Puerto Penasco, (Rocky Point) Mexico

Playing pickleball, sitting around the pool and enduring happy hour day after day was apparently starting to bore some of us. Jim and Sandy, Lorne and Cathy and Yvonne and I decided to hop in the car and take a four hour drive south into Mexico. We'd been hearing a lot about Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco) from some of our friends, Steve and Joanne Sullivan in particular. They've been travelling there for years by motorcycle and they had nothing but good things to say about the drive, accommodations and restaurants in the resort/fishing village on the Sea of Cortez.

Penasco sign on the Malecon in Rocky Point.

The six of us, trying out Sandy's selfie stick.

Jim and Sandy had a lawn, we had a balcony.

Three girls looking for trouble

2nd highest tide in the world and hardly a soul to witness the ~12 hr event.

Mexico produces great beer. This Bohemia Negra is excellent and so is Corona's Modelo Negra.

Wrecked on the Reef is well worth the drive. 

Drinks at the Wrecked on the Reef bar. We had the place to ourselves.

Rob and Jim

These two serenaded us, now they're waiting to be paid.

Beers at Mary's Seafood.

 C'mon, I won't hurt you but the fry might kill you.

Lunch at La Casa del Capitan. This restaurant is situated on the highest hill in town. It offers a great view of the townsite and the dozen or so resort complexes to the north.  Our resort, the Sonoran Sun, is the furthest on the left as seen on the horizon a couple miles away.

The Tequila Factory lured us in.

Sandy picked up a bottle of Peach Tequila to bring home.

We were offered some but we skipped the free samples. It was 10AM.

Our one bedroom-one bathroom condo in the Sonoran Sun Resort.

Wall art in our condo.

The view from Jim & Sandy's patio

Pelecanus Occidentalis Californicus (California Brown Pelicans)

Lunch at Mary's Seafood near the Malecon.

Fish tacos at the Sonoran Grill

Batman promoting a realtor.

Our resort, the Sonoran Sun

The unfinished hotel next door is waiting for investors.

Inside La Casa del Capitan Restaurant

Sandy, Lorne and Cathy

No bartender so Jim took over the bar.

Beautiful sunset as seen from our patio.

All things considered, this 4-day trip was an excellent idea and it gave us a taste of "old Mexico". Thanks to Jim and Sandy for putting the idea out there and keeping the ball rolling.  It was "low tourist season" so the hotels, restaurants and beaches were nearly abandoned yet, all were open for business and happy to serve us. Bottled water was supplied in our rooms and was available everywhere. The rooms were clean and modern and the food was authentic and exceptional.  We needed to buy Mexican auto insurance ($85 USD) because our Canadian insurance was not valid in Mexico. Crossing the border into Mexico and re-entering the US was virtually "hassle free".

Signs like this are posted all along the route.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum

We've been in Mesa for over a month now, enjoying the amenities in Leisure World. We've fully explored the pools, hot tubs and the pickleball courts. Today we decided to venture out to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, a botanical garden near Superior. There we hike the trails and looked at the countless displays. The park consists of 300+ acres of desert plants and other species from around the world.

The trail that circles the park is over 3 miles long and can easily be walked in a couple hours.

This bridge spans Queen Creek, which is dry at this time of the year.

They look so soft.

Odd to see such a lush place in the middle of the Sonoran Desert.

Ayer Lake is an oasis that attracts countless birds, animals and reptiles. 

Heading South 2016

 It's been a frustrating fall. In September, we received over 6 inches of rain in a 24 hr period and that rainfall delayed the harvest because the fields were simply too wet to drive in.  We finally got into the fields but only managed to work for four days before more rain dampened the crops. After a couple dustings of snow and cool weather, the harvest for 2016 was pretty much over for the part that I participate in. 

Early morning view of the back yard.

On the positive side, Joel's laser eye surgery went well and he can toss his contact lenses and glasses. We merged East and West with a Skype visit with Amy in NYC.

We managed to escape Alberta on the 18th of October and stopped in Slocan for a visit with the grandsons. It's always a pleasure.

It's hard to explain the transformation we go through every year. We leave freezing conditions in Alberta for rain in BC and then endless summer in Arizona where it is currently 36 deg C (95 F). Hard to take.

Grand Canyon as seen from the south rim.