So, Day Three….

I was a little crushed for time and I only had one day to spare for any major issues so I could be on time to pick up my wife and kids at the airport in Puerto Vallarta! 

The delays of the previous two days and all the rainy day delays in San Diego were kind of settling in on me and, even though I know it on a cellular level that some things just can't be changed and you have to roll with them, I was worrying a little about getting home to San Pancho without further delays.

I was up early, though, gave Seamus his morning walk and with a little ball throwing in the parking lot as a bonus, double checked everything and we hit the road before the sun crested the horizon over the mountains east of Hermosillo. 

I was more than ready to leave Hermosillo and my easy to clean plastic covered bed and pillows in my rearview mirror and make time to the tropics.

I found an ATM and some pesos and we put fuel in the Rodeo, some coffee in me and we boogied through Hermosillo and got back onto open road in short order. 

Things were working perfectly this day so far!

My goal was Mazatlan, Sinaloa and, fortunately, I had only a short, comparatively speaking, drive as long as nothing happened to add to that time!

                                                  

I know where I'm heading!

A mere 900 kilometers (559 miles, but who’s counting) will put me happily into bed in my favorite malecon-front dive, El Hotel Hacienda, in Mazatlan!

Google mapping tells me that was going to be 9 hours of driving time, uh huh……….. They still haven't figured out Mexico timelines! I know 10 hours will put me there as long as my trip is trouble free. 

I am in Mexico, I am on a road trip with a time frame and I know heading out early is my best insurance to avoid any issues.

It is my personal philosophy that you DO NOT ever tempt the road trip trouble gods. They are a pernicious bunch and if you are rushed, leaving late, not doing all your fluid and air checks, well, they are going to get you.
I always plan for the worst just to appease those bastards. 

I leave early and then, if nothing goes wrong, I get to my destination early and relax! 

So far that hadn't seemed to be working for me so much, though.

Really, this should be a nice, easy drive….

Amazingly enough, things do go GREAT on day three… I just cruised all day.

                                                     

Things go so well that I had time to actually take pictures, not stress about the car or road construction or funny car noises and I was able to take Seamus for leisurely walks and some ball throwing at PEMEX stops while I just enjoyed the drive in my new homeland.

My public service brethren in the open air seats!

I swear my map said I was on Carretera 15.
Oh, that's right. I didn't have a map.

The transitions from stark desert to chaparral covered hills followed by driving up into high mountains to suddenly descending into the tropics are something to see.
Instead of the caballeros herding steer across highways, in what seems like a very short time, iguanas are crossing the highway. Or, attempting to, at least!

Things went well all day and I got to my funky hotel across from the malecon that has, apparently, become my traditional stopping place. 

It is well before sundown and I just can't believe how well the day went!  

If I could've gotten that kook out of the way this would have been a great shot from my hotel balcony!

I decided to buy a few beers, snap a few pictures and take Seamus for a walk. There is nothing like being back in a tropical climate and we both just have to stick our toes into that wonderful, bathwater warm Pacific.

After Seamus’s walk and dip in the ocean I headed on foot into the old part of town where I knew I could get great tacos from one of the restaurants that pop up every night in front of people’s houses.

There were a few busy restaurants to choose from and all of them smelled great.

I like to sport eat I so had a taco here. A few people stopped and asked if I minded if they ate with me so they could practice their English! They told me they don't get a whole lot of English speakers in this part of town. A great start to my dinner!

Where I had the last of my dinner and a very nice family paid for my meal.

They were doing a smokin' business! 

I had nice conversations with people and we talked about our families, where we lived, where we came from, everything and nothing, it was all just pleasant conversation with new friends over some cold beers and hot food.
In fact, it was so pleasant that when I got up to leave the family I had been sitting with had paid for my dinner without even telling me! I was touched by their generosity.

Mazatlan is a very cool city and at night people are out on their porches and sidewalks spending time together and being alive.

My meanderings through that part of Mazatlan have me convinced there is truth to the phrase about “latitudes and attitudes”.

If you are open to it and walk into the non-tourist parts of town you will feel it all around.

I just love this feeling.

A little local color.

After such a pleasant dinner I needed to take Seamus out for his own dinner and walk.
We ended up walking on the beach again and the night sounds of the city, the smell of the warm Pacific Ocean and the feel of that tropical air on my skin were just perfect for getting a good night’s sleep.

I returned to the hotel and opened the windows to the sea breeze and just exhaled.  It felt so good, finally, to have an uneventful day of travel that I could feel the road stress just lifting off of me.

Mazatlan looking south from my hotel room

View to the north side of Mazatlan

After a few photos from the balcony and a quick shower I fell asleep in no time, thinking of what a great day three on the road it had been and how I had an easy five hour drive ahead me the next day to our home in San Pancho and how ready I was to see my family again.

Time for bed.....