Since it’s August, I am not even going to comment on the weather except to say, when you’re on vacation at the beach, the humidity really doesn’t matter. However you can manage, I suggest getting a beach chair, umbrella, pool noodle and life vest, or two noodles. You hit the ocean for a morning swim and just don’t leave the beach until sunset. It usually cools off a bit by night so that’s when you can do all of your shopping, eating and socializing. Now you’re thinking, “There really is something to this Siesta thing”.
Let’s start off with an “only in Mexico” photo. This is how you know the road is closed. Post your funny “OIM” photos to our Facebook page and we’ll put them all in an album so everyone can have a laugh when needed.
Some good news…By all accounts, Rocky Point had a stellar 4th of July holiday weekend. Lots of people in town supporting the local businesses and having fun doing it as well. And as I sit here and write this, our International Airport is seeing its first official flight land – it went Live on Facebook. Pretty handy feature they added. Try it yourself and live stream your favorite places in Rocky Point.
Speaking of donating, if you see Red Cross asking for donations it would be really great if you could donate a buck or two or just the loose change in your pocket. Our Red Cross does one hell of a job helping people who get hurt – from a bee sting (or more likely a stingray or jellyfish sting) to traffic accidents, and they do it all for donations. By donating you can think of it as an insurance policy: if you’re ever hurt while in Rocky Point the Red Cross (Cruz Roja) will be there to help you.
We have added another U.S. toll free number to our General Information section on Page 37 (How to dial 800#’s from Mexico). To dial an 844 #, you must dial 885 in the place of 844. So your key pad would look like this (dialing from Mexico to the U.S.) 001+885+7-digit number. I think we have all of the 800#’s covered in this section, but if you know of one we have omitted please drop us a line. The number is not free of charge when dialed from Mexico – in case you didn’t know. Usually you get a voice recording that tells you as much so just stay on the line if you want your call to go through.
I haven’t noticed the Sonoyta Police pulling anyone over for speeding. Not only that, but the south end looks like a ghost town these days. It’s sure been nice NOT seeing the police sitting there with their radar guns. And the road crew has finally filled ALL of the potholes on Hwy 8. They were so bad on both sides of the road making that 10-mile or so stretch so annoying, not to mention very dangerous especially at night. Now mind you, I am writing this in late July, so come the first of August you may be calling me a liar. Let’s hope the highway doesn’t get that bad again.
Arizonans know this is monsoon season, which means lots of rain, wind and flash floods. Peñasco doesn’t see much of that rain, but Sonoyta does, so watch for washed out roads through town, especially the river road. The monsoon rains can cause a ton of water to rush across Hwy 8 so always be careful. Slow down for the dips which are the most dangerous. They’ve been pretty good about cleaning up debris and putting warning signs, but don’t count on that.
Nowadays, Rocky Point always seems to have something going on so check our Events Section in this issue and check our Facebook page for up-to-the minute events (or up-to-an-hour-or-two). Remember these are the months where the RPTimes staff enjoy very long lunches and sometimes very long breakfasts. So long, in fact, we can’t seem to make it back to the office. Especially if it’s already siesta time. Woohoo!
Okay, couple of repeats for you new Rocky Point Times readers: DO NOT EVER, ever, ever, positively never bring any firearm or ammunition into Mexico. Not even one stray bullet in your trunk and definitely not that .22 you got holstered. Guns and ammo are taken very seriously here and possession will get you a cozy room with 40 other guys, for the next 5 to 30 years.
Rocky Point has virtually no violent crime activity, but we do have petty theft. Thieves are opportunists so do not give them an opportunity to score a new pair of glasses, purse, wallet, camera, etc. I haven’t heard of items being snatched off of tables around here, but it’s never too early to start being vigilant. Keep your vehicle locked and do not keep any valuables in your vehicle. Keep your doors to your rental house or condo locked. You cannot secure items in your house/condo if you are out on the beach, down at the pool or even out on the patio with the door closed. We want Rocky Point to continue to be your vacation getaway, so take a few precautions to secure your personal belongings. And, of course you know to always get Mexican auto insurance. It’s the LAW.
Our U.S./Mexico Border at Lukeville is seeing an increase in traffic so allow extra time during the week since you may not be able to zip right through. Weekends, there have been some lineups and holiday weekends are busy, busy, busy. Remember you can check border wait times on the internet at www.bwt.cvp.gov and people always post border line info on our Facebook page.
Some of you may not know that on the Mexican side of the border – right at the border – is where we all go to import items into Mexico. There is a place for vehicles to park for this purpose: right against the chain link fence next to the covered parking. At the end of the Aduana building and before the fence there is an intersection, if you will. If you block this space with your car, then people coming in from the U.S., who need to import, have no room to get to their parking spot and they end up backing up the traffic waiting to get into Mexico. So before you leave the shady spot where the stop sign is (heading north), make sure that there is enough room for your vehicle to clear, or mostly clear, the chain link fence.
If you are new to Rocky Point please feel free to stop by our office (map in each issue) if you have any questions…even dumb ones are allowed. We Hope to see everyone down here for Labor Day Holiday Weekend and every day from now until then…stay cool peeps.
