Our last camping trip of 1998 took place
in Rocky Point. It would be an unforgettable weekend...if we could remember
what happened!
We left Friday night after work and drove to Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico,
which is typically a four hour drive from Phoenix -- but we made it in three
and a half! All the way there, we listened to a tape we had made, which
consisted of "Mexico" music: everything from Texas Tornadoes to "Banditos" by
the Refreshments. At seven p.m., we pulled into the RV park at the Playa
Bonita resort hotel, which is next to Sandy Beach. That was where we met his
parents and Janice and Danny. Bill and Erika had just purchased their brand
new motor home -- the 1999 Flair -- and this trip was its maiden voyage. After
getting the grand tour of the motor home, John and I sat down and joined the
others for wine and cookies. Then, we crawled into the van and went to sleep.
The next morning, once the sun came up, the day's adventure began. John and I
went for a walk on Sandy Beach, and he pointed out all of the important
landmarks to me. We also collected seashells as souvenirs of my first visit to
Rocky Point.
Once the rest of the group was awake, the drinking and exploring began. We
took Janice and Danny out for a drive with us while Bill and Erika waited for
Darryl and Marilyn to join us. We would meet them for lunch at Señor Amigo's
restaurant at noon. Until then, the morning was ours. We spent it at Shell
Beach, collecting seashells and building sandcastles. John's looked sort of
like a Mexican villa lined with seashells, and I made mine in the shape of a
mountain, with a trail leading to the summit and a 4WD road leading to the
trailhead. Before leaving, we played Godzilla (or Calvin, from the Calvin &
Hobbes comic strip) and stomped on them.
At noon, we arrived at Señor Amigos for lunch. We were seated on the terrace,
where we watched the seagulls and pelicans ride the air currents overhead.
Then, once we were finished, we went shopping at the "Mall", a street lined
with ramshackle buildings in which the Mexicans sell their wares. I found a
set of heart-shaped wind chimes -- I had lost a similar set during a severe
monsoon storm in Tucson a few years ago -- and John bought them for me. I also
finished my Christmas shopping there.
After returning to the RV park, John and I walked down to Sandy Beach, where I
took off my shoes and waded in the ocean water while we watched the most
incredible sunset I had ever seen. The water was cool and made me feel at
peace. I told John that was I was having a wonderful time, and that I would
love to return to Rocky Point. (Of course, we will be back; Skydive Arizona
holds a boogie in Rocky Point every April.)
For dinner that night, we ate at La Curva, where the preferred drink is the
Especiales, which is basically an alcoholic Slim Fast consisting of
strawberries and cream and tons of booze. Of course, I couldn't taste the
alcohol, so the drink went down very smoothly, but later, standing took a
little effort. Having started drinking at ten o'clock in the morning, I was
quite blasted by the time dinner was over.
The evening, however, was far from over. Janice and Danny took John and me
dancing at the Pink Cadillac, where we basically had the bar to ourselves. We
drank Dos Equis and danced the night away until we were ready to pass out, at
which time Danny, our designated driver, took us back to the RV park.
The next morning, John and I took another walk along the beach. We wanted to
go all the way to the harbor, but we couldn't get past the Playa Las Glorias
resort hotel, so we headed back to the RV park. I took another walk later on
with Erika; she and I collected seashells and talked about life in general.
Before leaving Rocky Point, we all went shopping at the Fish Market then had
lunch. Then, it was time to go home. John and I took the "scenic route"
through town so that he could show me other landmarks, like the Crystal Palace
(the brothel) and the Puerto Peñasco Airport. That route took us back to
Mexico Highway 8, where we began our journey home. |
