Journey In God's Amazing Grace: Across the border into Mexico

When we first went to Puerto Penasco with Steve and Nancy in January 2022, it was our first time taking our rig into Mexico, and we were intent on not getting left behind and/or lost! This time, we tried to do a better job of noticing where we were going and how we got there!

When we got to the border, the biggest challenge was that there were *very* narrow lanes and barriers that made us do sharp turns within the narrow lanes. (I didn't take any pictures because sometimes border control is really sticky about not having pictures taken.) Steve later told us that these narrow curving lanes were on the US side of the border, and intended to prevent vehicles heading north out of Mexico from attempting to crash through illegally on the southbound roadway. All we knew was that it was challenging to get Gracie through the barricades without scraping.

Eventually, we got to the Mexico side and were stopped by the Mexican border guards. We had the registration papers for both the motorhome and Jeep, US insurance papers, and Mexican insurance papers, as well as our passports available if needed. We had the harness on Miss Kitty just to make her easier to keep hold of -- we don't usually worry about her running out, but it isn't worth the risk that she might get scared and do something unexpected. One of the guards walked all the way around Gracie and the Jeep and then came to the door. He asked for our registration papers and then to be let into the Jeep, so I handed Miss Kitty off to Carl and walked to the back with the keys to the Jeep. I unlocked it, and he checked the VIN on the Jeep against the registration, opened the driver's door and used his flashlight to look around, and then opened the back hatch and again used his flashlight to look around. I re-locked the Jeep and as we were walking back to Gracie's door, he asked if we had, what I thought he said, "bill". I was wondering if he was asking if we had a loan on the rig, or purchase papers, and asked again, and he said "cerveza" -- and I knew that was beer. "No, no beer." He tried saying "beer" again and did better after hearing me say it. He came onboard Gracie and shown his flashlight down the aisle, and then returned our registration papers, welcomed us to Mexico, and left.

We radioed Steve and Nancy that we were done (they had pulled over to wait for us), and they headed out to lead us through Sonoyta (the town on the Mexican side of the border).

It isn't a difficult route -- highway 8 from the Lukeville crossing through Sonoyta to Puerto Penasco, and then, to get to The Reef RV Park, take highway 3... (google maps link)

... but there's this one spot in Sonoyta where highway 8 and highway 2 intersect, and... well... it is challenging in a big rig... (link to intersection in google maps)

Signage approaching the highway 8 and highway 2 intersection

You can see that there are two roads that intersect (with the arrows on them) -- and neither has a stop or yield sign where they cross, so it isn't clear who has right-of-way....

I didn't think to take pictures there as I was helping Carl watch traffic... but I found this picture on Google street view:

We were traveling on this road where these four vehicles are. The main traffic on highway 2 heading southeast to northwest travels along where that Lala truck is. We were on the road trying to stay on highway 8 (to head southwest) which shares roadway with 2 for a short distance; other traffic can be coming from the right wanting to go from highway 2 onto 8 northeast toward the border. The traffic where the Lala truck is can be heavy in both directions, so it takes patience to make the left turn. And... the space between the "Alto" where we would be making the left turn onto highway 2/ highway 8 is just barely long enough for the motorhome and Jeep to fit without hanging over the intersection. We were glad to have that intersection behind us!

After making it through that intersection, we just needed to stay to the right on the combined highway 2/highway 8 section so we could take the right-lane exit to stay on highway 8. You might notice a pickup truck just in front to the left of us -- no license plate, no working lights (so no idea what he is planning to do or if he might be braking in front of us). He got between Steve and Nancy and us for a few miles before turning off.

I took this because the red sign is for "Waldo's", so if anyone ever asks, "Where's Waldo?", you can say, "In Mexico!"

Most of the roads that we were on were in good shape, but they have these speed bumps (topes -- literally "stops") -- some are marked, some have paint (or have had paint) on them -- this one had a sign to indicate "Reductor de velocidad" (speed reducer). Nancy and Steve know where the speed bumps are located and carefully slow down to avoid sending their rig airborne (thereby letting us know to slow down too!).

This is at the end of Sonoyta -- I think this person who is out on the street stopping traffic is collecting for a children's charity. The sign over the highway wishes us, "Have a good trip!"

Once we are past that stop,

...we continue heading across this part of the Sonoran Desert (the same desert that is in the southwestern part of Arizona).

According to the warning sign, there may be bovines with horns along this road (we didn't see any).

It is a lot more sandy and less green than what we were seeing in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

Amazingly, as we were driving, it started raining -- Nancy said that they have never encountered rain on their many trips to Puerto Penasco (they have had rain while in Puerto Penasco as it is at the coast, but not on the road across the desert).

Eventually we were welcomed to Puerto Penasco (I barely got my phone up in time to take a picture!).

We found our way onto highway 3 and then skirted the town of Puerto Penasco to get to our RV park, The Reef... there were a number of very rough roadways and topes and a railroad crossing that was about as rough as you could ever imagine!