Thursday, January 10, 2019

Stranded - No Fuel - San Jose de Los Lagos

living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com

You can't beat this for a boondocking spot!
 Disconnected the SUV and got in line for fuel.

OXXO is now installing electric car charging stations.



As you know, Mexico is suffering a government-planned gasoline shortage in hopes of stopping or slowing down the theft of fuel from the pipelines that run throughout Mexico.  This was instituted by our new illustrious president I have named T2.   An idea that is collapsing the internal infrastructure of the country.   This is not my opinion but factual information presented by Coparmex () and documented in daily newspapers.  

We left Ixtlahuacán, Jalisco this morning at 9:40.  Great travels on highway 80 to San Juan de Los Lagos.  We began looking for fuel before heading to the Kikapú Aquatic and Rv Park some 38 km from Lagos de Moreno.   In and out of the highway we went only to find station after station closed.   Not nervous, we could park anywhere and stay for days with all the services and food we have on board but we do have a plan and I have another cardio appointment next Tuesday.

We pulled into a gas station at the intersection of Hwy 5 and Hwy 80.  We lucked out as you can tell by the picture above.  The gas station had no fuel but the OXXO next door has a drive-thru lane that hasn’t been put into service yet.  It includes a small grassy picnic area.  If this were our pad at an rv park we would be thrilled.  Level pad, covered picnic table, pad, manicured yard with palm trees and plants.  We went into the OXXO asking if we could park in a semi parking lot behind and the manager offered us this area.  Safe, well-lit and pretty quiet for the night.  When you boondock you can run into some of the best rv spaces on the continent.  And get this, there is an electric car charging station they have installed and goes online next month.  Looks like OXXO convenience stores can see the future apart from that old, rundown, union-led wreck of an oil company our president hopes to revive by spending 20 billion dollars on old technology.

Enough said.  Fuel came at 5 p.m. and they came and told us to get in line.  We disconnected the SUV and got in the lineup.  A full tank will get us to San Luis Potosi, 165 km and from there depending on whether there is fuel on Hwy 57 we will continue to fill up in small spurts and head to Matehuala for the night. 

I’m really excited.  I haven’t had this much fun in a long time.  Adding to the fun, our new Mexican batteries from LTH made by Johnson Controls couldn’t work better.   We’ve got lights, laptops, just about everything you can imagine going and we are at 12.8.   Tonight it will be 6C here so the electric blanket will keep us toasty.  


This has been one heck of an inaugural trip.  There are many more to come.  We are happy to have seen many of our great rving friends on this trip and will continue to do so.   We hope to meet up with Kevin and Ruth’s caravan as they exit Mexico.   I’ll stop here.   Good night.

4 comments:

  1. Great Oxxo overnight spot!

    No problems with fuel here north of Mexico City and towards Puebla area, but I have a feeling that is because the big refinery at Tula is so close by.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It makes me happy to read "The Amazing Adventures of Juan & Chris".....love it!! I always enjoy your "insider" opinions of what is going on in your beautiful country. As an outsider, a person can try to understand all the details of what is happening with things like the gas shortage but I relate much better to hearing it from people like you who are actually experiencing it and can tell their side of the story. Thanks, as always, for sharing. Cheers from White Rock BC Canada!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I was beginning to wonder how the gas shortage was affecting your travels. Love your spirit of adventure!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Happy you are enjoying your adventure. Great overnight stop. Are you going to continue your post on the Chapala area?

    ReplyDelete