A very quick Mexican shopping trip.

We were up at 8 AM, which is way early for us......LOL.  Biscuit was hearing all the other campers in the other rooms, so she was acting like an alarm clock.

Loyce took her outside a few minutes later, and she refused to go potty.  She can be rather unpredictable that way, if it doesn't smell just right, she isn't about to pee there.  I am certain there are a lot of different smells all over the Southwest that we as humans cannot detect......

Then back in the room, she begins to whine again.  This time Loyce had to get forceful with her and she finally went.  She was holding a flood back.  Good thing that didn't happen in that non doggy room  Would have cost me another $100 to get it cleaned up.

Anyway we drove over in California and then South to Algodones, Mexico.  It was before 10AM in Mountain time zone, and before 9 AM in Pacific where we were now located, but the parking lot was jammed!   And we were part of  a steady stream of cars that were arriving.

By now it was in the mid 60s and the car was beginning to be warm inside.  And Loyce doesn't really like to go into Mexico anyway, so she told me I was going across by myself.  She would stay with Biscuit and keep the windows down.  So off I went.

I was the one that needed a few prescriptions and we don't really drink all that much booze, so I opted for vanilla instead.  I keep a couple of bottles in reserve as gifts back in Kansas where real Mexican vanilla is valued much higher.

I only walked about two blocks into the city from where the crossing is and then made my purchases.  It only took about 20 minutes total.  When I arrived back at customs, the line going back had gone from nil when I went in, to back to the corner where the gate starts.

That still wasn't all that bad, because as the day becomes afternoon, the line gets about 4 times that long along the fence to the East.  I got right in line as I arrived, and was surprised that it wasn't moving all that fast....

As I finally got up to the shack, I could see that they only had one agent running passports.  Someone mentioned that the line was clear back to the street in Algodones, and he buzzed a button and in a few moments a second agent came out.

That sped us right thru, and yes I did tell the guy I had the usual stuff, prescriptions and vanilla.  He compared my passport picture to me and told me to move along.  The picture is now 8 years old, so I'm not sure he thought I was me......

Back at the parking lot, I phoned Loyce and she came to the front of the lot and picked me up.  The next thing I knew she was speeding thru Yuma heading out the East side.  She can never wait to leave that town when we stay there with the motorhome.

I think it is small and doesn't have any fabric stores or Jo Ann's fabric outlets so it is of little use to her.  We did find a quilt store several years ago, but she didn't like the projects that they were showing as completed ideas.  So there is no reason to stay there in her mind.

Next thing I knew, we were in Gila Bend stopping at the McDonalds on the West end of the main street.  The town hasn't changed much since we were there on the day that we ended up rolling over the Toyota Corolla back in 2009.  

This is the first time that we have actually taken Az 84 South of Maricopa as a short cut, since that afternoon when we turned turtle in the desert.  There was a big roll of concrete reinforcement wire in the middle of the road.  I swerved to miss it and lost control of the little car's back end.  It was totaled.

Tonight we are back in Mesa just in time for the cool temps that are forecast for the next few days.

I think we are to be in the low 40s for the next few nights and tomorrow will struggle to make 60.  But compared with snow and freezing rain that is happening back home, I think I will just shut up and enjoy the days.  The folks on the TV are all excited that it might rain since there has been no moisture here for weeks.

Retired Rod

Happy Valentines Day!!!  And also Happy Birthday to my younger son Ben!