Thanksgiving in Mexico: Puerto Peñasco

Here's the thing about adventures.  You have to take a risk.  This Christmas, we took a risk by driving to Nebraska.  On the way out, the roads were clear and we made amazing time, reaching my parents' front door in record time: 13.25 hours.  We've been a bit less fortunate on the way back, making it only as far as Cheyenne before I-80 was shut down due to weather.  On the bright side, Jason took the kids to the movies, so I have the hotel room all to myself for blogging and a nap.

Over Thanksgiving, we took another risk and drove all the way down to Mexico.  While I admit that I felt a little nervous going into our trip, it turned out splendidly.  The first night we drove as far as Cedar City.  The next morning (Wednesday) we took the scenic route to Phoenix.  Any excuse to drive through Zion National Park!  (And pretend we are Ansel Adams.)

Can't forget the frisbee!

Farther down the road, we stopped at Horseshoe Bend in Paige, Arizona.

It's certainly changed a lot from when we visited years ago and you could dangle your feet right over the edge.

Considering the fact that I had my littles with me this time, I was grateful for the fence.

Annika and I still find our own kind of daring.

We arrived in Phoenix just as the sun was setting.  I'm in love with the saguaros poking up into the horizon.

We met at Ben and Christy's house for an amazing early Thanksgiving dinner, courtesy of the Spackmans.

It was so fun to see Ben and Christy's home!  While I regrettably failed to take many pictures, here are a few of the kids playing in the backyard.  The extra children belong to Ben's brother Hugh and his wife Kristi.  So yes, we enjoyed Thanksgiving with two Christy/Kristi Spackmans.  Kristi and Hugh Spackman reside in Salt Lake where their children attend Emerson elementary, participating in the same Spanish dual immersion program as Eli.  In fact, Eli and Simon (pictured right) are in the same class. Our kids got along great--ironic that it took a trip to Mexico to finally get our families together!  Like us, Kristi and Hugh were excited for their children to have a chance to use the Spanish they've been learning in school.

 The next morning, it was back on the road.  Our first stop was Organ Pipe National Monument for an official Wheeler Wobble.  Nothing better than a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving.

Justin, getting ready to race.  Indeed, he claimed the championship title, at least until the Wheelers wobble again.

An upside down Ruby.

So many runners!  This is our entire crew, with the exception of the youngest Spackman, who wasn't in the mood for a photo.  (Btw Brooklyn, your frisbee is blocking Ruby.)

The weather was chillier than I would have expected for southern Arizona, but jogging helped to warm us up.

Here's Grandma Susie pointing out the Organ Pipe cactus to Annika.  These are prickly, but the cactus to watch out for it the jumping cholla, also known as the teddy bear cholla because they look soft and fuzzy.  Don't be deceived!  The slightest brush and a segment will attach itself to you.  Poor Asher (the Spackman's oldest boy) got one stuck in his leg and learned firsthand how painful that can be since the spines are covered with tiny microbarbs to keep them from coming loose.  Ouch!

One more stop in the town of Ajo (or was it the town named Why?) to purchase some Mexican automobile insurance, then it was time to cross the border.  The border town of Puerto Sonoyta isn't the place where you'd want to hang out, so we kept on driving for another hour until we got to Rocky Point.

If, like me, you had absolutely no idea where Puerto Peñasco/Rocky Point is located, here's a basic map.

From the rooftop of our rental home, you could see that a storm was blowing in...


...so we brought in chicken from Pollo Lucas.  Oh my goodness, the food was delicious!  For me, one of the best parts of our Mexican adventure was the opportunity to try lots of local cuisine.  Tamales for breakfast, tacos for lunch, ceviche for dinner...you get the idea.  The culinary experience was delightfully affordable, plus I loved the convenience.  An extra bonus--we managed to steer clear of tummy troubles.


That first night, Puerto Peñasco was hammered by rain and high winds.  Locals tell us that it was the largest storm they'd had in twenty years!  Despite a few leaky roofs and some interrupted sleep, the morning dawned clear.  To accommodate the entire group, we actually rented two places two blocks apart.  This is the entryway off the courtyard of the house where we stayed.

A peek inside.  (By the way, Vedeckis Family, we loved your chocolate!  Thank you.)

Some views of the neighborhood, as seen through from the roof.

Of course, you can see this from the roof as well.  The transformer sizzled and sparked like fireworks all through the storm, but we managed to keep electricity.

 Ruby and Annika found it the perfect place to dance.

 Naturally, our first excursion was the beach, located just a couple blocks away.  While it wasn't overly warm, the sand was amazing.  It was particularly interesting to watch the sea and sky recover from the storm.

The freshly churned sea turned up some stunning seashells.  What treasures!

For lunch, we headed into town for some street tacos.  It wasn't until we saw the flooded streets that we realized how extensive the storm.

Annika was most excited about seeing chuchos, the Mexican street dogs that she was repeatedly warned not to approach or pet.

Jason, Christy, and I slipped away for some fish tacos...

...then joined the rest of the group across the street for some tacos con carne.

Nam nam.

While I passed on the tripe, I was curious to try el vampiro, which turned out to be a pretty tasty tostada with carne asada.

Meanwhile Grandpa Charles was pretty amused by the painting on the wall.  Naughty crab!


Next it was off to search for a lighthouse.

In case you didn't notice, Ben and Hugh look as alike as Callie and I.

Ivy takes a moment to sketch her discoveries.

For dinner, we ventured out to El Buzo for some upscale seafood.  While I'm not usually a fan of raw fish, these fresh, unique flavors were not to be missed.  I'm drooling just thinking about it.

Octopus anyone?  No, I was not that brave, but Christy was.

As a fishing port, Rocky Point really is the perfect place to get seafood.  They take their shrimp seriously.  Check out this sculpture in the main square: El Camaronero.

More beach photos.  I believe I could walk along the ocean every day of my life and never tire of the experience.  As one who rarely gets the privilege, it feels mystical and humbling.

Christy is feeling the joy.

So many unicorn horns!

Annika

Ruby

Talia, Eli, and Brooklyn

This group looks ready to assemble for their impromptu game of Ultimate Frisbee.  Gosh, they all had fun!  It ended a little more wet than when they started, courtesy of the rising tide.

Simon and Susie search for seashells by the seashore.

Christy found some too.

Perhaps the most magical moment came when the horses walked by at sunset.

For Annika, this is heaven.

For the rest of us, heaven came a little bit later when we stopped by the churro stand.  These churros were so delicious that we visited two nights in a row.

Our last set of beach photos: I promise.  It was just so pretty! 

Couldn't leave Mexico without our traditional Thanksgiving piñata. We decided to patronize the town sweet shop rather than try to get a homemade paper maché creation across the border.  Annika and Ruby helped fill it.

Practicing the whack.

Pretty cute crew of kids!  From left to right, in the back we have Talia, Brooklyn, Asher, and Simon, followed by Ivy, Ruby, Annika, Eli, and Jonah in the front.

 Blindfolds on.

Annika gives the piñata a leaping swat.

Brooklyn's turn to tackle.

Damaged but not defeated.

The piñata was much stronger than our twine.

At last, Uncle Ben strikes the death blow.

Spoils for all.

In need of some real food to balance out the sugar, we then headed out to dinner at La Casa del Capitan.

Much more gringo in its menu offerings, the food wasn't as unique...

...but the atmosphere sure was fun!

Plus, the drinks!  Brianna's sure got the virgin margarita thing down.

I was pretty excited about the clams.

Some more amazing photos from the Spackman camera.

Annika cuddles up with Uncle Ben to stay warm.

Uncle Justin gets double the trouble.

 Fun for all in Peñasco.

Remember that churro stand?

 Well, the second night we indulged, Annika lost a tooth there.  I'm pretty sure she just wanted to be like her new friend Ivy who also lost a tooth earlier that day.

Looks like the Mexican tooth fairy pays in pesos.

While conversing with Jason at the churro stand, a local told us all about a Lucha Libre we ought to attend.  Now there's a real reason to learn Spanish.

Talk about a cultural experience!

Two luchadores bring the spectacle right up to our row.  I remember the skinny guy was called Huesos.

Uncle Justin with his autographed shirt.  As he put it on, he declared: this isn't coming off for a long time.  Most definitely El Eligido.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end.  We left the well-choreographed wrestling match early because we needed to get home and packed.  After all, we intended to drive all the way to Salt Lake the next day.  It was a long journey back, taking seventeen hours by the time we made it through customs and skirted traffic jams.  With every seat in our 8 passenger mini-van taken, I think we envied the saguaros their wide open spaces.

Fortunately, we made it back with plenty of seashells to remind us of our brave adventure.

Thanksgiving opened our eyes to Mexico's rich beauty and made us grateful for the blessings of our own nation.


Now here's praying that the snow will clear and we can make it home safely from our current adventure.