Topolobampo to Cuyutlán

We are here, we are safe, we had a completely uneventful trip. Arrived at 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon. No internet as the house; something isn't working. But perhaps by the weekend we'll get it sorted out.

From Topo to Tepic is a long day; 8 hours with a couple of gas stops. When we got off the toll road we drove into a huge traffic jam occasioned by (a) a stalled bread truck on the off-ramp and (b) a police roadblock just beyond where four lanes of traffice had to merge into one. But we finally got shut of that mess and headed for our favorite hotel. We drove up only to find it boarded up, looking every bit like it had gone out of business. But the barricade was covered with posters that I couldn't read because we went by so fast. Around the block and back, this time we pulled off the street and learned that it is undergoing renovation but is open and if you just turn in (way back) there you can fine the office, etc. I walked over to the night watchman's office to check, found an employee who got into the car with Mr. C and together they did a few fancy traffic maneuvers to get the car back where it needed to be. We checked in, found out that the main renovations were to the two dining rooms. As a result, they were closed except for a little outdoor cafe set up on the patio outside our room. By 6 o'clock when we were hungry the cafe had already shut down and packed it in for the night. But that was fine; another yummy turkey sandwich and a bottle of wine and it was time to go to bed. There was no internet available; it had become a casualty of the remo.

Left Sunday morning for a fast trip to Guadalajara. Stopped at the CostCo/Mega shopping center for some last minute items we can't get around here, and then headed for home on the last leg of a very long trip. We pulled into our driveway at 2 PM, and it sure looked good. Chuy and Fernando had set up the house for us; cushions on the sofa, chairs and tables where they belong, beds made, towels out. It's as though we had never left. As an additional treat, Chuy had made a big pot of her to-die-for chiles picadillo for our dinner. That an a cold Indio is all a body needs. The garden looks beautiful; everything survived the summer rains and heat.

I had a good night's sleep, vaguely aware of the low murmur of the sea, a few dog barks and cat screams, and the rumble and whistle of the train speeding by on the edge of the village.

I'm home!