Santa Rosalia to Guaymas ferry report
Well, I did it and was I ever happy that I did. Here is the report.
Left Loreto in my F350 dually with an 11.5 foot Host camper Sunday around 1:00 P.M. Oh yeah, Gringo the Dingo my trusty yellow lab was with me. A very
pleasant ride to Santispac in the Bay of Conception to watch most of the first half of the Bronco game and then off to the ferry terminal. The Sunday
ferry departs for Guaymas at 8:00 P.M. and I arrived around 4:30. I went to the office and had no idea what waited for me and what adventures lay (or
is it lie?) ahead. The Spanish only speaking office person was very pleasant and in my best Spanish explained what I wanted to do. We went outside
and she measured my rig which is 26 foot bumper to bumper (just under 8 meters) and I helped her with the tape joking around that it is really shorter
than that and she just laughed and smiled. OK, OK, I was trying to butter her up and it worked! Got back to the office where she declared it was
only 7 meters. I was told that the dog had to stay in the camper and I was not allowed to sleep in it as well. Being a wee bit over the old age
limit I received a 20% discount on the fare and the room. She told me I had to share a room that had 4 beds and no bathroom but that she was pretty
sure that I would have the room to myself.
Here is the breakdown of costs. The rig ran 6,170 pesos, the ticket was 710 pesos after the discount and the room was 110 pesos after the 20%
discount. No discount on the RV. At 14.7 pesos to the $ that came out to around US $475 total, less than I anticipated.
I had some time to kill so I went for tacos at Tacos El Paisano for a couple of Al Pastor's. I would rate them very good, not great but I am spoiled
eating at Poblano's on the highway in Miramar, Loreto, as I rate those the best. They are good enough to go back though!
Drove back to the terminal and was told where to park and now it was only 5:30 and they wanted us there at 6:00. I had my ferry and room ticket and
the ferry was already there but no boarding. While waiting with a flatbed truck, a couple of commercial trucks and a couple of cars officials started
to drive up. Between the Marines with their extremely well trained drug and explosion detecting dog and trained personnel, not like the kids at the
military checkpoints, they went through all the rigs and mine as well with a very fine tooth comb. They were very polite and very professional but you
couldn't have got a joint or bullet by them. Then came some department with all the
initials inspecting my ID and car registration checking the VIN and being very thorough, much more than the military checkpoints. It was now around
8:00 p.m. and one of the few non-uniformed people who for some reason looked important milled around and finally told everyone except me to start
loading the vehicles by backing down this ramp onto the ferry. It looked a little hairy as I cannot see behind me but I waited and I was the last rig
to load and then I understood, he gave me the final place which meant I would be the first off the ferry. After a harrowing backing in reverse down
the ramp with very little help, we finally made it on the ferry with sufficient room to get in the back of my camper as well s open the doors to the
pickup. I went into the camper to say goodnight to my pooch and went upstairs where the ''important looking person'' turned out to be the captain of
the ferry and a very pleasant person. As a last moment act of desperation I asked him if I could walk the dog during the night and he asked me if I
wanted to spend the night in the camper and sleep there! Wow, what a bonus, stay with my nervous dog and be able to sleep in the camper and use my own
bathroom. I was very thrilled about that and had a nice sleep with the rocking motion of the boat. It was a very calm night and I don't think it
would have been near as pleasant with even a little wind and ocean chop. I could see it being miserable in even so-so weather no less bad weather.
The ferry finally departed around 9:00 and after telling Gringo I would be right back I went upstairs to do a little reconnoitering. I found what
would have been my room and there was another person in the small cramped quarters and I was doubly happy that I did not have to spend the night iwth
a stranger. They did have a large, maybe a 70 person seating area that had a snack bar and was playing a movie. The chairs could have been slept in
but they did not recline and they would not been comfortable to spend the night in. There was another area that no one was in that the seats reclined
and would have been better to sleep in but I am not sure if it was open or if it was closed. I am sure if it was available it would have been a more
$. There was also outside seating that did not look too comfortable sleep in.
After a good night sleep I awoke around 6:00 A.M. went outside my rig, walked the dog where there was not an official dog walking area so some of the
ropes they use to tie down the boat when in port got watered down by Gringo.
We pulled into the Guaymas port around 0800 and I was first off only to be met by the same looking bunch of military and officials to be inspected in
the same manner as back in Santa Rosalia. Everyone got the same treatment and once again they were very polite and I was impressed with the training
of the dog and was on my way aournd 9:00 A.M.
After missing the turnoff to San Carlos, (not sure how the hell I missed it) as it should only been a 30 minute drive, I arrived at Totonaka RV park
in San Carlos. ''Hook'' from this board of whom I have never met came over and picked me up and took me for a great tour of the town and marinas. We
had lunch, I came back to my rig, took a siesta and walked across the street to watch the Ohio State game. I normally would of called it the Oregon
game, but you know what happened.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I realize that this is not as entertaining as Roger, AKA Pompano, would of made it, no co-pilot just a legged
friend who never says, ''Are you really going to wear that?''
|
