Rocky Point (Puerto Peñasco), Mexico - July 2006

Surprise! For the second time this year we headed for the border and crossed it. This time we went down to Puerto Peñasco which is more commonly known as Rocky Point. It is about a 4-5 hour drive from Phoenix and is situated in the Baja Gulf. We drove down with Tevia's parents, her brother Brandt, her aunt Tammy, uncle Jimmy, and some of their kids (Aubrey, Amanda, Donny, Hannah).

We headed down Tuesday morning with a quick stop in Gila Bend for some quick McDonald's and another stop in Ajo, AZ to get some Mexican car insurance. The border crossing down was uneventful and they seemed more than happy to receive some American cash in their country. It was Jarek and Malik's first time in Mexico (which confused them a little since a few weeks ago we went to New Mexico) and the first thing Jarek noted was that it was a little dirtier than he expected.

We were able to get a house that is owned by Tevia's uncle's good friend. It was a four bedroom house a few miles from Rocky Point (so we really weren't in Rocky Point). It was part of a resort that is being built and was located about a mile from the beach. It was very windy and the roads were covered by drifting sand. It looked almost like winter except instead of snow drifts they were sand drifts. Upon arrival we were hungry for some Mexican food, but after about an hour of driving without any luck (I was following) we headed back for sandwiches. I would say this was sort of a hint of what was to come, but we enjoyed the trip. A few of us then headed up to the beach and were met by big waves. The waves were powerful at high tide and it was a workout just to stand out in them. They were too big to really body surf without eating sand. But I enjoyed them. The kids avoided them as they would quickly be scooped off of their feet. The beach was nice and fairly empty as this part of the town is just starting to be built and the hotels aren't finished yet. Another year or two and they will probably be packed with people.

Wednesday morning I woke up early and walked by myself to beach. It was then low tide and there were a few small tide pools. I explored these and found hundreds of hermit crabs to play with and some other fun little things. At low tide the waves were much less powerful and smaller. I returned for breakfast and then we set out to the town. We parked and visited a few shops for a few minutes and then for some reason we packed up and looked for some other phantom shops that led us on a voyage through most of town and we ended up on the strip joint hungry and hot. Tevia finallly suggested we take the kids back to the house/beach and the adults could continue shopping, etc. So we fed the kids and set off to the beach where we were notified we could not "park" there. We could only park at our house. In my best Spanish I tried to relay that we lived nearly a mile away and with a car full of kids and a pregnant wife, that didn't seem like a reasonable expectation. But I was just a guest here so we went back to the house and swam in the community pool. When the rest of the crew returned we loaded back up in a different car and parked in front of someone's home, which apparently is satisfactory.

Originally we were going to do a boat ride during sunset that evening, but decided to do it on Thursday. Most people were in bed by 9 except Tevia and I and Jim and Tammy. We talked for hours and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thursday morning Tevia and the boys accompanied me to the beach early in the morning to see the tide pools. They were not impressed, but it was fun nonetheless. We returned for breakfast and then decided to hit the beach earlier in the day to take advantage of the low tide. It was a lot of fun as I body surfed and Tevia and the boys were continually being pushed back by the incoming tide. We brought a kite but were disappointed when we found it was missing a part. The metal rod I found to replace the part was much too heavy to fix the problem.

After lunch we went back into town and went to an aquarium, which was really an old schoolhouse with vats of water in it. It was awesome though. They also had two sea lions that you could feed and touch (which Malik loved!) and some giant sea turtles you could feed and touch. You could also reach into the vats and tease or touch the fish. I was able to touch some of the moray eels and teased a dog fish that seemed to hate me (and everyone else). He tried to bite me and after a few minutes of teasing splashed me pretty good. I loved it. Watching Malik bark at the sea lions and have them come right up to him face to face (through holes in the "fence") was a lot of fun. We also did a little shopping and I told the boys they could each pick something out. Jarek picked a red and white necklace from some cute little Mexican girl. Malik picked a bobble-head dog - crazy kid.

We then found a place to eat which was outdoors for some pollo asado (BBQ'd chicken). Served fresh with hot tortillas and beans and rice, the meal was spectacular. Unfortunately this was our only real Mexican meal as we had brought food to eat. But I could have eaten here every night. As we left they started some carnitas (my favorite) and they also had a seafood place next door. I would go back just for that meal again. It was a lot of fun eating and sipping on my strawberry fanta and watching my family enjoy Mexico.

That evening we set out on a sunset cruise. The boat was big enough so that none of us got sick (though one woman did). It was still fairly windy and choppy so we did not get to see the dolphins that normally follow the ship when the waves are calm. But it was fun. Malik won the attention of many as he danced to the reggaeton and Mexican music. Jarek ate his weight in free nachos. Tevia enjoyed the soothing sensation of being on water and the little baby was calm. This was our last night there as we had to leave early in the morning as Tevia's dad had promised a couple from Connecticut to help guide them back to Phoenix. We left early Friday and had a stop in Gila Bend for some Mexican food as we celebrated Tevia's mom's birthday. We made it back to Phoenix safely with a van covered in sand and salt.

The trip was wonderful but if we go back I would do a few things different. I would eat out more! That is the true beautfy of Mexico - it's food! I would also spend more time on the beach and less time in town. Face it, I'm a beach bum. I'd also stay longer the last day. But it was great and Tevia looks more Mexican than ever as she is super dark. So that was an added plus! :-)