Elsa

I have seen other dirt roads to the other side of the paved road, and when I first came into Las Glorias, another paved road that turned off about ½ mile before coming into Las Glorias that said Boca del Rio – mouth of the river. 

So I turn around and drive back, deciding to check out the other dirt road first, thinking if I don’t find something else, I’ll try the boca road next.

I travel carefully down the dirt roads, through another part of the small town, waving to people sitting in chairs, riding their bikes, and giving me the occasional peace symbol.

The houses and restaurants, although not packed close together, seem like they share yards, with no public access to the beach. Here on this side there are a few houses with very tall fences around them and a few well dressed people squished inside the property standing around on cement or playing stunted kick ball on the small drive.

Even here, rich people are so afraid of and unwilling to share their ‘good fortune’ with those who have less, while obviously not concerned about how they ‘happened’ to stumble upon this good fortune.

Again, I reach the end of the town without finding a good place to park but I can see the mouth of the river across the beach, and it looks less populated, so I return to the paved road and go back the way I came to the Boca paved road.

I travel down that road and suddenly it also turns to dirt and I’m in yet another populated part of the town. Or I think it's another until I start seeing the same people and businesses! Hmmmm But this time I spot a small road between two businesses that appears to lead to the beach. I pull over and park, get out and take a look.

Except for maybe one 12 feet stretch of deep sand… great exception…. it looks like I can park 30 feet from the ocean! And there are no dune buggies in sight although there are tracks.

As I’m leaving the beach, debating whether I can charge thru 12 feet of sand to harder ground, I meet Elsa and her dog walking onto the beach. In my halting Spanish, I ask her what she thinks. She thinks I should go for it so I do.

I have now met Elsa’s 6 grandchildren – 6 out of 18 – and her dog. One of her sons also walked by but didn’t say anything to us. We all sit on the beach and watch the sun go down. Her grandchildren are mostly 13 and 14, although Carla is 10 and the youngest is 2.

Tomorrow morning, Elsa will come for coffee so I better get my z’s! the sky is covered with stars, no ½ moon yet, and the lights of the town seem very far away.

Las Glorias

I have arrived at the Pacific Ocean finally! Las Glorias! And it is glorious!

I am sitting on the beach in front of my truck, which is parked on the beach, about 40 feet from the waves.

I womonaged to arrive about two hours before sunset, avoiding any tolls and seeing quite a bit of field after field after field of huge-agro-biz farmland with all the gmo, pesticide, fungicide ads Pioneer, etc..

This land here is so rich and most likely has not been over-farmed as the Midwest plains. There is little evidence of small farmers but mucho evidence of mega-agro-biz here. I see corn and sugar cane growing, and another small plant I can’t identify. It looks bushy like a tomato or pepper plant, but I doubt it is either, as this is big biz, not for the people.

I kinda felt my way here as my map is not that detailed. I left the main highway soon after leaving Los Mochis and traveled along a 2 lane paved road that followed a canal – no shoulder on either side, only room to go forward in my own lane.

And room to fly and crash land yet AGAIN over a topes, even though my eyes were peeled for them! GRRRRR

I spend probably about 45 minutes looking for a good place to park here at Las Glorias. I see signs that this is a turisto road and town. I see no empty beaches, just lots of restaurants, people on the side of the road selling there wares, and little houses with fences of sorts around them.

The paved road, heading straight into the ocean, ends about 30 feet from the beach. The path continues as a packed-down dirt road that swings right and parallel to the ocean. On either side of this road are businesses, houses, vehicles, or chairs and little roofs for hanging out on the beach.

I follow this road back out to a wide cobble stone 4 lane road with a median that also parallels the ocean. And here also there are various houses with fences around them all along either side.

The cobble stone road finally ends and a dirt road resumes. I follow this road out as far as I can. The houses have turned into sand dunes on either side, making the road the only safe spot to drive on until I get to an open beach area finally and what appears to be the fartherest one can drive.

I travel across open land towards the ocean as far as I dare. I see to one side of me, where all roads end and the ocean comes into a small bay, several trucks and fishermen. To the other side of me, boy toys abound! Those horrible little dune buggies, I guess they’re called.

There were tons of them waiting to be rented or racing around the city of Los Mochis too. Here they are making nasty noise and deep ruts in the sand. Although I could probably park here, who wants to? It would probably end up being like San Luis Obispo used to be in the 70’s – invaded by those stupid boy toys. Grrrrr

On to find something better!