Banamichi, MX

McCoy motel in Tucson to Banamichi, MX.

Hit the road at 9:00 even tho it was still 43 degrees and I could clearly see my breath.  Took the back road south to avoid the interstate and had a beautiful ride with little traffic and clear blue skies. Stopped in Nogalas to buy pesos then followed the maze to cross into MX. Very uneventful crossing but the fun began when I stopped at immigration. The paperwork took almost 1 ½ hours but in all fairness it was my fault for not having my paperwork in order and not asking what line I was in. Anyway, I was told of a scenic road that was more interesting than slogging down the (sort of) interstate toll road. The problem was it was a very winding secondary highway and I had to stay alert for poor conditions, washouts, rocks, and cows crossing. It was slow going. It was very scenic but I had to hustle because I was running out of daylight and didn’t want to break the first cardinal rule of Mexico, Don’t Drive at Night! I can see why now.

I pulled into town with about 15 minutes of daylight to spare then got turned around (stupid GPS!) and found myself at the town square. After fiddling with the maps program for a few minutes I looked over my shoulder and there was the hotel. I had made reservations that morning, that’s the second rule I broke, no need to make reservations in MX. They say it’s really rare that you can’t find a room along the way. If I hadn’t made reservations I could have slowed down and enjoyed the ride more. But, it all worked.

I splurged on a room at the La Posada del Rio Sonora and what a beautiful hotel it is! Amazing courtyard and balcony. Had dinner at the restaurant downstairs and heard a band starting up a few blocks away in the park. After dinner I walked up to check them out. Not sure what the occasion was but the band was quite impressive.

Tomorrow is another long day, down around Hermosillo then to San Carlos for a couple days on the beach.