corny as sinaloa in april

I feel as if I have just met Dorothy and Yosemite Sam. Perhaps, we could title it: The Grizzled of Oz.


And why the arcane entertainment references? All will be revealed.


This was the first day we allowed ourselves a relaxing day. We slept in until 7 and then had a nice slow breakfast before we took a quick tour of Guaymas. “Quick” because our next goal (Mazatlan) was over 500 miles south.


The Guaymas waterfront was our first glimpse of the Pacific. We wandered around the plaza. Jiggs attempted to make friends with far many more people than wanted to make friends with him. But like the girl left sitting alone at the prom, he remained hopeful that one day everyone would like him.


We were then on our way south. I have not yet mentioned my impression of the cuotas: Mexico’s toll roads. They are in better shape than almost all of the roads I have driven in the States for the last decade. And they are almost free of traffic – with some very obvious sections that carry the bulk of local traffic.




On Sunday, the cuotas took us through an amazing change in climate and topography. We started in Guaymas with the typical Sonora desert. But that soon changed south of Guaymas. The brush was thicker along the road and there were fewer (but flowering) cacti. We even saw toll way traffic stop to allow genuine cowboys to herd cattle from one field to another.


Then, somewhere in Sinaloa, fields of corn appeared – stretching from horizon to horizon – more corn than I have ever seen in Kansas or South Dakota. Of course, corn is a major staple crop in Mexico. If it had not been for the mountains in the distance, I would have expected Margaret Hamilton to ride by on her way to see the sheriff.


Because we took quite a few breaks from driving during the day (for the sake of all three boys), we were pushing our luck on getting to Mazatlan before the sun went down on us.


To hear old Mexican hands tell it, vampires and werewolves (or worse) lurk in the dark looking for unwary night travelers. Well, we did not get to Mazatlan by sundown, but we finished the drive unscathed.


We checked into the Hotel del Sol in the mistaken impression that it had a pro-dog policy and free internet. Neither was true. But Jiggs got in – even though I did not get to the internet until Monday morning.


We managed to fit in a late big dinner at Roca Mar restaurant. I had jumbo shrimp. Darrel had a great beef dish called Moleajete. His was the far better choice. For 400 pesos, we could have done far better. Our entrees in Guaymas were better, and a quarter of the price.


For those of you who have been worried about our safety in Mexico, I can assure you we have been in no gun fights, we have discovered no severed heads, and drug lords have not recruited us for their nefarious ends.But, just to prove that Mexico can be every bit as colorful as Portland or Boston, a young man approached Darrel as we were leaving an Oxxo store (similar to a 7-11), and asked Darrel if he was interested in buying some coke. He apparently did not see that we already had sodas.


Why would anyone believe that two upper middle aged (and I am being kind with that description) men would be interested in recreational drugs is beyond me. I suspect the young man was either fishing in the wrong pond – or (well, I guess the possibilities are almost limitless – fill in your own).


Most likely, nothing that exciting will enliven the remainder of our trip. If all goes well, we should be meeting with at least one more fellow blogger.


Monday, we will leave both Yosemite Sam and Dorothy behind as we enter the more tropical regions of Mexico.