Mazatlan in May............

After a brief one-night stay in Los Mochis, in nothing more than a parking lot off the highway with some very nice canucks going north, we continued our journey southward to Mazatlan!

Sinaloa is a much richer state than Sonora in that it is a farming state with rich soil and an organized irrigation distribution system.  We passed acres upon acres of corn, wheat, some cotton, tents of tomato production, and seed production for the US.  Roadside stands boasted bags and bags (probably 50-100 lb sacks) of onions, potatoes, and tomatos.  Right after leaving Los Mochis we passed over a land bridge just wide enough for the highway and some roadside stands; there were bags of huge oysters or clams or something that I would've loved to stop for (not that we could use that much).  The bags probably stood 3 feet tall, like a grainsack!
We encountered a number of toll stops between both San Carlos to Los Mochis, and Los Mochis to Mazatlan.  At least 4 toll stops worth 123 pesos per stop to Los Mochis, and I think more to Mazatlan.  We did find out that if we have tire damage due to poor road conditions on the toll road, we can get our tire fixed for free by showing our paid toll receipt. Interesting form of insurance.......  We also had an agricultural inspection upon leaving the state of Sonora and entering Sinaloa; they asked not about the $350 vaccinations we are required to treat the animals with before entering Mexico, but whether we were transporting any fruit.    Hmm.

Jonny just pointed out a beautiful bright yellow-bellied bird perched on the roof of the small building next to me-- about 10 feet away; it flew off when I turned to check it out.  There are these awesome blue birds here that have a long tail--probably 8-12" long that dangle as they fly, very cool.  Oh, and the pelicans are huge; they fly real low along the top of the waves looking for a meal-- these little silver fish (sardines?) jump around in the shallow surf maybe 20 feet  or more from shore.  The rest of the time, the big birds just bob around out in the ocean waiting for mealtime.  In San Carlos these huge birds would fly around, then dive straight down into the water to get the  fish-- J got a video of them.

Yesterday afternoon we pulled into town past the fields of blue agave plants (tequila factories) looking for a specific rv park in our book-- we took a wrong turn onto a dead-end right next to a tourist bar on the ocean.  It took two friendly tourists to back the trailer all the way back down this road; we owe them a beer........he was a fireman from Edmonton, Canada.  Anyhow, once we got turned around and found the park (right on the beach), we went walking down the beach along with lots of other vacationers (mostly mexican) and happened along this man fishing on the beach.  He had hooked something in the surf and it took a while for him to finally get it in-- it was a small manta ray, probably a foot or 15" across!  Nobody around wanted it, so after some difficulty, he finally got it back in the water again!  That was a first for J and I!  Eli even thought it was pretty cool.
(Eli has been a little grumpy since he broke a nail off short and was attacked by 3 feral dogs in the same day!  J kicked one dog away and Eli fought the other two off.  We had just stopped at a quickie mart store outside of a toll stop in the middle of nowhere, talking to an older mexican outside the store who was in a wheelchair with no legs-- he had a big rock to scare off the invading dogs.)

Today we took the motorbike along the oceanfront drive to old Mazatlan; we found some fishermen there who had just come in with their catch, and picked up probably 4 lbs of triggerfish (Cochi?) for less than $5 US.  We plan on bbq tonight, then deepfrying the rest later.  Last night we went to a little place, Juanitas, for marlin tacos!  They were awesome-- didnt taste like fish at all.  Today I went to a cuban-mexican restaurant while J was fishing and had a plateful of my favorite fried plantain with an incredible Mojito.  They use so much fresh lime and freshly ground mint leaves that the drink is actually pea green!  This place is a must visit if in Mazatlan-- Carlos & Lucia's Mexican-Cuban restaurant.  I plan on going back tonight and getting some cuban rice and beans to go with our bbq fish steaks. 

The weather is nice although its been poor visibility all the way through Mexico so far-- smog?  Today was downright hot and somewhat humid, and all the locals say it gets much more humid between now and June.  J is sporting a bright red burn from fishing in the surf for two plus hours in the middle of the day!  He found a good fishing spot off some rocks near the end of his effort, but just caught catfish which he didnt keep. 
Yesterday when we drove in to the park, we had our pick of the place; we just had another couple pull in about an hour ago, headed north to Brookings, Oregon.  They've been driving around down south for about 5 months.  Its good to have some other RVers to talk to.
Our google earth location is just next to the Holiday Inn in Mazatlan along the beach.