B-Day

Well today was officially B-Day.Border Day. We saw Mark, Dana and the boys off bright and early and started making the days plans. As we stood at the Jiffy Lube getting our first oil change on the new engine, it all started sinking in. That nervous feeling in the pit of the stomach started and would stay with us all day. This was it. It was time to commit.

Within a few hours, and endless miles of desert, we were at the sleepy border town of Lukeville. As soon as we crossed, all of the pictures and my pre-conceived images of Mexico started to unfold before my eyes. People sitting in the shade with what seemed like not much to do, stray dogs roaming the streets digging in the abundant trash and small little shanty towns randomly dug into the desert. We made our way to Puerta Panesca and arrived at the shores of the Sea of Cortes. We grabbed a quick bite on the seashore and then decided to continue on south to try to find a place to park before it got dark.

We rolled on for about another hour, passing through small villages along the way. It seemed like every one had children playing soccer in the sand in the evening twilight. Just as a gorgeous sunset was running its course, we found a place that we could get well off the road and out of site. We setup shop and took a quick jaunt up the road to check out the area. Not more than 50 yards further up, we heard a buzz that neither of us had heard in person before, but immediately knew what it was. Sure enough a rattler lay ten yards in front of us, warning us to not come any closer. It was a fitting way to start our first night and for the desert to say ‘Welcome to Mexico…’

Parked at: 30°46.4133'N -112°32.3430'W
Miles Traveled: 445
End Odometer: 126,950