Dos Nogales
February 26, 2012
Dos in Spanish means two.
Yesterday Mary and I drove the Bronco about one mile from our parking spot at the VFW Post #2066 in Nogales, Arizona to the border with Mexico. In old town Nogales, Arizona we visited the old court house, an Arizona Ranger archive room and a museum. We then walked across the border into Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. There we went to the fanciest hotel in the city and had a great inexpensive meal. Afterwards we wandered around the curio shops that cater to the tourists. We were in that Nogales about two hours before crossing back into the United States.
Nogales, Arizona has a population of about 22,000. Nogales, Sonora, Mexico has a population of about 220,000. Nogales in Spanish means “walnuts”. This area was so named because of the many black walnut trees that were in this area many years ago.
To read all about Nogales, Arizona, click this link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nogales,_Arizona
To read all about Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, click this link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nogales,_Sonora
Here are some photos that I took…
As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view...
The old court house lobby in Nogales, Arizona…
Inside of the old court house, the Arizona Rangers maintain a small archive. One of the Rangers as seen in the below photo grew up in Lynnfield, Massachusetts…just a few miles from where I lived in Revere from ages 10 to 18…
The Primera Alta Historical Society Museum had the two old city jail cells…
Preparing to cross into Mexico we could see a portion of the fence that separates the United States and Mexico which is on the right in the below photo. To read about this highly controversial fence, click this link… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_%E2%80%93_United_States_barrier
Here’s where you enter Mexico…
which deposits you on this pleasant plaza…
We ate lunch at the Fray Marcos de Niza Hotel because it was highly recommended by the Arizona Ranger. This is the hotel lobby…
This was our view during lunch…
After lunch we wandered around the local curio shops…
To see the other 48 photos that I took, click this link…
https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273/DosNogalesTwoNogales
It was another enjoyable day. The visit into Mexico was somewhat disappointing for me as it is such a large city. Nothing like my past experiences during my Mexico and Central America trip in 2004. No old world flavor is left in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico….at least near the border
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
My “Stagnant Mode” Has Come To An End…
January 25, 2012
“Stagnant Mode” is the best phrase that I could think of to describe the time when I’m not out seeing and doing new things.
Mary and I arrived back at her home in California on October 10, 2011 where I spent the about next seven weeks cleaning and doing preventative maintenance on the motorhome and towed Ford Bronco II. After Thanksgiving I headed out for the warmer weather. On to Palm Springs and Slab City, California and then to the Yuma, Arizona area where I hung-out for about one month while waiting for Mary to rejoin me. All places I been to numerous times before…mostly dictated by good weather.
Mary re-joined me on January 18th and after taking care of her dental needs in Los Algodones, Mexico the day before yesterday…my “Stagnant Mode” has finally come to an end! It’s time to get out on the road and returning to seeing and doing once again!
After a few miscellaneous stops in Yuma, Arizona yesterday morning…we finally got out of Dodge! We only drove about 30 miles and ended up spending the night in the small town of Wellton, Arizona. We parked at the VFW Post #6790.
As always you may click upon a photo to see and enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…
About one small block away the VFW has a courtesy RV site with electric and water. That’s where we actually spent the night.
No matter it’s along the road…wasn’t that much traffic!
For everything you could ever want to know about Wellton, click this Wikipedia link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellton,_Arizona
No…it’s not quite the Grand Canyon…but at least we’re seeing and doing new stuff once again.
Today’s planned destination is the Painted Rocks Petroglyphs…about 80 miles distant. In the next few coming days we will kind of be out in the toolies and may not be able to pull in an Internet signal. So if you do not see a daily Blog from us…don’t worry. We’ll be back with a new entry soon.
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
We Return To The Scene Of The Crime…
January 24, 2012
Last night we parked at American Legion Post #19 in Yuma, Arizona…the place where about one year ago Mary had her bicycle stolen If you missed my Blog about the event…here’s the link… http://wp.me/pDCku-18L
When her bike was stolen we were parked at the end in the back packing lot of the legion along the street where there was little lighting. Last night we parked in their side parking lot bathed in night lighting and this morning our bicycles were still there!
In other news…yesterday was kind of a harried day for us. Fortunately we have very few of those kind of days. First business of the day was to arrive at Mary’s dentist office in Los Algodones, Sonora, Mexico for her second appointment. She had her first appointment last Friday. If you missed the report…here’s the link… http://wp.me/pDCku-3n0
As always you may click upon a photo to see and enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…
While there I took a couple more photos of her dentist’s office. A beautiful brand-new building…right next to a junkyard! But…that’s Mexico!
Here’s the waiting area…
What got me started taking photos there was this brick travel trailer in the junkyard…
Directly across the street from the dentist office was this long line of cars. That’s the line for vehicles entering the United States about one mile away…
We had an appointment for 1:00 PM in Yuma, Arizona…about 1/2 hour drive…to have our motorhome and Bronco washed an waxed. Knowing we had at least a 1/2 hour wait standing in line to get back into the United States, at 11:45 AM I left Mary to finish her appointment and went to get into that line. By time Mary joined me and we got back to the motorhome it was 12:32 PM. Being close to being late for our appointment we decided not to take the time to hook-up the Bronco to the motorhome. I drove the motorhome and Mary followed me in the Bronco. Along the way Mary got a ticket for failing to stop for a stop sign…only her fifth ticket in all her years of driving.
We arrived at the appointed wash and wax atop at 1:20 PM…and no washers and waxers were there. They did not arrive until 2:30 PM!
Two hard-working Mexicans got the job done in two hours and did a good job.
We arrived at the American Legion Post #19 just before 5:00 PM.
After some miscellaneous stops this morning we will finally depart Yuma, Arizona to begin the Great Adventure. What is the Great Adventure? Click this link to find out… http://wp.me/pDCku-3pp
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
An Unusually Spectacular Desert Sunrise!
January 22, 2012
Yesterday we were still parked at the Pilot Knob RV Park in Winterhaven, California.
I’ve seen numerous beautiful desert sunrises in my full-time RVing lifestyle. Usually they have furious reds, yellows and purples. But yesterday’s was unusual because of the beautiful pastels. The following photos are totally un-retouched. They have not been cropped or color-altered in any manner. They are exactly as taken by my Sony DSC Cybershot-HX5V Digital Camera.
As always you may click upon a photo to see and enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…
I hope you enjoyed these photos as much as I do!
Our four-day free stay at the Pilot Knob RV Park ends today. Since Mary has another dental appointment tomorrow morning in Los Algodones, Sonora, Mexico, today we’ll move over to the parking lot of the Quechen Indian Casino here in Winterhaven, California.
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
Los Algodones, Sonora, Mexico
January 21, 2012
Yesterday Mary and I walked across the border into Los Algodones, Sonora, Mexico. Why did we do that…you ask? So Mary could visit her dentist.
It’s reputed that within a four block radius there are more pharmacies, doctors, dentists and opticians here, than a similar four block area anywhere else in the world! Daily thousands of American and Canadian Snowbirds visit Los Algodones. I’ve been here a number of times…Mary first went there with me in 2009.
It can take as long as 2-3 hours later in the day to wait in line to cross back into the United States. The secret is to go early…get your business done…leave early. I abandoned Los Algodones dentists a number of years ago. My dentist is now in San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico…about 20 miles south of Yuma, Arizona. I visited him about one month ago.
Here are some photos I took while Los Algodones…
As always you may click upon a photo to see and enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…
Walking towards the border crossing…
If you bring guns or ammunition into Mexico…you may never be seen again…
Immediately after crossing into Los Algodones…
There are LOTS of signs like these all over Los Agodones…
Here’s photo of Mary in 2009 standing in front of her then dentist’s office…
Thanks to Mary and her oldest son Ken, her dentist now has a nice, new office…
Right next door to her dentist’s office is Maria’s Factory…
A pretty painted restaurant…
With a nice courtyard…
A typical street scene…
In a small central plaza…
Trinkets of all sorts can be found…
You can also watch artistic painters working with spray cans painting pretty scenes on satellite dishes…
We stopped at our favorite eating place. You can see Mary in the background…
You cannot beat the house policy…
After you are done eating you can step in the back to wash your hands…
Lots of places to buy booze…
Lots of pharmacies…
Another typical street scene…
And then you get in line to return to the United States. It wasn’t too bad…only about a twenty-minute wait…
Unfortunately Mary needs one more appointment…so next Monday we’ll once again return to Los Algodones, Sonora, Mexico. Hopefully that will conclude Mary’s dental activity and we can head on out to the Great adventure on Tuesday. If you do not know what the Great Adventure is…you can find out by clicking this link…
http://wp.me/pDCku-3lE
To find out all about Los Algodones, click this Wikipedia link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Algodones
Here’s a good description of Los Algodones…
http://gosw.about.com/od/southwestmiscellaneous/a/Algodones.htm
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
I Walk To Mexico…
December 22, 2011
Well…okay…actually I drove to the border and walked into Mexico for my annual visit with my dentist. He’s located in San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico…about 20 miles south of Yuma, Arizona. I parked the Bronco in a small city park and within a two minute walk I’m crossing into Mexico.As always you may click on the photos to see them in an enlarged view.
Here’s looking at the entry into Mexico…
Only about 1/2 small city block and I arrive at his office…
I arrived at just 9:00 AM so I’m first in line…no waiting…no appointment necessary. For only $20 I get an oral examination and a thorough cleaning.
The below photo shows Dr. Sergio Bernal who is a dental surgeon with his assistant…
I’ve been going to Dr. Bernal now for several years and have been most pleased with his services. He advised me all my teeth are looking just fine. See you next time Sergio…Mucho Gracias!
Oh…I almost forgot to show you this beautiful sunrise from two morning’s ago.
This photo is about 45 minutes before sunrise…
This photo is about five minutes before the sun comes over the horizon…
Yesterday was a delightful 71 degrees…a clear sky with a gentle breeze. Now you know why I’m here. As I’ve said a number of times in the past…it’s a lousy job, but someone’s got to do it!
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
November 21, 2008…
November 21, 2011
Three years ago today, Mary and I began our RVing life together. Here’s her photo from that day…
In case you missed it… here is the link to the Blog entry I published on that date…
http://blog.seattlepi.com/ramblinman/2008/11/21/meet-mary-my-new-travel-companion/
As we begin our fourth year of RVing together…it promises to be a good year. We’re planning to spend the better part of next year exploring the State of New Mexico. A State in which both of us has spent little time in the past.
In other news…
Yesterday afternoon Mary and I attended the play Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol at the Sierra Repertory Theatre in East Sonora, CA.
The story of the Christmas Carol is seen through the person of Jacob Marley…Scrooge’s business partner. The entire cast was four male actors who all played their roles of more than one character enthusiastically.
While a challenge to the actor’s abilities, we found the play lacking. We both felt the play would have been much better with additional actors to play the other parts. We also did not care for the actor’s self-spoken words describing their functions in the third person. Finally the bare-bones stage set required a great deal of imagination on the viewer’s part. All of this led us both to rate the play as “just okay.” Bah Humbug!
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
Driver Kills Bicyclist…Gets $42 Fine!
October 16, 2011
On October 4th of this year I wrote a Blog entry about witnessing an accident where two bicyclists were struck by an auto in Oregon. In case you missed it…here’s the link…
otrwjam.wordpress.com/2011/10/04/a-sad-blog-today/
In the above accident I’m pleased to report that we very recently heard from one of the two gals who indicated they are on the road to recovery. Still no word whether charges will be filed against the driver in that accident.
Yesterday I read about another accident where a driver who killed a bicyclist got off with a $42 fine. Here’s the link on that story…
That just doesn’t set well with me…how do you feel about it? In my view some kind of charge should be filed against the driver. He killed an innocent person. Just having to live with it for the rest of his life does not seem enough punishment to me.
In other news…
Yesterday Mary went off to be in the Occupy Wall Street protest in Sonora. Here she is with her messages…
I took the day off and had a do nothing day. Played on the computer and did some reading.
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
TUOLUMNE COUNTY HIJINKS!
September 20, 2009
We were headed for Tuolumne County for a grape stomp and car show. On the way we stopped at a yard sale in Columbia and had to laugh at the sign: Caution Suicidal Deer! It is a busy section of Highway 49 and someone’s sense of humor tickled us all.
Though not a car person, the looks and shapes reminded me of bygone years along with the 50′s music they were playing.
The grape stomp, a huge event in Murphys, was a bust in the parking lot at the Junction Shopping Center in Sonora.
We enjoyed, instead, perusing second hand stores and yard sales for those hard to find older items that come in handy. For me, a small crock pot for the motorhome and some glass vials for our nuggets.
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ramblinmanjimj
