gringo and didn't bother with me. I got to my smelly stale closed up boat and started to set up housekeeping. Now the fun begins doing repairs and getting the boat ready to launch.