We got up early and showered and got ready to go. Said goodbye to our friends who all left before us. Since we were only going to Los Mochis which was a couple hundred miles we didn't do a first light departure. Did depart at 0830 and had an uneventful drive but stopped in Empalme to buy shrimp for dinner and at noon stopped at a Walmart to make sandwiches and picnic in their parking lot. But first we had to shop, some NA beer and two chocolate bars for me, limes and a lime squeezer for Penny ( have at least three of those, one one the boat, one at home, and one in the Airstream, but none in the trek) and orange and grapefruit juice.

Left there and headed south. The roads were either brand new concrete two lane with shoulders or the old road that is a single lane each way while they build the other side. We came to a stop in the middle of a new section and saw the big rigs turning off the road to the left and going down a steep slope. Didn't realize what was going on until we got closer. A flat bed trailer with a big piece of equipment on it had tried to cross the new road and high centered the rig and blocked the road. So we had to drive down the slope and around the stuck rig and back up a steep slope. Was worried I would high center but came out ok. A big rig went around me and drove off the road and down the slope and got stuck. The 4 back tires of the trailer were in the air and the forward corner of the trailer was resting on the back wheels of the tractor. Serves him right for trying to push his way around all of us. Not sure how or if he got off.

We were going to stay at the Copper Canyon RV park in Los Mochis and check out tours to the Copper Canyon. After a few mishaps trying to get on the lateral to get to the entrance we finally found it. It is supposed to be the place where RV caravan stop and leave their rigs and take the train to the canyon. It was completely empty but the entrance sign looked new. We drove in and went to the office, which looked abandoned, and there were two young men there playing a guitar. Penny asked if they were open and he said Si. We looked around and Penny did a bathroom inspection and came back and said not here! Apparently it has gone in disrepair over the years and nothing works. They said a caravan was coming in next week. Glad we're not on that one.

The only thing to do was press on towards Mazatlan which would have meant driving at night. The other option was an hours drive to El Fuerte where we have been before. So off we went to El Fuerte in search of the Hotel Bugamabila which has room for RV's. We got there and there were 18 rigs there but the people were on a tour of the canyon and would be back Thursday. We recognized a Road Trek that we met last year in Baja. We will sleep in and go explore El Fuerte which dates back to the 1500's and check out train schedules. We will probably take the train trip on Thursday and spend 4 days doing it. Feel comfortable leaving the rig where we are. It's $200 pesos per night, about $11.00.

Penny cooked up our fresh shrimp and some retried beans and we had really good shrimp burritos for dinner. Got great flour tortillas in Guyamas. Yum, good.L