Fleeing Mexico

Hi folks, this is Bill with Bridging Borders. Well, we were hot, we were sweaty, and we were cranky. All we wanted to do is get back to our igloo in Canada. Please stay with me, we'll have some fun. Okay, so what to expect from this video? Well, we're going to take you from San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico, north to the Mexico-Arizona border at Nogales, with one overnighter in Santa Ana, Mexico, because we just don't drive very far. So, it's a two-day trip. Oh, and I know there's people out there who know about this route, and they're laughing at us right now, because they're saying, my goodness, we drive that route, and then some into Phoenix and beyond in one day. What's the matter with you? Two days to get to the border? It's crazy. Well, that's us. As we pulled away from our launch pad, alongside the ocean in San Carlos, it just looks beautiful, doesn't it? Looks like paradise. But inside, we were done. Okay, I know I'm exaggerating and whining like many men do, but you know, we had issues. It was freaking hot. 38 to 44 degrees Celsius, where we had been hanging out while Michaela underwent cancer surgery and radiation treatment. And we had just sold our house of 12 years in San Carlos, and all the packing and reorganization that went into that. Why, why, why? I'm the only one whining. Michaela, she was doing really well. It was just me. I couldn't cope with the heat. I needed to get back to our igloo in Canada so I could chill. My whining aside, we sadly said goodbye to San Carlos and headed north to Nogales on a really good highway. The road is excellent between San Carlos and the Arizona border. New concrete highway, but there are sections that just rattle the hell out of you. Yeah, this is just not going to work. I think there's sections that they forgot. And do you know what it's like driving a short wheelbase diesel pusher on airbags, motorhome like Monty? It's like taking a refrigerator, flipping it on its side, sticking some roller skate wheels on it, a steering wheel, and an engine, and away you go. It's not like a Corvette. After about three hours into our trip, we reached the military checkpoint at Benjamin Hill, which is always pleasant. We've never had an issue, and even if you're boarded, the search is very pleasant and professional. Hola, buenas tardes. Hola, buenas tardes. After about four hours of driving, I know, big deal. Yeah, well we were really, really hot still. Remember, it's over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and we're glued to the chairs. We were so thankful to pull into the Punta Vista RV Park in Santa Ana, owned by Dora and Luis. Luis is Dora's son, and he helps her out with the park. It's a great stop. It's level, it's safe, it's secure, it's clean. It costs 350 pesos a night. That's like $18 US, 22 maybe Canadian. It's a steal, and it helps them out. So please, if you're traveling north or south from Nogales to San Carlos or Mazatlan or anywhere south of there, please stop at Dora and Luis's place. They could really use your help, and it's a good place to stop so that you don't get tired, and that you don't die of heat exhaustion. Oh, we were so glad to get here. After a restful night's sleep, we said goodbye to Luis, and we left the Punta Vista RV Park, said goodbye to Santa Ana, and prepared for our two-hour journey north to Nogales on the US-Mexico border. Oh, I thought you were going to... I thought, hey, all we have to do is just push this car with the policia in it away, and we could just carry on. So we did. We pushed them away and straightened out and carried on our way. The approximate two-hour drive to the border is really pretty. You pass through or really bypass the community of Magdalena, and then the only other community is Eurus, fairly close to the border, and then you hit Nogales. It's all quite simple and very safe. Once you get within about eight kilometers, so say five miles of the Mexico-USA border, you come across the first Mexico checkpoint that you would check in through if you were going south into Mexico, but you can just bypass this around the outside of it because you're going north, and then you come across the last road toll station on the Mexican side, and then you're free to head down the hill towards the Great USA Wall, which you can see off to the left as you get closer, and you wind your way through a series of concrete barriers. Thank you. Much appreciated. Okay, I really don't get this. The USA-Mexico border is really long, right? I think it's just under 2,000 miles long. Why is it, and every country seems to do it, but it's just that I'm looking at this one right now. Why is it that they channel you into this little wee area? These lanes are really tight, and they've got all this space that they could be using, and make it easier for us to get through. Instead of scraping our mirrors or knocking things over, or come on, just like a couple of more inches, three inches, six would be absolutely delightful. Please, just a little bit more space. We always cross the border on a Sunday. It usually pays off, and today was no exception. Much less traffic. So within moments, the gate opened, and we had a very pleasant passing through the border with the USA border crossing guard, but I want to show you something. Just the difference between what happens going into the USA, as opposed to going into Mexico. So I'll show you the clip of us going through the border into Nogales, Arizona, and then I'll take you on a short clip backwards when we went into Mexico a few months prior, just to give you an idea. So we pulled over right here Okay, should we shut the engine off? Yeah. As the leader of our search party approached, I was getting a little anxious that he was going to do a prostate exam on me with his gloves, but then I realized that's not what he was preparing for. They asked us to leave the coach, but they were very polite, professional, and very thorough. So after the prostate exam of our inside, and then the examination of our lower end, the service bays or our storage bays below Laundie, we then went through what I call the RV CAT scan, and we were told you need to go at the right speeds through this, otherwise we will tell you to do it again, which meant we'd have to detach Lola, somehow turn around and go back and do it again. We had to maintain no more than three miles per hour. So here it goes. Go slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow. Okay there, gear wise? Lots of room. Slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow. I haven't hit three yet. It did flash to three. Okay, thank you. So while there was absolutely nothing unpleasant about this inspection, the guys were really courteous. They were great. In comparison, I just want to show you what we went through while entering Mexico a number of months prior to this, just so that you can see the comparison. No judgment, just making a comparison. Okay, so back again on the USA side. As we pulled away from the inspection station, we sighed with relief because it was so much cooler. Well, not really. It's Arizona. It was still hot, but the humidity of San Carlos had left us, and we could actually breathe again. Our clothes weren't so sticky. It was a real relief. We got onto the main highway that leads from the border crossing north to Tucson, but we have friends in Rio Rico, which is just across the border, maybe 20 miles north of the border, and we went up into the hills to their beautiful home to relax for a few days before heading out onto the road towards Canada. So, thanks for joining us. I hope you enjoyed this video, and if you did, please subscribe, hit the notification bell, and join us on the rest of our trip north to Canada. Thanks for watching.