Mexico recommendations

[jwdsmith]

My wife and I are looking at going to Mexico for the first time in our truck and 5th wheel.
We have been told to go through the Lukeville, AZ crossing. Also the Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) area was noted.
Any other suggestions/thoughts out there?
Thanks,
John.

[daveB110]

Rocky Point was also our last place we visited in Mexico, earlier this year in March. We had passed it by many times while trying to make miles seeking warm waters farther south and had not considered it seriously then. We have different opinions now about the area and San Felipe where we stayed for a month. Comparing those two, Puerto Penasco is easier to get to from the border, and has a lot to offer, from what we've seen of it. It seemed very friendly as most every town in Mexico has been. As visitors, that is paramount for us.

[Tequila]

moisheh wrote:
Some posters are far to quick to condemn PP. Remember the OP is a newbie. Everyone has to start somewhere and PP, Kino or San Carlos are great spots to get your feet wet. All are very off road friendly, have good restaurants and lots of trinket sellers. No fears of getting lost and the OP does not need any Spanish! After a few days in any of those 3 spots one can consider going further. Not everyone wants to go inland on their first trip. If after a quick visit you do not like Mexico you are only one day from the border. The dust in PP is the same dust you encounter in Yuma or Q and hundreds of thousands of RV'rs go to those places.

Moisheh

PP is the last place in Mexico I have been, so I guess i am spoiled & biased.

[daveB110]

The decision on where to go resides with the traveler of course. Time and the enthusiasm to do longer distances is a huge factor in the decision. As folk who have gone, we can relate our own decisions with regard to our own travels with the possibility others may see something that will become a springboard to their own Mexican travel.

We began our own overland travels after a few flights in to the usual Mexican resort destinations. But on our own, driving by ourselves, was the real adventure. On that first trip we already had a destination, one that would take five days driving a motor home. Our maps were from Triple A, and we were forewarned they were sometimes unreliable. Very soon we bought Guia Rojo maps. Through the cities we used our sister in law's emails as guides. But we made friends on the way down on that initial journey for part of the trip, and having that companionship went a long way to ease the minds while traversing some of an unknown country without having even a basic knowledge of the language. Thereafter we were always prepared to go it alone and companionship aspects aside, we preferred to drive alone, at our own speed.

Warm beaches were always out prime destination. But if we found ourselves well into Mexico during very early November, there were other choices, situated in the interior where higher elevations meant cooler nights than on the southern beaches; similarly, in early spring as the beaches heated up again, we would climb into the interior to again crack the great Pandora's box of Mexican culture found there. Each trip, every day, become an adventure. As time goes on lifelong friendships develop from Mexican adventures. For many, Mexican travel constitutes a lifestyle change.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

Canadian Rainbirds wrote:
Also get a copy of Mike and Terri Church's book, A Traveler's Guide to Mexican Camping then go to their website for updates to the pages that interest you.

Book arrived today - thanks for the suggestion.

[moisheh]

Some posters are far to quick to condemn PP. Remember the OP is a newbie. Everyone has to start somewhere and PP, Kino or San Carlos are great spots to get your feet wet. All are very off road friendly, have good restaurants and lots of trinket sellers. No fears of getting lost and the OP does not need any Spanish! After a few days in any of those 3 spots one can consider going further. Not everyone wants to go inland on their first trip. If after a quick visit you do not like Mexico you are only one day from the border. The dust in PP is the same dust you encounter in Yuma or Q and hundreds of thousands of RV'rs go to those places.

Moisheh

[Talleyho69]

Mexico is wonderful.
Do your homework, decide what you want: beaches, mountains, colonial cities, crafts, lots of Americans and Canadians, or to just be on your own.
It's a great place to visit and live, just use the available resources.

[reed_cundiff]

Agree with Brianandsue: GPS, the red almanac, in combo with Streets and Maps work well.

Baja and down the west coat to Guaymas or Mazatlan is a great way to get started in Mexico and develop your comfort envelope or not. This will be first year in four years we will not be going. We totaled pickup and fifth wheel in 70 car pileup between Vera Cruz and Puebla. Insurance and customs are still to be resolved but we shall return to Yucatan the winter of 2014.
Reed and Elaine

[briansue]

I recently posted on another thread about the SCT MX Gov't maps - the official road maps from which other map producers get their maps. These maps are online as .pdf files and can be downloaded for free. In real life at 100% size they are like regular folding road maps about 3 feet square so at 100% they are too large to see in you computer. But you can move around to look at various areas. There are maps of each state. We download them all. The last updates were done in 2012 so they are more up to date than anything else out there that I know off . . .

http://www.sct.gob.mx/informacion-general/planeacion/atlas-cartograficos/listado-de-atlas . . . . .

That said - we also have GPS - both a 7" Garmin that comes loaded with Mexico maps for about $220 - and Microsoft Streets & Trips 2013 which can be found online for between $20 to $40 depending on if they have a sale - to use as a planning map - or for about $80 get it with a GPS receiver and you can use it as a GPS - or you can buy other GPS receivers that will work with Streets & Trips and may or may not be better than the one Microsoft sells - most popular seems to be the Global Sat BU-353S4 for about $40.

A few years ago I created a basic tutorial for Streets & Trip which is now a little out of date but could be useful to get started - can be found online at . . .

http://www.rvtechlibrary.com/electronics/gps_streets_trips.htm

Specific directions about places you might want to go and things you might want to do can be found here by asking questions and by asking questions of those you meet along the way.

[boca911]

If you travel any place but PP be sure to get a good map. My first trip (2004) I knew where I was going (near Melaque 200km south of PV). We had the camping in Mexico book and a AAA map. The map was worthless.
If you are going south of San Carlos, you might want to go with someone who has been down the road before. While that first trip was an experience, it would have been much easier with a guide. Someone to show the way. This is why I usually post when I'm leaving and where I'm going so that someone traveling for the first time can travel with me.
I'm leaving Tucson around the third of Jan. Traveling to the same beach that I went to on the first trip. Old friends and good time await.
We made so many wrong turns on that trip. While I can look on it with smiles now, it was very frustrating at times. We had been at our destination for a few weeks when someone mentioned the tunnel's in PV. My wife and I looked at each other then said what tunnels. For those who have been there know that we missed the bypass and went down the malecon, not fun with a 5th wheel.
ray

[Tequila]

I personally do nto like PP, too gringo, too dusty. Much better options further south. Only issue may be if you have a late model diesel that requires uLSD.

[rocmoc]

Do a search of this site for Puerto Peñasco and Rocky Point. Has been talked about many, many times. You will find everything you will ever want to know in your search. Great first trip.

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

[briansue]

Where you cross the border depends on where you are coming from and where you are going. We have not crossed at Lukeville because it has never been along the route to where we are going from where we are coming from. We have crossed at Nogales (Mariposa), Tecate, south of Deming, NM (Columbus/Palomas), Los Indios south of McAllen, TX, Laredo, TX (Columbia), and had no problem with any of them. Our first trip in our new Bus was to San Carlos using MX15D because some friends were going there so we tagged along. Since then we have ventured all over Mexico and have now been in 28 states. We drive a 40' motorhome towing our Honda CR-V and are probably too big for Mexico but we seem to manage. Some roads can be narrower than we are used to in the US. In recent years (and still today) there has been a lot of road construction all over Mexico as they build new roads and rebuild old roads. Many roads are now wider and smoother than just a few years ago. But there are still narrow places with lots of rough road. A short trip or a trip without a definite destination might be a good first venture. See our blog over the years which should be linked here in our signature. Get the recommended "Church" book and a good GPS and then research posts on this forum and go through many previous posts. We find Mexico to be very different than many people north of here think it is. We now spend most of our winter months roaming around Mexico and everywhere we go we run into old friends from previous years who have now come to spend winters in Mexico. Some are roamers and some stay in one place or only visit a couple places. We still like finding new places as well as visiting old favorites and meeting up with old friends. Some of the best people we know are now in Mexico - both the Mexicans and other RVers we have met in Mexico. There is much to be learned and lots to prepare for and some travel days can be tough but we find it is well worth the effort. Keep asking questions.

[Canadian_Rainbi]

To us,Puerto Penasco isn't really Mexico--it's more like Arizona's beachfront. :B More gringos and that lifestyle than Mexico.

Having said that, for a first trip, it's better than nothing. We really like the interior cities of Mexico--Guanajuato, Morelia, Patzcuaro etc. (Don't go there for the heat!)

Our first RV trip was via San Carlos to Mazatlan then Puerto Vallarta. That was 12 years ago. Now we wander around the country for a month or so then spend 3 months in Zihuatanejo before slowly heading north.

For a first trip Rocky Point is fine, then maybe head to Keno Bay, and on to San Carlos and/or as far south as you feel comfortable. Our first few days was white knuckle stuff but we soon got used to it.

Don't let the nay-sayers put you off. Enjoy! It's a great country and the people are wonderful.

Check our blog for all the "TERRIBLE AND DANGEROUS THINGS" we ran into along the way.

Also get a copy of Mike and Terri Church's book, A Traveler's Guide to Mexican Campingb then go to their website for updates to the pages that interest you.

See you on the road somewhere.

[1492]

Moved from Forum Technical Support