Home at last!

My plan for yesterday was to drive from Topolobampo to Mazatlan and spend the night there before heading to Aticama.  Well I have been to Mazatlan several times and I arrived there with plenty of travel time still available for the day.  I bypassed the city and headed for Aticama.

I took both cuota (toll) and libre (free) roads.  The cuota roads are much better and faster but they do not give you the true feeling of traveling in Mexico.  The free roads go through many small villages and that is the part of Mexico I have been missing for a few years.  The scenery changes as you travel south until finally the desert gives way to jungle.  The trip is worth it just for the scenery.

I know I said I would never travel at night but when I reached the outskirts of Tepic, I had only 50 kilometros to go before reaching my final destination so I went for it.  A big mistake but no harm, no foul.  It was Sunday evening and all of the people who had traveled to San Blas to visit the beach were now returning home to Tepic.  The road is narrow, curvy and rough.  Only about every other car dimmed their high beams so it was difficult to see the center line and the line demarcating the right shoulder.  The lanes are probably 10 feet wide but seemed much narrower.

I arrived in Aticama about an hour after dark and stumbled on to El Chaco RV Resort and Hotel.  As I was negotiating the rate for the night, a very familiar gentleman was walking up the road.  None other than Tioga George!  I introduced myself and George invited me to park my Tioga right next to Ms. Tioga.

Dod sure looks tiny, shabby and old parked next to Ms. Tioga, but if you recall, I want Dod to look old and shabby because the last thing I want to generate is attention while in Mexico.  George is going to take me up to the house and introduce me to my neighbor Bill.  I am just dying to see the house in person.