Mazatlan - Isla de la Piedra

living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com

We made it to Mazatlan yesterday afternoon around 4 p.m. west coast time.   We detoured from the autopista to the libre from Torreon to Durango.   From there we got back on the autopista because we didn't want to miss the Puente Baluarte.   The toll highway was not the best and we should have stayed on the libre until El Salto where we could have hopped back on to take the bridge and the series of tunnels.  The bridge and tunnels were excellent.  True engineering at its best but the highway has been there for over 12 years and is in need of repair.  Many spots were being resurfaced as we traveled but we felt we would have done better on the libre.  The part we took was in much better shape.

We followed Contessa's directions off of Hwy 40 and down into Mazatlan via the airport road and then the turn off to the Isla.   It was very fast, easy to follow and we had no issues whatsoever.   What most people here call "the road to hell" was a bit better than the road we live on in Monterrey.   It is being resurfaced and the parts that they have finished make it very easy driving.   The rest, well it is a dirt road.  We did it in about 25 minutes.   Granted we don't have a big rig and our SUV is pretty sturdy.   

We got parked and in our spot with no difficulty, took a quick nap and headed over to Contessa and Colin's for some happy hour fun and a great chili dinner.  We chatted up a storm and had a great time. 

Today was up early, off to the beach for a short walk before showering and heading into town.  The four of us took the panga into town to go to the mercado.  A cruise ship had come in earlier in the morning and we found quite a crowd in the market as well as on the street.  We did some grocery shopping, tourist watching, ate a great shrimp burger and headed back to the island.  

Next order of the day was a short nap before heading over to the sister rv park on the other side of the restaurant for a birthday party.  When we came back from the walk on the beach in the morning we ran into Carol who reads the blog.   It was her birthday and she invited us over to her sister's rig.  We met her husband Frank and a lot of other great people.   BTW, they had some great smoked salmon spread that Frank had made and Carol's sister made some mean salsa.  Between RV1 and RV2 I won't go hungry for lack of good eats!

Right as we were leaving, here come Ruth and Kevin.   It was so good to see them and know they are really back in Mexico at least for a short stint before heading back north.   We headed over to C & C's for happy hour and then a walk to a nearby restaurant for a shrimp burrito and some interesting conversation.  

I have lots of pics to share of the Puente Baluarte and the tunnels.  Don't get me wrong, it is a great thing but the highway was not what we had expected.  We will be heading home on another route that we have not yet determined.