After Flores de Las Penas

When I left Flores de Las Penas I was heading to Mazatlan as a travel goal. Had I found a place along the coast that was interesting, of course, I would have stayed but really, the highway from Flores to around 100 miles south of Maz really beats you up. And doesn’t really offer the type of out of the way jewel along the ocean that would beckon you to stop and stay a while. But everyone’s taste is different and perhaps you would find some out the way village that makes you rethink your life and goals on this portion of the Mexican west coast. I didn’t.

The first day leaving Flores, I kept my speed down mainly because of the thousands of hills and turns I had to take. Once I was climbing a steep hill, my speed had decreased to around 15 MPH (25 KPH), and as I followed the road to the right, there in the middle of my lane, clomping up the hill, was a donkey. A big brute of an animal with an attitude. I was going slowly enough when I rounded the curve that there was no danger of my hitting him, but I shuddered when I thought of what would have happened if I’d been going even 35 MPH. As I followed him up the road about 20 feet back, I lost my patience and honked my horn. He merely turned his head and looked at me, unconcerned. Then I honked and revved my engine. Another look, but no change in speed, direction or concern, and I spotted a snear on his donkey mouth. After about 50 feet of following the animal at 5 MPH, I’d had enough and moved my rig right up to his ass, no pun intended, and laid on the horn. Finally, he got the word and moved over into the left lane, and as I passed him, he drifted onto the left shoulder, giving me a look. I worried about someone coming my direction running into him but after 10 minutes, I had not seen any cars coming, so I didn’t bother to flash my headlights as a warning when I did see someone since the beast was either off the road, or we were to far away to make any difference. Here in Mexico, the way to let opposing traffic know there is a road hazard ahead, and there are lots of them, is to flash your headlights at them. That puts them in a defensive driving mode ready for an accident or donkey on the road. Since the roadways are so narrow, one of my biggest complaints about the roads here, if a car or truck or bus breaks down, there is nowhere for them to pull over usually so they have to stop in the middle of the road. But it’s their country; if they want to have narrow roads, that’s their business, not mine. And the people here know what to do in these cases, several just stop and jump out and start waving flags and towels or whatever to alert oncoming traffic of a problem in the road. Then as drivers leave the scene they flash their headlights at all oncoming traffic to alert them to slow down.

But like I have said before, most of the roads down here are dangerous and they are the type of twisting, roller coaster, narrow roads that you can get maybe 250 miles per day in a 37 foot RV. This portion of the trip was brutal and when I got to Boca Beach I was happy to pull off the highway. Boca Beach is a little strange in that as I drove up to the gate of the first of three RV parks, they ran out of the office and strung a rope across the roadway. Hmm. Well, OK, so they are full up or something, so I drove up the road a few feet and turned up the road that the travel guide said had another RV park. When I found the open field 100 yards on, I spotted the RV electrical towers that signify an RV park but everything was overgrown and the place looked abandon. But I pulled into the driveway and parked, then walked back to the store I’d passed and asked about the park, they pointed to a house up the road some. I walked back to the house but the gates were all closed and locked. No one home. Went back to the RV and tested some of the RV power outlets and found them all dead. Also the water had been turned off. The place may be named Rosa’s Camping Land but I’m not sure since no one came out to collect any money so I stayed there for free. That evening I drifted over to Boca Beach Campground and talked to the office gal and she did have spaces available so I’m confused as to why they roped the entrance when I arrived in the RV. Their price was a little high and I didn’t need water or electric so I saved a few bucks by staying where I was. Then I wandered over to the beach and got a few pictures.

One of the times during the drive to Boca Beach where I could actually see the ocean:

Here’s where I stayed, my rig is parked in the driveway, the actual RV spots were to the right:

This shot is of the lagoon where it’s said an alligator lives who eats small dogs when they wander over from one of the RV parks. Beyond the palapas is the ocean, you have to carefully walk along the edge of the lagoon to get to the ocean, balancing on rocks and such:

Then a picture of beach looking south. I thought his beach is private, owned by the RV parks, but that’s not true as all the beaches are owned by the government. The people or businesses that use them are required to put gates in any fences or paths across their property for people to access them.

Another sunset along the west coast. Funny how sunsets at the coast are somehow more natural to me then sunrises. Doesn’t seem right to see the sun rising over the ocean instead of setting, guess that’s why we all call the WEST coast, the BEST coast: